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 Asunto: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 04 Sep 2018 21:23 
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Abro un hilo dedicado a una de mis grandes pasiones: el viejo Teatro Metropolitan de Nueva York (1883-1966) y los cantantes legendarios de aquella casa. De vez en cuando, colgaré fragmentos de funciones -algunas poco conocidas- que creo que merecen la pena ser recordadas. Cualquier aportación forera sobre el asunto será bienvenida, lo ideal es que haya participación.

Imagen

Exterior del viejo Met a comienzos de los años 30.


Imagen

Interior del teatro el día de la inauguración de la temporada 1938-39 (21 de noviembre: Otello de Verdi, con Giovanni Martinelli, Maria Caniglia, Lawrence Tibbett y el director argentino -en la foto- Ettore Panizza).
Un vídeo sobre aquella ocasión: Otello, 1938.


Con el historial de cantantes que pisaron el viejo teatro, sería "fácil" comenzar por los nombres sobradamente conocidos. Pero lo haré con un barítono que no cantó demasiado en la casa y que, si bien disfrutó de popularidad en los años 30 y 40, su carrera operística quedó eclipsada por la de sus colegas Lawrence Tibbett y el joven Leonard Warren. Hablo de John Charles Thomas, quien el 30 de enero de 1943 cantó Faust en el Met junto a la soprano Licia Albanese, el tenor Raoul Jobin, el célebre bajo Ezio Pinza y el director Sir Thomas Beecham. Aquí le tenemos en el aria de Valentin, donde a pesar de que en algunos momentos la afinación es algo problemática, el barítono muestra un canto elegante y facilidad en el agudo:

"O sainte médaille... Avant de quitter ces lieux".


Imagen

John Charles Thomas como Valentin.


Una estupenda versión de la pieza, que además tiene muy buen sonido para la época. En el libro de Paul Jackson "Saturday Afternoons at the Old Met" (p. 287), podemos leer los siguientes comentarios sobre John Charles Thomas y su Valentin de 1943:

"Singing his first Metropolitan Valentin on this afternoon is John Charles Thomas -it will be the last opportunity his enormous public will have to hear him in opera over the airwaves. A single Valentin in February (plus a tour performance in April) closes a Metropolitan career which numbered only thirty-five performances in New York and eighteen on tour over a period of ten years. He came late to the company, and his inmense popularity in the concert halls and radio shows limited his operatic appearances. Only fifty-one yeas old at his Met leave-taking, Thomas would continue to sing on the popular media for years to come. Certainly no call to retirement is sounded in his singing on this afternoon. And he is on his best behavior, endeavoring to meld his expansive vocalism and command of French style into a convincing entity. The familiar outpouring of tone and breadth of phrase are modified here and there to produce unexpected subtleties (the quiet close and loving caress to 'Reste là sur mon coeur' just before the aria). The image of radio popularizer and homespun cutup recedes, though he cannot resist a final show of vocal bravado by interpolating a super high A-flat at the aria's close. Thomas proclaims a noble defense as he crosses the devil, and here Beecham energizes the drama most effectively. The brief scene with Siebel, where Valentin learns of Marguerite's disgrace, strikes fire, and Pinza and Thomas meet on equal ground im the trio. The death scene is finely conceived as Thomas offers vocal grandeur free from realistic strangulation, thereby heightening the menace of the curse -a noble exit for the baritone, but lamentably too soon".

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Anche l' idea muor, tu non muori giammai,
tu, l' Eterna canzon!


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 04 Sep 2018 22:19 
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¡Excelente iniciativa! A ver si puedo yo también contribuir con alguna cosa.


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 05 Sep 2018 15:40 
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Bueno, bueno, que el Chino ya se ha visto y oído enterito el archivo del Met. En breve, la Scala.

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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 06 Sep 2018 21:32 
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Tip escribió:
Bueno, bueno, que el Chino ya se ha visto y oído enterito el archivo del Met. En breve, la Scala.


:lol: Ya me gustaría, me conformo con haber picoteado aquí y allá.

Viajemos a los últimos años del viejo Met. Uno de los pilares de aquella época fue Richard Tucker y, contando el número de funciones, es el tenor más relevante de la casa tras Martinelli y Caruso. Cantante temperamental, también era capaz de regular su caudal sonoro, ofreciendo sentidas interpretaciones. Como ejemplo, este Andrea Chénier del 26 de marzo de 1960, en el que estuvo acompañado por dos monstruos: Renata Tebaldi y Ettore Bastianini. La teatralísima dirección de Fausto Cleva suma enteros a esta interpretación de alto voltaje.

