Legendary Baritones

Note by Roland Vernon











Despite the fact that his entire career was concentrated on buffo and character roles, Fugère displayed a refinement of technique, which (not unlike Battistini) enabled him to sing professionally well into old age. Indeed, the recording included here was made in his eightieth year. He rarely appeared outside Paris, and his only visit beyond the frontiers of France was to Covent Garden, in 1897, when he sang Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni (opposite the Don of Maurice Renaud). His acting skills were greatly admired in roles such as Bartolo (Barber of Seville), whilst his vocal style combined both grace and comic expression.

Fugère sang the role of Boniface (in Massenet's Jongleur de Notre Dame) at the French première, in 1904. In the 'legend of the sage', the kindly monk Boniface explains to Jean - a newcomer to the monastery - how even the most humble of things can serve God. He tells the story of how a lowly sage plant blossomed out at the request of the Virgin, and hid Christ from his enemies.

Maurel's enormous fame derived not just from his voice and remarkable acting skills, but from the opportunity he had to create some of the most magnificent roles in operatic repertoire. Born in Marseilles, he turned aside from an initial inclination to paint, and studied singing at the Paris Conservatoire. His Paris début was quickly followed by La Scala, the San Carlo in Naples, and Covent Garden. He was particularly appreciated at the latter house, where he appeared in Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi and Wagner roles. His fame in Paris, of course, knew no bounds, but it was at La Scala that his most historic achievements were accomplished: the creation of Verdi's last three baritone principals, Simon Boccanegra (in the revised version), Iago, and Falstaff. In 1892 he also created Tonio (Pagliacci), having first persuaded Leoncavallo to compose the showpiece prologue for himself. These roles he took with him to all corners of the operatic world, and eventually retired, an elder statesman of his craft, in New York.

Tosti (1846-1916) was one of the nineteenth century's most popular composers of drawing-room songs. Born in Italy, he taught music to the British royal family, became a British subject, and was subsequently knighted.

One of the most striking qualities of Magini-Coletti's career was his versatility. Along with several other well-schooled baritones of the pre-Ruffo/Caruso era, he could adapt his vocal manner to suit almost any repertoire: the most taxing of Verdi's lyric roles (di Luna, Amonasro), buffo parts from the earlier, bel canto era of Donizetti and Rossini (Belcore, Figaro), classical opera (Fidelio), and premières of challenging new works such as Puccini's Edgar. In addition, he participated in Toscanini's vanguard campaign to introduce Wagner at La Scala, taking the role of Kurwenal in the 1900 production of Tristan, and going on to create, for the same opera house, the role of Wotan in Wagner's Walküre. Regardless of operatic 'schools', he approached each role with polished craftsmanship and intelligent musicality.

We hear him in his fifties, tackling Verdi's great comic role, Sir John Falstaff, eponymous hero of the composer's final opera. Sir John, a grotesquely fat philanderer has amorous designs on Alice Ford, the wife of a wealthy burgher. Little suspecting that she has seen through his plot, he tells her of his youth, when he was a page, lithe and handsome.

Battistini's extraordinary career lasted fifty years, and in that time he won himself a reputation as a quite exquisite stylist, a baritone of complete refinement, whose legato was unrivalled, whose breath control flawless. His artistry represents the very pinnacle of the old Italian voice method, and although he lived and performed well into the verismo era, he never abandoned his technique in preference of cheap vocal mannerisms. Asked how he maintained such a freshness of timbre, he replied that he had always sung on vocal income, and had never touched the capital. The son of a medical professor, the majority of his career was spent on continental Europe; a fear of sailing prevented him venturing to the States, and limited his appearances in England. But his most spectacular popularity outside Italy was in Tsarist Russia, which he visited for twenty-six seasons, right up until the War.

Battistini, 'the Glory of Italy,' was personally selected for roles by Wagner, Verdi, Massenet, Thomas and Saint-Saëns, which is evidence of his proficiency in diverse operatic schools. 'Di Provenza,' from Verdi's La Traviata, reveals him at his most lyrical. Germont has successfully persuaded the courtesan Violetta to abandon his son, Alfredo. He now turns to the wayward Alfredo, and in a heartfelt plea, begs him to return to the family home in Provence.

