1946 Toscanini "La boheme" broadcast - Jan Peerce & Licia Albanese - "Che gelida manina"
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
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Act I excerpt & "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's "La bohème" sung by Jan Peerce (Rodolfo), Frank Valentino (Marcello), Nicola Moscona (Colline), George Cehanovsky (Schaunard), and Licia Albanese (Mimì). Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra. February 3, 1946 radio broadcast from NBC Studio 8-H, New York, NY. This was dubbed and remastered by me from the original LP release and (I think) the sound is better than the official CD release!
Pictures are of Toscanini conducting in 1946.
Anyone who listens to this recording and finds fault with Mr Peerce's diction, phrasing or singing voice, has very little knowledge of opera singing. Jan Peerce was one of the giants of the art form, his musicianship was second to none, and his technique was as solid as a rock.
I totally agree with dracher - Jan Peerce was a great, great tenor, and a great musician. His singing on this recording is phenomenal, especially in Act III. Some of you people out there are just deaf!!
@@sebastiandangerfield9933 correct! Act 3 is tough and he was wonderful in it.
Toscanini dirigeva con note elevate il problema era lui
Couldn't agree more. Peerce was an incredibly talented tenor and was a giant in his time. Listening to this recording still gives me shivers to hear the excellence of Peerce and Ms. Albanese.
"In the broadcast of La Boheme he sang along with me - in the aria especially; and in the third act, my God, he helped me cry. You can hear it on the record; and there are some people who say 'It spoils the record'. And I tell them, 'Isn't that funny; for me it makes the record'. Imagine hearing Toscanini - not planning it, just naturally singing faintly in the background - and knowing this guy's blood is on that record; and some shmo says 'That spoils it'. They don't know what inspires people." - Jan Peerce, The Toscanini Musicians Knew, pg. 115
I met Jan Peerce twice, 5 years apart in a receiving line after performances. I introduced myself with a handshake and moved on. Five years later I met him again under similar circumstances 2,500 miles away. At the 2nd meeting without my saying a word, he looked me in the eye and said "I know you, you're Glen Haddock. I met you 5 years ago" and he named the place. I have marveled at his remarkable memory these many years as well as admiring his work. I also have his autograph on his program if it is worth anything to anybody.
It should be aortha great deal...To you! ;)
I suppose you were or still is a very importan person
Did anyone notice the voice of God and VB singing with Pierce?
Sorry,Toscaninii
Merrill, in one of his books, mentions Peerce's remarkable ability to do this! What you experienced was not a singular occurrence. Smart man!
I just love it when I can hear Toscannini getting carried away....it makes it even more human and beautiful to me.
this is just great!!! I love it. I love hearing him sing along!!!!!!!! Jan Peerce is great!!!!
What a wonderful post! Pierce sounds amazing as was Toscanini the conductor who premiered this opera and the NBC symphony, it just doesn’t get any better than that, it just doesn’t.
This is truly amazing; to think that Toscanini conducted the premier of La Boheme in 1890 and did it again here in this 1946 broadcast. And to hear him humming along in parts is wonderful.
A side note for those interested in the art of Jan Peerce: his prominent role in the performance of Toscanini's rearrangement of Verdi's "The Hymn of the Nations" (available in a rare war-time (WW II) patriotic-themed film recording) is supreme, unmatched by any other tenor in the same role that I have heard, including one by the world-famous tenor (hint: his name begins with a P, under the baton of James Levine). It's small wonder that Toscanini also chose Peerce in his (final?) recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the NBC Symphony Orchestra.
That tenor whose last name begins with P...Hmmm, let's see......O yes...Paul Potts !!!
Excellent singing and no slow tempo for the maestro, obviously I don't think I've ever heard "Boheme" at this pace otherwise.
I have read that Toscanini was moved when humming along and was in tears throughout the aria
Toscanini che canta mentre dirige è commovente.
