| 17
February 1926 |
- Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Bodanzky.
Melchior, Friedrich Schorr, Michael Bohnen, Karin
Branzell, Maria Jeritza. Sets: Hans Kautsky. Direction: Samuel Thewman. The sets used for Wagner performances at the Met date
from the
reinstitution of German opera in the company's repertoire following
World War I.
"Melchior came back from his interview
with the pope in much better vocal condition than when he left the
Wartburg festival hall. His vocal displays in the first act were not
happy. The color of his voice was distinctly barytone and he
revealed...constriction and forced tone....he used few head tones, much
of his upper range was not congenial to him and the quality of tone was
far from lyric....He appeared to be quite as comfortable in the rosy
haunts of the Venusberg as in the Wartburg circles of sober
respectability....he found inspiration...in Rome. Warmth and ferver
[sic] crept into his voice and his whole interpretation increased in
stature, dramatic conviction and profundity of feeling. He should be a
useful addition to the house and he is probably capable of greater
things than were brought forward yesterday" (W. J. Henderson, New
York Sun, p. 27)
Musical Courier (February 25,
1926): "[Melchior's] fame has preceded him here from Bayreuth....[he]
has a specially fine voice....the baritone quality, rich and warm,
noticeable even at the very top, added to its effectiveness. He
sang...with a noticeable lack of that forcing, only too often present
in the singing of tenors of German opera. There were traces
of...[forcing]...in the first two acts...due to the nervousness of a
debut, but in the third act he was in command of all his resources and
the "Rom Erzaehlung" was sung with a beauty of line and warmth of
expression rarely heard. His appearance, also, is in his favor. Though
large, he is well-proportioned, and his expressive, mobile countenance
is a great aid to him in his acting. He moves about on the stage with
much grace and there is absence of those abrupt gestures only too
common in Wagnerian performances. All in all, for a new-comer he made a
splendid impression auguring well for his future appearances here. The
audience liked him very much." (p. 1)
Musical America (27 February,
1926): "His start was pretty bad...not only faulty pitch which amounted
almost to incorrect notation, but also rhythmic unsteadiness....With
the second scene, Melchior became master of the situation and from then
on sang exceedingly well...His voice....is smooth in production and
almost lyric at times, and there is none of the usual constriction in
the upper register. In matters of varying tone-quality....Melchior did
some good things....Histrionically, Mr. Melchior is distinctively good.
He is tall, though somewhat inclined to be "fleshy," and his face, in
repose, is not one of great expressiveness. In spite of all this,
however, he is a convincing actor....Mr. Melchior's impatience at
Wolfram's whey-like praise of Love in the Wartburg scene was
delightfully portrayed and there were other little bits of fine acting
too numerous to mention. In the final scene the
"Romerzählung" was magnificently sung and the accompanying action
past criticism....Mr. Melchior is a distinct and valuable addition to
the German arm of the company, and it would not be amiss to hear him in
some Italian opera as well." (J.A.H.)
Brooklyn Eagle: "For two acts he
displayed faults common to German tenors...disregarding the pitch,
producing pinched tones and a forte like the rattle of a machine gun.
In the last act he recovered and sang with notable success the
narrative of his pilgrimage. His is a naturally beautiful voice,
warm and rich in its lower register, capable of an almost ravishing
mezzo-voce and colored with a scrupulous regard for dramatic
point...[but his movements are] awkward and inchoate...mammoth in bulk
and heavy in movement." (Edward Cushing)
New York World: "Throaty
emission, the straining on high notes, the sudden explosions...as an
actor he is earnest and sincere, but his gestures and postures are
naive, to say the least." (S. Chotzinoff, p. 13)
New York American: "Mr. Melchior
presented a figure of heroic proportions and possesses a fine sense of
the dramatic. His upper tones were rather constricted and colorless
except when held down to half voice. For the rest, he sang feelingly
and effectively....[Mme. Jeritza] shared innumerable recalls with Mr.
Melchior" (G. Bennett, p. 26)
New York Telegram: "Mr. Melchior
is an artist of experience and authority. He comes to us
well-seasoned....his Tannhaeuser proved a ripe and vigorous
impersonation, conceived and carried out on a large scale. Mr. Melchior
possesses the distinct and expressive diction typical of the best
Bayreuth schooling. His declamation has breadth and pith, he
phrases musically, he can be lyrical in sustained song, his use of
half-voice is skillful and artistic; he is no mere shouter or ranter,
no rude and raving Wagnerphone. On the other hand, his vocal endowment
is not unlimited. The voice itself is robust and powerful, but in
character a barytone rather than a tenor. The highest notes he pinches.
