RECORDS Italian Tenor And Hungarian Opera

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30368, 18 February 1964, Page 9

RECORDS Italian Tenor And Hungarian Opera

FRANCO CORELLI (tenor) with orchestra conducted by Franco Ferraris: Bellini—l Puritani: A te o cara. Donizetti—La Favorite: Spirto gentil. Meyerbeer—Les Huguenots: Bianca al par. Ponchielli—La Gioconda: Cielo e mar. Giordano —Andrea Chenier: Un di all’azzurro spazio; Come un bel did di maggio. Cilea—Adriana Lecouvreur: L’anima ho stance. Puccini —La Tosca: Recondita armonla; E lucevan de stelie; Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai. HMV stereo ASDM.S29 (12in, 42s 6d), Mono also available. Franco Corelli is the finest Italian dramatic tenor to appear since the heyday of Giacomo Lauri-Volpi some 35 years ago. Indeed, the burnished gleam of his bronzy tones closely resembles LaiuriVolpi’s voice, while the clarion power of his high notes is reminiscent of Zenatello, and sometimes he swells his tone in a way that reminds one of Caruso. Artistically he is not in the class of any of these great predecessors, but he is much more musical than most of his Italian contemporaries. He lacks the refinement of style for Donizetti’s graceful “Spirto gentil” or Bellini’s tender “A te, o cara,” but it would be hard to find better modern versions of most of the other arias. There is some sensitive quiet singing in the Meyerbeer aria and a fine diminuendo in “E lucevan le stelie.” Corelli always sings with great conviction and even when he lags artistically he provides the element thrill of a marvellous voice in a measure that has not been given for many years. The singer’s proximity to the microphone seems to vary a little, but the recording is generally good. BARTOK: Bluebeard’s Castle. Mihaly Szekely (bass) and Olga Szonyi (soprano) with Antal

Dorati conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Mercury stereo 5R.90311 (12in, 42s 6d). Mono also available. Bartok’s only opera, “Bluebeard’s Castle,” was written in 1911, but it is only fairly recently that it has been staged regularly. It has also been recorded several times in recent years, but this is the first recording of it to appear here. Fortunately these two singers use the original text, for the peculiar accentuation of the Hungarian language is vital to the music and is destroyed by translation. Unfortunately, however, no libretto is supplied, only a brief synopsis of the rather obscure, symbolist libretto is given on the sleeve. There is little action in the opera and with a translation it would be ideally suited to gramophone listening, but even without a translation one can still appreciate the dramatic tension and dark, unearthly beauty of Bartok’s music, which blends French impressionist influences and Hungarian folk song. The late Mihaly Szekely was coached in the role of Bluebeard by Bartok himself in the late 19205, and three decades later he sang it for this recording with great authority and sonorous tone, though his upper register was not always equal to the music’s demands. Szonyi’s voice often sounds harsh and wobbly, but she seems to have been badly treated by the microphone, which sometimes puts an edge on Szekely’s voice too and gives both singers too much prominence. However, the orchestra, producing sumptuous sounds for Dorati, is cleanly recorded. In spite of the sonic faults . and the absence of a libretto the record is well worth the attention of those who enjoy Bartok’s music.