The Complete Recordings of...
A recently acquired CD but one which can safely be said to be the oldest in my collection, recorded as it was in 1903 -04. Tamangno died in 1905, aged only 54.
It really is painful to listen to. This is one of those posts where I am going to state strong opinions and not only tolerate but welcome open dissent, because it is clearly largely a matter of taste, and there is no disputing, etc,
I see very little point in listening to these ancient recordings. There is some historic value in hearing, for example, Otello from the singer who created the role - although not At Verdi's choice. But this is somewhat diminished by the knowledge that Verdi never composed for a tinny piano and scratchiness in Niun mi tema. This is even worse in Di quella pira, where the piano sounds more like an end-of-the-pier hurdy gurdy.
This CD came cheap and this is only my second hearing of it. I cannot play it with Jimmy in the house. Not that that really matters, because I doubt that I shall play it again for years. It perhaps has some value as a dinner party conversation piece, but I no longer host dinner parties, and when I used to do so, conversation degenerated rapidly with inebriation.
I fully recognise that there is some intellectual value in listening to really old recordings such as this, and one can't really call oneself a tenor nut without a passing interest in the legacy of singers such as Tamagno and Caruso. It is said that it takes some time to get past the sonics on these early experimental discs, but I can assure anyone who says that I had plenty of practice in listening to scratchy 78s as a small child, to an extent that could have put me off tenors for life. When I listen to music, I want to hear the best, and the quality of recording is quite a significant factor in that (up to a point). I can't relax to this, I can't really appreciate the music, partly because of the absence of orchestra. Many times his voice sounds pinched, screechy and very wobbly. I have no way of knowing whether this was because this was the extent to which his voice had deteriorated by this stage in his career, or because of what is lost/distorted in the recording process.
I do not feel that I learn anything from listening to these, certainly not as much as I learn by reading a short biography of him. In 1902 Caruso received £100 for his first ten recordings. In 1903 Tamagno received a cash advance of £2000, plus four shillings on every record sold.
I do feel there is a macho search for purity in terms of historic recordings. Almost as if people prove their credentials by praising the performances with the worst sonics. People who prefer a live performance with an UHER mike held under a coat way back from the stage to a studio recording because it's more 'real'. People who record anything recorded digitally, or in stereo, as being false. Those who disdain anything that wasn't originally issued on cylinders. Indeed I have read a tongue-in-cheek comment that the best singers are those that never lowered themselves to be recorded, especially those who were wise enough to die before the birth of the Gramophone.
I actually have to cleanse my ears after listening to this by listening to some Verdi tenor arias beautifully and gloriously sung by a current singer and recorded on late(ish!) 20th century equipment in full DDD mode. Surely the way that Verdi would have wanted!
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