But in the working range the voice is as a rule freely produced, though
when now and then he forces it, his tune becomes a goat song.
Nevertheless...Mr. Melchior is vocally the most presentable singer for
heroic tenor roles...[at the Met] in a good many years. As an actor
this Dane is well supplied with traditional and useful, if not highly
illuminating, gestures. His features are not notably expressive,
and...he evidently disdains the cunning art of makeup. Nor was he
fortunate yesterday in his costuming....However, Mr. Melchior possesses
stature as well as girth...[All in all] he succeeded amply upon his
American debut. The audience waxed most enthusiastic in his honor." (P.
Sanborn)
New York Evening Journal:
"Whilst not indeed a great tenor, [Melchior] is far better than anyone
the Metropolitan has had in the German roles for a considerable
time....The voice has genuine power, but not quite as much as he thinks
it has and therefore it at times sounds forced. But it has a robust
quality and he infuses it with much emotional stress. Almost throughout
its range it holds a baritone timbre. A true head tone is almost
unknown to him. As an actor, the newcomer is also an improvement on the
current exhibits of the German tenor wing" (Irving Weil, p. 31)
New York Times: "There is no
denying that the music of Tannhäuser seemed yesterday high for
him. The tone was forced and rough in quality and the melodic line
suffered. Probably there were momentary conditions that affected the
voice. There was marked improvement as the opera went on, and the
"narrative" of the last act was impressively delivered. Here his
singing had a quality and a freedom not apparent before." (Downes, p.
20)
New York Post: "Dramatically he
belongs distinctly in the school possessed of all the Bayreuth and
Munich traditions. Physically, he is of gigantic stature and musically
he seems very sure of what he is doing. His singing in the Venusberg
scene, probably as the result of nervousness, was not impressive, but
he warmed up as the opera progressed and he was at his best both
vocally and dramatically in the last act....He would be a valuable
addition to any opera company....I feel he is not an artist one can
even attempt to sum up at a single hearing. Yesterday his voice seemed
at times to suffer from a tightness of the throat...." (Olga Samaroff,
p. 7)
New York Herald Tribune: "Mr.
Melchior is tall and portly-too portly for his best interests....His
mask is not expressive; nor has he, apparently, a natural instinct for
the stage. We felt this when we witnessed his Parsifal at
Bayreuth last summer, and we felt it yesterday. His attitudes, his
gestures, his way of entering a scene are awkward and
inexpressive. He lacks the ease and grace and plasticity of the
good histrion....His indication, for instance, of Tannhäuser's
growing excitement as that deplorable backslider remembers so
inopportunely his affair with Venus, was technically incompetent.
Yet as the afternoon wore on, we could not help wondering if Mr.
Melchior were giving a fair account of himself, for he delivered the
great Narrative in the third act with genuine power and with even a
touch of dramatic inspiration....His upper register is not always easy
to listen to. But the voice has beauty...when he sings mezza voce[,] he
dispenses a tone that is pleasurable. He can even sing piano on F sharp
and produce a musical tone- as in his impressive utterance of
"Elisabeth!" in the scene with the Landgraf and the Minstrels at the
end of the First Act....Mr. Melchior sang most of the earlier passages
of his scene with Venus distressingly off key-to the evident agony of
Mr. Bodanzky. And his feeling for rhythm seems
insecure....Yet...we think Mr. Melchior is not unlikely to prove an
asset to the Metropolitan." (Gilman, p. 14)
Time of March 1, 1926: "on the
whole, he [Melchior] acquitted himself admirably, went in one afternoon
to the head of the Metropolitan's class of availables for German tenor
roles. An audience whose faith in German tenors has been badly shaken,
took new hope, applauded him gratefully." (p. 18)
Washington Post of 18 February
1926: "Melchior...[sang] the role of Tannhauser effectively and
[received] acclaim for his vocalization in the last act." (Associated
Press)
|
| 23
February 1926 |
- Met Opera in Philadelphia: Walküre.
Bodanzky. Melchior, Gustafson, Schorr, Müller, Larsen-Todsen,
Telva.
