Erik Bruchez
Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:04:25 -0800
1. The complete libretto of L'amico Fritz, by, well, Nicola Daspuro, with some additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti. It looks like nobody wanted to see his name on the libretto, which was printed under the alias P. Suardon.
2. A recent edition, on label Guild, of the live performance of Cavalleria Rusticana conducted by Mascagni in the Hague, in the Netherlands, in 1938:
There are at least three other editions of this performance, all on CD (on Bongiovanni, Grammofono 2000, and The 40's Label). I don't think this performance was ever released on 78 rpm or LP. The liner notes of this new edition mention that one original disc was missing from the set. The Bongiovanni and Grammofono editions clumsily fill the missing passage with some music from the 1940 Cavalleria, with Gigli instead of Melandri! The Guild version instead blends in a version with Melandri from an earlier 1930 performance, which turns out to be a much better choice, even though the edit is noticeable if you pay attention. I don't have the 40's Label version right there, so I can't check how they filled the missing passage.
I have to say that I don't care much for Melandri as Turiddu, but this is otherwise an excellent performance, and possibly the only live performance (besides maybe the short Canto del Lavoro) conducted by Mascagni that we have! Santuzza is sung by Lina Bruna Rasa, who also sang in the better known 1940 performance with Gigli.
The day before this performance, Mascagni recorded this rare speech, which miraculously made it to our time. If you haven't listened to this yet, well, it is still time:
3. A recent edition, on label Warner Fonit, of L'amico Fritz, also conducted by Mascagni:
The liner notes mention that this was recorded between October 28 - November 4, 1942, and that it was broadcast by EIAR (now RAI) on November 5, 1942. I guess those dates may be correct. The previous release on Cetra mentioned a recording date of 1941.
4. A version of the famous Cherry Duet from L'amico Fritz, directly from original 78 rpms:
Dino Borgioli is Fritz, and Rosetta Pampanini is Suzel. The sound quality is not too great, but the excerpt is very enjoyable.
5. Two arie from Isabeau sung by Bernardo De Muro, also from original 78 rpms:
De Muro sung the role of Folco in Isabeau 382 times!!! That is
almost unimaginable. And you still read nowadays that all of
Mascagni's operas were failures... De Muro's autobiography is
entitled, accordingly, "Quand'ero Folco" ("When I was Folco"):6. A few posters of relatively recent performances of Mascagni operas in Belgium and Italy for Cavalleria, Rapsodia Satanica, Nerone, and I Rantzau:
http://www.mascagni.org/book-reader/image/506806/1/0 http://www.mascagni.org/book-reader/image/506807/1/0 http://www.mascagni.org/book-reader/image/506802/1/0
I particularly like the Rantzau poster (see it in full here: http://www.mascagni.org/full-images/506802/1/50).
It is beyond me that such an insulting piece made it in that magazine. I was not sure I wanted to put this online, but I guess it illustrates very well the rampant prejudice against Mascagni and his music.
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