Hermann Jadlowker - Ecco ridente in cielo - 1912

[librarybob1958]

Magnificent voice, and certainly one of the most versatile tenors ever on the Met roster.

There's a story which is illustrative of some of the prejudice Jadlowker had to face, on all levels. After giving a Berlin performance at which Kaiser Wilhelm and Czar Nicholas were present, Jadlowker went to the royal box at the Kaiser's invitation. "Nicky," Wilhelm said, "meet my new Lohengrin." "He may be your Lohengrin, but he is still my subject. Kneel, Jew, in the prescence of your Czar!"

A shame.

[gmmix]

I greatly admire his agility and elegance of the variety that brings Battistini to mind. Thank you for this splendid recording.

[SHICOFF1]

Well I have read actually he died after giving his first lesson but sure it could be wrong. I wasn't at that lesson. And who cares in any event, when he died he was not happy for some reason, Jan Peerce told me that as he and his Wife visited him in Israel not long before he died he is under rated today, wonderful intelligent singer and the Marston recordings of him are the Best for sound.

[Tenortalker]

Certainly not aloof, but rather more noble and courtly than the Almavivas we hear today. No wonder Caruso cheered. Bravo Jadlowker

[65attila]

@Tenortalker

I do not know if this passes stylistic muster but I like a full sound rather than the tenorino white sound I often hear as Ottavio. His flexibility is incredible. As I read Rico not only cheered but Caruso and several friends were thrown out of the MET for not stopping their vocal approval.

Regards-John

[ericle57]

He was far from German. He made his big career in Germany, but was a Jew (and not just "born of Jewish parents") from Riga, where he returned to become chief cantor at the end of his career, around 1929. In 1938, he emigrated to Tel-Aviv, and taught for 15 years before dying in 1953 (not after his first few lessons, as mentioned below) at the age of 75.

[raigekimaru]

good grief, he has agility like dame joan sutherland! is it possible to be a dramatic coloratura tenor hahaha

[hibyeeee2]

@raigekimaru Anything is possible if you work hard at what you want. :)

[raigekimaru]

@hibyeeee2

I hate to say it, but in singing, it kinda isn't. even if she were to try as hard as she could singing 16 hours a day, Renee Fleming could not become a dramatic soprano, just as Joan Sutherland could not become a contralto or Sam Ramey could not become a tenor. for pretty much any other area in life tho, that's a very true statement =)

[hibyeeee2]

@raigekimaru I respectfully disagree. I don't believe any one should set limits. Anything is possible with the will and passion to fulfill your dreams. I mean just listen to Hermann Jadlowker. A dramatic tenor with a coloratura that's as good as any light tenors. There is no limits. :)

[halavey]

He was NOT GERMAN at all. He was born in Riga Latvia to Jewish parents and was a cantor of great talent, then he went into opera and was a favorite tenor of not only the Kaiser but of Caruso who heard him at the met and was yelling bravo Jadlowker with a friend in the audience. He went to Israel later to live and after giving his first voice lessons died of heart failure. He was a distant cousin of my grandfather who also was born in Riga 3 years after Jadlowker in 1880 and lived 100 years

[hobo1975]

@halavey palestine u fuk!

[halavey]

No, don't agree. De Lucia's voice was smaller and not as dramatic and in fact he could never sing what Jadlowker did anyhow and with Jadlowker being a Dramatic Spinto who sang Wagner so well and was the Kaiser's favorite singer he had it all except a sometimes lack of vibrato that could be the recordings. I take this over De Lucia with his smaller less dramatic voice, he could never sing what Jadlowker sang .

[meltzerboy]

@halavey True, de Lucia was no Wagner singer the way de Reszke was; but he was successful in singing Puccini and verismo roles and could sound quite dramatic, even on the old recordings and past his prime. No doubt, however, his forte was the bel canto repertoire. Jadlowker has the heavier voice and uses it with great skill and flexibility, probably learned from his training as a cantor. Caruso was a generous artist who admired McCormack and Rosenblatt as well as Jadlowker. But he feared Ruffo.

[gaytenor]

@meltzerboy DeLucia transposed virtually everything he sang downward with his version of Ecco ridente being a full tone down from the score pitch. DeLucia also lacked a trill. DeLucia had a dark voice that had an extremely limited upper register. I recommend the biography of the singer by Michael Henstock and the essay written by Jon Steane. I agree with Toscanini about DeLucia's lack of musicanship and taste. DeLucia was made fun of by opera fans in Italy for his transpositons. Jadlowker best!

[Kievest]

Sublime vocal technique but aloof and

emotionally removed. Still, a wonderful

voice to hear! Thank you for posting

this gem!

[CurzonRoad]

How can one disagree?! Thanks to jws2718... and to Kievest for ending my way!

[halavey]

Considering the weight of jadlowker voice wise and he is the better singer of cadenza's he is better as a musician then De Lucia and he sang Wagner mostly not lyric parts so much this is wonderful compared to any big Spinto voice. Caruso loved Jadlowker and yelled for him at the met, Caruso was in the house listening more then once.

[calafsdream]

wow - I wondered whether coloratura from a tenor recorded in the early 20th century would surpass modern exponents... and it does!

[sascha1984dd]

superb!!!

[Kroaky]

wow! there were so many great tenors of that time overshadowed by caruso. Why don't we have any great ones anymore?

[AulicExclusiva]

The word is spelt fioritura.

"Coloratura" is a bastard word from German Koloratur, which means the same as fioritura. A "coloratura" is a singer who specialises in the singing of fioritura.

[rotepmal]

Can someone translate "fioritura" in German for me - thanks.

