GIORDANO Andrea Chénier
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110275-76 bk Giordano EC 22/08/2003 13:21 Page 12 Great Opera Recordings ADD 8.110275-76 Also available: 2 CDs GIORDANO Andrea Chénier Beniamino Gigli Maria Caniglia Gino Bechi Giulietta Simionato Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan 8.110262 Oliviero de Fabritiis (Recorded in 1941) 8.110275-76 12 110275-76 bk Giordano EC 22/08/2003 13:21 Page 2 Great Opera Recordings Umberto GIORDANO Also available: (1867 – 1948) Andrea Chénier Opera in Four Acts Libretto by L. Illica Maddalena di Coigny . Maria Caniglia Andrea Chénier . Beniamino Gigli Carlo Gérard . Gino Bechi Countess di Coigny . Giulietta Simionato Madelon . Vittoria Palombini Bersi . .Maria Huder Roucher . Italo Tajo Fouquier-Tinville . Giuseppe Taddei Mathieu . Leone Paci Fléville . Giuseppe Taddei The Abbé . Adelio Zagonara L’Incredibile . Adelio Zagonara Majordomo . Gino Conti Dumas . Gino Conti Schmidt . Gino Conti Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Opera House, Milan Conducted by Oliviero de Fabritiis 8.110096-97 Recorded in Milan by La voce del padrone on 26 sides, November 1941 Matrices: 2BA 4787-4812; catalogue: DB5423-35 8.110275-76 2 11 8.110275-76 110275-76 bk Giordano EC 22/08/2003 13:21 Page 10 Producer’s Note CD 1 53:41 ! Calligrafia invero femminil! 2:14 (Roucher, Chénier) This recording of Andrea Chénier, made by Italian HMV during World War II, was first published on pressings Act I 28:14 manufactured in Italy specifically for the Italian market. Although these pressings are free of the crackle that often @ Ecco laggiù Gérard! 3:07 afflicts British HMV pressings, they yield too high a degree of surface hiss for them to be a good source for digital 1 Questo azzurro sofà 4:40 (La folla, Mathieu, L’Incredibile, Chénier, transfer. Several years after the war, this recording was published on English pressings that were amazingly quiet (Il Maestro di Casa, Gérard) Gérard, Roucher) and two mint condition sets of these pressings were used for the present edition. In order to preserve the sonic integrity of the performance, no excessive filtering and noise reduction techniques have been employed, and no 2 Il giorno intorno già s’insera lentamente! 2:12 # Non mi saluti? 2:49 artificial reverberation has been added. In remastering this recording, care has been taken to reproduce the music at (Maddalena, Gérard, Contessa, Bersi) (Bersi, Roucher, L’Incredibile, Chénier, Mathieu) proper score pitch since the original speeds are somewhat inconsistent from one side to another. In fact, the side containing the soprano aria La mamma morta was accidentally recorded 4rpm below the standard 78rpm speed. 3 Soffoco, moro tutta chiusa 4:55 $ Ecco l’altare 7:12 For this transfer, each side was checked against the score and adjusted accordingly. (Maddalena, Bersi, Contessa, Fléville, L’Abate, (Maddalena, Chénier, L’Incredibile) Coro) Ward Marston % Maddalena di Coigny! Gérard! 1:52 4 Passiamo la sera allegramente! 5:14 (Gérard, Maddalena, Chénier, L’Incredibile, (Fléville, L'Abate, Coro, Contessa, Chénier, Roucher, Mathieu, Coro) Maddalena) 5 Al mio dire perdono 1:51 (Maddalena, Chénier, Contessa, Coro) CD 2 00:00 6 Colpito qui m’avete… 5:08 Act III 37:48 Un dì all’azzurro spazio (Chénier) 1 Dumouriez traditore e giacobino 3:03 (Mathieu, Gérard, Coro) 7 Perdonatemi!…Creatura strana assai! 4:13 (Maddalena, Contessa, Coro, Gérard, 2 Lacrime e sangue dà la Francia! 2:04 Maestro di Casa) (Gérard, Madelon) 3 Son la vecchia Madelon 4:05 Act II 25:27 (Madelon, Gérard, Coro) 8 Per l’ex inferno! 1:10 4 L’uccello è nella rete! 3:33 (Mathieu, Bersi, L’Incredibile) (L’Incredibile, Gérard) 9 Temer? Perché? 2:32 5 Nemico della Patria?! 5:05 The Naxos historical label aims to make available the greatest recordings in the history of recorded music, in the best (Bersi, L’Incredibile) (Gérard) and truest sound that contemporary technology can provide. To achieve this aim, Naxos has engaged a number of respected restorers who have the dedication, skill and experience to produce restorations that have set new standards 0 Roucher! Chénier!... Credo a una possanza 4:32 6 Carlo Gérard?… Là! entrate! 