Going Hollywood was the thing for the leading opera figures at the time. We have already explored the time spent in tinseltown by Ezio Pinza, who was more successful on the West Coast than Melchior.
Nonetheless, Melchior did make a few films, and I will have the soundtrack recording from one of them here soon. Today, however, we have one of his other side trips into non-Wagnerian roles - Sigmund Romberg's operetta The Student Prince.
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| Lauritz Melchior |
Was Melchior as suited for Romberg as Wagner? Not really. He tends to overwhelm the songs, and his voice, while still huge and golden, is not as effortless as it once seemed. Still, I found this version very enjoyable. It features Jane Wilson, who appeared in a number of operetta records of the time, and Lee Sweetland, a fine studio singer. Directing the effort is Hollywood composer Victor Young, who uses his own orchestrations.
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| Jane Wilson |
But Melchior's is the name above the title, and at this time he possibly was more interested in fame than art. Among his other exploits of the time were:
- Endorsing gasoline and after shave, hopefully not getting them confused. Also beer (see below).
- Singing "Open the Door, Richard" on the radio.
- Testifying in court that the Korn Kobblers produced music, not noise, after they were charged with disturbing the peace.
Melchior also made single records for M-G-M when he was making movies for that company's studio, and I have one of them coming up on my other blog. Also, as mentioned, music from one of Melchior's movies - Two Sisters from Boston - will be heard here at some future time.
LINK (May 2024 remastering in ambient stereo)
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