110277-79 bk Rosenkav 21/10/2003 3:10 pm Page 1 ADD Great Opera Performances 8.110277-79 Richard 3 CDs STRAUSS Der Rosenkavalier Risë Stevens • Eleanor Steber • Erna Berger • Emanuel List Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York • Fritz Reiner American Broadcasting Corporation Telecast 21st November 1949 110277-79 bk Rosenkav 21/10/2003 3:10 pm Page 2 Great Opera Performance Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) Der Rosenkavalier Telecast 21st November 1949 opening night of the 1949/1950 Metropolitan Opera season Octavian . Risë Stevens Die Feldmarschallin . Eleanor Steber Baron Ochs . Emanuel List Sophie . Erna Berger Faninal . Hugh Thompson Annina . Martha Lipton Valzacchi . Peter Klein Italian Singer . Giuseppe Di Stefano Marianne Leitmetzerin . Thelma Votipka Mahomet . Peggy Smithers Marschallin’s Major-domo . Emery Darcy Orphans . Paula Lenchner, Maxine Stellman, Thelma Altman Milliner . Lois Hunt Animal Vendor . Leslie Chabay Hairdresser . Matthew Vittucci Notary . Gerhard Pechner Leopold . Ludwig Burgstaller Faninal’s Major-domo . Paul Franke Innkeeper . Leslie Chabay Police Commissioner . Lorenzo Alvary Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House Fritz Reiner conducting 8.110277-79 2 110277-79 bk Rosenkav 21/10/2003 3:10 pm Page 15 Producer’s note During the late 1940s, commercial television became a viable reality and the possibilities for this new medium were almost limitless. On 29th November 1948, The Metropolitan Opera Company’s first live telecast took place. The occasion was the opening night of the 1948-49 season, and the opera was Verdi’s Otello. Incidentally, this performance was only available to television viewers and was not broadcast via radio. The following year, the Metropolitan’s opening night performance of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier was similarly telecast. This set contains the audio portion of that night’s performance and should not be confused with the radio broadcast of the same opera which took place on Saturday afternoon, 3rd December 1949. This recording was originally made on 78rpm lacquer coated aluminum discs using two turn table cutters so that no music is missing. The only flaw in the recording is a severe variation in pitch between the beginning and end of each side. The necessary speed adjustments have been made in order to keep the pitch accurate in accordance with the score. Some of the crackle inherent in these discs has been removed but no invasive noise reduction techniques have been employed that will undermine the integrity of the original source. It should be mentioned here that during this telecast, the announcer, Milton Cross, accidentally spoke over the opening bar of music in Act 3. This error has been corrected by patching in the same music which occurs several minutes later. The present edition contains every bit of this telecast that is known to exist. Sadly, only a short fragment from the first intermission feature and Milton Cross’s concluding announcements have come to light. Ward Marston In 1997 Ward Marston was nominated for the Best Historical Album Grammy Award for his production work on BMG’s Fritz Kreisler collection. According to the Chicago Tribune, Marston’s name is ‘synonymous with tender loving care to collectors of historical CDs’. Opera News calls his work ‘revelatory’, and Fanfare deems him ‘miraculous’. In 1996 Ward Marston received the Gramophone award for Historical Vocal Recording of the Year, honouring his production and engineering work on Romophone’s complete recordings of Lucrezia Bori. He also served as re-recording engineer for the Franklin Mint’s Arturo Toscanini issue and BMG’s Sergey Rachmaninov recordings, both winners of the Best Historical Album Grammy. Born blind in 1952, Ward Marston has amassed tens of thousands of opera classical records over the past four decades. Following a stint in radio while a student at Williams College, he became well-known as a reissue producer in 1979, when he restored the earliest known stereo recording made by the Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1932. In the past, Ward Marston has produced records for a number of major and specialist record companies. Now he is bringing his distinctive sonic vision to bear on works released on the Naxos Historical label. Ultimately his goal is to make the music he remasters sound as natural as possible and true to life by ‘lifting the voices’ off his old 78 rpm recordings. His aim is to promote the importance of preserving old recordings and make available the works of great musicians who need to be heard. 