Norbeck, Peters & Ford
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Yves St Laurent offers
TENNSTEDT, Vol. III &
PARAY, Vol. IX . . .
Malibran presents
CHAUVET's Italian OTELLO . . .
Bongiovanni's newest is
Paisiello's LA SEMIRAMIDE IN VILLA . . .
and our 50% SALE Continues,
NOW OFFERING MORE THAN 1700 TITLES . . .
This week's offerings include:
- KLAUS TENNSTEDT Cond. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Concerto grosso in g (Handel), Live Performance, 5 Nov., 1977, Symphony Hall; Symphony #85 in B-flat (Haydn), Live Performance, 31 July, 1976, Tanglewood Music Festival; Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525 (Mozart), Live Performance, 27 Feb., 1979, Symphony Hall, Boston. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-543. [The Handel & Mozart beautifully display the splendor of the Symphony Hall acoustic.] Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1524)
"Because he spent the beginning of his career in East Germany, Klaus Tennstedt was virtually unknown in the West until he was in his late 40s. But his international career took off after he left East Germany in 1971. From the time he made his first appearances in North America, with the Toronto and Boston Symphony orchestras in 1974, he was regarded as an uncommonly probing, expressive conductor of works from the mainstream Romantic repertory.
Mr. Tennstedt was born in Merseburg, Germany, on 6 June, 1926. When he was 15, he enrolled at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he studied violin, piano and music theory. He also studied in Dresden during World War II, and he told one interviewer that after the firebombing of Dresden in 1944, he was in the fire brigade and assigned to dig bodies out of the rubble.
In 1948 he was appointed concertmaster of the Halle Municipal Theater Orchestra, where his father was a violinist. Four years later he began conducting the orchestra, and he soon became its music director. In 1958, he became music director of the Dresden Opera and in 1962 he took over the Schwerin State Orchestra and the Schwerin State Theater. During the 1960s, Mr. Tennstedt had an active touring schedule in East Germany, and was a frequent guest of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Berlin Radio Orchestra. He also performed in the Soviet Union and in Czechoslovakia. When preparing for a tour in 1971, Mr. Tennstedt found that his passport had been mistakenly stamped with an exit visa for the West. He left East Germany for Sweden, announced his intention not to return, and persuaded the East German Government to allow his wife to join him. In Sweden, he became the director of the Stora Theater in Goteborg and the conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm. In 1972, he became director of the Kiel Opera in West Germany.
Mr. Tennstedt's first break in North America occurred after the death of Karel Ancerl, the director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. When the orchestra's managing director, Walter Homburger, went to Europe in search of a replacement, he read some reviews of Mr. Tennstedt's work in Kiel. After hearing him conduct Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, he hired him for a series of Toronto concerts in May 1974. He made his Boston Symphony début later that year.
Mr. Tennstedt became principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic in 1977, served as principal guest conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1979 to 1982, and returned to the London Philharmonic as its music director from 1983 to 1987. After he relinquished the post, he became the orchestra's conductor laureate."
- Allan Kozinn, THE NEW YORK TIMES,
13 Jan., 1998
- PAUL PARAY Cond. Detroit S.O.: A Faust Symphony (Liszt). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-429, Live Performance, 9 March, 1967. ["an endlessly fascinating score...Liszt's greatest orchestral work...." - Gramophone] Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1527)
"Throughout its history, treble clef graphic classical music developed in distinct national schools. While European artists occasionally would entrain for Russia or set sail for the New World, most were content to remain nestled in their own culture. Recently, though, that all changed.
Blame America as the catalyst. At first, we were the poor stepchild, with no distinct heritage of our own. But as repression and then genocide pushed European artists to emigrate to fill the vacuum among our wealthy but unenlightened masses, something new emerged - a multicultural force that blended together into a pluralism that gleamed brighter than any of its components....the very essence of refined French culture is in the Motor City, or at least it was from 1952 to 1963. That's when the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (the 'DSO') led by Paul Paray recorded a legendary series of LPs with Mercury's 'Living Presence' label.
