Hugues Cuenod

[ccar]

                                 

                                                              Hugues Cuenod's advice to young singers:  Don't shout


The light-tenor Hugues Cuenod died last week at 108.  Swiss born he had his public debut in Paris in 1928 and at his last stage performance, in Onegin as Monsieur Triquet, he was 92. 

It is almost impossible to describe his artistry and long career. In his early years Cuenod recorded Negro Spirituals, premiered Krenek Jonny Spielt Auf in Paris and Noel-Coward Bitter-Sweet in London. In the following years he sings Ibert, Terrasse, Honegger, Martin, Offenbach, Adam, Satie, Delibes, Milhaud, Binet, Ravel, Britten and Stravinsky. Gives concerts with Bach cantatas, some conducted by Vincent d'Indy, and many French Melodies recitals, sometimes accompanied by Clara Haskil !   

After his encounter with Nadia Boulanger, Cuenod develops his love to Monteverdi but also Schutz, Charpentier, Rameau, Cavalli, Telemann, Purcell and Couperin. But with amazing versatility he also sings Lieder, Brahms and particularly Schubert, and many opera roles, from Strauss to Mozart, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Puccini, Janacek and Berg. 

One of Cuenod's most famous roles was as the Evangelist in St. Matthew Passion. Fortunately we can listen to him in one of the most impressive and moving recordings of the work, conducted by Herman Scherchen.  http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Matthew-Orchestre-Opera-Vienne/dp/B003PN5TWS


                                    

[Mandryka]

He lived to 108. What I get most from his recorded legacy is a sense of real joy in music making. He brings enormous variety and gusto to Couperin's Leçons - dramatic in the Latin verses and rapt in the Hebrew letters. His work with Monteverdi is memorable -in the madrigals and maybe even more so in Tancredi. He makes Mozart's Masonic cantatas iresistibly charming. And he must be one of the most interesting evangelists in the Mattew Passion on record - with Herman Scherchen. Very memorable not least for the sense of dialogue with Jesus (Heinz Rehfuss) in the Crucifixion. He was a fine opera singer too - I will single out for special mention his Linfea in Leppard's arrangement of Le Calisto.

The Tancredi was transferred and uploaded a few months ago and posted on rmcr -- let me know if you can't find it and I'll upload it here.

Someone posted an anecdote about him on rmcr which I like. Apparently he was a good cook and people relished being invited to his house for dinner. But one day he banned any menstruating women from coming -- lest they curdle the bearnaise.

[mjwal]

Apart from the Matthäus-Passion, I particularly love his Dowland w/Joel Cohen & Christine Jaccottet - read about it here:
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2010/12/a_fond_memory_of_hugues_cuenod.html
There are some very fine Fauré and Debussy mélodies, too. Far too little is available.

[Mandryka]

Apart from the Matthäus-Passion, I particularly love his Dowland w/Joel Cohen & Christine Jaccottet - read about it here:
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2010/12/a_fond_memory_of_hugues_cuenod.html
There are some very fine Fauré and Debussy mélodies, too. Far too little is available.

Do you mean this one?
[asin]B000059M38[/asin]

[mjwal]

No, I don't know it & shall have to get it - oh my grumbling bank account! It's a whole LP of Dowland that appeared on Turnabout, yonks ago. It was briefly reissued on CD by Lys - yes, I know, say no more, ghastly transfers of noisy worn LPs, at least the way the Fauré, Debussy, Clérambault and Schubert were transferred by that dubious company. Which is not to say that I am not ravi to be able to listen to them. The Dowland is my favourite, though.

[Harry Powell]

I'm happy to see you're also celebrating Cuenod's artistry. If you can read Spanish, you may like to take a look to this board: http://unanocheenlaopera.com/viewtopic.php?p=558055#p558055

[zamyrabyrd]

I just stumbled on a Wozzeck clip from 1954 with Cuénod and Tito Gobbi singing it in Italian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-jmG8H-QQc&feature=related

This bit of the opera sounds exciting and more than that, a surprising relief from the standard fare of Puccini and Verdi. Were Italians more experimental in those days? After all, Callas did Wagner in Italian in the 50's.

ZB

[Wendell_E]

Were Italians more experimental in those days? After all, Callas did Wagner in Italian in the 50's.

ZB

I'm not sure what you mean.  Surely Berg and Wagner are both done more often in Italy nowadays?  La Scala did Wozzeck in 2008, and Lulu in 2010, and is currently in the middle of a Ring production (Siegfried next season).  And of course, now they now even do them in the original German.  I did like hearing that Wozzeck excerpt in Italian, in any case.  I've been meaning to get that recording, though I've heard there are cuts.

I don't think Wagner was considered experimental in the 50s, and doing operas in the vernacular in Italy was just business as usual.

[zamyrabyrd]

I'm not sure what you mean.  Surely Berg and Wagner are both done more often in Italy nowadays?  La Scala did Wozzeck in 2008, and Lulu in 2010, and is currently in the middle of a Ring production (Siegfried next season).  And of course, now they now even do them in the original German.  I did like hearing that Wozzeck excerpt in Italian, in any case.  I've been meaning to get that recording, though I've heard there are cuts.

I don't think Wagner was considered experimental in the 50s, and doing operas in the vernacular in Italy was just business as usual.

And doing Italian opera in German was also common back then, Wunderlich's recordings as an interesting testament to that. It may be that the Italians from more provincial conservatories I have been associating with lately are themselves stuck in Puccini and Verdi as though no other opera composer existed.

ZB

[Mandryka]

I'm happy to see you're also celebrating Cuenod's artistry. If you can read Spanish, you may like to take a look to this board: http://unanocheenlaopera.com/viewtopic.php?p=558055#p558055

The upload of the Duparc, and the a capella Appris ai qu'en chantant ploure are out of this world. (what does Appris ai qu'en chantant ploure mean? Something to do with learning and crying? I have learned to cry while singing, maybe? )   And the Dowland's not bad neither -- despite his accent.

I'm going to go on a Cuenod binge.

While you're there listen to Deller singing Britten. That is one of the great moments of British opera on record I think. I must play that recording again soon.

The Giulio Cesare is very good too I think -- I hadn't heard that before.

I like these characterful high male  singers -- Cueonod, Deller, Pears, Erb.

[zamyrabyrd]

Here's an interview with Cuénod in his 99th year. His speaking voice in English is remarkably clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrpWJmSreZE&feature=related

ZB