Montserrat_Caballè

Montserrat  Caballé as Norma, Salome and Salome. And herself

Norma

Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Norma” starring Montserrat Caballé, John Alexander, Fiorenza Cossotto, and Giorgio Tozzi in February 1973. Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

Caballé is a kind of cross between Callas and Sutherland: wonderful top notes, incredibly beautiful legato arches, perfect trills, and moreover a pianissimo that none of her colleagues could match. She was a much better actress than Sutherland, moreover she had great charisma. She never went to extremes like Callas or (later) Scotto, but her performances were always very convincing.


In 1973 she recorded the role for RCA and the result was very decent (GD 86502). Her Pollione, a very young Plácido Domingo, was vocally crystal clear and sounded like a bell. However, he lacked dominance, making him sound far too young for the role.

Fiorenza Cossotto in her role of Adalgisa looked more like Azucena than a young girl, but her singing as such was flawless. Unfortunately, the orchestra sounds uninspired and hurried, which must surely be blamed on the conductor, Carlo Felice Cillario.




In 1974 she sang Norma in the Roman amphitheatre in Orange (Provence). It was a very windy evening, and everything blew and moved: her hair, veils and dresses. A fantastic sensation, which added an extra dimension to the already great performance. It was filmed by French television (what luck!), and has now appeared on DVD (VAIV 4229).

Caballé sings ‘Casta Diva’:



Caballé was in superb voice, very lyrical in ‘Casta Diva’, dramatic in ‘Dormono etrambi’ and moving in ‘Deh! Non volerli vittime’. Together with Josephine Veasey, she sang perhaps the most convincing ‘Mira , o Norma’ – of all, at least in a complete recording of the opera. As two feminists avant la lettre, they renounce men and transform from rivals into bosom buddies.



John Vickers (Pollione) was never my cup of tea, but Veasey is a fantastic (also optically) Adalgisa and Patané conducts with passion. Of all the recordings on DVD (and there are not many), this is definitely the best.

Herodiade



This recording may only be obtained via a pirate (or You Tube), but then it is complete and moreover with (admittedly bad) images!


Dunja Vejzovic portrays a deliciously mean Hérodiade and Juan Pons is a somewhat youthful but otherwise fine Hérode. A few years later, he will become one of the best “Hérodes” and you can already hear and see that in this recording.

Montserrat Caballé is a fantastic Salomé, the voice alone makes you believe you are in heaven and José Carreras is very moving as a charismatic Jean.



None of the protagonists is really idiomatic, but what a pleasure it is to watch a real Diva (and Divo)! They really don’t make them like that anymore

The whole opera on you tube:

Salome



Montserrat Caballé as Salome? Really? Yes, really. Caballé sang her first Salome in Basel in 1957, she was only 23 at the time.

Salome was also the first role she sang in Vienna in 1958 and I want to (and can) assure you: she was one of the very best Salome’s ever. Especially on the recording she made in 1969 under the blistering direction of Erich Leinsdorf.

Her beautiful voice, with the whisper-soft pianissimi and a velvety high even then, sounded not only childlike but also very deliberately sexually charged, a true Lolita.

The Jochanaan, sung very charismatically by Sherrill Milnes, has an aura of a fanatical sect leader, and Richard Lewis (Herod) and Regina Resnik (Herodias) complete the excellent cast (Sony 88697579112).

Caballé as Salome in 1979:



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What’s the difference between a terrorist and a diva? ‘Caballé, beyond music’

“We all owe a great deal to music (…) It is a form of expression that originates not so much from thinking as from feeling”. These words come from one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Montserrat Caballé.

In his film Caballé Beyond Music, Antonio Farré portrays the diva*, her life and her career, talking to her, her family and her colleagues. The documentary also contains a lot of wonderful (archival) footage, starting with Caballé’s debut in Il Pirata in 1966 in Paris.

The film is interspersed with fun anecdotes such as how she smashed a door because she was not allowed to take time off (Caballé wanted to attend a performance of Norma with Maria Callas). How she had stopped a dress rehearsal in La Scala because she noticed that the orchestra was not tuned well. About her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the discovery of José Carreras (how beautiful he was!), her friendship with Freddy Mercury ….

About her Tosca in the ROH in London in the production that was made for Callas. She wasn’t happy with that, it didn’t feel good, but no one wanted to change it. Caballé called Callas, it was exactly eight days before her death, and complained about her fate. “But of course it doesn’t feel right”, said Callas. “I am tall and you are not, I am slim and you are not, I have long arms and you have not. Tell them to call me, I will convince them that you are not me”.

And so the production was adapted for Caballé. “Copies are never good,” Caballé says, and I agree with her. This is a fascinating portrait of a fascinating singer. Very, very worthwhile.

* London taxi driver: “What is the difference between a terrorist and a diva? You can negotiate with a terrorist”.

Caballé beyond music
With José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Cheryl Studer, Giuseppe di Stefano, Freddie Mercury, Claudio Abbado and others.
Directed by Antonio A. Farré, EuroArts 2053198

For Joan Sutherland on her Birthday

Alcina


The fact that the opera has become so incredibly popular and has been performed so very frequently in recent decades is largely thanks to Joan Sutherland. Back in 1957, she brought Alcina to life in London and directed by Zefirelli. Unfortunately, we do not have a video recording of it, but La Stupenda sang and recorded the role several times afterwards and there are many both official and pirate recordings of it in circulation.


