Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957)
The Gigli Edition Vol. 4 • Camden and New York Recordings
1926-27
With Victor’s introduction of the electric process in 1925,
the reproduction of voices and, particularly, of orchestral accompaniments
improved markedly. As one would expect, there was an upsurge in record
production as the new method found an eager public. The new system produced
both an expansion of repertory and a desire to provide new, improved versions
of some of the old acoustic best-sellers.
Gigli’s three duets with Titta Ruffo remained unissued for a
number of years. The Caruso-Scotti performance of Solenne in quest’ora from La
forza del destino had been a popular item in the Victor list ever since it
first came out in 1906, so this was a prime opportunity for a new electric
version. Ruffo had a great name, but at 49 he was in regrettable shape after a
long and glorious career, winning fame through a profligate expenditure of his
vocal capital. As Carlo, he is inexact; as Marcello, gruff, and as Barnaba,
properly menacing if not too steady and incapable of spinning out a line. On
the other hand, Gigli is admirable in all three. He shapes the arch of Or muoio
tranquillo in the Forza duet with real finesse; the vulnerability of the
wounded Alvaro is convincingly suggested. His wry badinage at the beginning of
the Bohème duet is full of character, and his use of rubato in the O Mimì, tu
più non torni section almost makes one purr with pleasure. In the Gioconda
confrontation with Ruffo, he sounds a bit out of sorts until he can get his
teeth into the juicy melody near the end.
The following year these three duets were remade, this time
with the tenor partnered by De Luca. An Italian version of the Act 1 Pearl
Fishers duet was also sung by the pair to fill two double-sided 78s. Although a
year older than Ruffo, De Luca had a keen sense of vocal proportion, unlike his
injudicious predecessor in these numbers; indeed De Luca could still sing
creditably into his seventh decade. To contrast his singing of the phrases
beginning Amasti un dì una vergine in the Gioconda duet (this track will be on
Volume 5) with Ruffo’s is to set vocal art against bluff. The fine-tuned
performances of the Bohème and Forza numbers are testimony to the two singers’
frequent collaborations at the Met.
Electric replacements of arias earlier recorded acoustically
were another occupation of Gigli’s during his visits to the studios in these
years. He remade the two Mefistofele arias, managing a smoother, more ardent
Dai campi than the 1921 account; I prefer the older, more inward Giunto sul
passo estremo, although the newer one is well sung. He added a new and
exhilarating Recondita armonia, which would be coupled with Donna non vidi mai
from Manon Lescaut; here he captures the sense of a rather serious young man
reduced to a heap by a pretty girl.
As had been his practice since he began recording for
Victor, Gigli turned again to the more popular Italian songs. The electric
version of Drigo’s Serenade is more spacious than in its earlier manifestation;
here the linked phrases that lead into the refrain are irresistible, and the
little coda reveals how well integrated was this voice. De Crescenzo’s Rondine
al nido was practically a staple of Gigli’s concert programmes. This poignant
song he sings with controlled feeling, and the closing Tu sei fuggita, e non
torni più is moving indeed. Torna, amore begins quietly and builds up to quite
a climax with Gigli’s secure top much in evidence.
In closing, I find it fitting to quote Max de Schauensee’s
estimate of Gigli, written in 1965: ‘Some of the more fastidious critics
correctly cited stylistic lapses and emotional excesses ... But nobody ever
made the mistake of questioning the unrivaled beauty of Gigli’s voice, which
ultimately swept everything before it. Gigli died in Rome, after a brief
illness, on 30th November 1957. One is on safe ground when stating that he has
not been replaced.’
Adapted from notes by William Ashbrook
Producer’s Note
The present volume is the fourth in a series devoted to
Beniamino Gigli’s “singles” - his song and aria recordings not issued as part
of complete opera sets. The aim of the series is to include every Gigli
recording released at the time, as well as every published alternative take
and, wherever available, unpublished takes. The sides here are presented in the
order in which they were recorded, which accounts for separating the two
introspective Mefistofele arias with a rousing Neapolitan song, here sung in
Italian.
The selections on the current volume were originally issued
in 1996 as part of Romophone 82004-2 (“Beniamino Gigli - The Complete Victor
Recordings, Volume II: 1926-28”). In remastering my original transfers, I have
tried to remove some of the clicks and pops that remained (both manually via
digital editing and through the use of the CEDAR declicking module) and have
made adjustments to the equalization of each track.
Mark Obert-Thorn