After a first career as a diplomat, Ancona began to sing professionally at the age of thirty, but the late start did not impede his quick progress to universal popularity. Less than a year after his Trieste début he was engaged at La Scala, and he soon became a firm favourite at Covent Garden. The first of his seventeen seasons in London (1893) included the British première of Pagliacci, with Ancona as Tonio - a role he repeated with equal success at the Met. His tremendous popularity in London was said to have been in part because of his likeness to the reigning monarch, Edward VII. In 1899 he took the part of Marcello in the first Italian language Bohème at Covent Garden, alongside Melba and De Lucia. He also participated in the opening performance of Hammerstein's Manhattan opera in 1906, and continued to sing with considerable freshness until his retirement in 1916.

In Ballo he takes the role of Renato, who discovers his wife to be involved in a secret love-affair with his friend and employer, Ricardo. In an outburst of anger he swears to kill her, but grief overwhelms him as he recalls "sweet remembrances, vanished forever."

Renaud's outstanding skills both as a singer and an actor combined to make him a stage artist of the first rank; indeed, he is considered the most accomplished French baritone of his (i.e. the post-Maurel) generation. Born in Bordeaux, he studied in Paris and Brussels, the latter city becoming his artistic home for the first seven years of his career. The following decade he spent for the most part in Paris, appearing occasionally in the provinces of France. In 1907 he began a lengthy association with Covent Garden, where he was particularly admired for his portrayal of Mozart's Don Giovanni. He was recruited in 1906 to join Hammerstein's Manhattan opera, and stayed there until the company's liquidation in 1910, whereupon he joined the ranks of the Met for two seasons. His repertoire was broad, and he specialised in lyric French and Italian roles (Massenet and Verdi in particular). But it was as Méphistophélès, in Berlioz' Damnation de Faust, that he attained his greatest stature as a performer.

In Massenet's Roi de Lahore, Renaud takes the role of Scindia, a treacherous councillor, who has usurped his king's throne and forced the unwilling Sita into betrothal. Now that he is crowned, and his enemies are in retreat, he prepares for the joy of being united with Sita.

The son of professional opera singers, Giraldoni was one of the leading baritones of the verismo movement. He was particularly adept in the performance of works by the 'new' (post-Verdi) school of Italian composers, which demanded vigorous displays of histrionic drama, driving volume and emotional delivery. It was perhaps because of these qualities that he was invited to create the role of Scarpia in the première of Puccini's Tosca, at Rome's Constanzi theatre, in 1900 (a portrayal which was not universally admired). Occasionally criticised as lacking in vocal subtlety, Giraldoni was most appreciated in the strongholds of verismo culture, Italy and South America. New York and London were less impressed, and he only attended one season at each. He retired to teach in Finland.

The dramatic role of Iago (in Verdi's Otello), provided Giraldoni the opportunity to employ his instinct for powerful impersonation. This aria is a monologue recitation of Iago's demonic creed. It is a savage affirmation of wickedness, made all the more potent by his denial of good in humankind, his defiance of death, and his scorn of heaven as an 'ancient lie.'

'Stracciari - now that was a baritone,' recalled Rosa Ponselle about one of her favourite stage partners. Although his career was somewhat overshadowed by the thunderous presence of Ruffo, Stracciari maintained his excellent instrument into old age through the application of a fine technique. His early years in operetta chorus were well behind him, when, at the age of twenty-nine he made his début at La Scala. His first seasons at Covent Garden and the Met were disappointing, and he would wait for a decade before returning to the States, during which time he consolidated his reputation in Italy. He is particularly remembered for his splendid partnership with Amelita Galli-Curci at Chicago.

Stracciari's most famous roles were Rigoletto and Rossini's Figaro, both of which he recorded complete. Indeed, he is reputed to have sung Figaro a thousand times, which only seems possible after hearing the ease with which he embraces the role's high tessitura, and the humorous patter of its recitative.

