1928 Carmen [Import]

SOURCE:
Studio recording made January-June 1928--with the exception of "La fleur que tu m'avais jeteé," from November 1927--by Columbia Gramophone Co. Ltd. Digitally re-mastered in 2006.

SOUND:
Overall, the sound on this set is remarkably good for a recording now into its ninth decade. While the voices of the soloists are generally well-captured and mostly consistent, there is some variation due to the original source materials. This inconsistency is more noticeable with the orchestral background, a few parts of which reveal their true age.

CAST:
Carmen, a gypsy - Raymonde Visconti (mezzo-soprano)
Don José, a corporal of the dragoons - Georges Thil (tenor)
Micaela, a country girl - Marthe Nespoulos (soprano)
Escamillo, a toreador - Louis Guénot (baritone)
Frasquita, a gypsy - Andreé Vavon (soprano)
Mercedés, a gypsy - Andreé Bernadet (soprano)
Dancaïro, a smuggler - Robert Roussel (tenor)
Remendado, a smuggler - Téo Mathil (tenor)
Moralés, another corporal of the dragoons - Not identified, but probably Louis Guénot (baritone)
Zuniga, a lieutenant of the dragoons - Not identified, but probably Louis Guénot (baritone)

CONDUCTOR:
Elie Cohen, with the Chorus and Company of the Opéra-Comique, Paris, and L'Orchestre Symphonique de Paris (which, I presume, was effectively the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique.)

The recording of Georges Thil singing "La fleur que tu m'avais jeteé" (Track 13, CD-1) was conducted separately from the rest of the opera by Philippe Gaubert.

TEXT:
Sung in French with some cuts required by the limitations of the original matrices and 78-rpm disks. Recitative/dialogue passages are mostly eliminated, as was typical at the date of the recording. (CD-1, 60:30; CD-2, 51:37.)

DOCUMENTATION:
French libretto adapted to conform to the text appearing on this recording, with a loose English translation based on the ancient Theodore Baker singing version. Track list that shows timings and principal singers. Short essay on the history of the opera that is for once free of special pleading while being both useful and informative, even if it is a bit Anglo-centric. Short biographies of the main performers. A few photographs of the singers, including one of a young and very dashing Georges Thil.

COMMENTARY:
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first near-complete electronic recording of Bizet's "Carmen." Ideally, I would prefer it in the most up-to-date sound and with a complete text, including the composer's intended spoken dialogue. Nevertheless, in my opinion, this remarkable artifact of far-distant 1928 is a rip-roaring success.

This is Georges Thil's "Carmen." That simple fact alone makes this an important recording, for Thil was one of the Great Tenors of the Twentieth Century, a full peer of Bjorling and Gigli. Recorded here at about age thirty, he is, to say the very least, an impressive Don José.

The other soloists on the recording are not so clearly remembered as Thil, but they were all stalwarts of the Opéra-Comique in Paris in the 1920s and 30s. This is particularly true of Louis Guénot, a fine lyric baritone of the virtually defunct French style who was effectively the lead baritone of the Opéra-Comique in the days leading up to the Second World War.

In scanning over reviews published in other venues, I was astonished to find this set being dismissed rather cavalierly as being unengaged. Yes, it is more cool in tone than is typical of today's international-style performance, but I attribute this not to lack of engagement but rather to authenticity of style. The women, in particular, sound like no-one to be found on any contemporary recording of "Carmen," but, by heaven, they sound very, very French indeed. Until someone can provide me with pretty substantial proof to the contrary, I believe that the singers on this recording are making the particular kinds of sound that Bizet himself heard and wrote for.

Elie Cohen was an excellent conductor whose name was closely connected with live ballet in Paris and a number of excellent recordings. The same reviewer who kvetched about this recording's lack of engagement, thought Cohen's conducting left something to be desired. I don't think so. In any case, imagine the sheer difficulty in recording a passionate opera in four-minute takes over a period of six months. I'm fine with conductor Elie Cohen ... who ominously seems to have dropped out of history at just about the beginning of World War II.

For those who can bear historic sound, this is a five-star recording. For those who can't, tough luck, it's still a five-star recording.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  5.0 out of 5 stars