[AulicExclusiva]

The German word for fioritura is Koloratur: the decoration, the "colouring" of the vocal line through elaborate sung ornamentation in a manner that BOTH shows off the singer's taste, technique and agility AND underlines the expressive meaning of the music being sung.

The root of the Italian word is the same as the English word flourish.

[preruminator]

Canto fiorito at its best - what I miss a bit is the charm, the soul.

[pearlmuth3]

Tucker never said he was the best at it but I think he was and saw his Canio at the met. He was not what a lot of people think and he liked other tenors also he was a fine gentleman.

[pearlmuth3]

yes so Jadlowker died then that year your dad saw him in 1953. Tucker was a Spinto tenor and sang heavier parts then Jan Peerce on stage, yes Peerce was a Toscanini favorite but in Aida Tucker was picked By Toscanini because Peerce was more lyric Tenor and never sang in Aida on stage. Tucker sang in Chenier, Samson, Don Carlo, Simon Boccengra, Trovatore, Luisa Miller, these are roles Peerce did not sing with his smaller lyric voice. I knew Peerce very well and was a guest in his home .

[pearlmuth3]

Thank you for English but Jadlowker who was a 2nd cousin of my grandfather DID have a position in a Synagogue for while after he retired but before he went to Israel. HE WAS A CANTOR AT THAT TIME. TUCKER WAS A FRIEND OF MINE AND I HAVE HAD DINNER WITH HIM AND PEERCE WHEN I WORKED IN RADIO. TUCKER WAS A CANTOR FOR YEARS BEFORE HE SANG OPERA AND CAME EVERY YEAR TO CHICAGO ON THE HIGH HOLIDAYS TO A DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE AS CANTOR. THE LAST TIME WAS JUST 3 MOS BEFORE HE DIED I WAS THERE. IT WAS GREAT

[pearlmuth3]

Yes Jadlowker sang as a guest cantor on occasion he knew the music and so did Schmidt. Sirota and Hershman had great voices but never sang in opera outside of recording a few arias. I have Sirota singing Pieta Signor in Hebrew! So many others never went into opera so I am glad Tucker did he was the leading Cantor of the Brooklyn Jewish Center and then sang at the met in 1945-1975 but every year he sang at a conservative Schul in Chicago for the high Holidays. The last tome 3 mos before he died

[pearlmuth3]

Yes Schmidt sang as a guest cantor and early in the Choir of the Schul in Czernowitz and Jadlowker had one student in Israel from all I read and died after giving his first lesson in 1953. IF Schmidt ever recorded 100 cantorials  the Nazis must have destroyed much of it not available. I have a few recorded privately in 1934 in Israel. These are just with Piano. Peerce also was a guest Cantor often but Tucker was a cantor and then opera singer. Every year he sang on the holidays

[GuidoHD]

The recorded cantorials of Schmidt were found years ago in Australia and so I know there are in the dispora Museum in Tel Aviv.

[GuidoHD]

Ich glaubte nicht in Youtube diese Aufnahme des Almaviva in der Interpretation von H. Jadlowker zu finden. Schon als Kind wurde ich von diesem Sänger begleitet. Er war in Riga der Gesangslehrer meines Vaters. Später in Israel besuchte ihn mein Vater. Stolz wies Jadlowker auf ein Bild hin, das ihm Caruso widmete mit dem Vermerk: "Dem König der Tenöre!" Diese Arie in dieser Interpretation ist wirklich einmalig und wird es, glaube ich auch bleiben, ohne die späteren Tenöre abzuwerten!

[GermanOperaSinger]

Once again he was proof that one did not have to have a light voice to use it lightly with agility. This technique is dead today.

[hansquad]

Wow. I never heard of him beofre! I thought I heard of CAruso voice! and he has the trill of Joseph Schmidt! I guess cause they were before Cantors. Great!!!!!

[pearlmuth3]

Marston recording is the best of this and I find this is that good. He was able to sing all lyric and dramatic parts as well with a big voice for Wagner and Otello. He was born in Riga Latvia in 1877 and sang as a CANTOR AND DIED IN ISRAEL IN 1953. HE WAS A COUSIN OF MY GRANDFATHER ALSO BORN IN RIGA IN 1880. HE DIED AFTER GIVING HIS FIRST VOICE LESSON AT AGE 76. HE WAS GOING TO TEACH. HE SANG AT THE MET ALSO. HE WAS THE KAISERS FAVORITE TENOR!

[forallyouknow]

ALMAVIVA TO LOHENGRIN? O.O

Shizz. He must've been an awesome tenor. Listen to that trill!

[jlcel0818ya]

Jadlowker is pretty amazing in "Fuor del mar" (sung in German) too. A very fine dramatic coloratura tenor.

[agnellodei]

AMAZING! The technique is really a mix of verismo and bel canto, but the coloratura and the trill are amazing.

[youchowchow]

Es una voz muy oscura, parecida a la de Enrico Caruso. Si bien este papel lo canta un tenor ligero o a lo sumo un lírico, es sorprendente la belleza de este cantante. Buena técnica. Excelente grabación para ser de 1912. Gracias por subirlo.

[pmkwagga]

As a lover of great historical singers I find this the finest version I have ever heard of Ecco ridente in cielo. It is an amazingly good recording for 1912. What agility and ease of voice with a wonderful technique. John Cargher of Singers of Renown fame (who sadly died just recently in Australia aged 89 years)introduced me to this unique voice many years ago, and I have only just imported a CD from Arkiv Music with it on. I treasure it.

Peter Keith

[meltzerboy]

I've appreciated Jadlowker's vocal gifts and artistry for many years and this is a very fine version of the aria. But have you heard De Lucia's recording? His is, I believe, even finer and De Lucia's voice is even more agile than Jadlowker's. De Lucia excelled in Rossini and Donizetti bel canto as well as verismo opera.