I'm listening to my almost flawless copy of Toscanini’s 1946 NBC recording of La Boheme. Toscanini conducted the 1890 premiere. This 1946 recording is considered by many including me to be the definitive recording. The close collaboration between Toscanini and Puccini during the 1890 production sets this 1946 recording apart from others. A single microphone above Toscanini’s head “heard” the same as Toscanini. A second microphone was used for the vocals. No editing or overdubs. It's Toscanini.
It was premiered in 1896.
A beautiful recording. A voice clean and clear.
Very good, grazie
Fantastico❤👍❤👍❤👍grazie della condivisione!!!Grandissimo Jan Peerce!!!
Peerce had a phenomenal technique and a glow to his sound...and impeccable musicianship
Toscanini génial 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jan Peerce...Licia Albanese...Toscanini (Immortal Supreme perfection).
Very nice job with the remastering!
MAGNIFICENT !!!!
Marvelous singing.
Wonderful ! Thank you for posting.
Awesome!
Che piaccere, questi si che erano cantanti !
Actually, Toscanini brought out the best from the singers that performed under him. Few of the them would even agree with your comments.
La unica opera de Puccini realizada por su director de simfonia original, Toscanini. Only left opera of Puccini directed by the original director from the opening from1896.
@gavotter In no specific order - Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Lauritz Melchior, Joseph Schmidt, Giovanni Martinelli, Giacomo Lauri Volpi, Richard Tauber, Mario Chamlee, Richard Crooks, Jussi Bjorling, Raoul Jobin, James Melton, Richard Tucker, Kurt Baum, Leopold Simoneau, Rudolf Schock, Ramon Vinay, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Eugene Conley, Mario Del Monaco, Nicolai Gedda, Brian Sullivan, Neil Shicoff, and Alfredo Kraus.
Idiota?
Although Mario Lanza was an exciting artist, I don't see how anyone could rank him above Jan Peerce, who was a more technically accomplished and versatile singer. Peerce had gorgeous tone, ringing high notes, great linguistic ability, and vocal agility (listen to his rendition of "Il mio tesoro" from DON GIOVANNI).
I think bringin Lanza in an opera conversation is foolish
Lanza had by far the greatest tenor voice of all time.
@@rubenorta7189 you're the fool.
@@rubenorta7189 His 1949 recording of Che Gelida is one of the finest ever made - real opera singer or not.
Polished tenor and artist .
Bellissimi ..
Great emotion!
IMO There are sections where Toscanini should have held back more; sometimes Peerce is somewhat hard to hear over the orchestra. Other than that, this was a great performance by a quality cast, and a fantastic 'che gelida' from Peerce who never sang an unmusical note in his career. You can understand why Toscanini loved working with Peerce, he was never self indulgent like many others and always sang with the musical context, never prioritizing his own voice above the music as a whole.
Anyone who says Puccini was a hack has never heard this recording. A revelation!
My mother met jan peerce at a party nelly diamond held in jan s honour.
Fantastic post! It sounds like Toscanini is also singing in some place together with Jan Peerce, or is that a sound illusion.
the super perfect conductor.
That was great. Albanese sounds really sweet and innocent. And I must admit one of the best live che gelida manina's I've ever heard... what a gorgeous warm 'la speranza-' I was grinning.
Great sound too! Might I ask what audio format you dub to? .wav?
@ShawDAMAN WAV is the only format I work with; in fact it's the only type of file my pop and click removal software will accept. MP3 and WMA files to me sound worse than cassette tape.
@VinylToVideo He always sang during performances. Actually it was his habit and he did not care about the mics :)
A few bars before Che Gelida Manina you can hear Toscanini humming away to himself.
Thank you VERY MUCH for sharing this wonderful selection with us!!!! I have this recording on LP and on the RCA "Black and White" Toscanini edition re-release on CD. Toscanini 's and Beecham's recordings of this work are still the BEST ever done of this work (with Serafin's and Leinsdorf's stereo recordings coming in a somewhat distant second). What poetry from Peerce and Albanese, under Toscanini's expert guidance - and what impassioned and MUSICAL orchestral playing, too!!!!!
I too like the Leinsdorf recording, which stars Moffo, Tucker, Merrill, Tozzi, and last but not least, the great Mary Costa as Musetta!