As Scarpia he displays less gratuitous ferocity of timbre than many verismo interpreters. In this aria he replies with scorn to the distraught Tosca, who has been pleading for the release of her lover, Cavaradossi. She must pay for Cavaradossi's reprieve by the giving of herself.

Roman by birth, Giuseppe de Luca began his singing life as a member of the Vatican choir, before attending two of the greatest singing teachers of the age, Persichini and Cotogni. These masters instilled in him a sound technique, rooted in the old Italian method, and a knowledge of his own limitations, which allowed him to sing professionally for fifty years with few signs of vocal deterioration. He was successful both in buffo and serio roles, and participated in a number of significant premières: as Sharpless in Despite formidable rivalry from Ruffo and Amato, de Luca remained a favourite at the Met from his début there in 1915, through until 1947, thus outlasting his two colleagues by eighteen and twenty-six years respectively. He may not have possessed equivalent vocal resources to either, but ultimately proved himself a more resourceful singer.

He is heard here in his artistic prime, singing the role of the King (Don Carlos) in Ernani. He hides close to the tomb of Charlemagne, at Aix-la-Chapelle, waiting for a band of conspirators. In a reflective monologue he pledges his life to the well-being of his subjects.

Titta Ruffo was one of the three vocal 'miracles' remembered by the veteran conductor, Tullio Serafin (the other two being Ponselle and Caruso). His voice was awesome in its power and timbre; his stage presence was insuperable (he never lost the physical strength of the blacksmith he had once been); and the directness of his stage characterisations would literally pummel an audience. He was obsessively self-motivated to achieve ever greater, louder and bigger feats. In this way he carved for himself a career at the very forefront of the verismo - his manner, style and voice were ideally suited to new musical fashion and the works emanating from the young generation of Italian opera composers.

Ruffo was largely self-taught; he could never find a teacher to harness his voice and temperament. This lack of a fundamental grounding, together with years of vocal abuse, ultimately brought his career to a premature close. But not before he had established unrivalled supremacy in North and South America, and achieved for himself a reputation as the world's most expensive baritone. An ardent patriot, he returned to Italy to enlist for the First World War, and campaigned virulently against Mussolini's fascists from 1925 onwards.

Ruffo possessed a keen literary intellect, and was passionately fond of Shakespeare. As the grotesque knight, Sir John Falstaff, he was able to indulge his enjoyment of great drama. In this aria Falstaff turns on Bardolph and Pistol because they refuse to deliver love-letters on his behalf. They protest that they are honourable, but Falstaff denounces them as scoundrels.

Neapolitan by birth, Pasquale Amato made his début as a twenty-one-year old Germont père at his home town's Teatro Bellini. Five years later he made his one visit to Covent Garden, but his career did not really blossom until he was recruited by Toscanini and Gatti-Casazza for La Scala. His unusually high range made him a versatile performer, and he excelled not only in the older masterpieces of Verdi, but in contemporary repertoire as well (such as the local première of Pelléas). When Gatti and Toscanini took over management of the Met in 1908, they secured the services of Amato as principle baritone. Here he sustained a punishing schedule for twelve seasons, tackling many tiring verismo roles, though never indulging in the manneristic excesses which characterised so many of his colleagues' work in this arena. A highlight of his New York career was the 1910 première of Puccini's Fanciulla, in which he created Jack Rance.

Overwork eventually took its toll, and Amato showed signs of severe vocal deterioration by his early forties. 'O vecchio cor che batti' was perhaps Amato's most famous recording, and a best-seller. As Francesco Foscari, the eighty-year-old Doge of Venice, he laments that he is compelled to enforce an exile order on his beloved son.

Schwarz's legacy of records confirms that he was amongst the most outstanding singers of his generation. Tragically, alcoholism blighted his final years and undermined the quality of his singing at a pitifully young age. He died at forty-six.

Born in Latvia, of German Jewish parents, Schwarz spent most of his career in central European territories. He was a great success in Austria (particularly at the Imperial Opera, Vienna), and a favourite at Berlin, Prague and Budapest. He visited New York in 1921, and was invited to join the Chicago Opera the following year, where he remained until 1925. He was a high baritone of considerable refinement, and has been compared (in quality of timbre) with Battistini himself. Not unlike this great predecessor, Schwarz could apply himself with equal finesse both to Verdi and Wagner. He also possessed a strong instinct for drama, and his interpretations reveal an artist with a great variety of vocal colours at his disposal, which he employed effectively to sharpen his characterisations.

