tenor Giacomo LAURI-VOLPI "Meco all'alter" Bellini NORMA

Tenor GIACOMO LAURI-VOLPI sings "Meco all'alter di Venere" (With Me Before the Shrine) from Act 1 of Bellini's NORMA.

Victrola (scroll label) Victor Orthophonic disc #1318-A...recorded around 1926.

The disc is being played on the Victrola located in the Music Room of the HENDEL HOUSE at 746 Centre Avenue in Reading, PA, an 1877-1897 Victorian mansion maintained by the Historical Society of Berks County, PA.

For 8 more views (inside and out) of HENDEL HOUSE, access
http://www.berkshistory.org/mansion

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Giacomo Lauri-Volpi (December 11, 1892--March 17, 1979) was an Italian tenor who performed throughout Europe and the Americas in a career that spanned forty years.

Born in Lanuvio, Italy, he was orphaned at age eleven. After completing his secondary education at the seminary at Albano and graduating from the University of Rome La Sapienza, he began vocal studies under the baritone Antonio Cotogni at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He made a successful operatic debut as Arturo in Bellini's I Puritani in Viterbo, Italy, on September 2, 1919, performing under the name Giacomo Rubini, after Bellini's favorite tenor, Giovanni Battista Rubini. Four months later, on January 3, 1920, he scored another success, at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, this time performing under his own name opposite Rosina Storchio and Ezio Pinza in Puccini's Manon Lescaut.

He was widely acclaimed for his performance as Arnoldo in La Scala's centenary production of Rossini's Guglielmo Tell in 1929.

A leading tenor at the Metropolitan Opera throughout the 1920s, he sang opposite Maria Jeritza in the American premiere of Puccini's Turandot and opposite Rosa Ponselle in the Met premiere of Verdi's Luisa Miller. His last public performance was as Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore in Rome in 1959.

In 1974, at the age of 81, he released a recital recording of operatic arias.

Lauri-Volpi's voice was bright, flexible and ringing in tone, with a characteristic shimmering vibrato and astonishing high notes. He sang roles as diverse as Arturo ( in Bellini's I Puritani) and Otello.

He died in Burjasot, near Valencia, at the age of 86.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gmmix
• LAURI-VOLPI
• Bellini
• NORMA
• Orthophonic
• Victor
• Victrola
• HENDEL_HOUSE
• Reading
• PA
• Centre_Avenue

[gmmix]

Yes. I have an early long-playing disc set that features Lauri-Volpi on the Cetra label. It might be Luisa Miller, but I'm not positive. The boxed-set is in the attic at present. He was in the twilight of his career when the Cetra set was produced. I have a feeling it might be around in CD form.

[jurek46pink]

Very elementary question: does Ortophonic stand for electric recording ?

And I still do not know the word "scroll label" ,

so often presented everywhere here.

Could you just drop a word, please /

[gmmix]

Orthophonic appeared on the label of Victor's electric recordings as an indication of microphone recording. At the very beginning of this video, before the turntable starts spinning, you can see the "fancy scroll-work" around the edge of the label, which gives it a distinctive appearance. The second you see it, you know it's an early Victor electric recording.

[TrovadorManrique]

¡¡EXCELENTE!! Así es como debe de sonar Pollione, no con esos agudos a grito pelao de los seguidores de del Monaco...

[sugarbist]

This is another example of how great Lauri Volpi was.The voice is beautiful&powerful along with the VIBRATO that attributed to the fact that Volpi's voice resonance travelled more than any other in history.He sang everything in its original pitch

[stevevandien]

This was the first Lauri-Volpi recording that I heard, 35 years ago. I was immediately struck by the lyricism and tonal beauty in this obviously sizable and powerful tenore di forza. Had also been somewhat put off by the rapid and flickering vibrato, although that isn't nearly as obtrusive here. Perhaps certain recording/playing equipment exaggerated LV's vibrato, which seems quite even and regular in most of his records past about 1935 --

[mongemark]

Bisogna ammetterlo: sarà stato antipatico e supponente, ma se parliamo di voce emissione tecnica e stile, gli altri, in confronto, sembrano dei dilettanti, almeno in questo repertorio.

Un grande.

[LoloPetri71]

Maravilha!!! 1926 !!!! viva tecnologia !emocionante de escutar !

[svjatazarov]

my pleasure. he is devine!

[musicasiete]

You may try Fernando de Lucia (1860-1925), and in the present day: Rockwell Blake, Chris Merrit, and J.D. Florez.

Also, Ivan Kozlowzky (excellent Russian tenor : listen to his Ecco ridente),.

John Mc Cormack had a neat trill (O Sleep why dost thou leave me' and Pur dicesti) Herman Jadlowker and Helge Roswänge (A si ben mio ).

Sincerely,

Besmonkil

[calafsdream]

thank you. You may be able to further assist - I cannot find any early tenor recordings of colloratura singing.

[besmonkil]

Yes: Luisa Miller and Trovatore on Cetra.

La Bohéme, Rigoletto (with Gobbi), Gli Ugonotti (all live performances). Some these items avalaible on The Golden Age of Opera.

Sincerely,

Erial80

[besmonkil]

Dear Finargon: I must write in Spanish. because my English is no very good.

Rubini alcanzaba en voz de pecho hasta el sol; luego, hasta las notas escritas para "Credeasi misera", en una voz mixta (falsete).

Fue EL tenor de Bellini.

Desgraciadamente aunque Edison comenzó a trabajar en el gramófono en 1877, lo dejó de lado para trabajar en la luz eléctrica.

Así perdimos las voces de la Patti (joven), Mario, Masino, Tamberlick, etc.

A pity !!

Espero haberle sido útil.

Erial80

[Finargon]

do you know the legendary Giovanni Battista Rubini there're no samples of him, or are there?

the story tells that he could sing in the central Do (C) of the pentagram (Do in the third line of it) till a Sol (G) on the pentagram

can you tell me more? or give me an example of that voice?

thanks