The Year’s Best—2 More Opera Recordings

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30635, 29 December 1964, Page 7

The Year’s Best—2 More Opera Recordings

A rise in the number and range of opera sets pressed in New Zealand in 1964 was the result of the World Record Club’s entry into this field.

The club has been putting out each month an opera drawn from the EMI catalogue- These are attractively priced and come in a box with a libretto. Some have been in the catalogue a little longer than others ,so there are some pre-war sets besides some recent stereo recordings. Price, presentation and availability are all favourable factors when the merits of these sets are considered. Other points—artists, interpretations and recorded quality—require comparison with whatever else is available.

The highlights of the club’s offering would be Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” (mono), Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos” (mono), Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger” (mono), Mozart’s “Le NoZzi di Figaro” (early stereo), and Mozart’s “Die Entfuerung.” The Wagner issue is notable as the set fills 10 sides, and because Wagnerians are reputed to be reluctant customers. These are good interpretations, well recorded and worth adding to any collection. Different Approach There are good reasons for preferring stereo editions. The recordings of the fifties generally gave faithful representations of the scores, but stereo has brought additional clarity transparency and richness of sound, and through its spread, depth, movement and special effects brings a realism not entirely that of the theatre to home listening. More recently the trend has been to replace traditional scores—some well botched by publishers or performers—with authentic texts or autographs. And current recordings keep the collector acquainted with current performers. The range of current opera recordings is limited by the economics of a small market. “This should sell very well, but we will probably not break even on it,” said the artists and repertoire chief of one record firm, referring to a new prestige edition. Of other opera issues he added; “We will import them if collectors want them.” This reliance on individual orders for imported recordings led to unsuccessful negotiations by retailers with the Minister of Customs on the question of licences during the year. Outstanding Bass Four new sets were pressed locally for sale through normal channels. The latest, Bellini’s “I Puritan!” with Joan Sutherland on SETM. 259-61, has not yet been received for review. This soprano is reported to be recording all of Bellini’s operas. Bartok’s only opera, “Bluebeard's Castle” appeared on Mercury 5R.90311. The use of the original text reveals how vital the accentuation of the Hungarian language is to the music. The bass, Mihaly Szekely, is outstanding.

R.C.A. Victor has issued two popular operas by Puccini, both with the American soprano, Leontyne Price. “Madama Butterfly” (RSLS. 3630-2) won American “Grammy” awards as the best opera recording and bestengineered classical recording of 1963. It was the first made in the new R.C.A. Rome studios. Price uses her sumptuous heavy-weight voice with remarkable freshness and lightness and her vocal acting is mostly subtle and effective, although a few vocal mannerisms intrude in the big moments. Richard Tucker

gives one of his best recorded performances and Erich Leinsdorf’s handling of the orchestra develops a fine sweep and impetus in the later movements. In “Tosca” (LD5.7022) Price is resplendent and well supported by Guiseppe di Stefano and Guiseppe Taddei, the latter a carefully conceived Scarpia. Von Karajan, conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, gives a direct and dramatic reading that is both tense and lyrical. There is great attention to extraneous detail such as cannons firing at the right time and bells ringing in and out of tune. Potted Versions There were several good potted opera releases. On HMV mono MCLP.I679 there Is a rousing performance from Flotow's “Martha,” and a few Imported stereo copies are now available. On HMV mono MALP.I92I are some excerpts from the classic Los Angeles-Beecham “La Boheme.” On RCA Victor L5C.269 are scenes from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” with Price as Bess and on Decca SXLM.6O79 are scenes from Verdi’s great comic opera, “Falstaff,” with Fernando Corena in the title role. Buyers of these recordings are urged to inquire whether leaflets containing the texts are available as they are often left out by mistake. The recital discs included “Great Sopranos of our Time” (HMV ASDM.SSB) which enables comparison of six leading sopranos; the Italian dramatic tenor. Franco Corelli (HMV ASDM.S29); and the American baritone, Robert Merrill (Decca SXLM.6OB3). A new Decca recital from Joan Sutherland, “The Age of Bel Canto,” has not yet been received (SETM.26B-9). A notable lieder release was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s new recording of Schubert’s “Die Schone Mulierln" on HMV mono ALP. 1913. The baritone’s interpretation is intense and romantic. Queen Of Chanson Two recordings from different points in the career of Edith Plat, the queen of chanson who died in 1963, were issued. On 33M5X.6046 mono, “Mea Culpa,” she stags with a chorus and the recording has the sound of the early fifties. The recorded qual-

ity of the limited edition T. 10328 mono “Chansons” Is much superior, and on this there is no trace of her earlier vibrato. On both Piaf sings with her characteristic intensity and compellingness. A great novelty is “Bach’s Greatest Hits” on Philips mono PHM.200097 which contains instrumental Bach numbers impeccably sung by a French jazz group, the Swingle Singers. The vocal display gives this disc more staying power than others with gimmicks. In the above survey numbers for stereo editions are given in cases where the mode of recording is not stated.