15 8.110277-79 110277-79 bk Rosenkav 21/10/2003 3:10 pm Page 14 Baron announces his identity, but Valzacchi will not vouch her husband’s regiment, that the whole thing was simply a for him, while Mariandel feigns agitation, threatening to farce. The Officer and his constables withdraw. The Baron drown herself and deliberately revealing the bed. The now sees Octavian and begins to understand something of Baron, to avoid a charge of seduction, declares Mariandel the situation, but the Marschallin is adamant that his his bride, the daughter of Herr von Faninal. Faninal now engagement with Sophie Faninal is now impossible. makes his way through the crowd of onlookers at the door, claiming to have been summoned by the Baron himself. 0 The Feldmarschallin advises the Baron to withdraw, as The latter now has to try to explain that this is another a gentleman should, to his dismay at the upsetting of his Faninal, a relation. Faninal, however, insists that he is the plans of marriage. Valzacchi comes in, with the men who father of the Baron’s bride, but not of the girl who is with had been concealed and with Annina, now as herself. The the Baron: Sophie, he tells them, is in his carriage outside. Landlord presents the Baron with a long bill. The Baron The Baron rushes round looking for his wig, and the tries to leave, his way obstructed by Annina, the children children renew their cries of ‘Papa’. Sophie enters and goes and waiters, coachmen and house-boy, all of whom to her father, while the Baron tries to hide his baldness. demand payment. Eventually he makes his escape. Faninal is horrified at the scandal and rushes at the Baron, only to fall back, fainting, to be helped out by his servants ! Now Sophie, the Marschallin and Octavian are left and Sophie. alone. Sophie realises the whole thing was only a farce and sees that Octavian is in love with the Marschallin. 8 The Baron finds his wig, regains something of his composure and declares himself ready to pay and go home. @ The older woman now urges Octavian to go to Sophie; He will take Mariandel home with him and will, he says, she has already told him that sooner or later he must leave probably marry her, he has no idea who the other woman is, her. She looks closely at Sophie, guessing her feelings for with her children. Octavian refuses and calls the Police Octavian, who has been standing embarrassed. Officer aside, to explain to him the true situation. Now from behind the curtains of the alcove, Mariandel’s clothes are # The three express their own mixed feelings, the thrown, to the Baron’s alarm. Marschallin sadness at the sacrifice that she must now make, Sophie understanding Octavian’s divided feelings, 9 The Baron must go to her, but now the Landlord and Octavian himself now in love with Sophie. announces the arrival of the Marschallin, who enters, attended by her people, her train carried by the little Black $ The Marschallin leaves the lovers together. For both of Boy. Octavian puts his head through the alcove curtains, them this is a dream. The Marschallin returns with Faninal, but the Baron signals to him in agitation, fearing that the ready to give the couple his blessing. She and Faninal leave Marschallin will see. When the Baron’s back is turned, the couple together once more. Octavian emerges, in his own clothes, telling the Marschallin that this was not as he had planned things. She % For both of them the whole thing is a dream, that now looks at the Baron, as the door is opened and Sophie they can be together for ever. Sophie falls into Octavian’s appears, telling the Baron that her father repudiates him arms. They kiss and run out of the room together, Sophie entirely. He tries to go out to speak to Faninal, but is dropping her handkerchief. The little Black Boy trots in, prevented by the latter’s servants. The Marschallin tells him retrieves the handkerchief and trips out again, as the curtain to go, with what dignity he can, since his engagement is at falls. an end. She explains to the Police Officer, an old soldier in Keith Anderson 8.110277-79 14 110277-79 bk Rosenkav 21/10/2003 3:10 pm Page 3 CD 1 67:24 Act One 65:44 1 Introduction 3:10 @ Di rigori armato il seno 2:04 Orchestra Italian Singer 2 Wie du warst! Wie du bist! 2:48 # Als Morgengabe… 2:49 Octavian, Die Feldmarschallin Baron Ochs, Notary, Italian Singer 3 Du bist mein Bub’, du bist mein Schatz! 5:14 $ Mein lieber Hippolyte 3:37 Die Feldmarschallin, Octavian Die Feldmarschallin, Valzacchi, Baron Ochs, Annina 4 Der Feldmarschall sitzt im krowatischen Wald Octavian, Die Feldmarschallin 4:14 % Da geht er hin, der aufgeblasene schlechte Kerl Die Feldmarschallin 4:58 5 Quinquin, es ist ein Besuch 1:51 Die Feldmarschallin, Marschallin’s Major-domo, ^ Ach, du bist wieder da! 5:13 Baron Ochs, Octavian Die Feldmarschallin, Octavian 6 Selbstverständlich empfängt mich Ihro Gnaden & Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding 2:05 Baron Ochs, Footmen, Die Feldmarschallin, 8:29 Die Feldmarschallin Marschallin’s Major-domo * Mein schöner