Très grand ténor mais franco corelli reste indetronable ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️
Peerce #432 Aria, good live sound 1946.
@VinylToVideo Thanks, I figured you used WAV.. I just wanted to know, since there are other so called 'lossless' formats.
It depends on the cassette lol... but yeah, mp3's and wma are hardly the audiophile's choice... mp3 especially.
Nice.
@SHICOFF1 Does the '46 "Boheme" with Roman exist in decent sound? I have a copy of it but the sound is worse than most live recordings I have from a decade earlier.
@jmccracken1963 And Jan Peerce's comments about this broadcast (as first printed in B.H. Haggin's THE TOSCANINI MUSICIANS KNEW and later re-printed in THE BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS - THE MEMOIRS OF JAN PEERCE, as told to Alan Levy) still hold true and ring true after all these years.
@jmccracken1963 I agree; those two are also the best "Bohemes" for me. I transferred the Angel "Stereo" version of the Beecham recording from LP a long time ago but haven't gotten around to editing it yet. They did a much better job on it than with the infamous "reprocessed" fake stereo recordings of many mono albums re-released the 60s.
I'm a bit surprised myself I forgot him.
@GeddaBjorling Nope, apparently Toscanini forgot or didn't care that there were recordings mics all around him.
Past a certain point, **YOU'VE GOT TO NOT CARE** !! The mark of a true maestro ("ma-estro": my teacher)...
@gavotter I doubt my reaction was much different the first time I heard him.
Dick, often the rules for diction in singing don't match the rules for the spoken language. Sung French is the perfect example. There are also many rolled "R"s in German singing. Jan Peerce's sung Italian diction was so well known, that Italian singers used to work with HIM when he was at the Met. Toscanini didn't pick him just because he had good pipes.
Non potrebbe funzionare in questi tempi moderni..Il suo Italiano arrabbiato......strafalcioni incomprensibili in. Inglese..Già d’allora,i musicisti avranno dovuto avere molta pazienza.......
please check on YT "TOSCANINI PROVA LA BOHEME DI PUCCINI"
that's the rehearsal for this opera. to be heard!!
@GermanOperaSinger The microphones were badly placed here and if it were not a live performance it perhaps have probably been worked out better. Toscanini was obviously carried away by the music; to me this is perfect and cannot be beat by any other recording.
...first heard this in 1963----the print credits should have read, sung by Jan Peerce and Arturo Toscanini, Frank Valentino, etc
That would be you.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DICTION AND PRONUNCIATION. LANZA'S DICTION WAS THE BEST, SO MUCH SO THAT YOU COULD UNDERSTAND EVERY MISTAKE, IN PRONUNCIATION THAT HE MADE. THE EARLY BJOERLING RECORDINGS WERE MADE BEFORE HE SANG ANYPLACE BUT SWEDEN, EXCEPT WHEN HE WAS A CHILD. i NEVER CARED FOR PEERCE'S SOUND BUT NO ONE CAN DENY HE WAS A GREAT SINGER WITH CLEAR DICTION AND GOOD PRONUNCIATION.
Am I the only person who hears Toscanini humming along throughout the recording?
You and 456,765,933 other people
Yes he at the time didn't think about being heard on a record of it, but I love it!
@VinylToVideo I will give you another tenor who I reckon could sing abit. and at 88 still can. I think his name is Carlo Bergonzi.
Historic performance by all involved, but it sounds a bit rushed in places. Other versions are a bit more 'laid back'.
I was for Lanza for 40 years, but now....Flagstad as the greatest singer on the century, what heavenly unlimited sound, even at 55 with Furtwangler in 1950 singing Strauss Four Last Songs......nothing ever forced and a matchless cloud of heavenly sound....this does not take away the greatness of Lanza
There's also an element of fitting into the time constraints of an LP.
excellent--TOSCANINI best of the best. My choice for voice of the century: Mario Lanza-- magnificent instrument from God.
Well, actually, I DO, and have sung with considerable success over 40 years or so. My comments may have been a bit dyspeptic, and for that I’m sorry. But honestly, did that give you permission to denigrate my life’s work...when you don’t even know me?