"Benedico il destino!... Vicino a te s'acqueta".


Imagen

El tenor, junto a Anselmo Colzani y Renata Tebaldi, tras una función de Andrea Chénier en el nuevo Met.
15 de diciembre de 1970.

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Anche l' idea muor, tu non muori giammai,
tu, l' Eterna canzon!


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 07 Sep 2018 7:14 
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¡Interesantísimo post! :aplauso:


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 07 Sep 2018 21:09 
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Sin olvidar a Richard Tucker, traigo por aquí a Robert Merrill, para mi gusto una de las voces de barítono más bellas del siglo pasado. Cantante poco dado al matiz y algo superficial en la caracterización, sí resultaba en cambio un intérprete sólido, entregado y comunicativo. Además, muy longevo en lo vocal: con la compañía del Met cantó de 1945 a 1976. El papel de Don Carlo de Vargas, escaso en claroscuros, lo debuta el 12 de diciembre de 1961, acompañado de Eileen Farrell, Richard Tucker y Jerome Hines. Del 30 de diciembre se conserva un poco difundido broadcast de La Forza del Destino, con idéntico reparto. He seleccionado el dúo del último acto, página en la que Tucker y Merrill brillaban especialmente (incluso en fases más tardías de su carrera, ya entrada la década de 1970). La nerviosa, casi apresurada, dirección de George Schick sienta bien a la pieza.

"Invano Alvaro... Le minaccie, i fieri accenti" (1961).


Imagen

Merrill y Tucker cantando el dúo de La Forza del Destino durante la gala homenaje a Sir Rudolf Bing.
22 de abril de 1972.

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tu, l' Eterna canzon!


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 09 Sep 2018 11:33 
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Haldir_1986 escribió:
¡Interesantísimo post! :aplauso:


+ 1

Espero alguna velada del Fausto o Mefistofeles de Lucrecia Bori :D


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
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Espero alguna velada del Fausto o Mefistofeles de Lucrecia Bori :D


Desgraciadamente, no se conservan demasiadas grabaciones metropolitanas de Lucrecia Bori. En el libro "Saturday Afternoons at the Old Met", Paul Jackson menciona de pasada algunos broadcasts de la soprano valenciana, pero sólo reseña tres: en primer lugar el "Pelléas et Mélisande" del 7 de abril de 1934 (de gira en Boston), con Edward Johnson (Pelléas), Ezio Pinza (Golaud) y la Mélisande de Bori (conviene recordar que Johnson y Bori ya se encargaron del estreno de esta ópera en el Met, en 1925); en segundo lugar, el único fragmento que parece conservarse de la Mignon del 4 de enero de 1936: el dúo "Légerès hirondelles" junto a Pinza; y en último lugar, el "Dúo de Saint-Sulpice", junto a Richard Crooks, del tercer acto de Manon (29 de marzo de 1936), particularmente emocionante por tratarse de la última actuación de Lucrezia Bori en el Metropolitan. Evoquemos aquella ocasión histórica en palabras de Paul Jackson (pp. 60-61):

"But the jewell of all mementos of Bori's stage performances is the Saint-Sulpice scene from Manon, her final effort on the Met stage, broadcast on the evening of 29 March 1936. In honor of Bori, the company's leading artists (including Flagstad and Melchior, Rethberg and Pinza, Ponselle, Martinelli and Tibbett) had earlier perfomed scenes from several operas, and Bori herself had begun the evening with the second act of Traviata. None of these excerpts was broadcast. The apogee of the gala was Bori's appearance as Manon. As she enters the 'silent walls and cold atmosphere' of Saint-Sulpice, her declamation thrills. Then come the perfectly sculpted, cameo-like tone and phrasing of 'Pardonnez-moi, Dieu de toute puissance' ending with a fine high B, characteristically narrow and contained as she always handled her top voice. Her seduction scene conveys not only the exquisite refinement normally associated with Bori; as she demands response from Des Grieux (Crooks), Bori is also a very experienced and insistent charmer, and her vocal attack is securely posited as well. Though Bori depicts the hapless Manon in appropiate phrases ('Hélas! l'oiseau qui fuit'), passion and vibrancy dominate her conception to a surprising degree. 'Regardez-moi' becomes a command rather than a supplication. Unlike her recordings, it is the brio of Bori's stage work which remains in the memory.

