Part III: Rare and unknown voices - JOSEPH ROGATCHEVSKY

Part III: Rare and unknown voices. Please discuss this artist with your comments!

Joseph (also José) Rogatchevsky (also Rogachewsky), Tenor (1891-1985)

Édouard Victor Antoine Lalo - LE ROI DYS
Vainement, ma bien-aimée
(Recorded 1927)

My personal opinion: He was born in Mirogorod, Ukraine. At the age of 18 he came to Paris to study at the conservatory (taught by Jacques Isnardon and Amédée Landély Hettich). After the russian revolution, Joseph Rogatchevsky remained in France (spontaneously he joined the french army), where he made his debut at the Opera House of Toulouse in 1922. A few months later he sang Cavaradossi at the Opéra Comique (followed by Turiddu, Canio, Orphée, Mylo in LE ROI D´YS (Lalo), Don José, Werther and Araquil in LA NAVARRAISE (Massenet) - the repertoire of a lyrico-spinto tenor with heroic ambitions. Two years later, 1924, Rogatchevsky sang Werther at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, where he received the status of the first lyric tenor (In the years between 1953 and 1959 he was general director). Rogatchevsky was a naturalized frenchman. During his time in Belgium and France he often sang at the Vienna State Opera House (Guest appearances in 1929 and 1930). In Paris he was Lohengrin and Faust, Idomeneo and Tannhäuser, Parsifal and Hermann: An indication for the upper-class of his voice. Already in 1928/29 he sang Massenets des Grieux alongside Germaine Féraldy (1894-1949) in the second complete MANON on records. Féraldy (also Sophie in Elie Cohens magnificent WERTHER with Vallin and Thill) had the right vocal physique du role, although her Chevalier "was not free of eccentric effects" (Die grossen Sänger, 1986). Alan Blythe wrote, in his voice you´ll always find "a not unattractive catch". Actually, Rogatchevsky did not need it. Basically, his voice was nice-sounding with a remarkable sweetness of tone, sometimes a little bit melancholic and elegical - apparently a nature we often find in eastern tenor voices. No wonder, much better are his recordings of russian arias. Indeed fine singing without any lachrymose effects he showed in the french repertoire. In 1928, the austrian voice-pedagog Otto Iro (teacher of Hilde Güden) wrote, that Joseph Rogatchevsky´s was "simply the ideal case of a lyrical tenorvoice. Such beautiful voices not even prosper on french ground"
Unfortunately I own no russian recording of Rogatchevsky, but I would not like to miss it, to present you this appealing tenor-voice. Here he sings the famous Aubade from LE ROI DYS. What´s your impression?

THE COMPLETE OVERVIEW: GO TO ALL SINGERS IN THIS LIST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBsScn...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joseph
• Rogatchevsky
• Tenor

[sugarbist]

Beautiful caressing of the music as bel canto should be, along with mezza voce is the way this aria should be sung and is by an excellent tenor.

[RoyKa2010]

@baltoman24 Beautiful, clear enunciation and a sympathetic timbre. You expect nothing less from someone inheriting from two great schools. Nice discovery. Thank you!

[baltoman24]

Having listened to this artist for many years, I always come back to his rendition of the Aubade- Rogatchevsky's rendition is perfect in its combination of elegance and emotion. There may be other recordings that others may find more stylish, but this is very special. It would be wonderful to have a compilation disk of this aria sung by the many artists who have undertaken it. Thank you! His recording of Le Reve is also not to be missed.

[tenorvoicefan]

Welch wunderbarer Sänger. Ausdruck, Diktion, Wärme alles vorhanden.

Ich bedanke mich ausdrücklich für diese Neuentdeckung.

Ich würde ihn gerne öfter hören.

[flaze3]

Beautiful mezza-voce :)

[blmonte]

Beautiful French pronunciation and tone expression

[meltzerboy]

@Aimiklingsor93 I am a record collector in the United States, and part-French. While I have heard of Rogatchevsky, I have never collected his recordings and am not sure I've ever heard his singing before now. While he may have been popular in France, he is probably unknown to most opera lovers today, even to many collectors. While his singing here is good, I've heard better versions of this beautiful air, especially those by Henri Legay and Nellie Melba, both on YT.