Personally, I have a soft spot for the 1959 live recording (DG, made to mark the 200th anniversary of Handel’s death), not least because of Fritz Wunderlich, who sings the role of Ruggiero. Last but not least, Dutch soprano Jeannette van Dijck sings the role of Morgana. And believe it or not, the Cappella Coloniensis, led by Ferdinand Leitner, is already playing on authentic instruments. In 1959!




The score has been considerably shortened. Thus, pretty much the entire role of Oberto has been dropped. And yet… opera is mostly about voices, isn’t it? And Sutherland’s ‘Tornami a vagheggiar’ and Wunderlich’s ‘Mi lusinga il dolce affetto’ are simply second to none. (DG 4778017)

Norma

Joan Sutherland recorded Norma twice (officially). Her first recording from 1965 (Decca 4704132) caused a real sensation. It was the very first recording of Bellini’s complete music, without any cut. Moreover, it was the first recording in the original key (Bellini composed his opera in G, but before the premiere he changed it to F).

In those days, Sutherland was considered the belcanto specialist par excellence. Her voice knew no limits and seemed to be made of elastic. High, higher, highest, and with coloraturas that sound almost inhumanly perfect.


Adalgisa was sung by Marilyn Horne, Sutherland’s alter ego in the mezzo voice. The result is dazzling, but it lacks the necessary drama, all the more so because John Alexander (Pollione) has a beautiful but insipid voice.


The orchestral playing is excellent, however, and if you like pure singing, high notes and coloratura, this recording is the best choice.




Twenty years later, Sutherland recorded the role again, this time with Montserrat Caballé (Adalgisa) and Luciano Pavarotti (Pollione). Let’s call it a mistake, although Caballé’s Adalgisa is at least interesting. It’s a pity it wasn’t thought of sooner.


Lucia di Lammermoor

Lucia di Lammermoor has always been, perhaps even more than Norma, a point of contention between the supporters of Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. The performances of both ladies are indeed fantastic and, moreover, totally different. Which of the two should you own? That is not easy. A matter of taste, shall we say?


Joan Sutherland is unprecedentedly virtuoso and her coloraturas so perfect that they hurt. And yet I remain untouched by her. Why? Perhaps because it is too perfect? I do not know. It could just be me.

I Puritani

Elvira, like Lucia, was a showpiece for Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, both of whom recorded it several times. In 1974, Richard Bonynge (Decca 4175882) made a peerless recording of the opera, besides Sutherland, there was the sublime male trio: Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Piero Cappuccilli. Sutherland sounds like a little heap of misery, and her virtuosity knows no limits. Pavarotti still possessed all his glorious long high notes in those days and he pops them out with no effort at all.

Les Huguenots




 Les Huguenots, once one of the most successful operas in the history of the Paris Opera, had the misfortune, along with its creator, to be labelled ‘Entartet’ (degenerate) by the Nazis. One of the reasons why the work was ignored for decades and was only sporadically performed.

Marguerite de Valois has always been one of Joan Sutherland’s favourite roles, she sang her in 1962 at La Scala, and she chose to sing her in her last opera production on stage, on  October 2, 1990 in Sydney.

The voice of the over 60-year old La Stupenda is not so solid anymore, but her height and her coloratura are still very much present, and apart from Amanda Thane (Valentine) and the really splendid Suzanne Johnston (Page), none of the singers manage to perform at her level. The acting is very good and the inevitable ballet is anything but irritating.

The costumes and the scenery are true-to-life and evocatively beautiful, and the entire stage most resembles a large, seventeenth-century painting. The very traditional production is not only beautiful to look at, but also insanely exciting: this is proof that a good director (Lotfi Mansuri) does not need concepts

Between Gina Cigna and Renata Scotto, forty years of Norma in a mini-discography. Part 2

It is perhaps superfluous, but I have to get it off my chest: there is no such thing as objective music criticism. Of course there are criteria, but it is not science: after all, you listen to music not only with your ears, but also with your soul and your heart, and you cannot switch them off. Therefore, do not consider my mini discography as an absolute truth and, as far as possible, listen and judge for yourself.


JOAN SUTHERLAND



Joan Sutherland, like Callas recorded Norma twice (officially). Her first recording from 1965 (Decca 4704132) caused a real sensation. It was the very first recording of Bellini’s complete music, without any cut. Moreover, it was the first recording in the original key (Bellini composed his opera in G, but before the premiere he changed it to F).

In those days, Sutherland was considered the belcanto specialist par excellence. Her voice knew no limits and seemed to be made of elastic. High, higher, highest, and with coloraturas that sound almost inhumanly perfect.


Adalgisa was sung by Marilyn Horne, Sutherland’s alter ego in the mezzo voice. The result is dazzling, but it lacks the necessary drama, all the more so because John Alexander (Pollione) has a beautiful but insipid voice.


The orchestral playing is excellent, however, and if you like pure singing, high notes and and if you like pure singing, high notes and coloratura, this recording is the best choice.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0PTji5FoZbMsdQALilFEgh?si=k_4QKyzdQqmN-PJNo4tkIg


Twenty years later, Sutherland recorded the role again, this time with Montserrat Caballé (Adalgisa) and Luciano Pavarotti (Pollione). Let’s call it a mistake, although Caballé’s Adalgisa is at least interesting. It’s a pity it wasn’t thought of sooner.






MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ


Caballé is a kind of cross between Callas and Sutherland: wonderful top notes, incredibly beautiful legato arches, perfect trills, and moreover a pianissimo that none of her colleagues could match. She was a much better actress than Sutherland, moreover she had great charisma. She never went to extremes like Callas or (later) Scotto, but her performances were always very convincing.
In 1973 she recorded the role for RCA and the result was very decent (GD 86502). Her Pollione, a very young Plácido Domingo, was vocally crystal clear and sounded like a bell. However, he lacked dominance, making him sound far too young for the role.

Fiorenza Cossotto in her role of Adalgisa looked more like Azucena than a young girl, but her singing as such was flawless. Unfortunately, the orchestra sounds uninspired and hurried, which must surely be blamed on the conductor, Carlo Felice Cillario.




In 1974 she sang Norma in the Roman amphitheatre in Orange (Provence). It was a very windy evening, and everything blew and moved: her hair, veils and dresses. A fantastic sensation, which added an extra dimension to the already great performance. It was filmed by French television (what luck!), and has now appeared on DVD (VAIV 4229).

Caballé sings ‘Casta Diva’:


Caballé was in superb voice, very lyrical in ‘Casta Diva’, dramatic in ‘Dormono etrambi’ and moving in ‘Deh! Non volerli vittime’. Together with Josephine Veasey, she sang perhaps the most convincing ‘Mira , o Norma’ – of all, at least in a complete recording of the opera. As two feminists avant la lettre, they renounce men and transform from rivals into bosom buddies.


Jon Vickers (Pollione) was never my cup of tea, but Veasey is a fantastic (also optically) Adalgisa and Patané conducts with passion. Of all the recordings on DVD (and there are not many), this is definitely the best.



RENATA SCOTTO


Scotto sang her first Norma in 1974, in Turin. To my knowledge, there is no recording of it, at least not of the complete opera.

Casta Diva’ from Turin:



A pirate did record the 1978 performance in Florence (Legato LCD 203-2). It should have been an ideal Norma, but unfortunately the performance was marred by a no more than adequate Ermanne Mauro as Pollione.

Margherita Rinaldi (finally a soprano again) sounds young as Adalgisa and Scotto is, according to many critics, the first Norma, after Callas, who seems to know what it’s all about. Orchestrally, this recording belongs to my top three, but the sound is unfortunately not really great.

Scotto in ‘Dormono entrambi’ in 1978:


In 1980 Scotto recorded the opera in the studio (Sony SM2K 35902), conducted by James Levine. I cannot find  much negative to say about her performance, although the ‘steel’ in her voice is sometimes particularly painful. The Adalgisa (incredibly beautiful Tatiana Troyanos) is also absolutely top-notch. But Giuseppe Giacomini (Pollione) is not great at all and Levine conducts far too heavily and overdramatically.


From Gina Cigna to Renata Scotto, forty years of Norma in a mini-discography. Part one

Vespri siciliani/Les vêpres siciliennes. A bit of a discography (but not really)

Sicilian Vespers (1846), by Francesco Hayez

Les vêpres siciliennes was Verdi’s first French ‘grande opéra’, which, after much insistence by the Paris Opera, he composed on a libretto by Eugene Scribe and Charles Duyverier. It is one of his longest operas, thanks in part to the lengthy ballet in the third act, which was compulsory for the Paris of the time (no less than half an hour!).

The story is set in Palermo in 1282, during the French occupation of Sicily. The young Sicilian Henri is in love with Hélène, a young Austrian duchess, who is being held prisoner by Guy de Montfort, the French governor of Sicily. When de Montfort turns out to be Henri’s father, the complications are incalculable, and by the end just about everybody is dead.
The premiere in 1855 was a fiasco and a few years later, Verdi adapted the work into the Italian I vespri Siciliani, which was much more successful. However, the opera never became a real box-office hit.



IN FRENCH



Les vêpres siciliennes was the third release in Opera Rara’s series of ‘original versions’, following earlier releases of Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra. It had already been recorded live at The Camden Theatre in London in May 1969 and broadcast by the BBC in February 1970, but the CD was not released until 2004.

The performance, starring Jacqueline Brumaire, Jean Bonhomme and Neilson Taylor, is fair to good, but as a document it is of extraordinary importance (ORCV303).

In June 2002, our unsurpassed Saturday Matinee staged Les vêpres siciliennes concertante. It is a great pity that the recording has never been released on CD, because the performance (with, among others, Nelly Miricioiu, Francisco Casanova and Zeljko Lucic) was really good.


IN ITALIAN



If you want the Italian version of the opera, the choice is a bit greater, but to say the market is flooded with them?

To be honest, I only know of one studio recording of the work (once RCA RD 80370). The cast includes Martina Arroyo, Plácido Domingo, Sherill Milnes and Ruggiero Raimondi. It is well worth seeing, especially as the music is virtually complete.



For the rest, we have to depend on (admittedly, in most cases very interesting) pirate recordings. Highly recommended is a recording with Montserrat Caballé and Plácido Domingo from Barcelona 1974 (SRO 837-2).

The same recording on another label (SRO is no longer available):



Don’t forget La Divina (with Boris Christoff and others), recorded in 1951 during the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Testament SBT 21416).



Fantastic is also the version with Renata Scotto, Gianni and Ruggiero Raimondi from La Scala 1970
The entire opera:

And then there are a few recordings with Cristina Deutekom
This one is from Paris 1974:

And Leyla Gencer.
Recording from 1970:




Please note: most recordings have been (greatly) shortened. Check the internet just to be sure, because these pirate labels come and go and the difference in price can be enormous.



