[4/22/2011] Preview: Can you identify the four tenors we have singing Verdi's "Ingemisco" tonight? (continued)

John Horton Murray sings the "Ingemisco," Oct. 16, 2009. He posted this clip himself, so apparently he wants people to hear it.


TO RECAP --

"One of our four recordings," I wrote before presenting the audio clips, "doesn't seem to me quite to belong in the company of the others. I've included it primarily for historical purposes. I'm sure you'll know which one I mean." In case the answer isn't obvious, you'll find it below.

Meanwhile, here are our four "mystery" recordings properly identified.

VERDI: Requiem: Dies Irae: No. 7, "Ingemisco"

I groan as one who is accused;
guilt reddens my cheek;
Thy supplicant spare, O God.

Thou who absolved Mary,
and harkened to the thief,
hast given me hope.

My prayers are worthless,
but Thou who art good and kind,
rescue me from everlasting fire.

With Thy sheep give me a place,
and from the goats keep me separate,
placing me at Thy right hand.

Tenor A
RICHARD TUCKER
(1913-1975)
recorded at age 50!
(actually, almost 51)

Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia/CBS/Sony, recorded May 1964

Tenor B
ENRICO CARUSO (1873-1921)

With "orchestra." Victor, recorded Jan. 7, 1915

Tenor C
ROBERTO ALAGNA
(born 1963)

Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado, cond. DG, recorded live, Jan. 25 and 27, 2001

Tenor D
JON VICKERS (born 1926)
pictured as Britten's Peter Grimes

New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, cond. EMI, recorded April 1970


THE RECORDING INCLUDED PRIMARILY

FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES . . .

. . . is of course the Alagna one, which isn't terrible but just isn't in a class vocally or artistically with the others, quite apart from the fact that his is a significantly lighter-weight voice. As a matter of fact, on Sunday, we're going to be hearing nothing but lyric-weight tenors, but on altogether other levels of achievement, though Alagna's voice had pretty much unlimited potential within its weight class. He makes sensible interpretive choices, but they're just executed as menu choices, from among the narrow range of vocal options he has. Does anyone hear a soul in torment?

I do hear a voice in something not entirely unlike torment. When Alagna lightens it, it's drained of color and life; when he opens it out . . . well, there isn't much to open, especially in the not-very-functional upper range, a range that a tenor really wants to have highly functional if he's aiming for the big time. Again, it's not a fair direct comparison, but if you want to hear what it means to scale a voice down, listen to Vickers singing most of the piece in varying shades of half-voice (a half-voice that in fairness could get him in trouble, but that here has far more richness and body than Alagna's full voice -- and, note, comes in a full shaded range of volumes, not just "soft" or "loud"), then at strategic moments opening out to that stupendous fullness.

There are things to pick at in both Vickers' and Tucker's performances; Caruso, not so much! But with all three, the music is lived, and realized. Alagna does a credible job, certainly, but just as certainly not a job in a class with the others. He also gets less help from his conductor than the others (even Caruso!). Still, I knew that if I didn't include something from the present century, there would be no end of shouting and hysterical outbursts.


IN TOMORROW NIGHT'S PREVIEW . . .

We place the "Ingemisco" in context in the Requiem, and then Sunday we return to the "Ingemisco" and take the damned thing apart.


IF FOR SOME REASON YOU WANT TO RETURN TO THE
"PLAIN WRAPPER" VERSION OF THE CLIPS, CLICK HERE


RETURN TO THE BEGINNING OF THE POST

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