Erik Bruchez
Thu, 14 Aug 2003 12:03:27 -0700
1. Two CD sets have recently been released on label Gala. They feature performances of Lodoletta and le Maschere previously released as LPs on label MRF. The packaging is attractive, but the content is a little disappointing. The sound quality doesn't offer too much improvement over the original LPs (to be fair the sound was cleaned up quite a bit, but I bet the source was the actual LPs), and they don't offer the rich material that came with the MRF releases, namely a complete Italian libretto with English translation, and of course the excellent essays by David Stivender. All in all those are cheap transfers, but they are still valuable since the LPs are almost impossible to find and impractical, and the price is hard to beat: USD 12 for each 2-CD set!
The 1957 performance of Lodoletta happens to be, vocally, my favorite of the performances released on record so far, featuring Giuseppe Campora as Flammen and Giuliana Tavolaccini as Lodoletta. This is not Mascagni's best opera, but it is quite underrated and contains real gems, starting with the first bars of the opera, which are incredibly original.
There are very enjoyable moments in the live 1961, Trieste performance of Le Maschere, but the spoken prologue is terribly dull compared to the modernized version conducted by Gelmetti (it is obvious why they revised it for this late 80's revival), and the sound quality is very uneven.
http://www.mascagni.org/recordings/506300 http://www.mascagni.org/recordings/506375
The notes on both sets (written before 1996) are by a certain Andrew Palmer, who makes too many incorrect statements: Mascagni did play the double bass for a while, but I haven't heard that he played at the premiere of Puccini's Le Villi. Palmer then makes the classic mistake of saying that Mascagni conducted opera companies after leaving the Milan conservatory (he actually toured with operetta companies, and he felt lucky when he actually had the opportunity to conduct). Also, Mascagni did hesitate to submit Cavalleria at the last minute, and he did plan to submit an act of Ratcliff at first, but those are two separate stories. In general, Palmer's notes are a mixed bag of positive and negative statements.
2. Ettore Bastianini, on label Myto, featuring arie from Cavalleria, Fritz, Lodoletta, and Le Maschere (plus some Verdi, Rossini, etc.). Excerpts of Mascagni operas for baryton are rather rare, which makes this set interesting. All the Mascagni excerpts happen to be on the Lodoletta CD as well!
3. The Harold Wayne Collection Vol. 3, with a 1903 version of the song "Bella cantiam l'amore", which is particularly interesting because Mascagni is supposed to be playing the piano. Also included are excerpts from Cav by Fernando Valero, and Gemma Bellincioni, the first Santuzza.
4. A performance of Madama Butterfly from 1939, with Beniamino Gigli and Toti Dal Monte, restored by Ward Marston. The CD also features arie by Dal Monte, including "Flammen perdonami" from Lodoletta.
What they say about Marston is true, his transfers are really good! You can listen to this 1939 Butterfly like it was yesterday, or almost, with a little bit of surface noise, but fantastic voices. And the price is also hard to beat, at USD 13 for a 2-CD set.
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