4:51 in the field of historical recordings. (Chénier, Roucher) (Maddalena, Gérard) 8.110275-76 10 3 8.110275-76 110275-76 bk Giordano EC 22/08/2003 13:21 Page 4 7 La mamma morta 6:05 Appendix: 9 He tells them how he has fought for his country of the first act and expressing the feelings of a poet near (Maddalena, Gérard) Arias from Andrea Chénier with the sword, and with the pen against hypocrites. to death. Roucher leaves him. The voice of Mathieu is sung by Various Artists heard in the distance, as Gérard approaches the prison, 8 Mamma Cadet! Presso alla sbarra, qui! 3:41 0 Fouquier-Tinville is about to condemn Chénier, with Maddalena. (Mercantine, Mathieu, Coro, Maddalena, Gérard, ^ Un dì all’azzurro spazio 4:04 when Gérard confesses that the indictment he has Fouquier-Tinville, Dumas, Chénier) Sung by Giacomo Lauri Volpi written is false and attacks the injustice of the whole # She exhorts Gérard to remember his promise, as she Recorded: July 1934 proceeding. His plea is in vain. bribes Schmidt to allow her to take the place of another 9 Sì, fui soldato 2:38 mat. 2W2533; cat. HMV DB2263 woman who is to be executed. Gérard begs her to save (Chénier) Act IV herself, as he moves away into the second courtyard. & Io non amato ancor 3:06 0 Udiamo i testimoni 2:43 Sung by Antonio Cortis ! Chénier is sitting by a lantern in the courtyard of the $ Chénier is brought in, now ready to die, having seen (Fouquier-Tinville, Gérard, Coro, Chénier, Recorded: 19th September 1930 prison of St Lazare, writing on a scrap of paper. Maddalena. She tells him that she will die with him. Dumas, Maddalena) mat. BF3455; cat. HMV DA1154 Roucher is near him, reminded by Schmidt that it is time to go. % They join together in a final declaration of love. * Nemico della Patria 3:47 Act IV 15:52 Sung by Cesare Formichi @ He finishes writing and in answer to Roucher’s Recorded: 1st September 1927 request reads the poem he has written, echoing his poem Keith Anderson ! Cittadino, men duol, ma è tardi assai 1:18 mat. WAX3037; cat. Columbia CQX16522 (Schmidt, Roucher, Chénier) ( La mamma morta 4:30 @ Come un bel dì di maggio 3:49 Sung by Claudia Muzio (Chénier, Mathieu, Gérard, Schmidt) Recorded: 5th June 1935 mat. CBX1360; cat. Columbia LCX28 # Il vostro giuramento vi sovvengo 3:22 (Maddalena, Schmidt, Gérard) ) Sì, fui soldato 2:50 Sung by Francesco Merli $ Vicino a te s’acqueta 3:45 Recorded: 6th March 1928 (Chénier, Maddalena) mat. WBX236; cat. Columbia D14705 % La nostra morte è il trionfo dell’amor! 3:40 ¡ Come un bel dì di maggio 2:56 (Chénier, Maddalena) Sung by Aureliano Pertile Recorded: 28th January 1930 mat. BM1448; cat. HMV DA1185 8.110275-76 4 9 8.110275-76 110275-76 bk Giordano EC 22/08/2003 13:21 Page 8 CD 2 Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) 0 Chénier is joined by his friend Roucher, who has a Andrea Chénier passport for him to leave Paris. Chénier, however, is Act III confident in his own destiny, compelled now by his The Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli (1980-1957) made Pagliacci. He sang throughout Europe and South vision of a woman from whom he has received letters. 1 The Committee of Public Safety is in session. commercial studio recordings over a period of 37 years America and continued to make stage appearances until Mathieu is reading out a list of traitors, appealing to the (1918-1955). He was also the first international singer 1953. In 1955 he made a farewell tour of both Britain ! He shows one of them and Roucher looks crowd for money. Gérard enters, now recovered from to record a whole series of complete operas in the studio and the United States, in addition to making his final quizzically at it, with its signature ‘Speranza’. He his injury. between 1934 and 1946. He began with Pagliacci in studio recordings at the age of 65. During the 1930s and presses Chénier to leave Paris and forget the letters. 1934 [Naxos 8.110155], followed by La Bohème 1940s he also appeared in over fifteen films. Anything 2 He appeals for money and for men to fight against [8.11072-73] and Tosca [8.11096-97] in 1938, Madama he may have lacked in acting ability was more than @ The mob gathers, cheering Robespierre, with their enemies. Butterfly (1939) [8.110183-84], Cavalleria rusticana compensated by the sheer beauty of his voice. Gérard, and L’Incredibile asks Gérard about the woman (1940) [8.110714-15], Andrea Chénier (1941), Un ballo The lyrico-spinto soprano Maria Caniglia (1905- he is looking for. He describes Maddalena to him. 3 An old blind woman offers her only remaining in maschera (1943) [8.110178-79] and Aida in 1946 1979) was born and studied in Naples, making her début grandson to the service of the country. There is the [8.110156-57]. The three made during the years of the in Turin in 1930 as Chrysothemis in Elektra. The same # Bersi approaches Roucher, observed by sound of popular celebration off-stage. Second World War are noteworthy in that no country year she appeared at the Teatro alla Scala as Maria in L’Incredibile. Chénier is about to leave, but Bersi tells other than Italy during this period undertook complete Pizzetti’s Lo straniero, a house where she would sing him that Speranza, the woman who has written to him 4 L’Incredibile approaches Gérard, telling him that recordings of operas for commercial release.