Singher Sings French Opera Arias (1945) – Historical Vocal Recording

Description

overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fMARTIAL SINGHER  French Operatic Arias

Recorded in 1945
Duration 23:06

Martial Singher, baritone
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Paul Breisach578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples/PACO004.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer’s Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f

Recital by French baritone Martial Singher

Broad range of French operatic arias recorded in 1945

This wonderful recording takes us from one of the earliest operas ever written in French, Lully’s 1684 “Amadis”, through a host of the highlights of French opera, ending up with perhaps one of the most famous arias of all time, the Toreador Song from Bizet’s Carmen.

Not only is the sound quality superb from these 78rpm discs and a joy to restore, but the singing is marvellous throughout and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra lives up to its high reputation. This really is a recording to savour over and over again!

After graduating from the Univeristy of Toulouse, Martial Singher went to Paris intending to become a professor of French literature! It was in Paris that he discovered his fine Baritone voice, and thus instead Singher studied singing at the Paris Conservatoire with bass André Gresse. His operatic debut was in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride in November 1930 at the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam under Pierre Monteux. His official Paris Opéra debut was as Athanaël in Thaïs the following month. His big break occurred when he replaced Vanni Marcoux in 1931 as Iago in Otello, which led to an Opéra contract as a leading baritone which he held for nearly a decade.

He fled occupied France for the United States on a visitor’s visa en route to South America in 1940 and in the same year he married Margareta (Eta) Rut Busch, the daughter of the conductor Fritz Busch. He returned to the Colón in 1942 and 1943, and then sang 162 performances with the Metropolitan Opera. He taught at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and Mannes College of Music in New York. Singher succeeded Lotte Lehmann as the Director of Voice and Opera at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West from 1962 to 1981.

Andrew Rose

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• Lully – Amadis – Bois epais, redouble ton ombre
• Gretry – Richard, Coeur de Lion – Blondel’s Air
• Berlioz – The Damnation of Faust – Mephistopheles’ Air
• Berlioz – The Damnation of Faust – Serenade
• Berlioz – The Damnation of Faust – Song of the Flea
• Gounod – Romeo et Juliette – Ballad of Queen Mab
• Thomas – Hamlet – Chanson Bachique
• Massenet – Herodiade – Vision Fugitive
• Offenbach – Tales of Hoffmann – Scintille diamant
• Bizet – Carmen – Toreador Song

Martial Singher, baritone
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Paul Breisach
Recorded in 1945
Released as Columbia Masterworks Set M-578 (71678-D – 71681-D)
Duration 32’40”)

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