Registrado: 30 Oct 2008 19:23 Mensajes: 2498 Ubicación: Burgos.
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Por lo que he leído, la mezzo Gladys Swarthout ofrece un enfoque de Carmen en general bien cantado, pero poco implicado en lo dramático. En libro "Saturday afternoons at the Old Met" (pp. 251-253), Paul Jackson comenta: "In some operatic portrayals artist and role seem perfectly mated -witness Albanese's Butterfly. Too often, however, the fit is ill: the composer is not well served nor do the considerable gifts of the singer show to best advantage. Yet, no mezzo of swarthy good looks and tawny vocal hue could be expected to forgo a run at Carmen, and if the article could be stamped «made in Hollywood», its currency would undoubtedly be inflated. Thus, for a few years Gladys Swarthout brought her Valentina costumes to the Met stage and played at being the gypsy. The costumer knew her customer; she judged that Swarthout «posseses an inborn good taste and we understood each other perfectly». In contrast to Ponselle's fiery ardor as Carmen, Valentina knew that «Miss Swarthout gave an image of tender and lovely feminity which led me to follow her type and personality». And so did Miss Swarthout in her impersonation, no matter how remote it might be from the gypsy of Bizet, let alone Merimée.
Not that her portrayal (as heard in the broadcast of 15 March 1941) is without its virtues. Not often is the first act so well sung -the deep color of the voice is most appealing in both arias, and the sung recitatives are full of playful point. And her taunts of José are tastefully spunky. So far, so good. Pelletier creates too sedate and ambience for the Gypsy Song, and Swarthout cannon counteract it with rythmic impulse. From the opening prelude of the final act on through the death struggle outside the bullring, the conductor keeps to a businesslike gait and eventually the dramatic sap congeals. But not before we hear a fine quintet, fleet and well disciplined in the expert hands of Votipka, Olheim, De Paolis, Cehanovsky, and Swarthout -she inflects 'Je suis amoreuse' with amusement rather than heavy-breathed ardor, and it is a deft touch. [...] But as far as Swarthout's Carmen goes, the game is up. She musteers neither insinuation in her vocal dance for José nor disdain as Carmen tries to keep him from returning to his base. Yes, the voice is always beguiling -that's the problem; no ugly or contemptuous effects in the interest of the drama shall disfigure it".A continuación retrata con más benevolencia al Don José de Charles Kullman y sigue dando leña a Swarthout : "Kullman, in excellent voice, who convincingly carries the dramatic burden of their scenes together. Though he enters the tavern with the least boastful of dragoon songs, his Flower Song has sufficient ardor without muscling the music -he saves the breast-beating for the final moments of the opera and manages even that with fine tone and surprising vocal heft. His voice filled with regret and longing, Kullman makes credible José's need to kill Carmen -a fine performance from the American tenor. Swarthout is equally in earnest, but in the card scene her intonation is suspect at the break, and she fails to make us sense the inevitability of death (but, oh, the color is right). As José confronts her with his knife, though her vocalism is wonderfully free, this Carmen is no free spirit; she can neither dare nor spit venom nor, certainly, ever hate. But her voice is a polished and lovely as her Valentina grows- pretty as a picture she must have been".Más llamativo es el caso de Licia Albanese (31 años) y Leonard Warren (29), que muestran un notable nivel pese a su juventud: "The most vivid moments of the afternoon are provided by Micaela, for Albanese makes a miniature drama of the aria. No coy ingénue she, but a peasant girl courageous enough to find her way through the mountains to her lost love. As she begins, her quick vibrato takes a moment or two to settle, but the thursting ascents of the middle section are vibrant with energy, and she makes a superb climax at 'Seigneur, Vous me protègrez'. The reprise is full lovely portamenti as she overlaps the phrases one to another. She caps it all with stunning high B-flat, as all Micaelas were wont to do then (and who would wish to be without such a B-flat as this one). Her plea to José is vocally assured and equally charged with excitement. In act one, both Albanese and Kullman makes a lyric feast of the duet -how skillfully she exceutes the sinuous lines and stepwise ascents trought the passaggio! Management is prodigal to place such a singer in this role, but Albanese turned Micaela into a star vehicle during her early Met career. Warren is no quite so much the fully formed artist as his soprano colleague, but he, too, radiates a star quaility as the Toreador. Like most baritones he is better in the higher reaches of the aria (and better there than most baritones). Sometimes his big sound gets in the way of French fleetness, but he fills out the refrain splendidly (as he is sensitive enough to lead into it with a finely grained diminuendo). A little more swagger would be become in his mountain meeting with José, but the fourth-act miniature duet is suavely lyrical in feel and tone"."Metropolitan" (Richard Boleslawski, 1935). No abundan los testimonios videográficos del legendario Lawrence Tibbett en la escena operística, así que esta película me parece un excelente muestrario de sus privilegiadas dotes vocales y dramáticas. De los varios momentos musicales que incluye la cinta -canciones y arias de ópera-, me quedo con esta carismática interpretación del "Votre toast" de Carmen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-IXQB738wNo todo van a ser grabaciones viejunas (aunque ésta es del 93, mucho ha llovido también...). Es una pena que Minkowski sólo haya grabado dos óperas de Lully (este Phaëton y Acis & Galatée), porque su olfato teatral y dinámica dirección casan muy bien con la música del compositor florentino. Para mi gusto, supera en estos aspectos a otros que han hecho incursiones operísticas en Lully: William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, Hervé Niquet -el Alberto Erede del historicismo - y Hugo Reyne. En cuanto a calidad, creo que está a la par con Cristophe Rousset, director mucho más comprometido con Lully -en lo que a discografía se refiere- que Minkowski. El reparto de este Phaëton tiene varios cantantes que han dado muy buenos momentos en el repertorio barroco francés: Véronique Gens, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt y Laurent Naouri. Mención especial merece el tenor Howard Crook, que en estos menesteres creo que aún no ha dejado un digno sucesor.
_________________ Anche l' idea muor, tu non muori giammai, tu, l' Eterna canzon!
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