German Baritone Heinrich Schlusnus ~ Il balen (1937)

German baritone Heinrich Schlusnus (1888-1952) / Ihres Auges himmlisch' Strahlen (Il balen del suosorriso / Il Trovatore (Verdi) / Recorded: 1937 --

Heinrich Schlusnus (August 6, 1888 -- June 18, 1952) was Germany's foremost lyric baritone of the period between World War I and World War II. He sang opera and lieder with equal distinction. A native of Braubach, Schlusnus studied with voice teachers in Berlin and Frankfurt before making his debut at Hamburg's opera house in 1915. Schlusnus sang at Nuremberg from 1915 to 1917 and at the prestigious Berlin State Opera from 1917 until 1951. He was engaged by the Chicago Opera for its 1927-28 season and appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in 1933. During his highly acclaimed tenure at Berlin, Schlusnus established himself as Germany's greatest performer of Verdi's baritone roles and, according to most critics, no subsequent German-speaking baritone has matched his supremacy in this field. Schlusnus excelled in the lighter Wagnerian parts, too, and in operatic works by other German composers. Furthermore, Schlusnus earned critical renown as a concert artist and lieder singer despite facing stiff competition on the recital platform (and the operatic stage) from such outstanding rival baritones as Herbert Janssen, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender, Gerhard Hüsch, Karl Hammes, Rudolf Bockelmann and Karl Schmitt-Walter. As an interpreter of lieder he often performed with the German pianist Sebastian Peschko. By all accounts, Schlusnus was not a magnetic actor like two famous fellow Verdi baritones of subsequent generations: Lawrence Tibbett and Tito Gobbi. By way of compensation, however, he was blessed with an exceedingly beautiful high baritone voice and an impeccable legato style of singing to go with it. Indeed, Schlusnus' polished bel canto technique, coupled with the prudent management of his vocal resources, enabled him to enjoy an unusually long career. He died in Frankfurt, not long after retiring from the stage, at the age of 63. Schlusnus frequented German recording studios during the 1920s, '30s and '40s—committing to disc an impressive array of lieder and a panoply of standard German and Italian operatic arias and duets, notably a complete Rigoletto sung in German opposite Erna Berger, Helge Rosvaenge, Margarete Klose and Josef Greindl. He was also heard often on German radio broadcasts made prior to, and during, World War II. The English music critic J.B. Steane writes highly of the baritone's legacy of recordings in his survey of classical singing on disc, "The Grand Tradition". Steane praises him for the fine-grained beauty of his tone, his musicality, and the smoothness of his legato. (wikipedia)

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• German
• Baritone
• Heinrich
• SchlusnusOpera
• Verdi
• Trovatore
• 78RPM
• CurzonRoad

[meltzerboy]

Heinrich Schlusnus is the lyric baritone who, above all others (though Janssen and Husch also come to mind), is the German bel canto equivalent of Giuseppe de Luca. His smooth delivery in this aria also recalls that of Merrill, except that the latter--as well as Warren--had a huskier sound. Thanks, Doug, for this wonderful example of his voice and artistry.

[CurzonRoad]

@meltzerboy

Oh, most welcome... my pleasure, Nate... thank YOU!

[stuartliff]

Magnificent! Glorious legato singing, beautiful vocal quality and splendid diction. What more could you ask? I had forgotten his excellence - thank you so much for reminding me.

 Vivian

[CurzonRoad]

@stuartliff

As always... thank YOU, Vivian!

[dantitustimshu]

Conte di Luna may be the villain in the story, but he is also a man very much in love. Schlusnus is one of the few who got the balance right in his rendition of the aria. Moreover, his legato singing is superb. Many thanks, Doug, for posting and sharing.

[CurzonRoad]

@dantitustimshu

Years and years ago, this recording was my first encounter with Il balen... and it's still wonderful. Thank you, Tim!

[eclecticdufus]

@stuartliff Likewise. Schlusnus's vocal magic compels one to believe that German must be the original language and the Italian is the translation. 

[Amfortas1985]

Wow!!! What a voice! His high notes sound so clear, nearly like a tenor. I like it! Better than so many "barking" Baritones nowadays! That's a Belcanto-singer!!!



[AulicExclusiva]

His style is a bit bloodless, the timbre [colour] ever-so-slightly monotonous, but the quality [texture] is pure silk, his legato flawless. He sings the real cadenza as written, a rare occurrence. A fine disk. But he needs a little more testosterone.

[MrCafiero]

Excellent...thank you for posting!!

[Labienus]

@meltzerboy I'd put Warren, Mac, Milnes in one group and Merrill with a very big voice, great line and with a voice of such natural beauty that I can only compare it to Stracciari in another -Merrill didn't havequite the blazing top of the others but generally I found him a boring singer except on those rare occasions when someone pushed him Let's not forget another Amer miracle Tibbett of course the ultimate miracle among baritones Titta Ruffo maybe Doug could offer some of his recordings?

[Labienus]

@meltzerboy Yes, MacNeil just died a few weeks ago at 88-received a moderately good amount of attention-given that he stopped 25 yrs. ago, and in that time classical music has nearly vanished as a general cultural marker. It was a huge voice with a volcanic top = of Warren's, and yet could spin out a line, and include written ornamentation. Wobble,among other problems did develop later,and may have sung too long. But too much emphasis on that-even later any given night could be extraordinary

[andyrawn]

DOUG ~ This is no doubt one of the most absolutely beautiful baritone voices from the entire legacy of sound recordings, Bravo to you too! ANDY

[immortellino]

Absoluthely great!

[minacciosa]

I'm amazed that a singer of this exceedingly high caliber has escaped my attention until now. Thanks Doug!

[meltzerboy]

@Labienus I know what you mean in terms of the vibrancy and color of the true Italian Verdi baritone. Sorry to hear of the passing of the truly great Cornell MacNeil. I heard him live and his voice and phrasing were exceptionally beautiful. Later on, he developed a wobble, but in his prime, only Robert Merrill was comparable.