AND ON DVD



In the 1980s, the American Susan Dunn was immensely popular. She was seen as the ultimate Verdi soprano. In her ‘Bologna years’ she became the favourite singer and protégé of Riccardo Chailly, the chief conductor there at the time. She made many CD recordings with him. Apart from Verdi also Mahler, Schoenberg and Beethoven, and they also recorded opera performances for video.

Elena in I vespri Siciliani was one of her star parts. She sang it, with enormous success, for the first time in 1986 (Warner Music Vision 504678029-2). Luca Ronconi’s production is quite traditional and the decors are true to nature. It feels like being among the cacti on a very sultry Sicily. The costumes also leave nothing to be desired, but the whole performance is rather static.


The audience clearly loves it. One open curtain follows another and the singers gratefully accept all the applause. Even though none of the protagonists are great actors – which may also be due to the director – their singing is of a very high level. And there is a surprise too: Anna Caterina Antonacci in the small role of Ninetta.

Below, Susan Dunn sings “Arrigo! Ah, parli a un core”:







Der Rosenkavalier op cd’s: kleine selectie

Lisa Della Casa

Della Casa is één van mijn geliefde zangeressen, zeker in het Duitse ‘fach’. Haar mooie, romige stem met een vloeiende hoogte en een zeer sensuele ondertoon maakt haar tot één van de beste vertolksters van de muziek van Strauss. Haar ‘Vier Letzte Lieder” vind ik zelf het allermooist van allemaal.

Zo ook haar Marschallin. Voor mij heeft ze alles, wat de wat ouder (nou ja, ouder, zij is pas 34!) wordende vrouw ook voor een jonge jongen aantrekkelijk maakt. Zelfbewust en toch enigszins kwetsbaar. Koninklijk en speels. Vrolijk en melancholisch.

Della Casa was een zeer mooie vrouw, zeer elegant ook. Het is daarom echt jammer dat haar Feldmarschallin voor zover ik weet niet is vastgelegd op dvd. Er zijn diverse cd-opnamen met haar verkrijgbaar, allemaal live en in de meeste gevallen niet in een optimale geluidskwaliteit.

Ik wil even stilstaan bij de productie die op 18 januari 1956 werd opgenomen in de Metropolitan Opera (Walhall WLCD0313). De geluidskwaliteit is zeer pover en scherp, wat niet wegneemt dat er zo ongelofelijk veel valt te genieten!

Het Met-orkest onder leiding van Rudolf Kempe klinkt ouderwets mooi: zoetig en weemoedig. Wenen ten top. Af en toe moest ik ook aan oude films denken – toch geen straf.

Della Casa is onweerstaanbaar en zo is ook haar Octavian, Risë Stevens. Tel daar de onnavolgbare Hilde Güden als Sophie bij op en dan weet je wat voor hemel je in de ‘Hab’mir’s gelobt’ kunt verwachten.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Review | Gramophone

Nu ga ik mij op glad ijs begeven. De Karajan-opname uit 1956 ((Warner Classics 5099996682425) heet legendarisch te zijn. Maar ik houd niet van Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: ik vind haar zingen vaak gemaniëreerd en haar nadrukkelijke dictie maakt dat ik mij vaak ongemakkelijk voel. Ook haar glansrol, de Marschallin, vind ik te geaffecteerd en bovendien zeer onderkoeld.

Von Karajan kan mij hier ook moeilijk bekoren. O ja, het orkest onder zijn leiding speelt werkelijk fenomenaal, maar ik vind er te weinig ‘Weense bonbons’ en te veel ‘Pruisische dril’ in. Maar wellicht ligt het aan mij?

Christa Ludwig is echter een wonderschone Octavian en Teresa Stich-Rendall een Sophie in de beste Mozartiaanse traditie. Otto Edelmann is een heerlijke baron Ochs.

Montserrat Caballé


Onlangs bereikte mij een cd-opname uit Glyndebourne 1965. Het is een in alle opzichten merkwaardige voorstelling geweest: de rol van de Marschallin werd toen gezongen door niemand minder dan Montserrat Caballé.

Wij kunnen het ons nu niet meer voorstellen, maar toen was het volstrekt voor de hand liggend. Caballé is haar carrière in Duitsland begonnen en heeft zelfs een prachtige Salome op haar repertoire staan. Er is ook helemaal niets op haar Duits aan te merken. Ze is een mooie, jonge en kruidige Marschallin, die de rol ‘op z’n Caballés’ verrijkt, met de mooiste pianissimo’s en legato’s.

Teresa Zylis-Gara is een verrukkelijk licht klinkende Octavian en Edith Mathis een als een vijftienjarig meisje klinkende Sophie. Otto Edelmann (Ochs) completeert de fantastische opname (GFOCD 010-65).

Trailer:

Claire Watson

Rosenkavalier Kleiber

Net als voor zijn vader Erich, was ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ een paradepaardje van Carlos Kleiber, een van de meest charismatische dirigenten van de laatste 50 jaar.  In 1973 werd de opera live geregistreerd tijdens het Münchner Festival en een jaar of twee geleden op Orfeo (C 581 083 D) uitgebracht.

Bij de enthousiast ontvangen première een jaar eerder werd de Marschallin gezongen door Gwyneth Jones (er bestaat een DVD-opname van), nu werd ze vervangen door Claire Watson, jarenlang het boegbeeld van het Münchense ensemble. Watson is een wat rijpere Marschallin, weemoedig, bitterzoet en niet gespeend van humor. Ik vind het mooi.

