Legendary Historical Singers

[Drasko]

My baritone find of the year



Some biographical info

I've ripped and uploaded Di Provenza il Mar from the disc above, find it excellent but I'm no vocal expert so hear for yourselves. The language is touch wrong but I find everything else very right.

Di Provenza il Mar
Pavel Lisitsian / Bolshoi Theatre Orch. / Alexander Orlov (1948)
4:41 min. 9 MB mp3 @ 256 Kbps
http://rapidshare.com/files/45997792/Di_Provenza_il_Mar__in_russian_.mp3.html

[m_gigena]

Bernd Aldenhoff

Only heard as Siegfried, and I prefer him to Windgassen.

[PSmith08]

Bernd Aldenhoff

Only heard as Siegfried, and I prefer him to Windgassen.

There is a Parsifal and a Holländer with Aldenhoff, too. In addition, there's a Preiser "Lebendige Vergangenheit" set with some Tannhäuser and Walküre selections.

[m_gigena]

There is a Parsifal and a Holländer with Aldenhoff, too. In addition, there's a Preiser "Lebendige Vergangenheit" set with some Tannhäuser and Walküre selections.

Thanks for the information. Even in OperaShare I'm having a hard time to find recordings of him. There's a 1951 Götterdämmerung with Varnay, under Knappertsbusch, I'm about to download right now.

[PSmith08]

Thanks for the information. Even in OperaShare I'm having a hard time to find recordings of him. There's a 1951 Götterdämmerung with Varnay, under Knappertsbusch, I'm about to download right now.

That Götterdämmerung sounds splendid. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's from Munich. Makes me almost want to join OperaShare. 

[m_gigena]

That Götterdämmerung sounds splendid. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's from Munich. Makes me almost want to join OperaShare. 

The one at OShare is from Bayreuth

"DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN"

Live recording in mono from
Festspielhaus Bayreuth
1951
Conductor: Hans Knappertsbusch
Chor & Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele

"GOETTERDAEMMERUNG"
Hans Knappertsbusch
4.August 1951

Bruennhilde..............................Astrid Varnay
Siegfried................................Bernd Aldenhoff
Hagen....................................Ludwig Weber
Alberich.................................Heinrich Pflanzl
Gunther..................................Hermann Uhde
Gutrune..................................Martha Moedl
Waltraute................................Elisabeth Hoengen
1. Norne.................................Ruth Siewert
2. Norne.................................Ira Malaniuk
3. Norne.................................Martha Moedl
Woglinde.................................Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Wellgunde................................Hanna Ludwig
Flosshilde...............................Hertha Toepper

[PSmith08]

The one at OShare is from Bayreuth

"DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN"

Live recording in mono from
Festspielhaus Bayreuth
1951
Conductor: Hans Knappertsbusch
Chor & Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele

"GOETTERDAEMMERUNG"
Hans Knappertsbusch
4.August 1951

Bruennhilde..............................Astrid Varnay
Siegfried................................Bernd Aldenhoff
Hagen....................................Ludwig Weber
Alberich.................................Heinrich Pflanzl
Gunther..................................Hermann Uhde
Gutrune..................................Martha Moedl
Waltraute................................Elisabeth Hoengen
1. Norne.................................Ruth Siewert
2. Norne.................................Ira Malaniuk
3. Norne.................................Martha Moedl
Woglinde.................................Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Wellgunde................................Hanna Ludwig
Flosshilde...............................Hertha Toepper

Ah, a great performance in its own right. All of the recordings I've heard from the 1951 Festspiele are special, including the electric Von Karajan Walküre act 3. Uhde's Gunther is always something to behold, but I do generally prefer Josef Greindl or Gottlob Frick as Hagen. The Munich show is from 1955, in any event.

Again, you're making it hard for me not to do the OperaShare thing. 

[Maciek]

Anyone know anything about Marcella Sembrich (Sembrich-Kochańska)? I came across her accidentally when looking around for old Moniuszko recordings. Of course - she's Polish, who else would be singing Moniuszko (apart from a couple of Lithuanians and Russians)? I'd be interested in informed opinions about her singing in general - and about the available recordings.

[Maciek]

Maciek, I enjoyed both the female voices a lot, so different from one another. The sound in quie a few of the clips puts them on the outer edge of what I like to listen to. A pity, especially in the case of Ada Sari, as she is pretty spetacular, most so in the upper reaches of her voice where the voice takes on even more individuality and glamour.

