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111318-19 bk JSchmidt EU 10/15/07 2:47 PM Page 8 8.111318-19 CD 1: CD 2: GREAT SINGERS • SCHMIDT Tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9: Tracks 1, 5 and 16: ADD Berlin State Opera Orchestra • Selmar Meyrowitz Orchestra • Felix Günther Tracks 3 and 4: Tracks 2, 6-9, 20-23: Vienna Parlophon Orchestra • Felix Günther Berlin State Opera Orchestra Selmar Meyrowitz Joseph Track 6: Berlin State Opera Orchestra • Clemens Schmalstich Tracks 3, 4, and 13: Berlin State Opera Orchestra SCHMIDT Tracks 7 and 8: Frieder Weissmann Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra • Selmar Meyrowitz Tracks 10-12, 14, 15, 18, and 19: Track 10: Orchestra • Otto Dobrindt With Max Saal, harp Arias and Songs Track 17: Track 11: Orchestra • Clemens Schmalstich Orchestra and Chorus • Clemens Schmalstich (1929-1936 recordings) Tracks 12 and 13: Languages: Berlin Symphony Orchestra • Frieder Weissmann CD 1: MOZART Tracks 14, 15, 17, 18 and 24: Tracks 1, 3-6, 9-13, 16-18, 21-24 sung in German Orchestra of the Staatsoper Berlin Tracks 2, 7, 8, 14, 15, 19, 20 sung in Italian Frieder Weissmann DONIZETTI CD 2: Track 16: Tracks 1-16 sung in German MEYERBEER Orchestra • Leo Blech Track 17 sung in Spanish Tracks 18-23 sung in Italian Tracks 19 and 20: FLOTOW Orchestra • Walter Goehr Tracks 21-23: VERDI Orchestra • Otto Dobrindt MASSENET PUCCINI J. STRAUSS II 2 CDs 8.111318-19 8 111318-19 bk JSchmidt EU 10/15/07 2:47 PM Page 2 Joseph Schmidt (1904-1942) LEHAR: Das Land des Lächelns: MAY: Ein Lied geht um die Welt: 8 Von Apfelblüten eine Kranz (Act I) 3:43 ^ Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt 3:09 Arias and Songs (1929-1936 recordings) Recorded on 24th October 1929; Recorded in January 1934; Joseph Schmidt’s short-lived career was like that of a 1924 he decided to take the plunge into a secular Mat. 30354; Cat. Telefunken E 247 Mat. 85237-2; Cat. Parlophon R-2572 bright comet shooting across the musical sky. Although musical career, starting with a successful solo concert MEYER-HELMUND (1861-1932): SERRANO (1873-1941): he recorded for a relatively short period, only eight mixing, as he was to do many times later, operatic arias 9 Das Zauberlied (Wenn dein ich denk’) 2:41 El trust de los tenorios: years, he became one of the most popular singers in and popular songs. Following the advice of his teacher Recorded on 12th May 1931; & Española ‘Te quiero, morena…’ 2:31 Europe during the inter-war years, thanks to the new he enrolled at the Berlin Academy of Music, where he Mat. 16856; Cat. Telefunken A 979 Recorded on 9th January 1930; technologies of radio and the gramophone, and it is studied with Hermann Weissenborn. After a period of Mat. BLR 5931-1; Cat. HMV EG 1721 through his numerous recordings that his undoubted military service in the Rumanian Army, he returned to LEWINNEK (1857-1910): talents have continued to be admired and enjoyed long Czernowitz as a cantor for a year. Heard by some Dutch 0 Einmal glaubt’ ich an deine Liebe ROSSINI (1792-1868): after his sad death in 1942. Jews, he was invited to give concerts in the Netherlands (Warum bist du auch wie die Andern?) 3:06 * Les soirées musicales: No. 8: La danza Schmidt was born in 1904 in a village in Northern in 1929. On his return home he auditioned for Berlin Recorded on 25th November 1932; ‘Tarantella napoletana’ 2:45 Bukovina, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, radio, which at that time had a policy of broadcasting a Mat. 133681; Cat. Parlophon B 48806 Recorded on 23rd June 1932; Mat. 133588-2; Cat. Parlophon B 48802 and which today is in Ukraine. He was the third of five wide range of operas, performed by a permanent roster NIEDERBERGER (1893-1941): children born to Wolf Schmidt, an orthodox Jew, and of singers. Schmidt’s musical versatility was quickly ! Warum gehst du vorbei an mir? BISCARDI (1804-1876): his wife, Sara. His first language was probably Yiddish, recognised with the offer of a contract, and in his first (Von jeher liebt’ ich dich nur) 3:26 ( L’ariatella 3:48 and at school he would have conversed in German: he year he took part in six operas, three concerts and an Recorded on 25th November 1932; Recorded on 11th November 1932; wrote notes to his parents in both languages. The family operetta. Singing entirely in German, and tackling Mat. 133680; Cat. Parlophon B 48806 Mat. 133649-2; Cat. Parlophon B 48805 moved to the town of Czernowitz (now known as substantial rôles such as that of Vasco da Gama in Cernovcy), also in Ukraine, in 1914, at the time of the Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine, he immediately became a VON MORY: La Valliere: LEONCAVALLO: outbreak of the First World War. Despite