'O du, mein holder Abendstern' reveals Wolfram's hopeless love for Elisabeth. He knows her heart belongs to his friend, Tannhäuser, yet the sight of her walking off into the night inspires him to sing an ode to the evening star, which is a veiled metaphor for Elisabeth herself.

Another versatile baritone, whose accomplishments were considerably aided by a facility to encompass the highest register with ease, was the Frankfurt born Heinrich Schlusnus. After his early career in the post office, he moved to Berlin and studied under Louis Bacher. His début followed in 1915, when he appeared as the Herald in a production of Lohengrin at Hamburg. Two years in Nuremberg were followed by nearly thirty at the Berlin Staatsoper, where he established himself as Germany's principal Verdi baritone of the inter-war period. Amongst other triumphs was his Guy de Montfort, at the Berlin première of Vêpres Siciliennes, in 1932. He was also appreciated outside the realm of Italian opera, scoring notable successes in Wagnerian repertoire (Chicago and Bayreuth); and the intelligence of his vocal style was pronounced in his recitals of Lieder, for which he achieved an outstanding reputation.

Hans Heiling, is generally considered the best work of its composer, Heinrich Marschner. Along with his Der Vampyr, it enjoyed enormous popularity in the 19th century. Heiling, the demi-god king of a subterranean world, has fallen in love with a mortal, Anna; and he sacrifices his kingdom to be with her. He tells her of his feelings, but warns that his vengeance will be terrible if she ever betrays him.

Zanelli provides a rare example of a singer who completely changed direction half way through his career. Born in Chile (of Italian stock) he began life as a businessman, until he was persuaded to train his voice seriously. Up to 1924 he appeared as a baritone, establishing a considerable reputation both on stage and record. He sang at the Met for four years, but appears to have been discouraged by a deficiency of tone in the lower register (the fashion of the day being for heavy, driving baritone voices). He retrained, and in 1924, along with the birth of electric recording, emerged as a dramatic tenor. His Otello was widely admired, nowhere more than at Covent Garden, where he earned the reviewers' approval not just as a singer, but as a powerful actor as well. His new repertoire and vocal technique took him into the realms of Wagner, and he became the leading Italian-speaking Heldentenor of his generation.

In Leoncavallo's Zazà he takes the role of Cascart, an elderly music-hall singer in love with his beautiful young stage-colleague, Zazà. He implores her to return to the life they used to share together. She, meanwhile, has fallen for a wealthy young suitor.

Born in Venice, Galeffi trained in Rome under the distinguished former baritone Antonio Cotogni. He went on to make his début, in 1904, at Rome's Teatro Quirino, singing the role of Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. But it was in Naples that Galeffi first proved himself to be a pre-eminent Verdi baritone, scoring notable successes as Rigoletto and Amonasro (Aida), in 1909. After this he travelled to South America, and continued on to New York, where he appeared with the Met in 1910. A later visit took him to Chicago for two seasons (1919-21). But it was at Milan's La Scala that his career took root, and he appeared there for a total of seventeen seasons between 1912 and 1938. His command of dramatic expression, and facility to expand tone in the highest register, ensured his popularity amongst Latin audiences (who appreciated emotionally charged performances); indeed, he continued to appear in Buenos Aires until 1954.

Galeffi excelled in a number of lirico-spinto Verdi roles, none more so than the hunch-back court jester, Rigoletto. In this extract, Rigoletto compares himself to the hired assassin, Sparafucile, and reflects that there is no difference between them: he too is paid to hurt and injure, though with his tongue rather than sword. His misery is compounded by the recollection of a curse that has just been laid on him.