Phil. Inquirer: "If warmth of
musical emotions registered on the thermometer, it would have been
mid-August in the Academy last night, however icy outside, at the
height of the passionate love scene between Siegmund and
Sieglinde....Such a first act...has assuredly not been given here in
years and years, if ever before, and this was due to the superb
equipment and artistry, vocal, histrionic and with something of the
spirit brought to that ecstatic duet by Maria Mueller and Lauritz
Melchior. These two superlative artists almost swamped the rest of the
cast ....[Melchior] has a
magnificent voice, splendidly employed, and there was ample eloquence
in his acting as well, with something finely heroic. He made a
splendid impression" (Linton Martin, p. 4).
Melchior takes ill and has to cancel
his next scheduled performance.
|
| 10
March 1926 |
- Met Opera: Siegfried. Bodanzky.
Melchior, Bloch, Schorr, Schuetzendorf, Gustafson, Kandt,
Schumann-Heink, Larsen-Todsen. Sets:
Kautsky. Direction: Thewman.
New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior is a
stalwart figure, a big robust looking Siegfried, who has the appearance
of a primeval knight errant and would be expected in any forest
community to do martial deeds. His interpretation was praiseworthy in
every sense. He knew the significance of the text and was able to
publish it effectively. His was a buoyant, free and youthful Siegfried,
well developed dramatically through the...three acts" (W.J. Henderson,
p. 29).
New York Times: "Melchior, in
spite of a recent illness, gave an unusually interesting and
intelligent impersonation....His stage business is authoritative....It
is evident that Melchior has studied his roles carefully and well, and
that he is far more than a routine performer....In essence this
Siegfried proved a valuable Metropolitan acquisition" (Downes, p. 18).
New York World: "He displayed in
his excellent diction and vocal security a musician's knowledge of the
role [and was particularly good in the "Waldweben" scene]" (S.
Chotzinoff, p. 13)
New York Post: "He did many
things yesterday, especially in the way of musical understanding, which
fully account for the reputation he enjoys abroad as a Wagner
singer....my impression is that the dramatic side of his art is the
weakest....[because] Mr. Melchior seemed gauche and ill at ease in the
last
act...." (Olga Samaroff, p. 13)
New York Herald Tribune: "In
view of the fact that Mr. Melchior had appeared as Siegfried only twice
before...he acquitted himself very creditably indeed....The litheness
and muscularity and youthful exuberance that are an essential part of
one's imaginative picture of Wagner's heroic forest lad were not fully
realized by Mr. Melchior [because he is overweight]....As it is, he
conveys a good deal of the truculent naivete of the part and something
of its humor (as in his business with the reed in the forest scene). He
gave us less of its poetry and its virile charm, but there were moments
of ecstatic wonder in the last scene. Mr. Melchior seemed at
times to have his own ideas of tempo, and these were not always Mr.
Bodanzky's" (Gilman, p. 19)
New York Telegram: "If the
gentleman's voice betrayed any signs of illness one forgot them
speedily in the satisfaction of his singing. Seldom anywhere is the
music of Siegfried sung-really sung-not barked, growled, screamed,
roared, bellowed-as it was at the Metropolitan yesterday....[It was] of
a welcome competence and discreet, adroitly modulated, often of a fine
expressiveness. If in face and figure Mr. Melchior is by no means an
ideal forest lad, at least he made a big and personable Siegfried, and
his acting was both intelligent and vivid. It was a pleasure to
discover in his performance not a little of the best Bayreuth
tradition, both in details of stage business and in the freedom and
breadth of his tempi-though here and there these latter brought him
into momentary conflict with the conductor....Mr. Melchior did far
better by his reputation than he had as Tannhaeuser....the [Met's] most
commendable Young Siegfried in many a long year." (Sanborn)
New York American: "His
appearance as the young hero filled every possible demand: youth,
vigorous action, boyish enthusiasm, a symmetrical figure of classic
mold and grace" (Bennett, p. 11)
The March 18
issue of Musical
Courier notes that
"The new singer had been having trouble with his throat and the New
York
climate, and was still running a temperature on the Monday previous,
but agreed
to sing in order to make the performance possible. Naturally his voice
was not at its brilliant best, but...he was able to sing well enough to
give one an idea of how good he must be when he is not handicapped. He
looked the young Siegfried to the life, and acted him with buoyancy and
spirit."
