The Art of Christiane Eda-Pierre Finally Gets Its Day on Decca

Nearly 2 years ago, a post was developed in the "From the Vault" series on Opera Fresh complaining about the lack of releases from soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre's discography. Well, at long last the public will be able to savor this wonderful artist's catalog drawn from Philips Classics recordings that will be issued now on the Decca label for a launch date of May 27, 2013. Pre-order by clicking here.

The Lost Recordings of Elly Ameling on CBS Masterworks

Dutch soprano Elly Ameling recorded more than 150 albums, mostly for the Philips Classics label in the Netherlands but also with a smattering of discs for Decca in London and Deutsche Grammophon in Germany. Many of these recordings won Ms. Ameling prizes like the Edison Award, Grand Prix du Disque, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, among others. One can find recordings for more independent labels toward the end of her career. However, there is a significant amount of recorded material during the 1980s on CBS Masterworks, a label that would eventually be purchased by Sony and today is known as Sony Masterworks. This material has not been released on CD or in MP3 format. Thanks to one YouTube user who has uploaded at the 1980 album of Fauré and Debussy, which you can listen to in its entirety here:

And three clips from the "Souvenirs" album are here for your delight:
"Music For a While" (Purcell)

"The Wakeful Nightingale" (Weldon)

"Jardin D'amour" (Vuillermoz)
We can only hope that someone will dig deep into the vaults at Sony Masterworks and release some of these gorgeous recordings of Elly Ameling.

From the Vault: Margaret Price at the Wigmore Hall on RCA

From 1971 comes this RCA Red Seal album of soprano Margaret Price and pianist James Lockhart performing recital music from Wigmore Hall in London. This was the same year she made her Cologne Opera debut in Don Giovanni and one year before making the complete recording of Così fan tutte (singing Fiordiligi) under Otto Klemperer. 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: Margarita Castro-Alberty Chante Verdi

Margarita Castro-Alberty Chante Verdi was produced on the french label Erato as a gatefold LP in 1982. The reference number is 75003. Get more information about the soprano and watch her sing "Tu al cui sguardo onnipossente" from I Due Foscari and "O patria mia" from Aida after the jump.

From the Vault: Rachel Yakar Sings Sacred Arias on EMI

French soprano Rachel Yakar was joined by clarinetist Dieter Klöcker on the album Geistliche Arien für Sopran und konzertierende Klarinette featuring music of Sebestyén, Salieri, Mozart, Paisiello, Cherubini, Guglielmi, Sarti, Schubert and Paër. The album was recorded for EMI Köln in 1980 with RIAS-Sinfonietta. With such interesting and rare repertoire, it's a surprise that the contents of this LP have never made it to CD or MP3.

From the Vault: Henri Legay Sings French Opera Arias

“Henri Legay was a French operatic tenor, primarily French-based as his light lyric voice was especially suited to the French operatic repertoire. Born in Paris, he won First Prize at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1947, and began his career singing operetta. He made his operatic début at La Monnaie in Brussels in 1950, also appearing in Lausanne. He began a long association with the Opéra-Comique in 1952, as Gérald in Lakmé, quickly establishing himself as one of the leading tenors of his time. He left a few recordings, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Le Roi d'Ys, and most notably Manon, opposite Victoria de los Ángeles and conducted by Pierre Monteux, widely regarded as the definitive recording of Massenet's opera. Along with such early twentieth century tenors as David Devries, Georges Thill and Léopold Simoneau, Legay represented a lost style of French operatic singing.” [Source]

"Vainement, ma bien-aimée" from Le Roi d'Ys by Édouard Lalo

Purchase a rare CD of arias by this great tenor by clicking here. CD contents after the jump.

From the Vault: Christiane Eda-Pierre 18th Century French Arias

Soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre is a French lyric soprano of Martiniquan origin. Her limited discography includes Dardanus (Rameau) and Le Roi David (Honegger) on Erato, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart), Benvenuto Cellini (Berlioz), Béatrice et Bénédict (Berlioz), Missa Solemnis (Beethoven) and Mass in C minor (Beethoven) for Philips, as well as Les Illuminations (Britten) on the Arion label and Pour un Monde Noir (Chaynes) for Caliope. But perhaps her greatest recorded legacy is an LP titled Airs d’opéras-comiques with The Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields under the direction of Neville Marriner in 1979 for Philips. The tracks include arias from comic opera of André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor. Although this recital would have been a perfect fit for Universal's "Classic Recital" series, no re-issue on CD or MP3 is available. But thanks to the generosity of YouTube user PopoliDiTessalia, you can sample the tracks below:

1. "Comme un éclair, la flatteuse espérance" La Fausse magie (Grétry)


2. "Tout dormait" Mélide ou le Navigateur (Philidor)