Also preserved are the ceremonies which followed the Manon scene. Now the announcer (surprisingly not Milton Cross) conjures up soft amber lights, the old gold of the finish, and the huge majestic gold curtains» of the old opera house while Miss Bori walks «along the lenght of the satge gathering her bouquets that have rained out of the tiers». This is the house where the twenty-four-year-old soprano had made her debut as Manon Lescaut opposite Caruso on the opening night of the 1912 season, where she had appeared on 473 occasions (and additional 155 performances on tour). It is the house which she had worked tirelessly to save in the depression years by her leadership of the campaign to solicit funds. It is the house she is destined to continue to serve as the first artist ever to be named to the Board of Directors.

General Manager Johnson spoke for the entire company (assembled on stage) who «wish to pay you homage and to express admiration for you as an artist, affection as colleague, and deep regret at your retirement from this circle in which you have been so deeply beloved». Her arms laden with gifts and flowers, Bori adressed her public. «My friends, my heart is in such a turmoil that I do not know how to express the great emotion I am feeling». She specifically thanked Mr. Ziegler «who for so many years has been so patient, listening to all my troubles». After thanking the artists and the entire staff, she turned to the general manager. It was a moment those intimate with the house must have awaited. "And to you, Mr. Johnson, my thanks and my affection and my good wishes to you as the general manager of the grat Metropolitan Opera", and here, for the only time, audible emotion penetrates the legendary control of the Spanish lady as, her voice breaking, she continued, «which will always be so close to my heart». Although she would not sing again in opera, she avowed «I shall be here again to sing for the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I am supremely happy, supremely grsteful to you all and still supremely sad» (each repetition resonantly drawn out to 'supreemly'). In perhaps a knowing paraphrase of Violetta's act-two renunciation, she embraced her public, assuring them that «I shall be there, sitting with you, yes, one of you. Let me say 'au revoir'».

As the gala evening ends, the ladies are «crying into their handkerchiefs», the announcer tell us. Years later in a radio interview, Bori recalled that evening. «I never will forget that when I have to thank everybody (and I was afraid not to forget them) my voice break in the middle of my little speech. And you know I am not a speaker and to improvise and try not to forget anybody- it was a great, great effort that I make». And then with that gusto which always startles one coming from this patrician artist: «But I did it!»".


Imagen

Photograph of Lucrezia Bori at her farewell performance receiving gifts in appreciation of her 25 years with the Metropolitan Opera. Left to Right: Edward Johnson (General Manager), Earl R. Lewis (Box Office Treasurer), Bori, and Désiré Defrère (Stage Director).


La prensa también recogió el emocionante suceso:

Review: W. J. Henderson, New York Sun

Before an audience that filled every inch of standing room in the Metropolitan Opera House last night, Lucrezia Bori made her farewell appearance as a singer with the Metropolitan Opera Company, and at the conclusion of the program she received a long and heartfelt ovation from the audience and tributes and gifts from the director and personnel of the opera association. Miss Bori ended a brilliant career of twenty-six years' association with the opera company as a soprano surrounded by her friends in the company and with a warm air of sentiment and affection pervading the ceremonies.

Miss Bori's final appearance was in a program of excerpts from various operas, planned to give all the leading singers of the company opportunity to join in the formal public farewell to America's opera sweetheart. The occasion was not one inviting critical comment. It was an evening of mixed emotions, to be sure, but on the whole it had the aspect of a "gala" entertainment. Which was entirely fitting. There was every reason for thanksgiving that we had all been so fortunate as to live in Miss Bori's time.

Account of Farewell Gala of Lucrezia Bori; presentations March 29, 1936 in The Sun, unsigned.

At the end of the program there was prolonged and enthusiastic cheering for Miss Bori and then the curtain was raised with the entire board of directors of the opera association and the company gathered on the stage. Then the ceremony began. Among those who extolled Miss Bori's contribution to the Metropolitan Opera in addresses were Frederic Potts Moore, representing the board of directors; Edward Johnson for the company; Mrs. Vincent Astor, who spoke for the board and for friends, and Mrs. August Belmont for the Metropolitan Opera Guild.