A much under rated singer, better than Tucker in my opinion. Different repertoire, but a much better musician. Who's the guy who should have a statue outside the Met? I vote for Peerce.
I agree. In a class by himself. Imagine if he were singing today. The world would be at his feet.
@@kenwasser6186 I agree. Beautiful singer. Nice man.
Hosford: I always preferred him to Tucker. The voice was allegedly smaller than Tucker's, but Peerce's tone was far fuller and much more consistent in quality. In fact few singers demonstrate such a solid and consistent tone quality throughout their whole range. Also Peerce's negotiation of the passagio was virtually seamless.
I think it was more to do with the fitting into the time constraints of the broadcast.
DE HECHO JAMES LEVINE TIENDE HACER LO MISMO QUE EL GRAN TOSCANINI
I met Tuscanne once............
In my dreams
Great voice, pity his Italian sucks...."AmoRRRe"
According to who? There's no one way to pronounce Italian. Toscanini thought he must have had Italian in his family tree!
VinylToVideo If you can't hear that America RRRRRR in the very first phrase "io RRRResto......"you must be deaf, and there are only two ways to sing R in Italian, the non explosive one with the very tip of the tongue and the rolled "double" R
Dick Drewes
It's nothing to complain about. You're listening to a non-Italian singing in Italian. What else could you possibly expect? Don't care for it then don't listen, it's quite simple. Toscanini's opinion means a hell of a lot more than yours.
It's called bel canto. Not bel diction.
His italian is very good, but obviously he is not italian so to it might sound weird
Definitely not SINGER of the century though.
Toscanini at this stage of life is highly over-rated out of reverence to his youth. By this time he had lost almost all of his upper frequency hearing. His tempi were often exaggerated and non-vocal. Peerce sounds fine here, though rushed. Complaints about his Italian pronunciation are silly.
+Joseph Shore That is an interesting remark about Toscanini. Compared to nowadays standards, this recording's tempi are clearly fast and often seem "non vocal" as you say. But it still makes me wonder whether this was the *original* way they used to do Bohème; the way Puccini listened and imagined it. Yes, this reading of the score seems different and "non vocal"; but who said there is only one right way to do it? Who says Bohème is supposed to be that much vocal as opposed to theatrical? Second thoughts--this may actually feel more movie-like than more typical renditions. I like this particular version but I get your point.
Muscle memory would have allowed him to conduct even if he was completely deaf.
I don't think that the tempi are too fast.. it is weird that you could know more than him who worked side by side with Puccini!!!! about the pronunciation... Toscanini was right!!!! you don't seem to be Italian. I am and "Cecar" and " Facio" is not Italian, even if his pronunciation in general is very good
@@matthewrosenthal4673 Yep, muscle memory is so very important. "Just ask Arnold": ua-cam.com/video/Tq1r6FiBfrE/v-deo.html
Non vocal tempi?? As absurd as the rest of your commentary.
Two comments after re-listening to this set tonight. 1) The conducting is strong, but often absurd. The singers are hustled through the score as if Tsocanini had to make a bus to Riverdale. And then, in some places, such as the end of the first Act, Toscanini will settle down and conduct like a human being. Much of the rest of the performance is sad. I cannot believe that Puccini would have countenanced it, and I do not believe this is the way Toscanini conducted the premiere. 2) The Italian on this set is often poor, and makes for painful listening. However, Peerce is not by far the worst offender. Valentino as Marcello (and he was NOT Italian by any means) is dreadful in this respect, as he has horrible diphthongs and closes most of his final "e"s (unaccented final e's in Italian are always open), so we get a lot of "pingeray", etc. Cehanovsky was a lovely man, but a very mediocre singer, and HIS Italian is all wrong, filled with Russian "L" and wrong vowels. Peerce's was nowhere near as good as he claimed in his autobiography, but it is clear and usually correct.
"Those who can, do; those who can't, criticize..."
Never cared for Puccini. Sugar lumps with honey. Yuk!
Pls tell me your crazy