Paray established a solid reputation as a French conductor, heading orchestras in Lamoureux, Monte Carlo and Paris. American guest stints led to his appointment as permanent conductor of the recently reorganized DSO. Their very first records prove that he quickly forged the ensemble into a truly great orchestra and transformed its sound into a replica of those he had known in France.
It's especially remarkable that the fiercely proud French tradition should thrive in the heart of America, the very place where national trends became forsaken and assimilated. After all, French culture is the most deeply chauvinistic of any, proudly defended to the death against the pollution of foreign influence. Indeed, the most famous French music has a unique sound, often described as impressionistic, much like the paintings of Monet and Renoir. It's a valid analogy. Like that art, French impressionist music is concerned more with color effects than formal structure, as sensual melodies briefly appear before flitting away. While the overall effect is of subtle, blended mist, the sound is achieved through a layering of distinct instruments, much as in a Seurat painting in which the pastel atmosphere arises from dots of intense color. That's what Paray gives us - not a sonic blur but precise dabs of bold instrumental coloration. Just as brushstrokes are carefully placed, the DSO's rhythm and articulation of individual notes are always precise and luminously clear.
Naturally, Paray brought an appropriate Gallic touch to the great French repertoire. His Debussy, Ravel, Chabrier and Roussel are magnificent, beautifully capturing their elegance with a self-effacing confidence. The DSO complements Paray's approach with superb playing, each instrument gleaming with individual pride yet prefectly nestled in the ensemble. Paray also produced unusually polished and convincing readings of overtures and light pieces, according them a respect usually reserved for more challenging music....He works similar wonders with Rachmaninov, Sibelius and even Wagner, the epitome of German music and about as far from the French aesthetic as possible.
Paray brought to all his work the highest achievement in any art, whether acting, painting or music - from careful preparation, constant revision and grueling work emerges something natural, accessible and inviting. And through this process, Paray created and preserved an island of his native land in a most unlikely place, as distant geographically and culturally as could be. His DSO records prove his undeniable success."
- Peter Gutmann, classicalnotes.net
- OTELLO (in Italian) - Excerpts, undated Live Performance, Napoli, w.Nello Santi Cond. Napoli Ensemble; Guy Chauvet, Jeannette Pilou, Franco Bordoni, etc. [Albeit that two of the superb protagonists are French, this stunning performance is actually sung in Italian. Chauvet is a wonderful Otello, remembered at the Met 1977-81, and Pilou returns us to cherished memories of her Met Opera years, 1967-83.] (France) Malibran AMR 145. (OP3220)
"French tenor Guy Chauvet was born in Montluçon 2 October 1933. In 1954 he was co-winner of a tenor competition in Cannes, along with Alain Vanzo, Gustave Botiaux, Tony Poncet, and Roger Gardes - a pretty impressive assemblage of talent! Chauvet made his Paris Opéra début in 1959, starting with comprimario parts, finally advancing to lead roles. He soon established himself as an important presence, both in France and, ultimately, in many of the world's other major opera houses. He sang numerous roles in the French and Italian repertoire, and became particularly well-known for such heroic parts as Aeneas and Samson.
Guy Chauvet was without question a talented singer, and one who filled a pressing need during a time when the grand tradition of the French heroic tenor was in decline....Typical of this singer's work in general, the diction is idiomatic and crystal-clear....Chauvet displays all of the other qualities that are the heart and soul of great French tenor singing - a seamless legato, a masterful application of the mixed voice, and an ideal balance between elegance and passion. It's also quite impressive to hear Chauvet demonstrate an ease and mastery of style and technique in music ranging from the 18th century to verismo. And if all of these attributes inspire comparison to Chauvet's great predecessor, Georges Thill, the singing on this disc justifies such comparisons. We hear some absolutely first-rate French tenor singing. Highly recommended."
- K. M., classicalcdreview, Sept., 2004
"Pilou's instrument is a true lyric soprano, slender in circumference but capable of colors both dulcet and bracing....At its quietest, the voice is delectably limpid...at the full, which she employs sparingly, it is enhanced by an attratice metallic hue...full of illuminating musical and dramatic touches on her part."