his sensation, overshadowing more famous colleagues. @ Ja, nur du allein 3:26 ) Mattinata 2:00 disapproval of Joseph’s early interest in music, his Schmidt never enjoyed a substantial stage career on Recorded on 15th March 1933; Recorded on 10th December 1929; father agreed to him receiving piano and violin lessons account of his small stature (he was just short of five Mat. 133752; Cat. Parlophon B 48810 Mat. 10559; Cat. Telefunken A 314 and, fascinated by music since his early years, Joseph feet tall) and his relatively small voice. These, however, GOETZE (1883-1961): Der Page des Königs: TOSTI (1846-1916): was soon able to read a score. In 1916 Rumania invaded were not defects for the microphone, as it was blind to # Was wär mein Lied, könnt’ ich dir’s nicht singen 3:06 ¡ Vorrei morire 3:23 Bukovina, and the Schmidt family was forced to flee to them. What it transmitted was, in the words of his Recorded on 10th March 1933; Recorded on 10th December 1929; Hungary. They stayed there for two years, before biographer, Jan Neckers, ‘the soft, plangent quality of Mat. 133753; Cat. Parlophon B 48810 Mat. 10558; Cat. Telefunken A 314 returning to Czernowitz, which had been permanently his voice, his exceptional legato and splendid high annexed by Rumania. Joseph would hold a Rumanian notes’. Occasional hoarseness was transformed by the MAY (1886-1959): BUZZI-PECCIA (1854-1943): passport for the rest of his life, but when asked his microphone into an attractive vocal tone of Ein Lied geht um die Welt - film music: ™ Lolita (Serenade) 2:55 nationality, he would simply reply ‘Ich bin Jude’ (‘I am considerable individuality. During 1929 activity within $ Ein Lied geht um die Welt 2:46 Recorded on 8th May 1931; Jewish.’). the German recording industry was at its peak. As a Recorded on 2nd May 1933; Mat. 16842; Cat. Telefunken A 939 Mat. 133777; Cat. Parlophon B 48812 Following the family’s return to Bukovina, Joseph new radio star Schmidt was quickly asked to record, BUZZI-PECCIA: joined the synagogue choirs as a boy alto before first for the Electrola label (the German branch of MAY: Ein Lied geht um die Welt: £ Mal d’amore 3:14 developing a fine tenor voice. From 1922 he studied British HMV) and shortly afterwards for the Ultraphon % Frag’ nicht 3:32 Recorded on 8th May 1931; with Felicitas Lerchenfeld-H imaly, the principal label. From the autumn onwards Schmidt began to Recorded on 2nd May 1933; Mat. 16841; Cat. Telefunken A 939 singing teacher in Czernowitz, and became deeply record in earnest, for instance in a series of around a Mat. 133776; Cat. Parlophon B 48812 involved in local musical activities, as well as making a hundred records of Jewish religious music for Berlin’s name for himself as a cantor among the town’s forty Jewish Reform Congregation – the purpose of these synagogues. When he reached the age of twenty in recordings was to provide music for smaller 8.111318-19 27 8.111318-19 111318-19 bk JSchmidt EU 10/15/07 2:47 PM Page 6 PUCCINI: La fanciulla del West: CD 2 79:27 synagogues without choirs. At the same time he was 1936 onwards the pressure in Germany became intense: & Nun sind es sechs Monet’, dass mien Vater tot ist laying down a challenge to the pre-eminent operetta the sale of his records was banned from 1st April [Or son sei mesi] (Act II) 3:15 ADAM (1803-1856): Le postillon de Lonjumeau: tenor of the period, Richard Tauber, with excerpts from onwards, and concerts were announced but then Recorded on 17th February 1933; 1 Freunde, vernehmet die Geschichte (Act I) Franz Lehár’s latest hit, The Land of Smiles. Despite the abruptly cancelled – the last that he gave in Germany Mat. 133723-3; Cat. Parlophon B 48809 [Mes amis, écoutez l’histoire] 3:21 calamitous financial and social consequences of the took place in January 1937 in Frankfurt and Berlin. He Recorded in May 1936; Wall Street Crash of October 1929, Schmidt continued made his final recordings in Holland in August of the PUCCINI: La fanciulla del West: Mat. 85272-2; Cat. Odeon O-28015 * Lasset sie glauben [Ch’ella mi creda] (Act III) 2:26 with his radio work, singing in numerous operas during same year, between two tours of America. Following Recorded on 17th February 1933; SMETANA (1824-1884): Prodaná Nev sta 1930 and 1931 under conductors of the calibre of Bruno the Anschluss of 1938, through which Austria and Mat. 133745; Cat. Parlophon B 48809 (The Bartered Bride): Walter and George Szell. He also made his first screen Germany were united, he settled in Brussels, where he 2 Komm, mein Söhnchen, auf ein Wort appearance in the escapist film Der Liebesexpress, in appeared in a production of La Bohème in 1939, singing PUCCINI: Turandot: (Duet, Act II, scene 4) 9:08 which he sang two songs.