Granted, there are singers who can deal with different kinds of music that the golden-age-of-the-mid-Twentieth-century-singers couldn’t – particularly baroque, possibly even Mozart. Types change from era to era. It made me surprise how as we speak’s youth – that for me would imply Millennials, Gen Z, and possibly even Gen X – react to Gods and Goddesses of the Fifties and ‘60s. I write lots in regards to the singers of my era and VERY strongly really feel that there aren’t any singers in the previous couple of many years that start to match to them: Tebaldi, Milanov, Sutherland, Nilsson, Value, Rysanek, Farrell, Corelli, Bergonzi, Vickers, Warren, Ghiaurov, and some others on the prime of the record. I suppose extra lately, Jessye, Pavarotti, and Domingo could be included. These singers sang with depth, persona, and individuality which is one thing that’s missing in virtually all singers as we speak. Each era has their idols from the previous. My father used to go on – rightfully so – about Caruso and Flagstad, although he additionally adored Tebaldi and Dame Joan. Sure, there are numerous singers I like as we speak: Jaho on the prime of the record, sometimes Netrebko. However largely they simply don’t examine. I put it out to somebody who I do know is out of the Gen Z era – sadly the solely particular person I do know wherever near that era who truly likes opera. Can they really feel the identical means about my gods and goddesses?
Apparently, the quick reply isn’t any. His feeling was that his era doesn’t really feel such attachments. His speculation is that it’s a results of a really completely different relationship to music in normal and recorded music particularly. In his case, he makes use of a recording to get to know a piece however prefers to expertise it reside. He has the benefit of dwelling in a significant metropolis with quick access to musical occasions. He provides he doesn’t have the endurance to have interaction with recordings as earlier generations did. He sees it as over-stimulation; I might see it as a scarcity of consideration span … the power to and the endurance for sitting down with a recording with or with out a rating or libretto. I can empathize with that, as my eyes usually want one thing to see and fingers one thing to do in any other case I nod off – sadly that’s extra of an age factor. The closest he obtained to my meant query concerning the singers particularly was that he might respect singers like Tebaldi and Callas. Finally, although, he cared in regards to the items themselves fairly than the interpreters although he actually appreciated that operas don’t exist with out the singers that carry out them, attempting to not put any singer in entrance of us as we speak at a drawback in comparison with somebody who’s lengthy lifeless so as to see the positives in these singers.
My era of baby-boomers had a transparent benefit of actual super-stars, legends in their very own time. That was not solely within the opera home, however on Broadway and Hollywood. It was a Golden Age of Opera and the top of the Golden Age of Musicals and arguably simply previous the Golden Age of Hollywood. Extra importantly, I’ve all the time been and all the time will likely be a sturdy believer that Opera, before everything, is about singing; what is being sung follows. Attending to the level – lastly! – I imagine that Andrea Chénier is appreciated for the good moments that it provides singers fairly than any nice moments of music. Chénier stands of falls by its three principals. Okay, I exaggerate – a bit.
The primary thought I had when it got here time to writing was to examine all of the recordings I had of this particular opera (19 full) after which examine to see what OperaOnVideo had – 132! In fact, I notice that solely half of these are full performances and that half of these are literally there and haven’t been taken down; however nonetheless, that’s lots for a not very extremely regarded opera. Mercifully, I didn’t hear or watch all of them and I’m not going to debate all of them both. I’m sticking to what I believe is a major recording (studio) or efficiency (reside) after which what’s hopefully out there.