- Paul Jackson,
START-UP AT THE NEW MET, pp.106-107
"Jeannette Pilou began her vocal training in Egypt and continued in Italy under Carla Castellani. Her made her début at Teatro Smeraldo di Milano as Violetta in LA TRAVIATA (1959). Her international career unfolded quickly. Her repertoire covered a wide range of lyric and dramatic soprano roles in Italian and French operas. In 1964 she interpreted Mimi in LA BOHÈME at the Vienna State Opera. Appearances ensued in major European and American opera houses: London, Brussels, Milan, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Hannover, Cologne, Genoa, Budapest, Paris, Barcelona, Lisbon, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Philadelphia, Buenos Aires. In addition, she made an acclaimed appearance at the Festival International d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence, Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden and the Arena di Verona Festival. Beginning with the role of Juliette, she sang the following roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York over the years 1967-86: Susanna [LE NOZZE DI FIGARO], Mélisande [PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE], Nedda [PAGLIACCI], Micaela [CARMEN], Marguerite [FAUST] and Mimì [LA BOHÈME]. She sang the leading role in the world premiere of Renzo Rosselini's opera LA REINE MORTE (Monte Carlo, 1973). She also interpreted Marzelline [FIDELIO], Nannetta [FALSTAFF] and the title roles in Massenet's MANON and Puccini's MANON LESCAUT. During the years 1969-1985, she participated regularly in GNO productions at Olympia Theater and the Athens Festival, performing acclaimed interpretations of Liù [TURANDOT], Susanna [LE NOZZE DI FIGARO], Cio-Cio-San [MADAMA BUTTERFLY], Donna Elvira [DON GIOVANNI], Desdemona [OTELLO] and Marguerite [FAUST]. In 1998 she interpreted the leading role in the Greek premiere of PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE at the Athens Concert Hall."
- Greek National Opera
- LA SEMIRAMIDE IN VILLA (Paisiello), Live Performance, 2014, w.Giovanni di Stefano Cond. Orchestra da camera del Giovanni Paisiello Festival; Carolina Lippo (Madama Tenerina), Irene Molinari (Madama Placida), Fabio Perillo (Garofalo), Pasquale Arcamone (Monsieur Panbianco), etc. (Italy) 2-Bongiovanni GB2486-87, w.Libretto-Brochure. (OP3221)
"The four-voice music intermezzo is a delightful parody of Metastasio's recognized SEMIRAMIS, made by many composers (Leonardo Vinci, Galuppi, Sarti, Salieri, Gluck, Traetta). In the libretto of Metastasio, the famous Babylonian queen, disguised, seeks a contender for her daughter Tamiri among the Scitalce princes (her former lover and preferred by the future bride), Ircano and Mirteo. Scitalces and Semiramis recognize themselves, causing jealousy of Ircano, who in a toast tries to poison the rival, but is discovered and, after long strikes, eventually manages to marry the queen while Tamiri joins Mirteo. In the text of an anonymous booklet used by Paisiello, tragedy changes into a bipartisan comedy. In the first part, which takes the title of LA SEMIRAMIDE IN THE VILLA, Panbianco's leader chooses in a hurry to set up Semiramis against the opinion of the singers: they tease the actors, the impresario and the same singers of the lyric companies, with the music that emphasizes the irony of these criticisms.
In the second part, titled LA SEMIRAMIDE BERNESCO, the grumpy company attempts a real stage show, with a change: at the time of the poisoning, Scitalce refuses to drink and the glass is offered to Ircano. At this point, the 'theater in the theater' game is interrupted to ridicule the superficiality of so many fittings of the time, often cluttered, real theater patchwork. A case of ironic metateatro in music that is not only found in Paisiello, but also, in Cimarosa and Donizetti."
- Z. D. Akron
. . . REPEATED FROM THE RECENT PAST . . .
- CHARLES MÜNCH Cond. Boston S.O.: A Faust Symphony (Liszt). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-430, Live Performance, 26 Feb., 1954, Symphony Hall, Boston. ["an endlessly fascinating score...Liszt's greatest orchestral work...." - Gramophone] Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1520)
"It's difficult to articulate what makes Münch's conducting special - or indeed if there even is anything identifiably unique about it. A lesser talent would simply turn out generic, cookie-cutter performances; but Münch was anything but generic. He was one of the most musical of conductors; in so many of his performances, everything simply sounds 'right'. Certainly, his experience as an orchestral musician gave him a lot of practical insight into the mechanics of directing orchestra traffic. But a classic Münch interpretation never sounds calculated. Spontaneity was one of his hallmarks, sometimes to the surprise and discomfort of the musicians playing under him. From one night to the next, a Münch performance of the same piece might be very different, depending on his mood of the moment - yet it would always sound like Münch."
