Lauritz Melchior - 1942-43 Performances

The lighter side of the great tenor Lauritz Melchior (1890-1973) has been featured here on several occasions (see below). Today we hear from him in the métier that made him famous - opera - along with a selection of songs, primarily from his homeland, Denmark.

These materials come from a pristine 1972 LP reissue kindly supplied to the blog by my friend Matthew Tepper and transferred by me.

The material primarily derives from 1942 studio sessions for Columbia, with the addition of a few live recordings from Buenos Aires in 1943. Much of this material has not been otherwise reissued, including most or all of the non-Wagnerian items.

Wagner Arias

Melchior was famed as the greatest Wagnerian tenor of the 20th century. The two selections on this album make it clear why that was so. His entrance in the Prayer from Rienzi is startlingly powerful; not so much for its volume but for the clarity and impact of Melchior's voice. The second piece is just as strong - "Lohengrin's Arrival."

Astrid Varnay and Herbert Janssen

Reviewing this reissue in Stereo Review, George Jellinek wrote, "The Lohengrin scene (released here for the first time) omits the chorus and presents Astrid Varnay below her best form and Herbert Janssen in the uncomfortable low tessitura of the King, but Melchior’s contribution is strong and finely sustained."

1943 ad

Varnay (1918-2006) was a Swedish-born American soprano. Janssen (1895-1962) was a German baritone. Both were distinguished figures, as was the conductor, the young Erich Leinsdorf (1912-93), then at the Metropolitan Opera and soon to become the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Verdi's Otello

Melchior was primarily known for his Wagner performances, but he also was a notable proponent of Verdi's Otello.

The four performances on this disk are from two sources: the 1942 Leinsdorf sessions in New York with a recording orchestra, and live 1943 performances with the Orchestra of the Teatro Colón led by Juan Emilio Martini. Although the cover notes are at pains to manage expectations about the sound from Argentina, it isn't bad at all. (The studio recordings, from New York's Liederkranz Hall, are all excellent.)

Erich Leinsdorf

Jellinek's comments: "The four Otello excerpts document the firm command Melchior had of a role he was prevented from performing by backstage maneuverings at the Met, and Janssen gives a better account of himself as Iago."

Schubert Songs

The LP's second side is devoted to songs recorded in 1942 with accompanist Ignace Strasfogel, a Polish émigré who also was a conductor and composer. 

Ignace Strasfogel

Melchior's selections were Schubert's Dem Unendlichen and Ständchen, K889. Jellinek: "The Melchior sound is ideal for the majestic Schubert hymn Dem Unendlichen; the tempo he chose for Ständchen is curiously fast yet not ineffective."

Danish Songs

The critics dismissed the songs from Melchior's homeland as "not particularly memorable," although "pleasant" and "amiable". (I can't imagine what they thought of Two Sisters from Boston.) The LP's notes apologetically mentioned that the tenor had insisted on recording these numbers. Columbia does not even give the composer's full names.

The first two songs are by Peter Heise (1830-79) - Lille Karen and Vildt Flyver Hog (Hawks Fly over Land and Sea). Columbia identifies the first as a folk song, but I believe this is the Heise setting.

The following two are by composer-critic Sophus Andersen (1859-1923): Der flyver så mange fugle (So many birds are flying) and Nu brister i alle de kløfter (Spring is coming).

Peter Heise, Peter Lange-Müller, Sophus Andersen

Finally, three songs by composer-pianist Peter Lange-Müller (1850-1926): Kornmodsglansen ved Midnatstid (generally translated as Summer Lightning, although the literal translation is "The grain countershines at midnight"); Skin ud, du klare Solskin (Bright Sunshine, literally "Shine on, you good Sunshine"); and the serenade Renaissance.

Columbia provided no texts nor translations, so I have cobbled together the same for the songs that I could find, even resorting to Google Translate for a few. Otherwise, the download includes the usual scans, reviews and photos, plus a 1972 interview with Melchior.

LINK

The Lighter Side of Melchior

The "lighter side of Melchior" recordings I mentioned above have just been remastered, and a new album added.

The new item is an album of songs from Melchior's first film, Thrill of a Romance from 1945, in which the Heldentenor is transformed into a gigantic Danish Cupid bringing together famed aquatic thespian Esther Williams with war-hero Van Johnson. The tenor takes on everything from Schubert to Victor Herbert to a pop song. Thrill of a Romance also starred the Tommy Dorsey band, so as bonus items I've added three commercial recordings of their songs from the film.

Melchior's follow-up was the 1946 film Two Sisters from Boston. I transferred the Victor album of songs from that movie more than a decade ago, and have now improved the sound and processed it in ambient stereo. As I wrote then, the film "plunders Liszt and Mendelssohn to concoct noisy cod arias that Melchior attacks with some enthusiasm." This time, the bonus is Jimmy Durante's songs from the film - no Liszt of Mendelssohn and quite a contrast to Melchior. (Jimmy's arias are offered separately in a recent post on my singles blog.)

Also newly redone is Melchior's recording of Romberg's famous operetta The Student Prince with Jane Wilson and Lee Sweetland. This 10-inch album comes from 1951. The orchestrations are by Victor Young, who also conducted the ensemble.