Jan Peerce - "Lamento di Federico" (live; 1955)

[opera888able]

I always admired Peerce but he could sound a little bit flinty not forced, just hard.

It was my privilege to hear him as guest at a concert in Auckland many years since.He must have been at least 60 but sang superbly, a couple of songs by

Roger Quilter, and finished with Mama quel vino from Cavaleria.followed by a standing ovation from the audience. Unforgetable.

[gaytenor]

While the Peerce is excellent here(when isn't he!) and the top B is very well taken I must agree with GertmanOperaSinger that the 1965 version on 'Great Operatic Arias' is superior both vocally and stlylistically. Its sad that Caruso never recorded the aria he first sang. As to Gigli he had a great voice and was a bit of a showboat with much bad taste.Lauri-Volpi recorded the aria as written and its quite lovely.

[doktorlustig]

Singing of highest level. This opera was never a part of the american repertoire and Tucker and Peerce did never sing it on stage. Or did they?

[VinylToVideo]

Nope; the opera has never even been performed at the Met.

[FAUSTORICCARDO]

Peerce, I felt the fullness of his voice.

[halavey]

thanks and I am not surprised it was Gigli he threw in a nice High B after the end of the Pazzo aria in Lescaut and a few others have followed. I guess Gigili loved that note.

[AulicExclusiva]

A detailed interpretation, sung with great tenderness. A good souvenir of Jan.

[halavey]

Peerce also on the same breath

[halavey]

Kaufmann goes into it without taking a breath and that is why it sounds together but I have heard him twice in house about 5 years apart, last just last year and It has gotten much darker very fast so hopefully he will last if he is careful. He sang the B and when he went into it he was at first slightly Flat but corrected it in a split second, a good singer since it was live but very dark. Like to hear him sing Otello with that color voice.

[halavey]

I think Tuckers B was excellent though considering his age against a young Kaufmann but even with Kaufmann it is written as a G and would be better when sung but nothing high is best -- who started the high B thing ? I wonder.

[AulicExclusiva]

The habit of adding the high B was started by Beniamino Gigli, as he describes it in his Memoires, with the approval of the composer.

I don't think it adds anything to the aria. My favourite version of this is Tito Schipa's, who shows wonderful feeling and lyricism without any screams.

[macciboma]

Magnifico anche Peerce, grande interprete di

questa meravigliosa aria piena di malinconia.

Grazie da Walter.

[halavey]

My LP is long gone, was in bad shape.

[halavey]

Yes and if live they just removed the applause. I think actually the music was a G not the high B and yes I agree with German here as far as the high B in the music.

[GermanOperaSinger]

Yes there's a 1965 commercial recording without the high note interpolation, which I also prefer to this one. Generally as I said before I get annoyed when singers interpolate a B natural but as long as it doesn't interfere with the musical atmosphere it is fine. I'd just prefer people who would actually sing the B not as a vocal showcase, but as part of the music. Peerce of course manages to do this very well here.

[halavey]

STUDIO 8H HAD A flat sound and this was recorded in 8H--- just found out.

[halavey]

I remember telling Jan I liked his IL Mio on that record but he didn't say anything about the recording session. A friend of mine will know .

[halavey]

this was the sound on my LP also but the 54 Ballo sound on digital CD is better sound.

[halavey]

1955 yes This is studio. Why the question mark for 1955? I have the recording .

[VinylToVideo]

The question mark is for whether it was live or not; the Toscanini "Boheme" and "Traviata" was also 'live' in the studio although the audience was silent. Perhaps this is from a broadcast too. Do you have the LP this is from? Perhaps that would provide a little info on the recordings.

[ShawDAMAN]

Excellent also. To continue the discussion about the interpolated B, ;P I really like it when the tenor puts the B into the "mi lascia!" as Peerce does here. (as opposed to making it a separate thing just singing a B on an "aah" or "oh" vowel: "AAH, mi fai tanto male" for instance.)

Either way fine but I really like this. thanks

[VinylToVideo]

Coincidentally there's a studio recording of Peerce singing this aria posted elsewhere from the 60s which I prefer to this one (not the other one I posted). No B natural at age 61. Here I sort of wish he had held the B for more than 2 seconds.

[hymnforlorca]

I agree about the B sounding better if incorporated in to "lascia". Even Tucker's strong B doesn't do it for, mostly due to it being seperate in this way.

Jonas Kaufmann sings it well with the B, the way Peerce does here. It sounds much more natural. I still prefer to hear it without the B though; much the same as I prefer to hear the tenor's harmony at the end of the Boheme love duet instead of him joining the soprano for the C.