RECORDINGS 107

La traviata. Giuseppe Verdi

Violetta de Saint-T: Jane Moriet Docteur Gernumt: Hippolyte Bdhommc Clara/Annette: Marie Ganteri Recorded in 1912 Rodolphc d'Orbel: M. TrosselU Entile Archaimbaud, conductor Georges d'Orbel: Henri Albers Bourg Records (distributed by Entile de Letoriere: M. de Poumayrac Qualiton Imports, Ltd.) Marquis d'Orbigny: Pierre Dupri BG 4023-24 (mono) (2 discs)

This is one of the most recent of the "complete" operas from the Pathe" Le Theatre chez soi series that Bourg has been bringing out. It is also the most carelessly produced of this often-intriguing series, as the unreliable pitches of Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/oq/article/4/4/107/1482974 by guest on 28 September 2021 the originals have not been corrected, the final (78-rpm) side from act 2 has been recorded twice (at the beginning of side 3 of this set), and the cuts are egregious, truly sanguinary. Yet the set has some value, for it gives us a fairly substantial view of the French translation of Piave's libretto by Edouard Duprez (the tenor's brother) that was introduced at the The"atre-Lyrique on the occasion of Christine Nilsson's Paris debut (27 October 1864). This French Traviata (first given widi the title Violetta) was approved by Verdi, and interestingly enough, differs in some musical details from the Italian original: there is an orchestral statement of the "Amami, Alfredo" melody right on the heels of Violetta's singing it, and Pere d'Orbel comforts his son with "Lorsqu'a des folks amours" ("Di Provenza") before young Rodolphe receives Violetta's letter, instead of after- ward as in the Italian version. Duprez's translation involves some awkward rhythms, even some inconsistencies. For instance, the heroine's name is pro- nounced with a stressed final syllable in some places; in odiers the stress is on the penult. Most of all, his very free translation sentimentalizes Piave's Italian text, emphasizing the "delizia" while underplaying the "croce," to cite the terms that Alfredo uses in the original libretto to define love, the words that Violetta subsequently echoes. (Duprez translates this phrase as "Ce mystere, dest l'amour.") These records shed some light on the traditions that had accumulated around die French Traviata circa 1912. In the twentieth measure of the act 1 duet, "Un jour, pour charmer ma vie," Trosselli as Rodolphe introduces die variation in die vocal line diat we encounter in old recordings of "Ah, fors'e lui" by such as Bellincioni, Sembrich, Melba, and Tetrazzini, at the point where Violetta is quoting diis phrase of the tenor. There is logic to having die embellishment sung firstb y the tenor if the soprano will later repeat it,1 as Jane Moriet does in this performance. An oddity apparendy confined to the French score, where it is printed, is the addition of a corona (hold) in the "Brindisi" on the C just before the return to die opening phrase that concludes die solo pas- sages for the tenor and the soprano. (This is found in measures 59 and 113 of this number.) The shifts of tempo within a number, particularly in the Violetta/d'Orbel duet of act 2, add a strange emphasis, if not an out-and-out distortion, to some phrases. io8 RECORDINGS

The vocal performances vary in merit. Madame Morlet, who is listed as a member of the Trianon-Lyrique, never sang at the Comique, where Traviata formed part of the repertoire between 1886 and 1926. Hers is a voice without much expansion to it, but she has considerable ease with the florid passages in act 1; the most striking feature of her interpretation is her vivid way with the text, especially in act 4.2 The tenor Trosselli has the kind of bleat that the French describe as "une voix chevrotante." Outstanding is the Pere d'Orbel of the Albers, who projects a steady line with nobility of style, but a certain Gallic detachment. The chorus, although small, combines raucousness with an innocence of musicianship that is difficult to credit. On the whole, this Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/oq/article/4/4/107/1482974 by guest on 28 September 2021 French Traviata is below the standard of the rest of this resuscitated Pathe" series. William Ashbrook

NOTES 1.1 did a small cross section of tenors who phrase come scritto in his solo version of this recorded this passage in the first decade of duet, as docs Alexander Davidov (in Russian this century. The only other one I discovered with Maria Michailova) and Ferdinand Hcr- who inserts this embellishment is Elvino Ven- old (in Danish with Tenna Frederiksen). tura (who recorded the duet with Giannina 2. The description on Duprez's version is Russ in 1904); Fernando de Lucia sings the "Opera en 4 Actes."

Two Valuable Callas Reissues Ipuritani. Vincenzo Bellini

Elvira: Enrichetta: Aurora Cattelani Artu.ro: Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alia Scala, Riccardo: Rolando Panerai Giorgio: Nicola Rossi-Lemeni Tutlio Scrafin, conductor Bruno: Angela Mercuriali EMI Angel AVB-3406S (mono) (digitally Gualtiero: Carlo Forti remastered, direct metal mastering) (2 discs) Norma. Vincenzo Bellini

Norma: Maria Callas Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alia Scala, Pollione: Mario Filippeschi Milan Adalgisa: Ebe Stignani Tullio Scrafin, conductor Oroveso: Nicola Rossi-Lemeni EMI Angel AVB-34062 (mono) (digitally Flavio: Paolo Caroli remastered, direct metal mastering) (2 discs) Ootilde: Rina Cavallari

Not so long ago EMI was the most frustrating of all record companies because it captured some of the greatest performances imaginable and released them in