Y más información extraída de la base de datos del Met:

A tribute to Miss Bori printed on the program and signed by Paul D. Cravath, president of the board, and Edward Ziegler, secretary, reviewed the singer's long association with the company and spoke of the personal sacrifices she has made and the labor she has given to the opera to help it through its financial reverses and the last few years. It concluded with the following paragraph:

"The board of directors hail with joy Miss. Bori's announcement that, while she is retiring as an artist, she will retain her membership on the board of directors, and continue her active interest in the causes of opera at the Metropolitan. Were it not for the continued association with Miss Bori that is thus vouchsafed to them, the directors feel that much of the pleasure and satisfaction from their association with the Metropolitan would be lost."

The program also contained the following tribute written by Edward Johnson, who is the general manager of the company:

"To Lucrezia Bori - as a friend, most understanding: as a woman, adorable; as a colleague, ideal; as an artist, irreplaceable."

Among the gifts presented to her were a diamond brooch that had been made in 1866 for the Empress Eugénie of France, the gift of her colleagues on the board and a large group of friends. The presentation was made by Mrs. Astor. There was also a visiting card in gold, the gift of the assistant directors; a silver coffee urn from the chorus; a vase filled with roses, from the stage hands; many gifts from the singers and orchestra, and two parchments, one signed by the board and another signed by the administrative staff. Earlier in the evening Miss Bori had distributed many gifts to singers and others in the company.

With her arms full of flowers, and evidently deeply touched by the tributes, Miss Bori said that "my heart is in such a turmoil that I do not know how to express the varied emotions I am feeling." when she made her reply. She then thanked the board, the company and her friends for the ceremony and the gifts.

"I am supremely happy, supremely grateful, and yet supremely sad. Au revoir." she said in conclusion.

It was emphasized that Miss Bori will continue her active work on the board of directors, of which she remains a member.

"I know how to keep myself busy," she declared in an interview. "After all, I am 48 years old. I have been in the theater long enough. Now I shall travel, perhaps sing a little in concert and on the radio. I have also begun to model in clay."


El mencionado dúo de Manon, de sonido precario pero gran importancia histórica, está colgado en YouTube:

Parte 1: "Ces murs silencieux...".
Parte 2: "N'est-ce plus ma main que cette main presse?".


Ya fuera del Met, conozco un CD con grabaciones en vivo de la Bori, provenientes de conciertos radiofónicos:

Imagen


Picoteando en YouTube, puede encontrarse su contenido. Por ejemplo, fragmentos de este concierto de 1935 que hace tiempo enlacé en otro hilo:

The Magic Key of RCA. 25/12/1935. Lucrecia Bori & Artur Rodziński.

-Weber: Oberon. Obertura.
-Presentación y felicitaciones navideñas de Lucrecia Bori.
-Thomas: Mignon. "Connais-tu le pays".
-Mozart: Exultate, jubilate. "Alleluia".
-Richard Strauss: Don Juan.
-Intermedio.
-Albéniz: Iberia. "Triana".
-Glazunov: "La primavera d'or".
-Iradier: "La Paloma".
-Johann Strauss II: "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald".

Cleveland Orchestra / Artur Rodziński.
Comentarios: Milton Cross.

Otra muestra del disco es esta selección de La Bohème, dirigida por Otto Klemperer en la Hollywood Bowl de Los Ángeles (6 de junio de 1937):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMevUGhOML8

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Anche l' idea muor, tu non muori giammai,
tu, l' Eterna canzon!


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 10 Sep 2018 8:19 
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Fabuloso hilo :aplauso: . Muy agradecido al Chino por los enlaces musicales, relatos y datos tan valiosos que nos ofrece.

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"El canto como la belleza que se convierte en verdad" (Friedrich Schiller)


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 10 Sep 2018 18:37 
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El Chino Cudeiro escribió:
Dufol escribió:
Espero alguna velada del Fausto o Mefistofeles de Lucrecia Bori :D