"Melchior's Siegfried had...visual
prejudices to remove....The artist's real handicap was his excess of
weight, which was emphasized by [his revealing] bearskin costume....His singing had little trace of [his recent illness]. Vocally...it was free from barking and shouting and in
the half-voice was often of musical charm. In action, it had many
individual details that were highly effective-and would have been much
more so if his appearance had better simulated athletic youth....he
gave the impression of a ripened impersonation and one steeped in the
traditions....If his tempi and those of Mr. Bodanzky were not always in
agreement, the preference lay with the singer's" (O. Thompson, Musical
America)
|
21
March 1926-Melchior and Rudolf Laubenthal are guests at Met patron Mrs.
Watts' tea.
|
|
| 28
March 1926 |
- Met Concert: Melchior sings the final
scene from Act I of Walküre with Maria
Müller, conducted by Giuseppe Bamboschek.
|
| 30
March 1926 |
- Recital, Aeolian Hall, New York.
Melchior
makes his NYC recital debut. Walter Golde
is his accompanist. His recital includes songs by Bechgaard, Heise,
Sjöberg, Alnæs, Merikanto, Trunk, Hageman, Victor
Beigel,
Richard Strauss, John Ireland, William G. James, the arias "O
Paradis," "Winterstürme", and, among his numerous encores, "Jezst
Spielen" ("Vesti la Giubba" auf Deutsch)
New York Herald Tribune, March 31: "A
very likeable recital....Mr. Melchior is thoroughly at home on the
concert platform....There was a pleasantly substantial quality in his
voice, unusual strength, and in moderate or soft notes, a pleasing
quality of tone. In louder passages and declamatory numbers, he was
expressively very effective, but here his singing...was rather
stridently vociferous....Melchior's softer notes...have an appealing
quality, with a slightly dusty tone growing clearer; he sang with
sympathetic expressiveness....Mr. Melchior fared very commendably with
the English language....Applause was unusually warm....It was a
generally auspicious recital debut here, with the tenor's poise an
added asset."
New York Sun, March 31 (W.J.
Henderson): "He [is] a song interpreter of very high rank....There is
beauty of quality throughout the scale....unusual and extremely
finished use of head tones....exquisite sense of the melodic line and
an admirable justice of phrasing....One perceived the mastery of a
singer who was able to spin the tone through long and sustained
utterances with confidence born of technical certainty and with a
conviction of the purpose of the composer....Melchior displayed
sensibility, taste and feeling. But of greater importance were the
poetic imagination and the musical instinct discovered in every
number....[He gave a] deeply emotional and technically excellent
delivery of Heise's "Vagen af din Slummer" and Schoeberg [sic]'s
"Tonerna"....The truth seems to be that the song recital is Mr.
Melchior's real field....[a place where] he can present the
interpretations which he has constructed according to the dictates of
an artistic intelligence of a high order. Such a lieder singer should
be able to make a brilliant concert career in this country and
establish for himself a celebrity such as he has acquired in England as
well as on the European continent."
N.Y. Telegram (Pitts Sanborn,
p. 6-7):
"Even more impressively than as Siegfried he revealed on this occasion
his artistic scope and stature....[Although] Mr. Melchior sang [the
Scandinavian songs] with vigor and relish, so much breath enveloped his
tones as to give an impression of hoarseness. Yet the fact that his
voice grew clearer the higher it went gave the lie to that hypothesis.
In due coarse most of this undue breathiness disappeared, the voice
rang out rich and free, and on occasion...high notes poured forth with
an
ease, a fulness [sic] and a splendor of sonority not equaled here by
any
man labeled tenor since the later prime of Caruso. Mr. Melchior is
endowed with a seemingly endless breath, over which he exercises a rare
control, and above all he possesses that essential foundation of all
great singing, an absolutely firm "appui." One result is a legato like
unto few, thanks to which Mr. Melchior can phrase as he wills (as a
rule, last evening, he willed to phrase admirably.) Another result is a
wide dynamic range. He can sing with delicacy as well as with
resounding strength. In general he relied, as the best singers
do, on a normal mezzo-forte. Noteworthy, in particular, was his
skilful use of head tones in..."Do Not Go, My Love." He has,
furthermore, a keen sense of rhythm, and, then, his singing is vivid,
with emotion artistically controlled....Mr. Melchior came through..."O
Paradis"...with honor, though not until the following English group
(Mr. Melchior's English is for the most part excellent) did he attain
an untrammelled and complete freedom of utterance. Then his
artistic authority was indeed superb...The audience was deservedly
enthusiastic, calling for repetitions and additional numbers. It might,
however, have been larger."