A superb place to begin is with essentially the most well-known recording of Chénier regardless that it’s of solely Maddalena’s aria, “La mamma morta.” I’ve already referred to it: Maria Callas’s heartrending efficiency that Tom Hanks “analyzes” within the Oscar-winning Philadelphia. Callas sings the aria with nice efficiency and a mastery of vocal coloration and inflection surpassing all others, regardless that these others do, as ordinary, sing it with a larger fantastic thing about voice (not essentially a main requisite for this aria). Callas sang solely a handful of performances throughout one run of the opera at La Scala. Initially, the opera was alleged to be Il Trovatore however Mario del Monaco begged out claiming that Chénier was simpler(?) than Manrico. Extra on him later. Callas realized the function in a matter of days, by no means recorded it commercially aside from the aria, and by no means sang it once more. I used to be stunned at how a lot I favored the recording of the whole reside efficiency, now launched commercially by EMI. In reality, I might declare it as her best reside efficiency, a minimum of the equal to her Gioconda. Merely put, it’s a nice efficiency. At this level, 1955, she was at her peak, every little thing in place. She sang Maddalena in January; adopted that in March with the Sonnambula with Bernstein and adopted that in Might with the Giulini/Visconti Traviata. Fairly a 12 months!
With Hanks (1993 film Philadelphia):
With out Hanks (1954 EMI studio):
Callas reside 1/8/55 La Scala:
Backtracking, the primary full recording of the opera was in 1931 on EMI with Marini, Rasa, and Galeffi with Molajoli conducting. I’ve not heard it. Much more vital, is the 1941 EMI with Beniamino Gigli, Maria Caniglia, Gino Bechi with Oliviero de Fabritiis conducting. Gigli was 51 on the time of this recording but he’s at his most impressed. It provides proof that he may simply have had the century’s most stunning voice. Then again, it’s argued that his overbearingly demonstrative performances for lyric roles was balanced by his unimpressive assaults on heroic ones. Gigli’s voice right here, although, is a mixture of lyricism and a ringing heroic sound. Many really feel he’s the perfect and greatest Chénier. Maria Caniglia begins with a light-weight, girlish tone that good points weight earlier than turning into a bit squally within the closing duet. Gino Bechi could be described as a provincial baritone – which isn’t a foul factor for this function. He didn’t carry out a lot outdoors Italy, however he was a star dramatic baritone doing all the large Italian components in all of the Italian homes, in addition to doing numerous motion pictures and pop-crossover discs. He was famously the Nabucco to Callas’s legendary reside Abigaille in 1949.
Zinka Milanov’s most iconic roles have been the three Verdi heroines: Aïda and the 2 Leonoras, Gioconda, and Maddalena. Surprisingly, whereas she recorded the primary 4, she by no means commercially recorded Andrea Chénier. The Met made up for that with three broadcasts, the primary of which was launched as considered one of their first Historic Commemorative deluxe albums. My choice is for the second broadcast, the one with Richard Tucker. Each Milanov and Warren have been new to their roles, however their performances aged nicely and each have been nonetheless at their peak in 1957. Unusually, within the 1953, Milanov obtained subsequent to no applause following “La mamma morta.” In 1957, she took the upper ending and the ovation was intensive. 1963 she was nicely previous the sell-by date. In addition to these three broadcasts, she celebrated her twenty fifth anniversary with the Met with Andrea Chénier and she or he selected the opera for her farewell efficiency in April of 1966 although she adopted that three days later for the ultimate efficiency of the Previous Met with the ultimate duet with Tucker. The assessment as reprinted within the Met archives wrote:
On Saturday night time, Mme. Milanov will likely be becoming a member of together with her colleagues of their musical farewell to the “outdated” Met, however final night time was her night time and an event for a bulging houseful of cheering, applauding and weeping admirers to let the illustrious Yugoslavian soprano know what she has meant to them by means of the previous 28 years. In any season, the departure from the operatic scene of a star of Mme. Milanov’s magnitude can be trigger for nostalgia and remorse, final night time, she acquired a collection of show-stopping ovations culminating with a seven-minute outpouring of affection, following her third-act aria, “La mamma morta,” which has had few parallels within the historical past of the home. Regardless of the apparent emotional calls for of the night, Mme. Milanov carried out, as she has all the time carried out right here, with the grandeur and authority reserved for the phenomenally gifted few, and it wasn’t sentiment alone which advised everybody current that they’ll by no means hear and see anybody fairly like her once more.
