Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor Rob Barnett Editor in Chief
John Quinn Contributing Editor Ralph Moore Webmaster
David Barker Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf MusicWeb Founder Len Mullenger
Francesco Paolo
TOSTI (1846-1916) Romanze – Popular Love Songs by Francesco Paolo
Tosti
Aprile [3:12];
Ideale [3:16];
Malià [2:26];
Rêve [3:08] ;
That day! [3:57];
Infidélité [2:37];
Non t'amo più! [4:52];
La Serenata [3:11];
Chanson de l'Adieu [2:35];
L'ultimo bacio [2:04];
I dare to love thee (1892) [2:25];
Mattinata [2:50];
Si tu le voulais [1:54];
T'affretta [3:04];
Luna d'estate [1:57];
Goodbye! (1880) [4:31];
Vorrei morire [4:17];
Pour un baiser [1:46];
Segreto [4:50];
Ninna nanna [3:47];
L'alba sepàra dalla luce l'ombra [2:19];
‘A vucchella (1907) [2:41]
Yves Saelens
(tenor); Inge Spinette (piano)
No recording details EUFODA
1365 [67:41]
Single
discs devoted to Tosti are rare. More common by far is the
popular album or recital with a selection or maybe just the
one song. So this collection of twenty-two songs is a brave
undertaking, given that not all Tosti’s effusions have survived
the decades with their cachet intact.
Eminent
singers still dust off the crowd pleasers of course – the
Three Tenors have had their say – but in past days the list
of singers who essayed these songs on disc would last the
length of this review. Gigli of course recorded a number,
Schipa fewer. Caruso had set the Gold Standard early on when
it came to Ideale and Goodbye! Melba had even
descended in her lofty chariot to give us Mattinata and Goodbye! – the
latter also recorded, incongruously one would think, by Eva
Turner. But enough of nostalgia – you won’t want to know
that the following also left behind precious examples of
their individual ways with Tosti songs; Björling, Ponselle,
Gobbi, Tauber, Schmidt, Piccaver, Edith Mason, Battistini,
Tetrazzini, Eames, Lauri-Volpi, de Luca, Maurel, Anselmi,
Smirnov, Galli-Curci, Patti, Destinn, Supervia, Pinza, Corelli,
di Stefano, Lanza…it’s quite a list and we’ve barely made
it to the LP age.
So
Yves Saelens has his work cut out, when shellac-hoarding
critics prove eager to judge him against the great ghosts
of the repertoire. So let’s first note that he is a sensitive
singer, warm of voice and with an attractive timbre. His
approach to the songs can be highly persuasive and he generally
makes good tempo choices. The partnership with Inge Spinette
is good; many old-timers on disc eschewed piano accompaniment
for small orchestral forces. And as he has to sing in several
languages it’s good that he’s clearly adept linguistically;
his English for example is fine with pretty reasonable diction
as well.
I suppose what’s sometimes
missing concerns matters both idiomatic and technical. He
seems emotionally rather recessive for much of the time – somewhat
in the manner of contemporary English singers tackling Elgar’s
songs - and lacking the spirit of emotional generosity and
expressive nuance that can make these songs live. There’s
also a technical point; he sometimes seems uncomfortable
in the more strenuous moments and climaxes; the voice sounds
forced and the vibrato widens.
A
few examples will suffice. Ideale is a marvellous
song and Saelens sings it at precisely the right tempo. But
he tends to over-colour the line and to fuss with articulation;
Björling and Schipa sing it with honeyed legato and unforced
power. Goodbye! is taken rather slowly and can sound
inert. He struggles in the climax and the piano part isn’t
as triumphantly ringing as it might be. Gigli shows the way
here for all his terrible English. So too in Segreto where
the half-catch in Gigli’s voice is one of the myriad of expressive
touches that brings the song passionately to life. The same
comments apply to La Serenata where one does rather
miss the portamenti and inimitable touches of older generations.
Saelens just seems very straight and matter-of-fact when
judged by the highest standards.
Still
the selection is astutely chosen to show some of the breadth
that exists in the songs. And it’s in that respect valuable
for presenting songs one may not have much encountered such
as L'alba sepàra dalla luce l'ombra and the gauzy
Franco-salon charms of Si tu le voulais.
The
recording slightly blunts immediacy. The song texts are all
here, in the original language. One for the song enthusiast
then, but one who’s also arrayed with a smattering of classic
Tosti performances on 78.
Reviews
from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.