Take A Tour Of Spain Based On Birthplaces Of Great Sopranos

Deciding where to travel in a foreign country can become a daunting task with all the landscapes, museums, architecture, restaurants, and concert halls. It seems natural to put an operatic twist on the itinerary when looking for adventure. Why not let the birthplaces of famous sopranos (and some mezzo-sopranos) dictate the destination? Let's start in the country of Spain. With all the flamenco dancing, bullfights, and beaches, this culture is muy caliente! "Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. The dominant figures of the Golden Age were the Toledo-based artists El Greco and Diego Velázquez. Francisco de Goya emerged in the 18th century as Spain's most prolific painter and he produced some wonderfully unflattering portraits of royalty. The art world in the early 20th century was influenced by a remarkable group of Spanish artists: Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, ambassadors of the artistic culture in Spain. Spain's architecture ranges from prehistoric monuments in Minorca in the Balearic Islands, to the Roman ruins of Merida and Tarragona, the decorative Lonja in Seville, Mudéjar buildings, Gothic cathedrals, castles, fantastic modernist monuments and Gaudí's intricate fabulist sculptures in Barcelona. They are all representative of the culture of Spain. Another example of culture in Spain is the invention of the Spanish guitar, which was invented in Andalusia in the 1790's when a sixth string was added to the Moorish lute. It gained its modern shape in the 1870's. Spanish musicians have taken the humble guitar to dizzying heights of virtuosity and none more so than Andrés Segovia (1893-1997), who established classical guitar as a genre. Flamenco, music rooted in the cante jondo (deep song) of the gitanos (gypsies) of Andalusia, is experiencing a revival. Paco de Lucia is the best known flamenco guitarist internationally. His friend Camarón de la Isla was, until his death in 1992, the leading light of contemporary cante jondo. In the 1980s flamenco-rock fusion (a.k.a. 'gypsy rock') was developed by the likes of Pata Negra and Ketama, and in the 1990s Radio Tarifa emerged with a mesmerizing mix of flamenco and medieval sounds. Bakalao, the Spanish contribution to the world of techno, emerged from Valencia." [Source] So why not add opera to the highest cultural contributions in Spain? Time to see the country as the famous opera singers would have experienced it while growing up. The tour begins after the jump.

Pilar Lorengar Live and Studio Recordings 1959-1962 Berlin

"Ihren weltweiten, aber unaufdringlichen Ruhm verdankte Pilar Lorengar, die Spanierin mit Wahlheimat Berlin, vor allem der Opernbühne. Sie war bekannt für ein Repertoire, das von den jugendlichen Heldinnen Mozarts über die jugendlich-dramatischen Heroinen Verdis und Puccinis bis zu tragischen Mädchengestalten wie Tschaikowskys Tatjana und Janáčeks Jenůfa reichte. Die drei CDs der vorliegenden Kompilation mit Arien und Liedern enthalten Ton­dokumente aus den ersten Berliner Jahren der Sängerin, Studioaufnahmen und Live Mitschnitte, die zwischen 1959 und 1962 entstanden. In ihnen zeigt sich die Lorengar von einer eher ungewohnten Seite, sowohl im Bereich der Oper als auch der Lieder: Nicht in ihrer angestammten Mozart-Rolle der Donna Elvira ist sie hier zu hören, sondern als Donna Anna, außerdem mit für sie ungewöhnlichem Repertoire wie z. B. dem Gebet "Casta Diva" aus Bellinis Norma, dem "Piangerò la sorte mia" aus Händels Cleopatra und einer Händel-Kantate, mit der Arie aus einer Scarlatti-Oper, mit dem "Ernani, involiami" der Elvira aus Verdis früher Oper Ernani und der Partie der Rosario aus der Oper Goyescas von Granados. Die Mozart-Sängerin beweist sich hier auch als einverständige Lied-Sängerin, und wo sie schon einmal ihre Sensibilität für diese Gattung mit Mozart ins Spiel bringt, bereichert sie ihr Programm auch gleich um eine Liebesklage von Bellini und um liedhafte Arienentwürfe, um vier Canzonetten des jungen Verdi. Mit zwei Dritteln dieser Anthologie deckt Pilar Lorengar dann aber einen Bereich ab, der eine Hommage an die Musiktraditionen ihrer Heimat ist. Als junge Gesangsschülerin in Madrid hat sie sich in den Musikcafés und im Zarzuela-Theater bereits ausgiebig szenische Praxis und Präsenz angeeignet. In ihren Beiträgen zur vorliegenden Veröffentlichung entfaltet sie ein Panorama spanischer Musikgeschichte, das sich über fünf Jahrhunderte erstreckt, das von der Liedkunst der Vihuelistas des 16. Jahrhunderts bis zu den Folklore-Sammlungen und Bearbeitungen von Federico García Lorca reicht. Die moderne Gitarre ist die legitime Nachfolgerin der altehrwürdigen Vihuela, und Siegfried Behrend ist in diesen Liedern der kongeniale Partner von Pilar Lorengar. Zu dieser Produktion gibt es einen 'Producer's Comment' vom Produzenten Ludger Böckenhoff." [Source] In addition to the live opera recordings on this release, is the famous studio recording of songs with guitar featuring Siegfried Behren available for the first time on CD outside of Japan. Release date is set for June 6, 2014. Also, thanks to the recent release of a long-lost Decca LP, more of the soprano's recordings are now available in their entirety. 

