Amelita Galli-Curci - L'etoile du Nord : La, la, la, air cheri (Meyerbeer)

[meltzerboy]

I forgot to mention that Tetrazzini also made an astonishing recording of this aria, well worth hearing.

[meltzerboy]

And so did Selma Kurz.

[meltzerboy]

Very late Galli-Curci, but despite breath control problems and lack of focused high notes, I agree with you that Galli-Curci's recording is preferable to Sutherland's, which may be technically superior. It's the charm, legato, tonal beauty, and style that win the day. Thanks for sharing this lovely performance. I wonder how Patti, Sembrich, and Ilma di Murska sounded in the aria and role.

[CurzonRoad]

While a l-o-n-g way off... who knows? Perhaps there will be a Time Machine. How this will work and who will have access is another matter. For now we can only imagine, and enjoy what we have, such as these very recordings. Thanks again to eblackadder3 for posting, and to meltzerboy for sharing. Doug --

[AulicExclusiva]

The electrical recording gives a very clear picture of AGC's middle-register, very Italian attack: perfectly clear and unfuzzy, without the slightest violence or cluck. Just perfect. The trill is a mess, but there are two sweeping scales from top to bottom that show how, while her registers remain as perfectly equalised as ever, the chest has grown richer and deeper.

A fine disk.

[meltzerboy]

At least one critic described G-C's voice as sultry, and this was before she recorded electrically. Perhaps the acoustic records just don't pick up her richer low notes. We all know they are imperfect in several ways and only approximate the tone of many singers. It's a sure bet, however, that her upper register was a mere shadow of what it had previously been, by the time she made the electrical recordings. The final high note of this performance is quite shaky. This is par for many leggieros.