Within the 1954 broadcast, Mario del Monaco overwhelms the efficiency as he was vulnerable to do. Loud and unsubtle. And undeniably thrilling. In earlier performances, he did modulate his tone, however usually it was very monochromatic. He was fortunate to have sung the function with Callas, Milanov, and Tebaldi many instances. There are additionally movies with Tebaldi and Antoinetta Stella. I ask, simply what number of instances in a single aria can he thrust his arm to the balcony?
MET 12/4/54 (reside) – Del Monaco, Milanov, Warren; Cleva
Leonard Warren undoubtedly has the best voice of any dramatic baritone, essentially the most aristocratic, however Gérard just isn’t an aristocrat and that’s the reason I stated earlier that Gérard can greatest be served by a extra provincial baritone. Sadly, I can’t discover any picture of Warren as Gérard. Standouts among the many glorious supporting forged are Rosalind Elias as Bersi, Sandra Warfield as Madelon, Salvatore Baccaloni as Mathieu, and Alessio de Paolis as Incredibile.
MET 12/28/57 (reside) – Tucker, Milanov, Warren; Cleva
Fortunate is the soprano who will get to sing the ultimate duet, “Vicino a te,” with Tucker, Del Monaco, and Corelli. Or is fortunate are Dick, Mario, and Franco to get to sing that duet with Renata Tebaldi? Really, I believe it’s fortunate us who obtained to see all three variations on tv! The primary pairing confirmed an clearly very nervous Renata (that arm by no means left her again) with a a lot shorter Tucker on the Ed Sullivan Present in 1957. The singing is as lush as could be imagined. The duet is considerably minimize. An much more thrilling model with the 2 R.T.s is sung at that legendary Chicago live performance with Georg Solti conducting (the identical one when Tebaldi sang the Gioconda duet with Simionato)
The 1961 model is from an entire(!) Chénier when La Scala visited Tokyo. Sure, full. Tebaldi truly had FIVE full operas on video (that Greek singer solely had one measly act! … however what a whopper that ‘one measly act’ is: the legendary ROH/Zeffirelli Act II of Tosca) – two Toscas, an Otello, Forza, and Chénier. Reality be advised, none of these movies are notably flattering. It wasn’t until the mid-60s that Tebaldi glamorized herself and realized to behave. One can see that within the 1966 video with (lastly somebody taller than her) Corelli, additionally on the Ed Sullivan Present, a tie-in with the opening of the brand new Met after they have been each singing within the new Gioconda.
A really nervous Renata… “That is MY opera!”… Mr. & Mrs. Opera
Tebaldi & Tucker – Ed Sullivan Present 3/10/57
Tebaldi & Del Monaco – Tokyo 1961
Tebaldi & Corelli – Ed Sullivan Present 9/18/66
The sheer tonal weight of her voice is discovered ideally in Tebaldi’s singing. That voice was eminently suited to Maddalena’s music, an element that she might imbue together with her meltingly limped tone and over time deliver to it her ever-expanding dramatic consciousness and growing chest register. Her first Chénier was initially of her profession in 1945 in Parma and her final in 1970 on the Met, near the top of her profession. Over that point, her conception of the function, a minimum of vocally, modified radically, generally out of necessity however largely due to her rising artwork. Unusually, although, her greatest steadiness of singing was on the very starting – the late ‘40s – early ‘50s. The voice, being youthful, was a lot lighter, no issues with pitch or excessive notes, however it was the dramatic inflection that she delivered to the music that was so completely different. I used to be nicely conscious of this from the legendary 1953 Forza. In my analysis for this essay, I got here throughout a recording of, sadly, solely highlights of a Chénier from 1949 with Tebaldi that’s merely mind-boggling. She is a revelation right here. The identical goes for Del Monaco – he truly sings tastefully at instances. In lots of respects, it’s the each of them at their inimitable bests. As Mitropoulos carried out miracles for them in that Forza, Victor De Sabata does the identical on this Chénier. Fedora Barbieri is the Madelon. Spoiler: the final act is lacking – eek!