Decca Pulls Out All The Stops With 50-Disc Release Of Most Wanted

Decca seems to be scouring the back-catalog to entice buyers to complete their collections before compact discs become obsolete. The latest batch of releases to include 50 CDs, with some familiar and not-so-familiar artists, is titled Most Wanted Recitals. Several of these discs have made it to CD transfer in chopped-up form, leaving buyers bewildered as to why the whole material was not simply released. For example, a two-CD set was released to commemorate the artistry of Pilar Lorengar. It was much of her recorded legacy with London/Decca. Only about half the material from an album done with Jesús López-Cobos made it to the set. Here at last, we will have it

complete. And it is worth having, as she is in spectacular voice. The same holds true for an opera arias disc by Gwyneth Jones that was licensed by Belart, but did not have the complete Verdi scenes LP on it. Other discs have already had the material released in multiple sets. Such is the case with Cristina Deutekom recording of Viennese bon-bons. Material by Régine Crespin, Inge Borkh, Hilde Gueden, Virginia Zeani, and others, has made it to the store shelves in bits and pieces. It is nice to see a label dig deep into the archive and make an attempt to get some interesting programs out on CD, instead of just releasing them as MP3s. Hopefully this is the first round of this recital series, because we are still missing important releases [not counting

items already released on MP3 only]. A short list would include: Leontyne Price (Noel, Noel with Charles Dutoit), Birgit Nilsson (Songs of Scandinavia and Wagner complete with Colin Davis), Helena Döse (Puccini, Mascagni, Verdi), Virginia Zeani (Puccini Arias), Elisabeth Söderström (Jenny Lind Songs), Edith Mathis (Haydn Arias), Sylvia Geszty (Coloratura Arias and Duets with Peter Schreier), Montserrat Caballé (Dramatic Soprano Arias and Music of Spain), Elly Ameling (German Romantic Songs, Bach Cantatas and Schubert on Stage), Marilyn Horne (Sings Carmen with Henry Lewis), and Eileen Farrell (Songs America Loves). Not to mention that Felicia Weathers could have a whole box-set dedicated to her. In addition to the Verdi & Puccini Arias recording (released by Decca on CD in

2006), there are the albums yet to be transferred: Italianische Opernarien [arias by Cilea, Verdi, Boito, Puccini and Giordano]; Die Schönsten Lieder der Welt [songs of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms]; Spirituals & Folksongs; Richard Strauss Lieder; Hello Young Lovers [songs from Musicals]; Liebe, Love, L'amour [songs from Films]; and the label could probably get the rights to release the material on her Intercord recording Wunderbar ist die Welt. Check out more of the soprano selections from the Most Wanted Recitals collection after the jump. You can see the complete list here. Items will be released in March/April.