Few singers have excelled in both popular and serious repertoire to the degree attained by John Charles Thomas. His long, flamboyant career must be seen as unique in its breadth, diversity and non-conformity. Born in 1891 of Welsh-German stock, Thomas abandoned medical studies to take up singing lessons in Baltimore. His rich baritone (and strikingly handsome looks) first came to fame in Broadway musicals, and he quickly became a matinée idol. In the early 1920s he began to appear as a serious concert artist, and in 1924 made his operatic début as Amonasro, in Washington. Three busy seasons ensued at La Monnaie (Brussels), and in 1928 he appeared at Covent Garden alongside Chaliapin, in Faust. A sensational début at Chicago (1930) led to his first appearance at the Met, in 1934 (Traviata, with Ponselle). He remained with the company until 1943, by which time he had become a popular radio and record artist. He continued to undertake concert tours until 1953.

The strength and sonority of Thomas' timbre make him an ideal interpreter of the servant (turned revolutionary) Gérard, in Andrea Chénier. In Act 3, Gérard agonises over whether he should denounce the poet Chénier as an enemy of the nation. He is torn between revolutionary idealism and vicious jealousy.

Tibbett was not only born, bred and trained in America, he actively resisted Europeanisation in any form, and spent the greater part of his career championing the cause of contemporary American opera. The Met was his artistic home for twenty-seven years, and he established a reputation as one of the finest singer-actors of the era. Amongst his greatest triumphs there, were the title roles of Simon Boccanegra, Emperor Jones (a highly dramatic contemporary work by Louis Gruenberg), Tonio in Pagliacci, and Escamillo in Carmen. Tibbett also made history as a handsome male lead in Hollywood movies, one of the few opera singers to achieve this transition with a degree of success. He was a flamboyant extrovert who used his star status to promote the cause of musical drama, and he wrote at some length on how the medium of film could help democratise opera. Despite criticisms from the establishment, his strong baritone and magnetic stage presence endeared him to New York society, until illness and overwork began to impair the quality of his voice.

As Figaro, his personal ebullience is given full rein. The barber of Seville announces himself to the audience, and boasts of his popularity in all areas of community.

Born in Hanover, Hüsch began his stage career as an actor, but turned to opera after studying singing with Hans Emge; his début followed in 1923, at which he appeared as Liebernau, in Lortzing's comic opera, Der Waffenschmied. His career continued within Germany, first at Bremen and Cologne (1927-30), and then in Berlin (Städtische Oper 1930-35, and Staatsoper 1937-44). He first appeared at Covent Garden in 1930, singing the role of Falke in Fledermaus - a distinguished revival under the baton of Bruno Walter. Hüsch returned to London in 1931 and 1938 to sing Papageno (Zauberflöte). His lyric baritone, which was suited to roles such as Mozart's Almaviva, Puccini's Sharpless, and Verdi's Germont père, was transformed into an instrument of resonant substance for German repertoire, and he excelled as Wolfram (Tannhäuser) at Bayreuth. After the war, Hüsch became a distinguished voice teacher.

Infidelity, mistaken identity, and the harmless conviviality of drunken aristocrats; these, together, provide the basic threads of Lortzing's comic opera, Der Wildschütz. In this extract from Act 3, the amorous Count of Eberbach, contemplates his own unassailably jovial disposition.

Gorin was born in the Ukraine, educated in Austria, but was eventually to become an American citizen, in 1939. He studied to become a doctor in Vienna, and it was here that he initially cultivated his voice, joining a choir for doctors and medical students. He attended the Vienna Konservatorium between 1925 and 1930, a period which culminated with his début at the city's Volksoper. After early successes in Austria and Czechoslovakia, he moved to America, making his concert début at the Hollywood Bowl, in 1937. Major engagements followed, including a triumphant Traviata in Chicago, 1942. He repeated the role of Germont père (together with Rigoletto) to much acclaim on American television, and in 1963 was engaged at the Met. Aside from his work in opera, Gorin appeared in several musical films (such as Broadway Melody, 1938), and composed a number of songs. He retired from singing to teach at the University of Arizona.

In Verdi's Attila he takes the role of Ezio, the Roman general who has been sent by the Emperor to negotiate a truce with the invading Huns. Ezio reflects on the homeland he loves, now under threat.


© 1995 Roland Vernon

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