Karl Ridderbush is werkelijk kostelijk als Ochs: lomp en over alles heen walsend, maar in zijn walsjes klinkt hij toch oprecht ouderwets melancholisch. De Sophie van Lucia Popp is onnavolgbaar: kwikzilverig, flirterig en kwetsbaar. Haar pure meisjesachtige sopraan smelt in perfecte harmonie met de donkere mezzo van Brigitte Fassbaender, twee stemmen die daadwerkelijk verliefd op elkaar zijn geworden.

Maar het mooiste is het orkest. Kleiber ontlokt de beoogde ‘zilverklank’ en vervlecht het natuurlijke sentiment met ironie en een zekere hang naar vroeger.

De opname werd al eerder op verscheidene piraten-labels te koop aangeboden, maar nu kunnen we hem eindelijk in een goede geluidskwaliteit beluisteren.

Anna Tomowa-Sintow

Tomowa-Sintow behoorde tot de lievelingszangeressen van Herbert von Karajan. Begin jaren zeventig haalde hij haar naar Salzburg, waardoor ze internationaal kon doorbreken. Zij heeft ook veel opnamen onder de maestro gemaakt, voornamelijk Mozart en Strauss. De Marschallin had ze onder zijn leiding al in 1984 voor Deutsche Grammophon opgenomen, maar ik ken die opname niet.

Wel een andere, op 3 maart 1995 live opgenomen in Covent Garden (Opus Arte OA CD9006). In 1995 was ze al een rijpe vrouw en zo klinkt ze ook. Maar haar vertolking is meer dan roldekkend: ze zingt niet alleen doorleefd maar heeft ook allure.

Ann Murray (ach! Wat een zangeres!) is een verrukkelijke Octavian en Barbara Bonney een wellicht niet voor de hand liggende, maar wel een heerlijke Sophie.

De walsjes zijn onder handen van Andrew Davis heel erg luchtig, wat ook de hele opname een opvallend milde toon geeft.

Hérodiade or Salome by Massenet

Herodiade Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert: Herodias. Illustratie Lucien Pissarro

Richard Strauss composed his world hit Salome to a play by Oscar Wilde; and the latter drew his inspiration from a short story by Flaubert, ‘Herodias’. Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont also based their libretto for Massenet’s opera Herodiade on this story. Neither Wilde nor Milliet and Grémont were very faithful to Flaubert. Whereas the French novelist more or less limited himself to the biblical narrative, enriched with his poetic language and descriptions, the playwright and librettists added entirely new aspects and twists to the story.

Hérodiade was first performed in the Royal Theatre of Brussels on 19 December 1881. Anyone expecting animal eroticism, blood and sweat, as with Richard Strauss, will be disappointed. Massenet’s Salome is a truly innocent and devout girl. When her mother left her to marry Hérode, she was given shelter by Jean (John the Baptist), with whom she fell in love. A love that proved to be mutual.

Herodiade - acte I Brussel

No opera is complete without complications: Hérode has a crush on Salome, Hérodiade becomes jealous of her and Jean is beheaded. Salome sees Hérodiade as the instigator of all evil and wants to kill her. Hérodiade whispers “I am your mother” and Salome commits suicide.

The music already exudes a hint of the perfume of Massenet’s later works, but with all those choruses, exotic Oriental scenes and elaborate ballet scenes, it is nothing less than a real Grand Opera in the best Meyerbeer tradition.

One of the earliest recorded fragments of the opera is, I think, the famous aria of Hérode ‘Vision Fusitive’ by the French baritone Maurice Renaud, made in 1908:



And from the recording Georges Thill made in 1927, we know what an ideal Jean should sound like:


REGINE CRESPIN 1963

Herodiade crespin

If you are in possession of this performance, you need look no further. It doesn’t get any better than this. There is only one problem: this recording does not exist. At least not of the complete opera.

In 1963, EMI recorded the highlights of Hérodiade with the best French singers of the time (and of today, for that matter) and the answer to the “why not complete ????” will probably never be given.

Georges Prêtre conducts the orchestra of the Theater National de Paris as if his life depends upon it and every role is more than excellently cast.

Regine Crespin sings ‘Il est doux, il est bon’:


Regine Crespin’s Salomé is unequalled and so is Rita Gorr’s Hérodiade. Albert Lance (Jean) shows how that role should really be sung in the tradition of Georges Thill, and for Michel Dens as Hérode we really cannot find the right words. Such singers no longer exist.


Hopefully, Warner will one day release the recording on CD.


MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ (Barcelona 1984)

Herodiade caballe

This recording also may only be obtained via a pirate (or You Tube), but then it is complete and moreover with (admittedly bad) images!

Dunja Vejzovic portrays a deliciously mean Hérodiade and Juan Pons is a somewhat youthful but otherwise fine Hérode. A few years later, he will become one of the best “Hérodes” and you can already hear and see that in this recording.

Montserrat Caballé is a fantastic Salomé, the voice alone makes you believe you are in heaven and José Carreras is very moving as a charismatic Jean.

Below, Carreras sings ‘Ne pouvant réprimer les élans’:


None of the protagonists is really idiomatic, but what a pleasure it is to watch a real Diva (and Divo)! They really don’t make them like that any more

The whole opera on you tube:



RENÉE FLEMING 1994 (Sony 66847)

Herodiade Domingo fleming



In the mid-1990s, Herodiade enjoyed a short-lived revival. The opera was then performed in several opera houses and it was even recorded – officially – three times: once in the studio and twice live.

I must admit that I was a bit concerned about Gergiev as the director, but he really did an excellent job. Under his baton the opera sounds like a real Grand Opéra, grand, fiery and compelling.

