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Les Introuvables Du Chant Verdien
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Les Introuvables Du Chant Verdien

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Les Introuvables Du Chant Verdien
Music Price: $53.98
As of Jul 6 4:04 EDT (details)

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StudioEMI Classics
Release DateFebruary 13, 2001
UPC Code724357421720
Buy this item$53.98 at Amazon.com
As of Jul 6 4:04 EDT (details)
8 Audio CD, Usually ships in 8 to 14 days, Box set, Original recording remastered
 

About Les Introuvables Du Chant Verdien

This collection, whose French title might be translated "Verdi Vocal Rarities," is a unique contribution to the Verdi centennial year. Its 136 selections on eight compact discs offer an in-depth survey of singers who recorded notable Verdi performances during the era of 78-rpm recording. Coincidentally, this period covers, within a few years, the half- century after the composer's death, in 1901. Some of the singers in the earliest cuts--tenor Francesco Tamagno and bass Victor Maurel, for example--had known Verdi and sung for him. Many of the singers will be familiar to connoisseurs of Verdi discography--Enrico Caruso, Boris Christoff, Fedora Barbieri, Ezio Pinza, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Tito Gobbi, Beniamino Gigli, and Jussi Bjoerling, to name a few. Others, such as Frieda Hempel, Emmy Destinn, Martha Modl, Joseph Schwarz, Gino Cigna, and Mattia Battistini, are names you come across in books about opera, but you have heard their voices only if you spend a lot of time with historic recordings. And a lot of performances, including some of the best, are likely to be the work of singers encountered for the first time.

Most of the big moments from Verdi's operas are included--grouped by opera, not by chronological order of recording. There are a few strange omissions; for example, the "Miserere" scene from Il trovatore. But other selections, such as "Ah fors' e lui" and "La donna e mobile," are given in two or three performances--sometimes in French, German, or Russian as well as Italian. Some of the performances are classics; many are mind-boggling.

Some favorite Verdi singers--Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti, among them--are absent because they began recording after the collection's cutoff date. Other problems are mostly related to the dates of the original recordings. The sound is all pre-high-fidelity and sometimes quite primitive, though some remarkable work has been done to optimize the earliest items. The annotations are minimal--mostly the date, venue, and performers in each cut, with pictures of the biggest stars. This decision was probably made to keep the price low, and those who already know most of the arias and ensembles will likely find the tradeoff acceptable. --Joe McLellan Amazon.com

