Beautiful recording by Claudia Muzio: O del mio amato ben

[melvind]

This artist signed Italian Columbia record is one of my favorites. A very nice recording of a very nice voice. Such control and such expressive singing. I thought I would pass my little video on to those that will enjoy it.


[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rut_nzcyMPY[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/rut_nzcyMPY

[drh]

Lovely--and what a nice bonus to have an autographed copy. Muzio is in my top tier of favorite sopranos. A collector friend, sadly (as are so many of the cadre of such I had 15 years ago) gone to that great record store in the sky, once included her in a list of singers who had "tears in the voice." I wasn't entirely convinced about all of them, but I think he was onto something with Muzio.

Nice, too, to have it in an Italian pressing. US Columbia issued it in a collection called "A Muzio Song Recital," or some such, Masterworks set 289, which mixed two 10" and three 12" records in a single binder. I guess my favorite Muzio recording of all is "La Altra Notte" from Boito's Mefistofele, part of the companion "Operatic Recital" album, which included an 8X10 glossy photo of Muzio as Norma in a pocket glued to the back cover. If that one won't tear your heart out.... I have both sets; the operatic one is a nice '30s vintage pressing with good surfaces, but I've never seen the song set other than in grubby wartime issues mixing blue and green labels. If memory serves, mine is in one of those albums with the ugly mustard yellow fishnet covers. A shame; aside from your "O del mio amato ben," it also includes another of my absolute favorite Muzio recordings, "Maria Wiegenlied" by Max Reger. Yes, it's in the wrong language (Italian instead of German), yes, it's accompanied by orchestra rather than the composer's specified piano, but it's pure magic all the same.

As I understand things, her Edison and Pathé records were from early in her career, the Columbias (made only by overcoming, with some effort, corporate inertia; didn't she pay for the sessions herself?) late, just before her untimely death, and during the intervening decade or so, when she was at her peak--nothing. A lapse equivalent to Victor's failure to record Rachmaninoff in the full expanse of his repertoire, and a reminder that every recording from that period is a little miracle: given the expense and technical challenges inherent in the process, by no means everyone of consequence got to record, or sometimes even to record more than a souvenir or two.

[melvind]

Thanks for the very nice and informative comments. As it turns out your favorite, "La Altra Notte", is the second side of this record. I have plans to post a video of that soon as well.

I remember when I first heard Muzio on several Edison records that I realized how much more voice was captured than many other singers of that time. Even with her acoustic recordings the voice cuts through more like later electric or even contemporary digital recordings do. Her vocal style is much more like some of the mid-20th century greats than those of her era. These 1930s recordings are really wonderful sonically. She must have been something to hear live. Her career at the Metropolitan Opera was pretty impressive. She was Caruso's most often paired soprano. Imagine what that must have been like!

[Wolfe]

Since this has delved into broader dicussion of Muzio's recordings, it might be appropriate to mention that there is also a recording of a broadcast of act 1 of Tosca, from 1932. I believe it's the only broadcast of Muzio to survive.

Ward Marston included it in his third and final volume of Muzio's complete recordings on the Romophone CD label. All three volumes (the Edisons, Pathés, Columbias + Tosca act 1) are worth picking up. They can be found fairly cheaply used if you watch e-bay.

[barnettrp21122]

She had a really lovely voice and presentation!
My first experience hearing her was on Diamond Discs, with the voice nearly covered by the characteristic "swoosh" of the surfaces of the day (and I like DDs in general).
Yes, it's too bad her best years went generally unrecorded, but what she did was beautiful! Thanks for the video!
Bob

[Viva-voce]

Muzio has always been a favourite of mine---what a truly great artist she was, and this is certainly one of her great recordings.
Thanks for the post Dan!

Steven