- Lawrence Hansen, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Nov./Dec., 2012
- WILLIAM STEINBERG Cond. Boston Symphony Orchestra, w.Eileen Farrell, James King, Nell Rankin, Robert Hale, etc.: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE - Act II (Wagner). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-544, Live Performance, 21 April, 1972, Symphony Hall, Boston. [This glorious live performance beautifully displays the splendor of the Symphony Hall acoustic.] Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1522)
- WILLIAM KAPELL - Three First Releases: Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 55, No. 2 (Chopin) (unissued 'test' recording); w.Rodzinski Cond. NYPO: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rachmaninoff), 28 Oct., 1945, Carnegie Hall; w.Richard Burgin Cond. Boston Symphony Orchestra (21 March, 1953, Symphony Hall) & Ormandy Cond. Philadelphia Orchestra (22 Feb., 1947, Academy of Music): Piano Concerto #3 in C (Prokofiev) (2 performances). (U.K.) JSP Records JSP684. (P1259)
"The shocking death in a plane crash in 1953 of the 31-year old William Kapell clearly robbed the music world of one of the very greatest pianists it had known, as his career and musical maturity were continuing to develop. This wonderful disc of three live performances gives us a unique opportunity to witness that growth, particularly because it contains two performances of one of Kapell's specialties - the Prokofiev Third Concerto. The Philadelphia performance was given on February 22, 1947, when the pianist was 24; the Boston performance dates from March 21, 1953, seven months before his death. There is a world of difference between the two, and it goes well beyond the conducting differences between Eugene Ormandy and Richard Burgin (the latter a much under-appreciated Boston concertmaster and assistant conductor, whose thrilling Mahler Second has circulated among collectors for decades).
Kapell first came to the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody in 1943, playing it shortly after the composer's death - a performance during which reportedly the pianist was actually in tears. He then played the piece with some frequency and made a studio recording of it with Fritz Reiner....Kapell finds a way to give equal weight to the lyrical beauty and virtuoso fireworks in the Rachmaninoff. The notes indicate that this performance has been available before but from a less good sound source. I am not familiar with the earlier release, but what we have here is remarkably good sound for a 1945 broadcast.
Each of the two performances of Prokofiev's Third Concerto is stunning; we would be fortunate to have either one of them! Surprisingly, if I had to keep only one (a choice, fortunately, I don't have to make) it would be the Boston one. Perhaps part of the difference is that Kapell kept maturing and growing. But I also believe part of the responsibility for the flair and flexibility of this reading is Burgin, whose work has long been admired by the few connoisseurs who are familiar with it. The Ormandy performance finds Kapell at his most brilliant, with crystal clean textures, blinding clarity and accuracy at the highest speeds, fierce rhythmic snap and drive. While all of those qualities are present in the Burgin performance, they are married to a lyricism and delicacy that is unique. To give one example, at 7:36 into the second movement, Kapell finds a huge range of colors and dynamics that fluctuate between mezzo piano and pianissimo. It takes both a brilliant imagination and impeccable technique to create such a variety of sound in what would seem to have been a limited range. In many ways the lyricism and beauty that Kapell finds in this performance comes closer than most pianists to Prokofiev's own recording of the concerto. Burgin is not only supportive, but adds his own imaginative touches, and the Boston Symphony is at its considerable best.
The Chopin Nocturne is a gorgeous bonus. It is apparently a previously unissued test recording, perhaps made by RCA. We have two live performance recordings of this Nocturne by Kapell, both from his final year 1953. The first is from a Frick Collection recital on March 1, the second is a souvenir of his final Australian tour (it was on his return from that tour that his plane crashed). The value of this recording is its studio quality of sound, giving us the full glamour of the Kapell tone, not to mention his remarkable way with shaping a line.