Die Electrola Querschnitte (1960-1963) mit Fritz Wunderlich!

He was one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century. At age 35 he tragically lost his life. Fritz Wunderlich is still regarded as one of the most gifted opera singers ever immortalized in the studio. 50 years ago, Electrola (EMI Köln) recorded opera highlights in stereo of eight different operas sung in German by the tenor and some of the greatest artists on stage at the time including Pilar Lorengar, Hermann Prey, Anneliese Rothenberger, Gottlob Frick and Elisabeth Grümmer. Now remastered, these recorded treasures have been resurrected in this new seven-CD collector's edition box set. Some of the music sounds a bit strange in a language other than the original Italian or Russian, but the quality of the singing by all the artists is unmistakably superb. As a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon, Fritz Wunderlich has a bulk of his back-catalog on that label so this EMI release is a real treasure. "We stood there in the studio and got there more and more carried away, as if we were on stage." (Pilar Lorengar in an interview with Thomas Voigt, 1991)

Listen to two excerpts (auf Deutsche) from Madama Butterfly with Pilar Lorengar, Hermann Prey and Fritz Wunderlich:




Complete track listing is after the jump.

From the Vault: Pilar Lorengar Spanish Songs with Félix Lavilla

Released on Discos Columbia S.A. in 1973, this program of Spanish composers is exquisitely performed by soprano Pilar Lorengar and pianist Félix Lavilla. Some of this repertoire was recorded by Ms. Lorengar with pianist Alicia de Larrocha and with orchestra under conductor Jesus Lopez-Cobos for Decca Records. Perhaps that is why this LP has not been re-issued on CD or MP3. Thanks to Tenorisimo1975 on YouTube, you can hear all the tracks except one ("Cuando tan hermosa os miro" of Turina) in the playlist below. Columbia's back-catalog is owned by EMI, so perhaps one day someone will see fit to release these items as a tribute to a great singer.

Tres tonadillas (Granados)

El majo discreto; El mirar de la maja; El tra la lá y el punteado

Seis canciones castellanas (Guridi)

No quiero tus avellanas; Cómo quieres que adivine, Mañanita de San Juan

Homenaje a Lope de Vega (Turina)

Cuando tan hermosa os miro; Si con mis deseos

Cantares (Turina)

Asturiana (Nin)

Tríptico de canciones (García Leoz)

De Cádiz a Gibraltar; A la Flor, a la pitiflor; Por el aire van

Madre unos ojuelos VI (Toldrá)

Cantarcillo (Toldrá)

Cuatro madrigales amatorios (J. Rodrigo)

¿Con qué la lavaré?; Vos me matásteis; ¿De dónde venís, amore?; De los álamos vengo, madre

From the Vault: Pilar Lorengar Singing Old Spanish Songs (DG)

"From the Vault" is a new series highlighting classical recordings that labels seem to be unaware they own and have not yet reissued on compact disc or even distributed in digital format. Enjoy the first installment:

Altspanische Romanzen und Volkslieder
Pilar Lorengar , soprano; Siegfried Behrend, guitar; Richard Klemm, viola la gambe
1LP-DGG-139155-SLPM (Made in Germany, 1966)

Complete track listing and audio samples are after the jump.

Contact High: Pilar Lorengar

Les Huguenots - Duet
Pilar Lorengar, Richard Leech
Richard Bonynge, Chicago, 1987
Clip length (0:46)


con·tact high [kon-takt hahy]: when you feel the slight, brief sensation of being high just because you were close to somebody that was definitely high.