Musical Courier: "His voice is a
magnificent organ. In size and brilliance it recalls that of Leo Slezak
twenty years ago, though its quality is warmer and more refined.
It is produced freely and evenly throughout its range, though the very
bigness of his voice occasionally tempts Mr. Melchior to give more than
he needs to on the high notes."
Musical America: "Mr. Melchior
has an admirable artistry in song. The impression he had made
previously in operatic appearances had not prepared one for the kind of
interpretative skill that he disclosed in this recital....He relied
less upon vigor and volume of sound....Not that he abated the clear
sonority of his high and open tones, which rang out splendidly in his
opening aria [from Bechgaard's Frode] and in such climactic
moments as the close of Hannikainen's impassioned lyric....The surprise
lay in the uniform beauty of his mezza-voce throughout his range, the
clarity of his subdued head-tones and the finesse of his
phrasing. His technical proficiency was evident in the surety of
breath that firmly supported the tone, the directness of attack, the
accuracy of pitch, the fluency of legato line and the command of
dynamic nuances...Only one who applies critical intelligence to the
analysis of a song, as well as poetic imagination to the presentation,
can give readings as finished in style. He has sure instinct for line
and rhythm and a musicianly taste that governs his emotional
expression. The recital was one of the most enjoyable heard in
any New York hall this season. The audience approved to the point of
demanding several repetitions of songs and the addition of extra
numbers."
New York Times: March 31: (Olin
Downes): "Always sincere and direct in expression, and gifted
with a fresh and beautiful voice...[in his opening group of songs] his
high tones were not produced with ease or freedom, that he pushed them
and that they lost in roundness and quality as a result...the tone
emission itself is often at fault...it is questionable how Mr.
Melchior's upper register will develop if it is employed with so much
breath pressure and physical effort. It is much to be hoped that this
defect will be remedied, for this singer is not only physically gifted;
he is an intelligent and manly interpreter. Melchior...displayed
sentiment and a spirit that caught the audience. When the voice became
warmer, freer, more brilliant, as it did in the course of the evening,
he made some admirable effects...There are in Mr. Melchior the
capacities for singing that will meet the tests of the concert hall as
well as the operatic stage. He is still a young man, and his future is
his own if he can develop his voice in the manner that its qualities
and his talent merit."
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "Mr.
Melchior gave a very good account of himself. The Metropolitan should
congratulate itself upon having added to its ranks a German tenor
possessing so excellent an artistic equipment...He produces tones in
his lower and middle voice with complete ease, and his mezza voce is
often of extraordinary beauty. But since the quality of his voice is
inherently baritone, he experiences a little difficulty in achieving a
free, unforced and musical tone on his high notes."
New York Evening Journal: "He
featured a number of Scandinavian songs on his well chosen programme
and sang them with a certain gusto that aroused his audience to
enthusiasm. His singing, on the whole, was more than usually
interesting in spite of the fact that it was marked by some of the
inalienable characteristics of the operatic artist." (City Edition, p.
5)
"Pierre Key's Music Article" (a
syndicated newspaper column) April 11: (Discussing Melchior's
first American performances in general, particularly his recital debut)
"The sense of the melodic line which this artist possesses is evidenced
in an exceptional degree. He expresses mood also, and his diction is a
delight to hear. Music patrons throughout the country should embrace
any opportunity to hear Mr. Melchior."
|
| 2
April 1926 |
- Met Opera: Parsifal. Bodanzky.
Melchior, Bohnen, Schorr, Schuetzendorf, Gustafson, Larsen-Todsen.
Sets:
Joseph Urban. Direction: Wymetal. This
is the last of Melchior's
four
performances his first season at the Met.
New York Times: "Mr.
Melchior...did some of the best singing that he has yet given on the
Metropolitan Stage....[Not only was the performance a sellout but] many
were turned from the doors of the theatre" (p. 14).
New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior,
who seems devoted to the utmost economy and simplicity of attire in
Wagner's music dramas, gave a creditable and often moving portrayal of
the title role....Properly dull, spiritless and witless [in Act
I]....Mr. Melchior failed to realize vocally the full flood of
realization and pent up passion realized by Kundry's kiss....His best
work was reserved for the third act, in which the entire performance
rose to a high mark of exalted mood and earnest conviction. For
Parsifal here achieved a dignity and a depth of emotional force which
leads one to suspect that Mr. Melchior often figuratively fails to lay
all his interpretative cards on the operatic table" (p. 5).