All collectively, I’ve discovered 12 full performances of the opera with Tebaldi together with two studio ones. All of them could be discovered on-line. The primary studio is from 1953 on Cetra (or Everest or no matter it was known as then) with José Soler and Ugo Savarese. It’s unlucky that the singing of the 2 gents is nowhere close to the standard of the prima donna, however that prima donna’s efficiency is a revelation when you’ve solely heard her within the 1957 Decca. That extra well-known recording tied in together with her one efficiency of the function in the identical month of her Met debut, once more with Del Monaco and Ettore Bastianini. As he turned out to be the most effective Barnaba, Bastianini can be the most effective Gérard. He brings a strong and spontaneous interpretation which is made extra spectacular than most different baritones as a result of there’s extra number of nuance and coloring. Tebaldi and MdM simply don’t deliver to the studio what they might to the stage. Most of the time … the ’61 Tokyo video betrays that. Clearly, the 2 of them had not gotten the memo that opera singers now additionally needed to act. Sure, that is clearly the tenor’s opera and Mario makes certain everybody is aware of that. Most appalling, within the closing act, following his aria and simply earlier than his imminent demise, he leaves the stage as mandated however steps again out to stroll all the way down to the footlights for a bow … TWICE! Disgrazia! Okay, it was a distinct period.
Much more vital are the 2 Met broadcasts neither of which disgracefully have by no means proven up on Sirius nor on Met on Demand. Neither have 4 different of Tebaldi’s Met broadcasts (out of 18) which, together with the 2 Chéniers, embody two Otello’s (Desdemona, her signature function), the primary Manon Lescaut, and, possibly not her greatest however actually her most thrilling function, Fanciulla. The six of them and the Tosca with Tucker and Warren represent her greatest Met performances and it’s inexplicable that they haven’t resurfaced legitimately; they’re on-line, nevertheless. Once I began this essay, I knew nicely earlier than reaching the top of it that the 2 Met Chéniers wouldn’t be bettered. So, I began with the sooner efficiency with Tucker and Bastianini from 1960 which is arguably higher sung and that I might finish with one of the thrilling performances ever to come back out of the Metropolitan Opera Home, the 1966 with Franco Corelli and Anselmo Colzani (who was changing Tito Gobbi). In his “licensed” biography of Tebaldi, the clearly prejudiced Kenn Harris states that in his opinion “that it was the one most fun efficiency that I ever witnessed on the outdated Met” and Harris once more says elsewhere within the guide that “it stands out in my reminiscence as fairly the best efficiency of an Italian opera that I’ve ever attended.”
Even individually, Tebaldi and Corelli have been the most well liked ticket on the Met; collectively they have been flamable. Bing known as her “Miss Offered-Out!” For as soon as there was a tenor who regarded the half … and was taller than Tebaldi. He was the right Andrea Chénier, very best because the romantic thought of the heroic, self-obsessed poet. Collectively, he and Tebaldi, termed Mr. and Mrs. Opera, sang Adriana, Forza, Bohème, Tosca, and Gioconda. It’s a tragedy that they by no means did Fanciulla collectively. It could appear logical that the perfect forged for Chénier can be the 1960 Vienna efficiency extensively out there with Tebaldi, Corelli, and Bastianini, however it surprisingly falls flat. Although Bastianini needs to be sacrificed, keep on with the 1966 Met. It is going to be my No. 1 selection for a reside efficiency.
MET 3/26/60 (reside) – Tucker, Tebaldi, Bastianini; Cleva
MET 2/5/66 (reside) – Corelli, Tebaldi, Colzani; Gardelli
Subsequent time, I’ll contact on another recordings of Andrea Chénier, some important and others, not a lot…
See my earlier put up on the opera itself right here.