What distinguishes this release, in addition to the genius of Kapell, is its technical quality. The remastering is at the highest level, probably to the credit of both Seth B. Winner and John H. Haley of Harmony Restorations. Of particular significance is the full dynamic range, clearly in part to the credit of the original broadcast engineers. The disc comes with informative notes about Kapell and this repertoire, and also about the technical aspect of the restoration....[a] quite extraordinary document of a uniquely great pianist."
- Henry Fogel, FANFARE
- ALFRED CORTOT, Vol. III: Études, Opp. 10 & 25 (Chopin). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-364, recorded 4 July, 1933 & 18 June, 1934, resp. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (P1258)
- ARTUR SCHNABEL: Sonata #11 in B-flat, Op.22; Sonata #20 in G, Op.49, #2; 'Appassionata' Sonata #23 in f, Op.57 (all Beethoven), recorded 1933. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-528. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (P1260)
- ARTURO TOSCANINI Cond. NYPO: Variations on a Theme of Haydn; Symphony #1 in c; w.Michel Piastro & Alfred Wallenstein: Double Concerto in a (all Brahms). (Canada) 2-Immortal Performances IPCD 1077, Live Performance, 17 Feb., 1935, plus intermission feature with Lawrence Gilman, the first Toscanini NYPO broadcast. Extensive Notes, photos & biographies. Includes the newly restored 10 April, 1936 Victor recording of Variations on a Theme of Haydn. [This is the long-missing first concert of the 1935 Brahms Cycle previously published by Immortal Performances (IPCD 1025), and is issued in association with the Toscanini Estate.] Restoration by Richard Caniell; an essay by Robert Matthew-Walker. (C1513)
- JOSEPH KEILBERTH Cond. NHK S.O.: Symphony #4 in B-flat (Beethoven); Tannhäuser - Bacchanale Venusberg (Wagner). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-446, Live Performance, 9 / 2 Feb., 1966, Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1518)
- EDMOND CLÉMENT: Songs & Duets (w.Geraldine Farrar) by Lully, Weckerlin, Martini, Cavalli, Paer, Koechlin, Debussy, Hahn, Berlioz, Widor, Roubaud, Pessard, Dubois, Arcadet, Massenet, Bemberg, Fauré, J.B. Faure, Barbirolli, Grieg, Schubert & Schumann; Arias & Duets (w. Geraldine Farrar & Marcel Journet) from Amadis de Gaule, Roméo, Manon, Le Roi d'Ys, Jocelyn, La Basoche, Le Mage, La Dame Blanche, Robert le Diable, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Werther, Dante, Cavalleria & Mefistofele. (France) 2-Malibran 563, recorded 1911-26, Pathé & Victor. [It is a wonderful experience to hear Clément's four rare electrical Pathé recordings; sheer enchantment in these marvelous displays of the now extinct French style.] (V2530)
- BERTHE MONMART: Arias by Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Weber, d'Ollone, Berlioz, Dukas, Charpentier, Lalo, Berlioz, Dukas, Verdi, Puccini & Mascagni. (France) Malibran 810. (V2524)
- ERNEST BLANC, w.Cloëz, Gressier, Cluytens, Prêtre, Dervaux, Cruchon, Pritchard & Gui Cond.: Arias from Thais, Mireille, Hérodiade, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Rigoletto, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser & Die Walküre; ERNEST BLANC & RÉGINE CRESPIN: Hérodiade - Demande au prisionier. (France) Malibran AMR 139, recorded 1955-78, partially live performances. (V2526)
- BIDÚ SAYÃO: Songs by Costa & Flotow; Arias from Il Guarany, Nozze, Don Giovanni, Carmen, Faust, Roméo, Manon, La Traviata, La Boheme, Manon Lescaut & Madama Butterfly. (France) Malibran AMR 138, recorded 1930-48, incl. several Live Performances [which include a most heavenly rendition of Micaëla's 'Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante' from a live 1948 broadcast]. Lovely issue features an 8-face brochure of lovely photos & notes in French. (V2532)