New York World: "the best
singing he has done yet." (Chotzinoff, p. 13)
New York Telegram: "Mr. Melchior
added to
his waxing reputation. His Parsifal is a much finer impersonation
than it was at Bayreuth the year before last, conceived and executed,
as it is, with a subtler, more richly developed sense of dramatic
psychology. And though the tenor is perhaps not the most credible
forest born lad physically, the performance is agreeably free from
awkwardness or wanton exaggeration. The march and mutation of
expressions through the successive episodes of Klingsor's garden he
managed with admirably convincing simplicity, suggestiveness and ease
of transition. The quality of his singing varied widely
throughout the performance....Perhaps its greatest variability lay in
Mr. Melchior's production of his high voice, which, though occasionally
free and untrammeled in execution, sounded at other times forced and
improperly resonant. Curiously enough, the differences often affected
the very same note." (Sanborn)
New York American: "His
conception of the part was heroic, agreeably sung, acted with
distinction and withal, convincingly mystical." (Bennett)
New York Herald Tribune: "Mr.
Melchior...knows the traditions...He gives veraciousness to the
Guileless Fool, and at times he produces an admirable effect by simple
means-as, for example, in the scene of the killing of the swan....In
such complex and subtle passages as that of Kundry's enlightening kiss
he is frequently beyond his depth. Much of his singing fell gratefully
upon the ear. There is beauty in Mr. Melchior's voice, especially
in its middle register; and his mezza voce effects are uncommonly
happy. This is a good "Parsifal"...though it lacks the final
touch of illuminating imagination." (p. 12)
Musical America, April 10: "His
European reputation has rested not a little on his Parsifal at
Bayreuth. Save for his too ample girth...he was a Parsifal of more
illusion than any of his immediate predecessors. Moreover, his singing
was generally of good tonal quality, with almost no forcing and with
much tasteful use of the half-voice. His production was again
distinctly better than that of the typical Wagner tenor. His acting had
restraint and intelligence and a measure of real characterization, as
he made manifest in his first few moments on the stage." (Oscar
Thompson)
Musical Courier: "The best
Wagner performance of the season. Lauritz Melchior, in the title
part, had the first opportunity really to show the Metropolitan
audience what an acquisition he is to the forces...It was sung
beautifully throughout and acted with real feeling. For once it was
conceivable that Parsifal is something more than the boob he is usually
depicted to be....The house had been sold out days in advance."
|
| 12
April 1926 |
- Concert, Carnegie Hall: with Madame
Charles
Cahier, Julia Claussen and William
Gustafson (two fellow Met Wagnerians), and violinist Florence Stern.
|
| 15,
21, 27 April 1926 |
- Recording sessions: Brunswick Records,
New York, for excerpts from Walküre and Meistersinger
(on 15th), songs by Hageman and von Klenau (on
the 21st).
These are the
first of a good number of recording
sessions Melchior will have in New York for Brunswick this year and
next, however, only two records (four songs) are released. These dates
may be Melchior's first experiences with the
electrical recording process. The engineers for Bruswick place him far
too close
to
the
microphone. (As they also did for Elisabeth Rethberg in her
contemporaneous recordings for the company). Too closely miked
recordings will become the standard
for American-engineered operatic recordings.
The Gramophone, March 1927,
reviewing the Walküre and Meistersinger: "Another
welcome instalment [sic] on account from the excellent tenor who is
going to sing Siegmund (but not Walther) at Covent Garden this
season. He certainly has a fine voice and uses it in the heroic
manner. His tone is more "covered" and refined in the Prize Song than
the "Walküre" piece, but he sustains and phrases well in
both, while his German diction might truly serve as a model. The
sole fault worth pointing out is the audible gasp for breath. It might
escape notice in the theatre, but on the gramophone it is palpable and
irritating" (p. 418).
The Gramophone, October 1926,
reviewing the Hageman and Klenau: "Melchior gives one of the most
imaginative renderings I know of the popular Hageman song ["Do not go,
my Love"], and his fine and sensitive voice makes much of
it....Melchior could give lessons on the singing of English to most
English singers" (Compton Mackenzie, p. 205).
|