Desgraciadamente, no se conservan demasiadas grabaciones metropolitanas de Lucrecia Bori. En el libro "Saturday Afternoons at the Old Met", Paul Jackson menciona de pasada algunos broadcasts de la soprano valenciana, pero sólo reseña tres: en primer lugar el "Pelléas et Mélisande" del 7 de abril de 1934 (de gira en Boston), con Edward Johnson (Pelléas), Ezio Pinza (Golaud) y la Mélisande de Bori (conviene recordar que Johnson y Bori ya se encargaron del estreno de esta ópera en el Met, en 1925); en segundo lugar, el único fragmento que parece conservarse de la Mignon del 4 de enero de 1936: el dúo "Légerès hirondelles" junto a Pinza; y en último lugar, el "Dúo de Saint-Sulpice", junto a Richard Crooks, del tercer acto de Manon (29 de marzo de 1936), particularmente emocionante por tratarse de la última actuación de Lucrezia Bori en el Metropolitan. Evoquemos aquella ocasión histórica en palabras de Paul Jackson (pp. 60-61):

"But the jewell of all mementos of Bori's stage performances is the Saint-Sulpice scene from Manon, her final effort on the Met stage, broadcast on the evening of 29 March 1936. In honor of Bori, the company's leading artists (including Flagstad and Melchior, Rethberg and Pinza, Ponselle, Martinelli and Tibbett) had earlier perfomed scenes from several operas, and Bori herself had begun the evening with the second act of Traviata. None of these excerpts was broadcast. The apogee of the gala was Bori's appearance as Manon. As she enters the 'silent walls and cold atmosphere' of Saint-Sulpice, her declamation thrills. Then come the perfectly sculpted, cameo-like tone and phrasing of 'Pardonnez-moi, Dieu de toute puissance' ending with a fine high B, characteristically narrow and contained as she always handled her top voice. Her seduction scene conveys not only the exquisite refinement normally associated with Bori; as she demands response from Des Grieux (Crooks), Bori is also a very experienced and insistent charmer, and her vocal attack is securely posited as well. Though Bori depicts the hapless Manon in appropiate phrases ('Hélas! l'oiseau qui fuit'), passion and vibrancy dominate her conception to a surprising degree. 'Regardez-moi' becomes a command rather than a supplication. Unlike her recordings, it is the brio of Bori's stage work which remains in the memory.

Also preserved are the ceremonies which followed the Manon scene. Now the announcer (surprisingly not Milton Cross) conjures up soft amber lights, the old gold of the finish, and the huge majestic gold curtains» of the old opera house while Miss Bori walks «along the lenght of the satge gathering her bouquets that have rained out of the tiers». This is the house where the twenty-four-year-old soprano had made her debut as Manon Lescaut opposite Caruso on the opening night of the 1912 season, where she had appeared on 473 occasions (and additional 155 performances on tour). It is the house which she had worked tirelessly to save in the depression years by her leadership of the campaign to solicit funds. It is the house she is destined to continue to serve as the first artist ever to be named to the Board of Directors.

General Manager Johnson spoke for the entire company (assembled on stage) who «wish to pay you homage and to express admiration for you as an artist, affection as colleague, and deep regret at your retirement from this circle in which you have been so deeply beloved». Her arms laden with gifts and flowers, Bori adressed her public. «My friends, my heart is in such a turmoil that I do not know how to express the great emotion I am feeling». She specifically thanked Mr. Ziegler «who for so many years has been so patient, listening to all my troubles». After thanking the artists and the entire staff, she turned to the general manager. It was a moment those intimate with the house must have awaited. "And to you, Mr. Johnson, my thanks and my affection and my good wishes to you as the general manager of the grat Metropolitan Opera", and here, for the only time, audible emotion penetrates the legendary control of the Spanish lady as, her voice breaking, she continued, «which will always be so close to my heart». Although she would not sing again in opera, she avowed «I shall be here again to sing for the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I am supremely happy, supremely grsteful to you all and still supremely sad» (each repetition resonantly drawn out to 'supreemly'). In perhaps a knowing paraphrase of Violetta's act-two renunciation, she embraced her public, assuring them that «I shall be there, sitting with you, yes, one of you. Let me say 'au revoir'».

As the gala evening ends, the ladies are «crying into their handkerchiefs», the announcer tell us. Years later in a radio interview, Bori recalled that evening. «I never will forget that when I have to thank everybody (and I was afraid not to forget them) my voice break in the middle of my little speech. And you know I am not a speaker and to improvise and try not to forget anybody- it was a great, great effort that I make». And then with that gusto which always startles one coming from this patrician artist: «But I did it!»".


