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111138 bk Ponselle1 6/13/06 1:39 PM Page 1 8.111138 GREAT SINGERS • PONSELLE ADD Rosa PONSELLE American Recordings 1923-1929, Volume 1 VERDI BRAHMS SCOTT SHELLEY New restorations by Ward Marston 111138 bk Ponselle1 6/13/06 1:39 PM Page 2 Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) American Recordings 1923-1929, Vol. 1 While visiting Lily Pons at her Dallas home in Following her engagement there, the customers of the early May 1962, I asked if she were planning to attend rival Star Theater in Meriden began to dwindle because the Met performance of La forza del destino later that they preferred to hear Rosa singing at the Crystal week. The diva’s large brown eyes grew wide, and she Theater. As a result, Richard Halliwell, the owner of the answered an immediate, emphatic ‘No!’ ‘Why should I Star Theater, approached her and offered to double her go to Forza?’, she inquired. ‘I heard Rosa Ponselle as salary if she would sing in his three theatres. In one of Leonora!’ these, the San Carlino in New Haven, Rosa sang Lily Pons’s admiration for Ponselle’s voice and popular songs of the day for Yale students as well as artistry has been echoed many times by other singers Italian songs, accompanied by an orchestra which and musicians, and this great popularity continues performed Rosa’s own instrumental arrangements. today through the amazing phonographic legacy she James Ceriani heard her at the San Carlino and soon left. Ponselle’s records reveal a voice of richness and hired her to perform in his Café Mellone. He compared power, a dark, exciting colour so unmistakable, her voice to that of Emmy Destinn, and took Rosa to combined with a formidable coloratura technique. Yet her first Met opera performance - Tosca with Caruso Ida Cook, the author of We Followed Our Stars, who and Farrar. On the same trip to New York she had an heard her in person, wrote: ‘Occasionally on record one audition with Gene Hughes to become part of a ‘sister catches a breath of the magic that was Ponselle - act’ with Carmela in vaudeville. Rosa sang ‘Kiss Me particularly the Vestale record, the final Trio from Again’ from Mlle Modiste and got the job. Forza, the finale of Aida and the rare Africana record. I Rosa’s début in vaudeville (with Carmela as ‘the remember distinctly that when we could hear her in Ponzillo Sisters’) took place at the Star Theater in the person, my sister and I put away our Ponselle records Bronx in September 1916. Two years later they were because they were such a pale shadow of the real thing.’ featured at the Keith Riverside, and on 29th October But those remarkable discs continue to win new 1917 they gave their first performance at the prestigious generations of fans who take on faith ‘the dramatic gift Palace. Billed as ‘Two fascinating Italian girls with of almost equal intensity [to her extraordinary vocal Grand Opera voices’, they gave a total of twelve power] and stage presence’ described by Cook. performances. Appearances at other theatres followed, Rosa Ponselle was born Rosa Ponzillo on 22nd and their last known vaudeville performance took place January 1897 in Meriden, Connecticut, the third child at the Colonial on 13th April 1918 (interestingly, by of first-generation Italian immigrants, Bernardo and this time their billing had changed from ‘the Ponzillo Maddalena Conti Ponzillo. Rosa’s sister Carmela was Sisters’ to ‘Rosa and Carmela Ponzillo’). born in June 1887, and her brother Antonio in June As a result of Rosa’s meeting with Caruso and the 1890. (In a 1977 interview, however, ‘Tony’ insisted now famous three auditions for the Met, she signed a that the age difference between the two sisters was six, contract on 4th June 1918 to sing the rôles of Aida, not ten, years.) Each of the children studied the piano Leonora (in both Trovatore and Forza), Santuzza, with a local teacher, Anna Ryan, but Rosa never studied Rezia and the soprano part in Verdi’s Requiem at the voice formally. Met. On the advice of Gatti-Casazza, to avoid her Rosa’s first job was as a substitute pianist and association with vaudeville, she adopted the name of singer in the Crystal Theater in Meriden in 1912. Rosa Ponselle. The young soprano spent the summer in 8.111138 2 111138 bk Ponselle1 6/13/06 1:39 PM Page 3 Pine Orchard, Connecticut, where she prepared her Ponchielli and Rossini, and songs by Paisiello, rôles under the guidance of the conductor and composer Schumann, Fourdain, Strauss, Ganz Alvarez and Romano Romani. others’. Less than two weeks later, on 5th December Ponselle’s historic début in Forza alongside Caruso 1923, Ponselle was in Camden, New Jersey, to make took place on 15th November 1918. A review in The her first records for the Victor Company. (The soprano New York Times the following day is headlined: Rosa always ‘blamed’ her manager William Thorner for Poncelli [sic] Captivates - Young Soprano Debutante having her initially sign with Columbia rather than the Displays a Sweet Voice of Natural Beauty - Caruso more prestigious Victor label, but it is probable that Sings Gloriously.’ In the heart of the review the Romani, who was a conductor for Columbia, was also distinguished critic James Gibbons Huneker wrote: involved in the decision. Ponselle’s last recordings for ‘Added to her personal attractiveness, she possesses a Columbia on 11th and 14th January 1924 - a month voice of natural beauty that may prove a gold mine; it is after her first Victors - were to fulfil her contractual vocal gold, anyhow, with its luscious lower and middle obligations to Columbia for a specific number of titles.) tones, dark, rich and ductile.’ A second journey to Victor for more recordings was In her next rôle as Santuzza with the Met in made on 11th December 1923, and less than a week Philadelphia, the Bulletin reported: ‘The new soprano later she made her first seasonal appearance at the Met has a “presence” and an aptitude for operatic as Maddalena in an Andrea Chenier which included interpretation that at once is apparent. Best of all, Gigli, Ruffo and Tibbett (Ponselle had, in fact, however, she disclosed a voice of splendid capabilities, auditioned Tibbett at the request of Frank La Forge of fine range, volume and beauty, a pure dramatic when she visited Hollywood for the first time in May soprano, of a full, rich and even quality.’ Of her Rezia in earlier that year). Oberon on 28th December 1918 The New York Times She added Leonora in Il trovatore to her Met mentions ‘her dramatic temperament, musical repertoire on 19th April 1924, and concluded the season intelligence, with her beautiful natural voice and its in the same rôle in Cleveland on 3rd May before sailing remarkable range from a rich, velvety contralto to a for the first time to Europe three weeks later. Her vibrating, silvery soprano ... Her scale is seamless, so priorities for the trip were ‘clothes, study and equal are her tones from top to bottom.’ amusement’. In Viareggio she met Puccini and sang With each new season Ponselle’s artistic growth Vissi d’arte for him. continued. In 1919 she appeared as Carmelita in In the Met’s 1924-25 season Ponselle first appeared The Legend and Rachel in La juive opposite Caruso. in a 29th November matinée as Maddalena. On 7th Huneker stated that ‘there are only two beautiful voices December she participated in the company’s Puccini in the Metropolitan Opera Company and Rosa Memorial Concert singing Un bel dì. Twelve days later Ponselle’s is the other one’ (the other, of course, being she appeared in the title rôle of La Gioconda. The New Caruso’s). Aida and Elisabetta (Don Carlos) followed York Times wrote: ‘Miss Ponselle, as her admirers in 1920; Maddalena (Andrea Chenier) and Elvira expected, found the melodrama’s title rôle suited to her (Ernani) in 1921; Margared (Le roi d’Ys) in 1922; and rich voice and temperament that is this young American Mathilde, (Guillaume Tell) and Sélika (L’Africana) in star’s heritage. She was greatly applauded, bringing 1922. down the house when soprano and tenor before the In late November 1923 Ponselle appeared in curtains played a game of tag to see which would leave Havana, Cuba, for two recitals. Musical America to the other the honor of taking a solo recall.’ described her programmes as ‘including arias by The new year was begun with Aida on 2nd January 3 8.111138 111138 bk Ponselle1 6/13/06 1:39 PM Page 4 1925, followed in rapid succession by Sélika and using this ‘new’ process. Only one of the items recorded Gioconda. Two arias from the latter rôles, In grembo a at this first session - The Little Old Garden (also known me from L’Africana and Suicidio from La Gioconda, as Sanctuary) by John Hewett - achieved publication were recorded for Victor on 14th January, and are and that occurred more than twenty years after the surely among Ponselle’s loveliest and best record was made. At the session the following day, performances on disc. In April she again joined the Met however, she successfully recorded the two songs on tour, singing favourite rôles in both Atlanta and which made up her first electric double-sided Cleveland. ‘Coupling’ - Carry Me Back to Old Virginny and My On 11th March 1925 the Victor Company officially Old Kentucky Home. dedicated its newly equipped studio for electrical recordings. Less than three months later, on 1st June, Ponselle was in the studio to make her first recordings © Bill Park 4 8.111138 111138 bk Ponselle1 6/13/06 1:39 PM Page 5 VERDI: Aida: VERDI: Ernani: 1 O Patria mia 4:36 9 Ernani! Ernani, involami 4:47 5th July 1923; C 29061-2 (Victor 6437 B) 23rd January 1924; C 29062-4 (Victor