- MARIO FILIPPESCHI: Verdi Arias & Duets (w.Caterina Mancini, Gianna d'Angelo, Giulietta Simionato & Gian Giacomo Guelfi) from Simon Boccanegra, I Vespri Siciliani, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Forza, Aïda & Otello. (France) Malibran AMR 136, recorded 1946-56, Live Performances from Milano, Rome, Caracas, Naples & Mexico, plus 1 film excerpt. (V2531)
- GIOVANNI MANURITA: Arias & Duets (w.dalla Rizza, Sassone-Soster, Lanza, Lussardi & Bardone) from Don Giovanni, Barbiere, Don Pasquale, L'Elisir, La Sonnambula, Werther, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Mignon, Martha, Rigoletto, La Traviata, La Boheme, Pagliacci & L'Amico Fritz. (France) Malibran AMR 144, recorded 1927-28. (V2533)
"Manurita's greatest successes began when he made his début in 1922 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as Ernesto in DON PASQUALE. In 1924 he sang at the Teatro Dal Verme, Milan in the premiere of Carlo Jachino's opera GIOCONDO ED IL SUO RE OF CARLO. He subsequently appeared in opera houses throughout Italy for the next 25 years. He made guest appearances in Warsaw, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. His best roles where Almaviva, Ernesto, Nemorino, Duke, Rodolfo and Don Ottavio. About 1945 Manurita, a lovely tenore di grazia, decided to change his repertoire, after successfully devoting himself to bel canto singing for several years; he undertook an unparalleled change to the dramatic repertoire, in which he enthralled his audiences with a variety of roles (Don José, Manrico, Maurizio, Loris, Canio etc.). He also appeared in several movies. After his retirement (1950) he taught singing at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He is most prominently remembered by collectors as vocal partner with Conchita Supervia and Gilda dalla Rizza. His daughter, Maria di Giovanni, had a successful career as soprano."
- Ned Ludd
- GIUSEPPE LUGO: Songs by Jamin & Leoncavallo; Arias from Hérodiade, Lakmé, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Faust, Manon, Werther, La Boheme, Luisa Miller, Rigoletto, Tosca, Cavalleria, Madama Butterfly, Pagliacci & L'Amico Fritz. (France) Malibran AMR 143, recorded 1932-39. (V2534)
"Belgian-born Giuseppe Lugo enjoyed one of the most beautiful voices in Italy between the two wars. After having won a competition, he appeared at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, remaining there as first tenor for three years. He appeared as Cavaradossi in Bologna, 1936, after which he became one of the most sought-after tenors in Italy. His performance as the Duke in RIGOLETTO created a sensation at the Verona Arena. He made but a few records but appeared in a number of films, singing songs written for his voice."
- Maurizio Tiberi
- FEDORA, recorded 1931, w.Molajoli Cond. La Scala Ensemble; Gilda dalla Rizza, Antonio Melandri, Luba Mirella, Emilio Ghirardini, etc.; FEDORA - Excerpts: Bellincioni, de Lucia, Caruso, Ruffo, Bassi, de Rosa, Scaramberg, Anselmi, Lenzi, Chamoux, Carelli, Ventura, Bonci, Russ, Garbin, Rimini & Masini; SIBERIA - Excerpts, w.Molajoli Cond. La Scala Ensemble. 2-Malibran 816. (OP3219)
"FEDORA at this date seems unlikely to ever attain a firm place in the repertory, but as heard here, it is possible to understand that at one time, it seemed to have earned that distinction. A short opera with a confusing, unconvincing libretto, it needs performers who truly believe in it. There is true 'golden age' glamour in the singing of Gilda dalla Rizza, the Fedora whose revenge for her fiance's death leads to her own suicide when she realizes she has destroyed the loved ones of the killer she has come to love. A tight vibrato and crisp enunciation give her performance a conversational quality, although she certainly lets fly with some passionate outbursts. The heart of the opera, a long duet in act two, finds her well-matched with the Loris of Antonio Melandri. He gives out almost as many sobs as he does ringing high notes, but in the red-blooded context of this opera, his handsome voice can be excused some excess."