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. Ernani: Act I: Surta E La Notte... Ernani! Ernani, Involami - Frieda Hempel
  2. Ernani: Act I: Che Mai Vegg'io!... Infelice!... Infin Che Un Brando Vindice - Boris Christoff
  3. Ernani: Act II: Vieni Meco... - Mattia Battistini/Emillia Cors/Chor Del Teatro Alla Scala
  4. Ernani: Act III: O De' Verd'anni Miei - Giuseppe Kaschmann/Salvatore Cottone
  5. Ernani: Act III: Gran Dio!... O De' Verd'anni Miei - Benvenuto Franci
  6. Ernani: Act III: O Sommo Carlo - Mattia Battistini/Emillia Corsi/Luigi Colazza/Aristodemo Silich/Chor Del Teatro Alla Scala
  7. Il Trovatore: Act I: Tacea La Notte Placida - Giannina Arangi-Lombardi
  8. Il Trovatore: Act I: Deserto Sulla Terra - Francesco Tamagno
  9. Il Trovatore: Act II: Stride La Vampa! - Fedora Barbiera
  10. Il Trovatore: Act II: Condotta Ell'era In Ceppi - Margarete Klose
  11. Il Trovatore: Act II: Perigliarti Ancor (Sung In German) - Margarete Matzenauer/Heinrich Knote
  12. Il Trovatore: Act II: Il Balen Del Suo Sorriso - Giuseppe Pacini
  13. Il Trovatore: Act III: Ah! Si Ben Mio, Coll'essere - Charles Dalmores
  14. Il Trovatore: Act III: Di Quella Pira (Sung In French) - Cesar Vezzani
  15. Il Trovatore: Act III: Di Quella Pira - Jussi Bjorling
  16. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Timor Di Me?... D'amor Sull'ali Rosee - Emmy Destinn
  17. Il Trovatore: Act IV: D'amor Sull'ali Rosee (Sung In German) - Frida Leider
  18. Il Trovatore: Act IV: D'amor Sull'ali Rosee - EVA TURNER
  19. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Udiste?... Mira, D'acerbe Lagrime... Vivra! - Carlo Galeffi/Giannina Arragi-Lombardi
  20. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Si M'ami Ancor... Ai Nostri Monti - Beniamino Gigli/Cloe Elmo
Disc 2
  1. Macbeth: Act II: La Luce Langue (Sung In German) - Martha Modl
  2. Macbeth: Act IV: O Figli, O Figli Mie!... Ah La Paterna Mano - Enrico Caruso
  3. Macbeth: Act IV: Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora - Margherita Grandi/Vera Terry/Ernest Frank
  4. Rigoletto: Act I: Questa O Quella - Alfred Piccaver
  5. Rigoletto: Act I: Questa O Quella - Dino Borgioli
  6. Rigoletto: Act I: Pari Siamo! - Tito Gobbi
  7. Rigoletto: Act I: Gia Tre Lune... Veglia, O Donna (Sung In German) - Claire Dux/Joseph Schwartz
  8. Rigoletto: Act I: E Il Sol Dell'anima (Sung In French) - Miguel Villabella/Elde Norena
  9. Rigoletto: Act I: Caro Nome (Sung In Russian) - Lydia Lipowska
  10. Rigoletto: Act I: Caro Nome (Sung In German) - Maria Ivogun
  11. Rigoletto: Act II: Cortigiani, Vil Razza Damnata (Sung In German) - Joseph Schwarz
  12. Rigoletto: Act II: Cortigianni, Vil Razza Damnata - Pasquale Amato
  13. Rigoletto: Act II: Ciel! Dammi Corraggio! Tutte Le Feste - Olimpia Boronat
  14. Rigoletto: Act II: Tutte Le Feste... Piangi Fanciulla - Lotte Schone/Herbert Janssen
  15. Rigoletto: Act II: No, Vecchio, T'inganni... Si Vendetta - Maria Galvany
  16. Rigoletto: Act III: La Donna E Mobile - Enrico Caruso
  17. Rigoletto: Act III: La Donna E Mobile - Tino Folgar
  18. Rigoletto: Act III: Bella Figlia Dell'amore - Beniamino Gigli/Louise Homer/Amelita Galli-Curci/Giuseppe De Luca
  19. Rigoletto: Act III: O Mia Gilda... Lassu In Ciel - Tito Ruffo/Graziella Pareto
Disc 3
  1. Simon Boccanegra: Prologuo: A Te L'estremo Addio... Il Lacerto Spirito - Francesco Navarini
  2. Simon Boccanegra: Prologuo: A te L'estremo Addio... Il Lacertato Spirito - Alexander Kipnis
  3. La Traviata: Act I: Un Di, Felice - Bjorn Talen/Lola Artot De Padila
  4. La Traviata: Act I: Ah Fors' e Lui (Sung In Russian) - Antonina Neshdanova/Umberto Mazetti
  5. La Traviata: Act I: Ah Fors'e Lui - Maria kousnezoff
  6. La Traviata: Act I: Ah Fors'e Lui... Follie!... Sempre Libera - Luisa Tetrazzini
  7. La Traviata: Act II: De' Miel Bollenti Spiriti - Fernando De Lucia
  8. La Traviata: Act II: Lunge Da Lei... De' Miei Bollentti Spiriti - Giuseppe Di Stefano
  9. La Traviata: Act II: Dite Alla Giovine - Nellie Melba/John Brownlee/Harold Craxton
  10. La Traviata: Act II: Madamigella Valery?... Pura Siccome Un Angelo... Dite Alla Giovine - Rolando Panerai/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
  11. La Traviata: Act II: Che Fai? Nulla Scrivevi? (Sung In German) - Helge Roswaenge/Maria Cebotari
  12. La Traviata: Act II: Mio Figlio... Di Provenza - Mattia Battistini
  13. La Traviata: Act II: Alfredo, Alfredo... - Lilli Lehmann
  14. La Traviata: Act III: Teneste La Promessa... Addio, Del Passato - Claudio Muzio
  15. La Traviata: Act III: Teneste La Promessa... Addio De Passato - Margherita Carosio
Disc 4
  1. Nabucco: Act I: Sperate, O Figli - Nazzareno De Angelis
  2. Nabucco: Act II: Anch'io Dischiuso Un Giorno - Ines De Frate
  3. Nabucco: Act III: Ah! Prigioniero Io Sono... Dio Di Giuda - Carlo Galeffi
  4. La Forza Del Destino: Act I: Ma Pellegrina Ed Orfana - Gina Cigna
  5. La Forza Del Destino: Act II: Madre, Pietosa Vergine - Celestina Boninsegna
  6. La Forza Del Destino: Act II: Son Giunta!... Madre, Pietosa Vergine - Dusolina Giannini
  7. La Forza Del Destino: Act II: Chi Puo Legger Nel Futoro (Sung In German) - Ivan Andresen/Meta Seinemeyer
  8. La Forza Del Destino: Act II: Alzatevi... La Vergine Degli Angeli - Ezio Pinza/Rosa Ponselle/Chor Of The Metropolitan Opr
  9. La Forza Del Destino: Act III: O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli - Francesco Merli
  10. La Forza Del Destino: Act III: Solene In Quest'ora - Enrico Caruso/Antonio Scotti
  11. La Forza Del Destino: Act III: Morir!... Urna Fatale... E Salvo (Sung In German) - Heinrich Schlusnus
  12. La Forza Del Destino: Act IV: Invano, Alvaro - Gino Bechi/Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  13. La Forza Del Destino: Act IV: Pace, Pace, Mio Dio - Salomea Kruszelnicka
  14. La Forza Del Destino: Act IV: Pace, Pace, Mio Dio - Zinka Milanov
  15. La Forza Del Destino: Act IV: Non Imprecare - Ezio Pinza/Rosa Ponselle/Giovanni Martinelli
Disc 5
  1. Don Carlo: Act I: E Lui... Dio, Che Nell'alma - Giuseppe De Luca/Giovanni Martinelli
  2. Don Carlo: Act II: Nell Giardin Del Bello (Sung In German) - Margarete Arndt-Ober
  3. Don Carlo: Act II: Restate - Boris Christoff/Tito Gobbi
  4. Don Carlo: Act IV: Ou Suis-je!... Je Dormirai Dans Mon Manteau Royal (Sung In French) - Pol Plancon
  5. Don Carlo: Act III: Ella Giammai M'amo!... Dormiro Sol - Boris Christoff
  6. Don Carlo: Act III: O Don Fatale - Frida Leider
  7. Don Carlo: Act III: O Don Fatale - Clara Butt
  8. Don Carlo: Act III: I. Convien Qui Dirci Addio... Per Me Giunto/II. O Carlo Ascolta... Lo Morro - Tito Gobbi
  9. Don Carlo: Act IV: Tu Che Le Vanita - Hertha Stolzenberg
  10. I Vespri Siciliani: Act II: O Tu Palermo - Boris Christoff
  11. I Vespri Siciliani: Act III: In Braccia Alle Dovizie - Riccardo Stracciari
  12. I Vespri Siciliani: Act IV: Giorno Di Pianto (Sung In German) - Helge Roswaenge
  13. I Vespri Siciliani: Act IV: Arrigo! Ah Parli A Un Core - Ester Mazzoleni
  14. I Vespri Siciliani: Act IV: Merce, Dilette Amiche - Rosa Raisa