Imagen

Photograph of Lucrezia Bori at her farewell performance receiving gifts in appreciation of her 25 years with the Metropolitan Opera. Left to Right: Edward Johnson (General Manager), Earl R. Lewis (Box Office Treasurer), Bori, and Désiré Defrère (Stage Director).


La prensa también recogió el emocionante suceso:

Review: W. J. Henderson, New York Sun

Before an audience that filled every inch of standing room in the Metropolitan Opera House last night, Lucrezia Bori made her farewell appearance as a singer with the Metropolitan Opera Company, and at the conclusion of the program she received a long and heartfelt ovation from the audience and tributes and gifts from the director and personnel of the opera association. Miss Bori ended a brilliant career of twenty-six years' association with the opera company as a soprano surrounded by her friends in the company and with a warm air of sentiment and affection pervading the ceremonies.

Miss Bori's final appearance was in a program of excerpts from various operas, planned to give all the leading singers of the company opportunity to join in the formal public farewell to America's opera sweetheart. The occasion was not one inviting critical comment. It was an evening of mixed emotions, to be sure, but on the whole it had the aspect of a "gala" entertainment. Which was entirely fitting. There was every reason for thanksgiving that we had all been so fortunate as to live in Miss Bori's time.

Account of Farewell Gala of Lucrezia Bori; presentations March 29, 1936 in The Sun, unsigned.

At the end of the program there was prolonged and enthusiastic cheering for Miss Bori and then the curtain was raised with the entire board of directors of the opera association and the company gathered on the stage. Then the ceremony began. Among those who extolled Miss Bori's contribution to the Metropolitan Opera in addresses were Frederic Potts Moore, representing the board of directors; Edward Johnson for the company; Mrs. Vincent Astor, who spoke for the board and for friends, and Mrs. August Belmont for the Metropolitan Opera Guild.


Y más información extraída de la base de datos del Met:

A tribute to Miss Bori printed on the program and signed by Paul D. Cravath, president of the board, and Edward Ziegler, secretary, reviewed the singer's long association with the company and spoke of the personal sacrifices she has made and the labor she has given to the opera to help it through its financial reverses and the last few years. It concluded with the following paragraph:

"The board of directors hail with joy Miss. Bori's announcement that, while she is retiring as an artist, she will retain her membership on the board of directors, and continue her active interest in the causes of opera at the Metropolitan. Were it not for the continued association with Miss Bori that is thus vouchsafed to them, the directors feel that much of the pleasure and satisfaction from their association with the Metropolitan would be lost."

The program also contained the following tribute written by Edward Johnson, who is the general manager of the company:

"To Lucrezia Bori - as a friend, most understanding: as a woman, adorable; as a colleague, ideal; as an artist, irreplaceable."

Among the gifts presented to her were a diamond brooch that had been made in 1866 for the Empress Eugénie of France, the gift of her colleagues on the board and a large group of friends. The presentation was made by Mrs. Astor. There was also a visiting card in gold, the gift of the assistant directors; a silver coffee urn from the chorus; a vase filled with roses, from the stage hands; many gifts from the singers and orchestra, and two parchments, one signed by the board and another signed by the administrative staff. Earlier in the evening Miss Bori had distributed many gifts to singers and others in the company.

With her arms full of flowers, and evidently deeply touched by the tributes, Miss Bori said that "my heart is in such a turmoil that I do not know how to express the varied emotions I am feeling." when she made her reply. She then thanked the board, the company and her friends for the ceremony and the gifts.

"I am supremely happy, supremely grateful, and yet supremely sad. Au revoir." she said in conclusion.

It was emphasized that Miss Bori will continue her active work on the board of directors, of which she remains a member.

"I know how to keep myself busy," she declared in an interview. "After all, I am 48 years old. I have been in the theater long enough. Now I shall travel, perhaps sing a little in concert and on the radio. I have also begun to model in clay."


El mencionado dúo de Manon, de sonido precario pero gran importancia histórica, está colgado en YouTube:

Parte 1: "Ces murs silencieux...".
Parte 2: "N'est-ce plus ma main que cette main presse?".


Ya fuera del Met, conozco un CD con grabaciones en vivo de la Bori, provenientes de conciertos radiofónicos:

Imagen


Picoteando en YouTube, puede encontrarse su contenido. Por ejemplo, fragmentos de este concierto de 1935 que hace tiempo enlacé en otro hilo:

The Magic Key of RCA. 25/12/1935. Lucrecia Bori & Artur Rodziński.

