Giovanni Martinelli, the complete acoustic recordings (1912-24) [Romophone 82012-2, 3 CDs]

Arias from “Tosca”, “La Boheme”, “Madama Butterfly”, “Manon Lescaut” (Puccini); “Martha” (Flowtow); “L’Africana” (Meyerbeer); “Cavalleria Rusticana”, “Iris” (Mascagni); “Ernani”, “La Traviata”, “Rigoletto”, “Un Ballo in Maschera”, “Aida” (with Rosa Ponselle), “Il Trovatore”, “Don Carlo” (Verdi); “Lucia di Lammermoor”, “Don Pasquale” (Donizetti), “La Gioconda” (Ponchieli); “Eugene Onegin” (Tchaikovsky); “Guillaume Tell” (with Guiseppe de Luca, baritone; Jose Mardones, bass; Marcel Journet, bass)(Rossini); “I Pagliacci”, “Zaza” (Leoncavallo); “La Juive” (Halevy); “Faust” (Gounod); “Werther” (Massanet), “Carmen” (with Geraldine Farrar, soprano) (Bizet); Songs by Tosti, Mascagni, Roxas, Bizet, Leoncavallo. [With various orchestras and conductors]

The passionate thrust of Giovanni Martinelli’s effortless, pure, ringing tone made him a favorite at the Metropolitan Opera, home of his greatest successes from 1913 to 1945. It was Martinelli’s distinctive style and exemplary phrasing that made him stand out in the august company of such contemporaries as Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, and Tito Schipa. Indeed, Martinelli’s superb phrasing particularly illustrates the expression “pearls on a string”, the voice “blooming” on the vowels as it shapes the legato line.

In “Celeste Aida” Martinelli softens his voice for the phrase “E a te, mi dolce Aida” caressing it with honeyed gold. Then he opens his voice out thrillingly at “ergerti un trono”, impressing one with it’s clean attack and vibrant power. The scenes from “Aida” with the lustrous-voiced Ponselle represent some of Martinelli’s most incisive and compelling singing. I find Martinelli more convincing in “Tosca” than in “La Boheme”. “E lucevan le stelle” is painted with a haunting desperation, as if Caravadossi is overwhelmed by the delicious memory of Tosca. Martinelli excelled in the French repertoire as well. His voice is velvet sweetness and blade-like thrust in the Carmen excerpts where he is partnered by the saucy, defiant gypsy of Geraldine Farrar. Eleazar’s great aria from “La Juive”, “Rachel quand du seigneur”, is a visceral outpouring of emotion and vocal power.

Among the songs, “Ideale” is a wonderful example of how Martinelli used his voice to illustrate different musical moods. The first verse is sung with a passionate, almost reckless, ardor. The second verse is peacefully restrained, until the voice suddenly rings out rousingly at the climax. Then the words “torna” are sung hushed, under the breath, with a moving wistfulness. “Serenata” is performed in a melancholy mood, the voice tinged with a vibrant velvet.

These are but a few examples of the vocal gold to be found in this beautifully presented three-CD set. Transfers and audio restoration are by Ward Marston, liner notes are by John Steane. A most enjoyable release.
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