Mike

I've recently found a few Ada Sari clips on Youtube. For instance:
Rigoletto (Caro nome)
Lucia di Lammermoor
And from there you should be able to get to some Johann Strauss, Jan Gall (a Polish composer) and W.Friedman (not sure who that is).

And there's a little bit of Wanda Werminska:
Samson et Dalila
Carmen
Triolet (by Moniuszko)

This guy has got tons of extremely old recordings by Polish singers, many of them legendary. Unfortunately, it's a total mess, popular singers mixed with opera singers etc.

And this is something I posted in the Haunted Manor thread, because I had forgotten we had this place:

YouTube has some nice examples of Bogna Sokorska's singing (as well as a terrible Queen of the Night). For instance this Alabiev or the bell aria from Lakme or Les Filles du Cadix (terrible French) or... this!

[George]

Now that have all of the piano CDs on Marston, I may check out a few of the vocal releases.

Here's a link to their catalog

If anyone could recommend any of these singers/CDs I'd appreciate it. 

[George]

Here's a link to some cool videos from youtube's Marston Records channel most recent release, Rosalia Chalia On the videos, Ward discusses the singer's work and plays samples.

[Maciek]

Nothing from me George, I don't know enough on the subject.

Just wanted to add that Marcella Sembrich (Sembrich-Kochańska) is now to be found on YouTube too, though practically all of the recordings available at the moment were made when she was already past her prime (in her 50s and late 40s):
Qui la voce sua soave
Chopin - Maiden's Wish (she accompanies herself in this one, as she was a proficient pianist and violinist as well as a singer)
Ah non giunge
Casta Diva and Bello a me ritorna
Strauss - Voices of Spring (a 1900 recording, so this one catches her in her early 40s)

[zamyrabyrd]

Geraldine Farrar and Enrico Caruso, what a couple in Boheme (1912)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfw5C1wygv0&feature=related

A little competition between the singers in the beginning of the duet, or maybe it's the recording, since the lovely Geraldine is somewhat drowned out. But what a gentleman Caruso is, not belting out an unwritten high C at the end and letting her beautiful fluted tone prevail.

A versitile soprano (like Moffo) who also sounded good in Carmen. Some risque filming for the time (1915) by Cecil G de Mille  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvQjh4uvPyc&NR=1&feature=fvwp

[DarkAngel]

I was inspired to expand the soprano collection from reading this thread to pre 1950 singers, and since Callas was so inspired by
Rosa Ponselle that was a must buy for me........but a great new discovery for me was Amelita Galli-Curci

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEYx-fdFt-4&feature=related

Career cut short with throat surgery in mid 1930s that effectively ended her professional singing, I am just delighted with that Prima Voce sample disc!

[Sean]

Eva Turner in Turandot illuminates how that role can be sung, a reinvigoration of the music you'd never thought possible: that kind of cutting insight and artistic meaning, as per Callas or Nilsson, doesn't exist today at all.

[zamyrabyrd]

I was inspired to expand the soprano collection from reading this thread to pre 1950 singers, and since Callas was so inspired by Rosa Ponselle that was a must buy for me........but a great new discovery for me was Amelita Galli-CurciI love her bold dramatic colortura style, love to hear artists capable of inventive expression

Career cut short with throat surgery in mid 1930s that effectively ended her professional singing, I am just delighted with that Prima Voce sample disc!

I discovered Muzio from the "Prima Voce" collection and have the Galli-Curci CD as well. Geraldine Farrar, an excellent singer herself, admired Galli-Curci, saying her voice was perfect, like the heart of a violet. This was the ideal back then, or at least for some singers. I knew Galli-Curci from 78's and wondered at her ability to sustain a high G alt at the end of "the Wren".  Her amazing high notes were not piercing as in the "Spargi d'amaro pianto" from Lucia. She also sang current favorites like "The Last Rose of Summer".

ZB

[DarkAngel]

Reading more about Amelita Galli-Curci..........
amazing story since she was trained as a concert pianist and won awards, but became a self taught soprano later!
Very popular in USA with NY Met and Chicago Opera, had large recording contract with RCA

http://craton.chez.com/musique/galli-curci/agcbio.htm

[Harry Powell]

Is there a thread dedicated to recordings from the acoustic and electric eras? If not, would you be interested in commenting this issue in this thread?

[Que]

Is there a thread dedicated to recordings from the acoustic and electric eras? If not, would you be interested in commenting this issue in this thread?

You've been transported to the requested thread.

High time that somebody revived that interesting topic - thanks and have fun!

Q

[Harry Powell]

Thank you very much, Que! I see you rank among the most interested users in the topic.
To begin with, I think I'll bring up Heinrich Schlusnus.