-Weber: Oberon. Obertura.
-Presentación y felicitaciones navideñas de Lucrecia Bori.
-Thomas: Mignon. "Connais-tu le pays".
-Mozart: Exultate, jubilate. "Alleluia".
-Richard Strauss: Don Juan.
-Intermedio.
-Albéniz: Iberia. "Triana".
-Glazunov: "La primavera d'or".
-Iradier: "La Paloma".
-Johann Strauss II: "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald".

Cleveland Orchestra / Artur Rodziński.
Comentarios: Milton Cross.

Otra muestra del disco es esta selección de La Bohème, dirigida por Otto Klemperer en la Hollywood Bowl de Los Ángeles (6 de junio de 1937):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMevUGhOML8


Mil gracias sr. Chino por su rápida, y extensa respuesta. Me costara un poco leerla con detenimiento.

Permitame que abuse de sus conocimientos. En el 36 en la gala de despedida creo que interpreto fragmentos de Traviata que no encuentro.

Efectivamente en internet hay alguna cosilla suelta -de Traviata- pero sólo un " e strano" de 1928 gravada en/del Metropolitan pero tengo dudas, que me extraña. ¿Controla algún pasaje?

Y ya que estamos la Bori junto con José Iturbi -en mi nick- organizó una gala benéfica para recaudar fondos para los daños causados por la riada del 57 en Valencia. Fué se en abril de 1958. Fue un pequeño gran momento. Seguro que algo tiene de él.


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
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Mil gracias Chino por compartir sus conocimientos con todos nosotros. Va a tener que sufrir nuestras innumerables preguntas... :D

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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
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Dufol escribió:
Permitame que abuse de sus conocimientos. En el 36 en la gala de despedida creo que interpreto fragmentos de Traviata que no encuentro.

Efectivamente en internet hay alguna cosilla suelta -de Traviata- pero sólo un " e strano" de 1928 gravada en/del Metropolitan pero tengo dudas, que me extraña. ¿Controla algún pasaje?

Y ya que estamos la Bori junto con José Iturbi -en mi nick- organizó una gala benéfica para recaudar fondos para los daños causados por la riada del 57 en Valencia. Fué se en abril de 1958. Fue un pequeño gran momento. Seguro que algo tiene de él.


Efectivamente, en su gala de despedida Bori interpretó también fragmentos de La Traviata; pero como se indica en el archivo del Met (http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm), de aquel concierto sólo se transmitió por radio la escena de Manon que escuchábamos más arriba. Y, como indica Paul Jackson, también los discursos que siguieron a la pieza. Ambos momentos están recogidos en este CD del sello The Radio Years (lo he encargado en Amazon UK, cuando me llegue colgaré el discurso en el hilo):

Imagen

Por curiosidad, aquí el programa de la gala de despedida de Bori:

Metropolitan Opera House
March 29, 1936 Broadcast

BORI FAREWELL GALA

La Traviata: Act III Prelude

La Traviata: Act II, Scene 1

Violetta................Lucrezia Bori
Alfredo.................Nino Martini
Germont.................Lawrence Tibbett
Annina..................Pearl Besuner

Conductor...............Ettore Panizza
Designer................Jonel Jorgulesco

La Forza del Destino: Act II, Scene 2

Leonora.................Elisabeth Rethberg
Padre Guardiano.........Ezio Pinza

Conductor...............Gennaro Papi
Set designer............Ernest M. Gros
Costume designer........Witold Gordon

Die Walküre: Act I Conclusion

Sieglinde...............Kirsten Flagstad
Siegmund................Lauritz Melchior

Conductor...............Artur Bodanzky
Set designer............Jonel Jorgulesco

William Tell: Overture

Il Trovatore: Miserere

Leonora.................Rosa Ponselle
Manrico.................Giovanni Martinelli

Conductor...............Gennaro Papi

Manon: Act III, Scene 2

Manon...................Lucrezia Bori
Des Grieux..............Richard Crooks
Count des Grieux........Léon Rothier

Conductor...............Louis Hasselmans
Designer................Joseph Urban

Respecto a La Traviata de Bori en el Met, se transmitieron por radio fragmentos de una de 1932 y otra de 1933:

Metropolitan Opera House
February 20, 1932 Matinee Broadcast (Acts III, IV)

