Over the past several years, we have published four volumes (2 CDs each) containing the complete known recordings of the Catalan mezzo, Conchita Supervia. We delayed issuing volume four because there were four recordings which we were still trying to locate: Ki3512 Canço de traginers (Longás); SO6942 Boires baixes (Granados); SO7901 El milagro de la virgen: Romanza (Chapi); SO7902 La reina mora: Romanza (Serrano). After what we thought was exhaustive searching, we more or less gave up hope and issued the final volume minus these titles. Now that the series has been completed, those four sides finally surfaced. Thanks to a library in Barcelona and a private collector, we have issued these very rare sides, together with six alternative takes not included in our previous releases. The accompanying booklet contains only a list of the contents.
CD 1 (70:05) | ||
NEWLY LOCATED SELECTIONS | ||
| Odeon, Paris, 4 July 1930 / With orchestra conducted by Gustave Cloëz | ||
| 1. | Cançó de traginers (Longás; De Sagarra) | 2:29 |
| (KI3512) 184262 | ||
| Odeon, Barcelona, 25 February 1931 / With Vilalta String Quartet | ||
| 2. | Boires baixes (Granados; Roviralta) | 3:44 |
| (SO6942) 184342 | ||
| Odeon, Barcelona, 2 November 1932 / With orchestra conducted by Pacual Godes | ||
| 3. | EL MILAGRO DE LA VIRGEN: Gracias al cielo, pude llegar (Chapí; Domínguez) | 3:00 |
| (SO7901) 184309 | ||
| 4. | LA REINA MORA: Compañero del alma y de la vida (Serrano; S. and J. Quintero) | 3:15 |
| (SO7902) 184309 | ||
ALTERNATIVE TAKES NOT INLCUDED IN PREVIOUS VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES | ||
| Odeon, Madrid, 13 February 1928 / With orchestra conducted by Modesto Romero | ||
| 5. | Flor de España (Luna; Villar) | 4:24 |
| (xxS4618-2) 122003 | ||
| Fonotipia, Milan, 19 June 1928 / With orchestra conducted by Angelo Albergoni | ||
| 6. | IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA: Cara immagine ridente (Rossini) | 2:42 |
| (xxPh6321-2) Italian Odeon N6659 | ||
| 7. | LE NOZZE DI FIGARO: Non so più cosa son (Mozart) | 2:50 |
| (xxPh6323-1) previously unpublished | ||
| Fonotipia, Milan, 8 February 1929 / With orchestra conducted by Angelo Albergoni | ||
| 8. | MIGNON: Leggiadre rondinelle (Légères hirondelles) (Thomas) | 3:07 |
| with Vincenzo Bettoni, bass(xxPh6456-1) previously unpublished | ||
| Odeon, Barcelona, 28 February 1930 / With orchestra conducted by Modesto Romero | ||
| 9. | Granada (Albéniz; Cuenca) | 4:44 |
| (Xxs6027-1) Italian Odeon N6678 | ||
| Odeon, Barcelona, 10 March 1930 / With Frank Marshall, piano | ||
| 10. | SIETE CANCIONES POPULARES ESPAÑOLES: Asturiana (Traditional; Arranged by De Falla) | 2:32 |
| (SO6062-2) 184183 | ||
| 11. | SIETE CANCIONES POPULARES ESPAÑOLES: Jota (Traditional; Arranged by De Falla) | 2:55 |
| (SO6063-1) 184183 | ||
| Odeon, Paris, 24 April 1931 / With orchestra conducted by Gustave Cloëz | ||
| 12. | CARMEN: Attends un peu, Carmen (Bizet) | 4:13 |
| with Gaston Micheletti, tenor(XXP7266-1*) Argentine Odeon 125075 | ||
| 13. | CARMEN: Non, tu ne m’aimes pas (Bizet) | 4:25 |
| with Gaston Micheletti, tenor(xxP7265-1) Argentine Odeon 125075 | ||
| Odeon, Paris, 31 November 1931 / With orchestra conducted by Paul Minssart | ||
| 14. | Flor y luz (Puche; Vila) | 2:34 |
| (KI4928-2) this take issued only on Parlophone PO51 | ||
| Parlophone, London, 17 March 1932 / With Ivor Newton, piano | ||
| 15. | Lullaby, op. 57, no. 2 (Scott; Rossetti) | 2:13 |
| (LO3007-1) previously unpublished *On Marston The Complete Conchita Supervia Vol. 3, this take was mistakenly listed as 1; it was take 2. | ||
| Ultraphone, Paris, May 1933 / With the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique conducted by Paul Bastide | ||
| 16. | FRASQUITA: J’ai ma jeunesse ensoleillée (Act 1, Finale) (Lehár) | 3:41 |
| with Louis Arnoult, tenor(P76398-2) previously unpublished | ||
APPENDIX | ||
María Barrientos | ||
| Columbia / With Manuel de Falla, piano / Paris, 1928 and 1930 | ||
| SIETE CANCIOÑES POPULARES ESPAÑOLES (De Falla) | ||
| 17. | El paño moruno | 1:18 |
| 18. | Seguidilla murciana | 1:17 |
| 31 March 1928, (WLX 308) D11701 | ||
| 19. | Asturiana | 2:28 |
| 31 March 1928, (WLX 309) D11701 | ||
