Emma Calve, The Complete 1902 G&T, 1920 Pathé and "Mapleson Cylinder" Recordings; Cecile Merguillier, Pathé, Paris, c. 1904 [Marston 52013-2, 2 CDs; see http://www.marstonrecords.com/calve/calve_tracks.htm
for complete track listing information]

Emma Calve (1858-1942) was a dynamic personality who, against all odds, emerged as one of the great singing-actresses of her time. Onstage, Calve was riveting; her voice was capable of profound expressivity, charm and poignancy.

This CD set couples her 1902 recordings for the Gramophone Company together with her 1920 Pathe Company recordings which were made when she was almost 60 years old. Oddly enough, I find this later batch most rewarding. Time could not diminish Calve’s spontaneous and vivacious temperament. Her voice is in great shape and she sings the scenes from Carmen (including the “Habanera”, “Seguidille”, “Chanson Boheme” and “Card Scene” with an almost primordial musical intelligence.

The Mapleson cylinders captured Calve in live performance at the Metropolitan Opera in excerpts from Carmen, Faust and Cavalleria Rusticana. Apart from their historical importance, the cylinders are not without musical value and occasional flashes of Calve’s interpretive genius emerge through the understandably dim sound and scratchy surfaces.

Calve also recorded several songs in English, including “The Star Spangled Banner”, “Comin’ ‘thro the Rye”, and even “Dixie Land.” Incredible as it may seem, it is these songs that for me best capture the sparkling and impulsive Calve persona.

The Paris-born Cecile Merguillier (1861-1938) performed mostly in France, with occasional appearances in Brussels and Moscow. And although Merguillier does not offer the great interpretive insights of her great contemporary Emma Calve, she does provide much pleasure with her agile, full-throated light lyric soprano infusing her singing with a gracious sparkle, vim and unaffectedness. We are indebted to Ward Marston and Christian Zwarg for their exemplary audio conservation. The booklet is beautifully produced with notes and photographs, and Mr. Marston’s concise review of his restoration work.
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