LA TRAVIATA {185}
Giuseppe Verdi--Francesco Maria Piave

Violetta................Lucrezia Bori
Alfredo.................Frederick Jagel
Germont.................Giuseppe De Luca
Flora...................Minnie Egener
Gastone.................Angelo Badà
Baron Douphol...........Alfredo Gandolfi
Marquis D'Obigny........Millo Picco
Dr. Grenvil.............Paolo Ananian
Annina..................Philine Falco
Dance...................Rita De Leporte
Dance...................Giuseppe Bonfiglio
Dance...................Mildred Schneider

Conductor...............Tullio Serafin


Metropolitan Opera House
January 28, 1933 Matinee Broadcast

LA TRAVIATA {192}
Giuseppe Verdi--Francesco Maria Piave

Violetta................Lucrezia Bori
Alfredo.................Armand Tokatyan
Germont.................Lawrence Tibbett
Flora...................Elda Vettori
Gastone.................Angelo Badà
Baron Douphol...........Alfredo Gandolfi
Marquis D'Obigny........Millo Picco
Dr. Grenvil.............James Wolfe
Annina..................Philine Falco
Dance...................Rita De Leporte
Dance...................Giuseppe Bonfiglio
Dance...................Mildred Schneider

Conductor...............Tullio Serafin

No hay constancia de que se conserve el audio de estas funciones y probablemente, como ha ocurrido con tantos broadcasts, se ha perdido o ha sido destruido.

En cuanto al concierto benéfico de los Iturbi, Lucrecia Bori, Victoria de los Ángeles, Leonard Warren y Licia Albanese en el Town Hall de Nueva York (15 de abril de 1958), puede encontrarse información en internet:

https://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/2 ... 80413.html

Y aquí lo que recogió el ABC en su edición madrileña el 17 de abril de 1958:

http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.e ... 7/044.html

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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
NotaPublicado: 11 Sep 2018 18:00 
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Mil gracias una vez mas sr. Chino :aplauso: .

En Yutube tengo controlada además del ah forse ... sempre libera, un parigi o cara con Mcormack y, quizá la que mas me gusta, addio al pasato..

Tomo nota de sus comentarios, enlaces y adquisiciones.

Por otro lado pensaba que el gala para la recogida de fondos por la riada había sido en el Met y veo que me señala el Town Hall que es lo correcto.

Y al hilo de su hilo me pongo a disfrutar de los grandes momentos de verdad que espero que nos siga comentando y enlazando (ahora mismo Di Provenza de Warren de 1946).

Ya sabe como agradecemos por aquí las cosas :D .


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En noviembre de 1959, Jussi Björling regresó al Met tras una ausencia de dos temporadas. Como indica Paul Jackson en su libro "Sign-off for the old Met" (p. 349), había una gran expectación: el público quería comprobar si el tenor sueco estaba acabado o si aún mantenía el nivel de años pasados. Tras ofrecer una función de Cavalleria Rusticana a finales de mes, en diciembre cantó Tosca y Faust. El 19 de diciembre de 1959, los radioyentes pudieron escucharle en la ópera de Gounod, acompañado de Cesare Siepi, la soprano sueca Elisabeth Söderström -que había debutado en el Met unas semanas antes, como Susana en La Bodas de Fígaro- y el habitual Robert Merrill. Aunque por entonces la voz de Björling no tenía el esmalte inmaculado de sus años de juventud -el instrumento ha ganado en densidad, casi baritonal, aunque a cambio se perciben algunas asperezas en la emisión-, sí conservaba la habitual potencia y facilidad en el agudo. Y, en comparación con su Faust de 1950, el fraseo es más rico e imaginativo en esta tardía grabación. Como ejemplo de todo esto, escuchemos su emocionante interpretación la célebre cavatina del acto tercero. Dirige Jean Morel:

"Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre... Salut! demeure chaste et pure" (1959).


Imagen

Imagen


En YouTube pueden escucharse completos los Faust de Björling mencionados: el de 1950 y el de 1959.

Faust. Met, 1950.
Faust. Met, 1959.

Y aquí un interesante enlace sobre las últimas apariciones de Jussi Björling en el Met:

http://www.jussibjorlingsallskapet.com/id/1684.html


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 Asunto: Re: Grandes momentos del viejo Met.
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Björling en estos años me da una penita...


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