3. "Éprise d’un feu téméraire" Anacréon chez Polycrate (Grétry)


4. "Je crains de lui parler la nuit" Richard Cœur-de-Lion (Grétry)


5. "O ciel!...Quel espoir est pour moi?" La Belle esclave (Philidor)


6. "Plus d’ennemis dans mon empire" Céphale & Procris (Grétry)


7. "De la coquette volage" Les Femmes vengées (Philidor)


8. "Je ne le dis qu’à vous" La Fausse magie (Grétry)


9. "Ô toi qui ne peux m’entendre" Tom Jones (Philidor)

From the Vault: Lucia Popp Sings Mozart Concert Arias

Soprano Lucia Popp recorded this album of Mozart concert arias in 1984 with the Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg under conductor Leopold Hager. Deutsche Grammophon 410 961-1 Stereo. Surprisingly it has never appeared complete on CD, nor in MP3 format. Philips released this CD box set of Mozart works, but the items in bold were missing from the below original track list:

1) A Berenice...Sol nascente, recitative and aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 70 (K. 61c)

2) Per pietà, bell'idol mio, aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 78 (K. 73b)

3) O temerario Arbace!...Per quel paterno, recitative and aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 79 (K. 73d)

4) Per qual paterno amplesso, K79/73d

5) Basta, vincesti...Ah, non lasciarmi, recitative and aria for soprano & orchestra, K. (2) 486a (K. 295a)

6) Ah non lasciarmi, K486a/295a

7) Ah, lo previdi...Ah, t'invola agl'occhi miei, recitative and aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 272

8) Alcandro, Io confesso...Non só d'onde viene, recitative and aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 294

9) Nehmt meinen Dank, ihr holden Gönner, aria for soprano & orchestra. K. 383

10) Chi sà, chi sà, qual sia, aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 582

From the Vault: 1978 "La Flûte Enchantée" With Alain Lombard

The French label Barclay was purchased by Erato Records and in the late 1970s Alain Lombard teamed up with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg for a series of recordings that included this gem, along with Così fan tutte (Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Teresa Stratas, David Rendall, Jules Bastine) and Faust (Montserrat Caballé, Giacomo Aragall, Paul Plishka). Now owned by Warner, the below issue has never made it to CD or MP3 format.

Mozart: La Flûte Enchantée [Die Zauberflöte]
Recorded May 29,  & 30; June 1-3, 5-7, 1978
Palais de la Musique et des Congres Strasbourg, France; Orchestre de Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Choeurs de L'Opéra du Rhin, Alain Lombard (cond.); Kiri Te Kanawa (Pamina), Edita Gruberova (Reine de la Nuit), Kathleen Battle (Papagena), Helena Döse (1re Dame), Ann Murray (2e Dame), Naoko Ihara (3e Dame), Peter Hofmann (Tamino), Philippe Huttenlocher (Papageno), Kurt Moll (Sarastro), José van Dam (L'Officiant) and Norbert Orth (Monostatos).
Barclay 960 012/014 P1978 (3 LPs)

Montserrat Caballé Reissues Still Missing Major Recording

If you need your Montserrat Caballé thirst quenched, turn to EMI and Sony for recent reissues from the soprano's back catalog. With the numerous compilations that have been released, there is still a vital recording missing: 15 Strauss songs with Alexis Weissenberg on piano. A number of years ago, EMI Classics issued the 1979 recording of Canto a Sevilla by Joaquin Turina and Canciones negras by Xavier Montsalvatge on CD. The other half of the original 2LP set, however, has never seen the light of day on CD or MP3. Why? Not to mention the lack of originality with cover art on the above re-issues. Are there really only two photos of this great artist in the files of these record companies to use?

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.

What's In Your Vault? Record Labels Blind To Their Wares

Now that Citigroup bank has taken control of the EMI label, formerly owned by Guy Hands, its next step will be to find a buyer. Potential suitors: Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendi SA's (VIVEF) Universal Music Group and Warner Music. How does this impact classical music? In discussing the EMI catalog the only names seriously bandied around are The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Surely the entire recorded legacy of Maria Callas is worth something to a potential new parent company. Not to mention early treasures of Herbert von Karajan, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, Riccardo Muti and many others.

The Beatles and Maria Callas: Big money makers for the label, but one gets priority during a merger.
(Angus McBean photographed both of the above album covers for EMI)

This poses the question of who will be the keeper to a vast history of opera and vocal recordings inside labels when mega-corporations start to swallow their competitors whole? In an effort to shine a light on these treasures that will continually be buried in the sound vaults of record labels with the inception of each new regime, I want to start posting about the history of the world's most elite producers of classical music. The series will be called "From The Vault" and will feature a recording that was released on LP but never made the transition to CD with little hope of ever getting a streaming or download incarnation in the future.