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User Reviews

Average user review: 4.0 (1 reviews)

rating: 4 QuoteRare but well-polished Verdi gems.Quote
Classical music enthusiasts will have become aware that EMI have been marketing several boxed sets with a French title containing the word "introuvables". The word suggests that when you open the box you'll find items that are so rare as to be almost unobtainable. It suggests also that their rarity is not due only to age or production limitations, it is also due to the incomparability of their quality.

Few would quibble about the quality of what is to be found in this splendid collection of Verdi "introuvables". You will hear how Emmy Destinn portrayed Aida yearning for her homeland in 1908, and how Elisabeth Schwarzkopf portrayed Violetta intereacting with her lover's father in 1953. You will hear several items duplicated. Francesco Navarini, recorded in 1907 with a piano, makes a stunning Fiesco in the "Simon Boccanegra" prologue, as is not up-staged by the more familiar Alexander Kipnis version which follows.

You might regret that your favourite Verdi record is not here. You'll have opportunities to make comparisons, however. I could never believe that anyone could equal Giuseppe de Luca'a 1930 "O sommo Carlo" from "Ernani, but here I have a chance to hear for the first time how the famous baritone Mattia Battistini did it in 1906.

Keith Hardwick compiled and transferred this collection originally in the late 1980s. He has augmented and transferred that issue onto 8 CDs, and provided the annotations. Full recording details are provided, there are many singer photographs but no singer biographies.

The recording dates range from 1903 to 1953. Sadly, almost all the singers - Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf being a notable exception - are all dead by now. Those of us who have opportunities to hear and collect their work, however, can be grateful that the older we get the better it sounds. Indeed, I have never heard any of the items included here in better transfers. Elsewhere I have given this issue a five star rating. Subsequent hearings have made me aware of a technical matter which may bother some listeners. This set has been transferred from the long playing records on which it was originally issued. Their pristine sound quality has been preserved but also some of the ghostly "swish" that accompanied each revolution. October 20, 2001

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