Plácido Domingo (Jean) is perhaps a touch too heroic, but his voice sounds youthful and contageous, worthy of a true prophet.

Personally, I find Dolora Zajick (Hérodiade) a bit on the (too) heavy side, but her singing is undeniably excellent and there is nothing wrong with her interpretation.

Juan Pons is an excellent Hérode, but I would have liked Phanuel (Kenneth Cox) to be a bit more idiomatic. Something that also applies to the Salomé of Renée Fleming: she sings beautifully but in this role she can not totally convince me.



NANCY GUSTAFSON 1995 (RCA 74321 79597 2)

Herodiada wenen


The performance in Vienna was highly praised, and that this praise was justified is proved by the recording made live in the house by ORF.

First of all, there is Agnes Baltsa’s brilliant title role: fierce and dramatic. If you ask me: apart from Rita Gorr probably the best Hérodiade ever.

Placido Domingo sings ‘Ne pouvant réprimer les élans’:



Domingo, in the role of Jean, is even more impressive here than on Sony and also Juan Pons (Hérode) actually convinces me yet more on this recording. His rendition of ‘Vision Fugitive’ is very, very moving. Unfortunately, Nancy Gustafson (Salomé) must acknowledge the superiority of Fleming (Sony), but both pale in comparison to Cheryl Studer (Warner). Not to mention Regine Crespin!

Judging by the photos in the text booklet and the sparse clips on YouTube, we should be glad that the recording appeared on CD and not on DVD.

Finale of the opera:


In any case, the sound is excellent and the Vienna Opera orchestra under the direction of Marcello Viotti plays with great passion.


CHERYL STUDER 1995 (Warner 55983525)

untitled

Orchestrally, this recording is really top-notch. Michel Plasson conducts the orchestra from Toulouse very energetically, with a lot of verve and drive, and he also knows how to allow space for all the subtleties. Exciting and beautiful. That is how I like to hear opera.

José van Dam is an impressive Phanuel and Nadine Denize an excellent Hérodiade., although her intonation is not always pure.

Hérode is not really a role for Thomas Hampson, but he sings it very beautifully. Something that unfortunately cannot be said of Ben Heppner’s Jean. A heroic tenor in that role is nothing but a terrible mistake.

Cheryl Studer, on the other hand, is a Salomé of everyone’s dreams: girlish, innocent and naive. Her voice shines and sways and her final words “Ah! Darned Queen, if it is true that your cursed loins have given birth to me, look! Take back your blood and my life!” leave you shuddering and desperately weeping. Brava.

Plácido Domingo and his belcanto roles

Domingo 21

 

Domingo and Belcanto? Surely that was more something for his colleagues Pavarotti, Carreras and Kraus? And yet: certainly at the beginning of his career Domingo was also a Belcanto singer, although his high notes were not always really that high. For him, the interpretation of both the music and the text was essential. That is why even in this repertoire he was looking for the roles in which the character had more to offer than just ‘clean’ singing.

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Domingo Lucia POns

Domingo made his international debut at the age of 21, as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in Dallas. A special event, because his Lucia was then sung by 61-year-old Lilly Pons, who said her farewell to the operatic stage with this role.

 

 

 

Domingo Lucia Suth

In 1970 he sang Edgardo at the Metropolitan Opera, with none other than Joan Sutherland as Lucia. Gala (GL 100.571) released the highlights, combined with excerpts from La Traviata, from December that same year (also with La Stupenda). The sound is very poor, but it is definitely a noteworthy document.

 

Domingo Lucia Stider

It was only in 1993 that Domingo sang the role in the recording studio. The result is not entirely satisfactory. Which is not his fault. His Edgardo sounds less lyrical than twenty years earlier, but with such passion!

Cheryl Studer, who at that time was recording anything and everything soprano, was no real Lucia. She was a great Strauss and Mozart singer and her Wagners and Verdi’s were outstanding, but Lucia was too ambitious for her. Understand me well: she did have the high notes and they were very solid, but that’s exactly what you do not want for Lucia. The notes shouldn’t stand rock solid, they should shine, sparkle, sprint if necessary, and she couldn’t do that.

However, the real ‘culprit’ is the conductor. He is rushing things along and never ever stops. Still, the recording is very worthwhile, especially if you want to hear something else from Domingo and appreciate the quality of the sound.

 

 

Roberto Devereux

 

Domingo Roberto

A reviewer from the New York Times wrote that it was without a doubt the most exciting event of the musical year 1970, and that I can totally believe. The performance of 24 October 1970 was recorded live and we are very lucky to have it.

Julius Rudel (well, where have all these great maestros gone?) conducts with a firm hand and with great love for the work. To cry so beautiful.

Domingo’s voice sounds like a bell and his performance causes ecstatic ovations. And about Beverly Sills (Elisabetta) I can be brief: overwhelming! No one, but no one has ever sung the part better than she has. She surely is Elisabetta. Everybody should see or hear her in this role (there’s also a DVD, unfortunately without Domingo). The applause after her ‘L’Amor suo mi fé benata’ seems to last forever.

 

 

Anna Bolena

 

Domingo Bolena

Anna Bolena is considered to be the first important Romantic Italian opera and for Donizetti it was his big breakthrough. For Domingo too, Anna Bolena was a milestone: with the role of Percy he made his debut in New York.

He was then (can you believe it?) 25 years old, but his voice was completely ‘mature’: full, firm, soft, hard, begging, determined, with all the nuances in between. Talk about phenomenon!