| 20. | Jota | 3:08 |
| 31 March 1928, (WLX 310) PFX1 | ||
| 21. | Nana | 1:32 |
| 22. | Canción | 1:16 |
| 3 June 1930, (WLX 1368) PFX1 | ||
| 23. | Polo | 1:33 |
| 5 June 1930, (WLX 1415) PFX2 | ||
| 24. | EL AMOR BRUJO: Cançion del fuego fatuo (De Falla) | 1:38 |
| 5 June 1930, (WLX 1415) PFX2 | ||
| 25. | Soneto a Córdoba (De Falla) | 3:08 |
| 3 June 1930, (WLX 1369) PFX2 | ||
Languages: Catalan [Tracks 1-2]; Spanish [3-5, 9-11, 14,17-25]; Italian [6-8]; French [12-13, 16]; English [15] | ||
Producers: Ward Marston and Scott Kessler
Audio Conservation: Ward Marston and J. Richard Harris
Photographs: André Tubeuf
Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi
Marston would like to thank Lawrence F. Holdridge, Peter Lack, David Mason, and Rudi Sazunic for their help in the production of this CD release.
Marston would like to thank John Lambert for his partial sponsorship of this CD release.
Marston is grateful to the Estate of John Stratton (Stephen Clarke, Executor) for its continuing support.
Conchita Supervia (Barcelona, 1895 - London, 1936) in Desmond Shawe-Taylor’s words, was “... the kind of artist around whose name legends gather.” She was “a genuine mezzo-soprano of more than two octaves, from low G to high B. ... She could sing scales, arpeggios and the most elaborate roulades without turning a hair.” She had a powerful chest register, a flexible upper voice, great musicianship, and charisma. And yet, some cannot forgive her pronounced vibrato, which could be unnerving to many.
When Marston issued the first four volumes of the complete recordings of Conchita Supervia, four selections proved to be unfindable. After the publication of volume four, the “unfindable” tracks finally came to light. If their whereabouts had previously been known, they would have been included in their chronological position within the Supervia discography and there would be no need for a fifth volume. The fact that they have only been located recently, however, gives rise to the opportunity of presenting twelve alternative takes, not included in the first four volumes.
As an appendix to the Conchita Supervia recordings, Marston is pleased to offer María Barrientos in her only electric recordings singing songs of Manuel de Falla with the composer at the piano.
María Barrientos (Barcelona, 1883 - Ciboure, France, 1946) was a musical prodigy. At the age of six she entered the Barcelona Conservatory, and at twelve she had earned diplomas in piano, violin, and composition. She began vocal lessons with Francisco Bonet at fourteen and the following year she made her debut at Barcelona’s Teatro Novidades as Inès in L’Africaine, followed by the role of Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots. She began receiving invitations to sing at major opera houses of Italy, France, and Germany, and became a featured artist at the Teatro Costanzi and La Scala. There, she and director Giulio Gatti-Casazza became friends and established a romantic relationship. Popular in Central and South America as well, Barrientos was especially acclaimed at the Teatro Colón. Her marriage in 1907 and the subsequent birth of a son interrupted her career, but the union did not last and she resumed singing in 1909. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut on 31 January 1916 as Lucia, with Giovanni Martinelli and Pasquale Amato. She remained at the Met until 1920 singing Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Amina in La sonnambula, Elvira in I puritani, as well as Gilda, Rosina, Lakmé, and Mireille. On 6 March 1919, she sang the role of the queen of Shemakha in the U.S. premiere of Le coq d’or by Rimsky-Korsakov. She left the Metropolitan after the 1919 -1920 season, when Galli-Curci was hired. She continued operatic work for an additional three years and then spent the remainder of her career in concert work and teaching. Barrientos made her first group of records for Fonotipia in 1904 and 1905, which have been highly collected by vocal enthusiasts over the last century. During her years at the Met she recorded a large group of discs for U.S. Columbia, including duets with Riccardo Stracciari and Charles Hackett. The recordings heard here are her only electric discs.