- Chris Mullins, OPERA TODAY
- ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (in English), Live Performance, 3 Jan., 1958, w.Scherman Cond. American Opera Society Ensemble; Eileen Farrell, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Jon Crain, etc. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-517. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. [This unique recording of Farrell's Ariadne and Dobbs' remarkable Zerbinetta was made from a recording from Town Hall's house system and has occasional irregularities, but the clear sound comes through beautifully.] (OP3218)
"With Farrell...we are on the way back to look at American singing in the forties and fifties....In certain records she even achieves a Callas-like intensity....The touch of greatness in Farrell is sufficient to make one wonder why the evident goodness was not more extensively recorded and still more widely acclaimed."
- J. B. Steane, THE GRAND TRADITION, p.421
- LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, Live Performance, 17 Jan., 1966, w.Behr Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Eleanor Steber, Franco Corelli / Gaetano Bardini, Anselmo Colzani, etc. (Canada) 2-Yves St Laurent T-519. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. [This unique recording of Steber's sensational last-minute Minnie was made from a 'pirate' recording from within the house, with the duly excited audience's spontaneous reactions - very occasionally intrusive, but the clear sound comes through beautifully.] (OP3217)
. . . numerous out-of-print CDs and LPs, [many sealed copies
of numerous out-of-print additions: Issues of Symposium's
Harold Wayne series, Romophone, The Record Collector,
Naxos,
VRCS, GOP & many Met Opera broadcasts,
& operas from Moscow's Aquarius,
plus Operas by
Mercadante, Marais, Coccia, Vivaldi,
Cherubini,
Spontini, Ricci,
Vaccaj, Fioravanti, Paisiello,
Scarlatti,
de Majo, Generali,
Cavalli, Rameau, Lully, Pergolesi,
Cimarosa,
Anfossi, Pietri,
Musinelli, Rossini, Charpentier,
Gluck, Handel,
Vivaldi,
Monteverdi, Rossini, Cagnoni,
Myslivecek, Mayr, Hasse,
Meyerbeer, Weckerlin, Nicolai, Marschner, Gurlitt,
Schreker,
etc. ]
have been added
throughout our listings, in appropriate
categories . . .
out-of-print books [many biographies,
Record
Catalogue-
Discographies . . .
more are added each week . . .]
our 50% Discount Sale continues,
now offering more than 1700 titles . . .
- - - - - - - 78rpm collectors, please note auctions from:
- or at: 818-242-6247
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Norbeck, Peters & Ford, LLC
Norbeck, Peters & Ford
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C1524. KLAUS TENNSTEDT Cond. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Concerto grosso in g (Handel), Live Performance, 5 Nov., 1977, Symphony Hall; Symphony #85 in B-flat (Haydn), Live Performance, 31 July, 1976, Tanglewood Music Festival; Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525 (Mozart), Live Performance, 27 Feb., 1979, Symphony Hall, Boston. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-543. [The Handel & Mozart beautifully display the splendor of the Symphony Hall acoustic.] Transfers by Yves St Laurent.
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C1527. PAUL PARAY Cond. Detroit S.O.: A Faust Symphony (Liszt). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-429, Live Performance, 9 March, 1967. ["an endlessly fascinating score...Liszt's greatest orchestral work...." - Gramophone] Transfers by Yves St Laurent.
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OP3220. OTELLO (in Italian) - Excerpts, undated Live Performance, Napoli, w.Nello Santi Cond. Napoli Ensemble; Guy Chauvet, Jeannette Pilou, Franco Bordoni, etc. [Albeit that two of the superb protagonists are French, this stunning performance is actually sung in Italian. Chauvet is a wonderful Otello, remembered at the Met 1977-81, and Pilou returns us to cherished memories of her Met Opera years, 1967-83.] (France) Malibran AMR 145.
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OP3221. LA SEMIRAMIDE IN VILLA (Paisiello), Live Performance, 2014, w.Giovanni di Stefano Cond. Orchestra da camera del Giovanni Paisiello Festival; Carolina Lippo (Madama Tenerina), Irene Molinari (Madama Placida), Fabio Perillo (Garofalo), Pasquale Arcamone (Monsieur Panbianco), etc. (Italy) 2-Bongiovanni GB2486-87, w.Libretto-Brochure. - 8007068248629
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