The leading role was sung by Elena Souliotis, then 23. An almost forgotten singer now (her career didn’t last), but her intensity can only be compared to that of Maria Callas. A fun fact: La Divina was in the audience at the time!

Giovanna was sung by Marylin Horne and their duets will surely give goosebumps to the devotees. Janet Baker also made her American debut in the role of Smeton.
The opera was recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1966. My copy is by Legato (LCD-149-3), but the recording is now also available on other labels.

 

 

Norma

 

Doingo Norma

Pollione is one of the shining roles of the young Domingo. No wonder. A warlord and a lover: that’s what he is all about. In Norma he could show it all.
He took the role in 1973 (once RCA GD 86502) and I think that’s a bit premature. Oh yes, his voice is crystal clear and so beautiful that it almost hurts, but he yet has to gain more of the needed authority.
Nevertheless: recommended, not in the least because of Montserrat Caballé, who sings the leading part.

Guillaume Tell van Rossini in twee cd-opnamen en één gemiste kans

Tell schiller

Voor de meeste mensen is Zwitserland een prachtig, maar een saai land. Alles is er perfect geregeld en zelfs uit de uiers van de koeien komt meteen een echte mekchocolade. De banken en juweliers kunnen er gedijen en er gebeurt nooit wat, tenminste als ze niet over de hoogte van een minaret redetwisten.

Maar zelfs de Zwitsers hebben iets van een opstand meegemaakt en ook zij hebben hun nationale held en trots, al is het niet helemaal zeker of hij ooit heeft bestaan (neem van mij aan: niet).

Willem Tell, de Zwitserse nationale trots en vrijheidsstrijder, dankt zijn bekendheid voornamelijk aan het toneelstuk van Friedrich Schiller, die, zoals wij het niet anders van een romantische dichter verwachten, het niet zo nauw met de waarheid nam.

Tell Rossini

Nog bekender werd hij door een opera van Rossini. Alhoewel…. Echt bekend was de opera tot voor kort niet echt maar: wie kent de ouverture niet? Zelfs mijn kat kan het nafluiten.

CD’s

Tell Pappano

De opname die Antonio Pappano in 2011 maakte met het Orchestra e Coro dell’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Roma is verre van compleet. Jammer en gemiste kans, zeker ook omdat de uitvoering echt goed is.

Gerald Finley is een zeer goede Tell (is er iets wat hij niet kan zingen?), maar toch mist hij iets in de rol. Voor mij althans. Ik kan het niet beschrijven, het is meer spitzengevoel, maar dat ‘iets’ krijg ik wel als ik naar Gabriel Baquier luister, op de oude EMI-opname uit 1973.

Tell Gardelli

De cast van die opname, onder leiding van de zeer bezielde Lamberto Gardelli, heeft nog meer ‘plussen’. De grootste is de Mathilde van Montserrat Caballé. Ik neem aan dat ik u niet hoef te vertellen hoe mooi en vloeiend haar noten zijn, hoe zij als het ware door de noten ‘golft’ en hoe fluisterzacht haar pianissimo is. Nee, daar kan de op zich goede Malin Byström (Pappano) echt niet tegen op! Haar coloraturen zijn dan wel zuiver, maar daar is ook alles mee gezegd.


Een ander groot pluspunt is de Jemmy van Mady Masplé, de echte ‘oudgediende’ in het ‘kanarievak’. Zo ontzettend mooi! En Nicolai Gedda natuurlijk, een zanger die ooit door één van mijn collega’s ‘een kameleon onder de zangers’ werd genoemd (kent u een andere tenor die zo veel verschillende rollen met zo veel talent wist te zingen?). En bij dat alles kunt u nog de speelduur van bijna 238 minuten tegenover de gammele 208 minuten van Pappano optellen

Maar als u denkt dat ik Pappano afwijs, dan heeft u het mis! Orkestraal is hij beslist superieur aan Gardelli. Zijn koor klinkt mooier en subtieler en daar komt nog eens de klankkwaliteit bij. Het allergrootste pluspunt van de Pappano-opname is echter John Osborn, een tenor die de allerhoogste noten eruit gooit alsof het kinderspel is. Hij was het die de ZaterdagMatinee-uitvoering mede onvergetelijk maakte. De (concertante) opname is live gemaakt en dat verhoogt de sfeer, zeker met al die ‘bravo’s’.


ZaterdagMatinee 2009

Teel Johnny

John Osborn © Zemsky/Green Artists Management

Wat nooit op cd is uitgekomen (schande!) is de absoluut complete uitvoering in de onvolprezen NTR ZaterdagMatinee. Zonder coupures. Een zit van bijna vijf uur, maar wát voor onvergetelijke uren. Het publiek was uitzinnig en brak zowat het Concertgebouw af.

De kracht van de uitvoering zat hem erin dat werkelijk iedere rol briljant bezet was, tot aan de kleinste toe. Paolo Olmi dirigeerde een cast van meer dan fantastische zangers: Michele Pertusi, Marina Poplavskaya, Ilse Eerens en John Osborn. Het Groot Omroepkoor vervulde met verve zijn hoofdrol in de opera. Geen cd dus (even zachtjes vloeken), maar wel dierbare herinneringen.

Armide. Christoph Willibald Gluck vond het zelf zijn beste werk. U ook?

Armida Agostino_Carracci,_Frontespizio_della_prima_edizione_illustrata_della_Gerusalemme_Liberata,_1590


Agostino Carracci (su disegno di Bernardo Castello), Frontespizio della prima edizione illustrata della Gerusalemme Liberata, Genova, 1590

Men kan zich afvragen waar het aan ligt dat juist Gerusalemme liberata van Torquato Tasso zo veel verschillende componisten uit zo veel eeuwen heeft geïnspireerd. En dan niet het hele epos, maar specifiek de Armida-episode. Ligt het aan het magisch-realistische verhaal vol onverholen haat, wraak, woede en passie? Met personages (mens of heks) die verscheurd worden door hun tegenstrijdige gevoelens, hun innerlijke strijd tussen liefde en plicht? Ik zou het niet durven zeggen. U?

Armida 7dd1839cd61799f99af3d9a583eaa105

Francesco Hayez, “Rinaldo en Armida”

De eerste bij het grote publiek bekend gebleven Armida werd gecomponeerd door Jean-Baptiste Lully, op het libretto van Philippe Quinault. Hetzelfde libretto heeft Gluck een kleine honderd jaar later gebruikt voor zijn vijfde ‘Franse opera’ Hijzelf beschouwde Armide als zijn allerbeste werk, maar het publiek (en de geschiedenis) dachten er iets anders over.

Zelf ben ik er ook nooit zo van gecharmeerd geweest. Maar hoe langer ik mij met de opera heb beziggehouden, hoe meer ik hem heb leren te waarderen.  De opera kent een paar schitterende aria’s en ensembles, met als een absoluut hoogtepunt het hartverscheurende ‘Enfin, il est en ma puissance’, een hysterische hartenkreet van de verliefd geworden furieuze tovenares Armide.

Armide-EMI

Ik ken maar twee complete opnamen van Glucks werk: onder Richard Hickox op EMI (6407282) en onder Marc Minkowski op Archiv (4596162). Merkwaardig eigenlijk als je bedenkt dat de opera tegenwoordig best vaker wordt uitgevoerd.

De opname van Hicox (3 cd’s) duurt ruim 26 minuten langer dan Minkowski. Ik ken de opera niet zo goed om te kunnen constateren of er bij Minkowski coupures zijn aangebracht, maar dat denk ik eerlijk gezegd niet. Zijn tempi zijn simpelweg behoorlijk aan de snelle kant – behalve de ouverture dan, daar is hij behoedzaam in.

Armide-Minkowski

Dat slepende van Hickox is op den duur behoorlijk irritant en ik ben een paar keer gewoon ingedut. De dertig jaar oude opname klinkt wel nog steeds mooi, al haalt de klank het heldere en transparante van Minkowski niet.

Ook wat de zangers betreft wint de Fransman het ruimschoots van zijn Engelse collega. Nou ben niet zo’n fan van Mireille Delunsch en ik vind haar ‘Enfin il est en ma puissance’ op Minkowski’s opname behoorlijk achterblijven bij de interpretaties van bijvoorbeeld Véronique Gens of Anna Catarina Antonacci (waarom is de voorstelling met Antonacci nooit officieel opgenomen?) Niettemin is Felicity Palmer (Hickox’ opname) ondanks haar perfecte dictie en onberispelijk tekstbegrip geen match voor haar.

Charles Workman (Renaut) weet een perfecte balans tussen de heldhaftige en de meer lyrische vinden – daar kan zelfs mijn geliefde Anthony Rolfe Johnson niet tegen op.

Laurent Naouri is een zeer macho Hidraot, maar wat de opname van Minkowski dat ‘superplus’ geeft, is het optreden van Ewa Podles in de kleine rol van La Haine (de Haat). Van haar stem en voordracht gaat het u duizelen. Vind maar eens een alt met een diepere klank, één die ook nog eens alle hoge noten paraat heeft en je met haar interpretatie sprakeloos achterlaat!

Hickox:


Minkowski:


En hieronder een curiositeit: een complete Armide uit Madrid, 1985, met Montserrat Caballé:

What’s the difference between a terrorist and a diva? ‘Caballé, beyond music’

Caballe docu

“We all owe a great deal to music (…) It is a form of expression that originates not so much from thinking as from feeling”. These words come from one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Montserrat Caballé.

In his film Caballé Beyond Music, Antonio Farré portrays the diva*, her life and her career, talking to her, her family and her colleagues. The documentary also contains a lot of wonderful (archival) footage, starting with Caballé’s debut in Il Pirata in 1966 in Paris.

The film is interspersed with fun anecdotes such as how she smashed a door because she was not allowed to take time off (Caballé wanted to attend a performance of Norma with Maria Callas). How she had stopped a dress rehearsal in La Scala because she noticed that the orchestra was not tuned well. About her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the discovery of José Carreras (how beautiful he was!), her friendship with Freddy Mercury ….

About her Tosca in the ROH in London in the production that was made for Callas. She wasn’t happy with that, it didn’t feel good, but no one wanted to change it. Caballé called Callas, it was exactly eight days before her death, and complained about her fate. “But of course it doesn’t feel right”, said Callas. “I am tall and you are not, I am slim and you are not, I have long arms and you have not. Tell them to call me, I will convince them that you are not me”.

And so the production was adapted for Caballé. “Copies are never good,” Caballé says, and I agree with her. This is a fascinating portrait of a fascinating singer. Very, very worthwhile.

* London taxi driver: “What is the difference between a terrorist and a diva? You can negotiate with a terrorist”.

Caballé beyond music
With José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Cheryl Studer, Giuseppe di Stefano, Freddie Mercury, Claudio Abbado and others.
Directed by Antonio A. Farré
EuroArts 2053198

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)