Stefans New Book ------------------------------ Franco - TopicsExpress

Stefans New Book ------------------------------ Franco Corelli and a Revolution in Singing: Fifty-Four Tenors Spanning 200 Years, vol. 1 by Stefan Zucker, 6 X 9 X 384 pp., with nearly 200 lithographs and photographs $27.95 belcantosociety.org/store/product_info.php?cPath=5&products_id=1543 ----------------------------- Franco Corelli and Stefan Zucker, in edited transcripts of thirteen years of conversations on the radio, in their theater presentations and master classes and in private, discuss changes in tenor singing: Beginning in the 1820s Donzelli and Duprez sang with a massive darkened tone at the expense of vocal inflections and agility. Their coarser, more obvious but more exciting style won out over the more nuanced singing that had prevailed until then. Stefan critiques Donzelli, Rubini, Nourrit, Duprez, de Reszke, Tamagno and De Lucia, and together Franco and Stefan discuss Caruso, Pertile, Martinelli,Schipa, Gigli, Lauri-Volpi, Björling, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Tucker, Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Domingo, Pavarotti and Carreras. A central question for tenors is whether or not to cover their tones (explained in the book). Verdi extensively coached Tamagno who didnt cover, but Verdi tenors from Caruso through Domingo do, resulting in a very different sound. Caruso and those who followed him mostly sang at full volume. Compared to his predecessors, such as de Reszke, Tamagno and De Lucia, Caruso had less musical nuance, variety of dynamics and rubato; in short he had less musical imagination. He also had less control over dynamics. Franco describes how, using Arturo Melocchis controversial lowered-larynx technique, he and Del Monaco revolted against sweet tenor singing in favor of older-sounding tones and a more virile approach. Franco explains that he tried to combine Del Monacos fortissimo, Lauri-Volpis high notes, Pertiles passion, Fletas diminuendo and Giglis caress. He describes using more portamento than his predecessors, his copying of some of Pertiles interpretations and his attempt to emulate Schipas Werther. Stefan describes Francos music-driven interpretations and Di Stefanos word driven ones, the history of vibrato, Giglis two kinds of chiaroscuro, chiaroscuro of dynamics and chiaroscuro of timbre, and compares eighteen Radamès recordings with Pertile, Martinelli, Gigli, Tucker, Del Monaco, Björling, Di Stefano, Corelli, Bergonzi, Vickers, Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti. Robert Tuggle, Director of The Metropolitan Opera Archives, contributes a chapter on Björling to the appendices. The volumes are printed on top-quality paper and feature more than 350 rare lithographs and photographs, the majority provided by the Met Archives. This is not a biography, nor is it a book of anecdotes. Instead it explains the evolution of tenor singing from 1820 to Domingo. Heres an example of what Franco has to say: During the first years of Del Monacos career Giglis influence undoubtedly was very strong. After all he was the dominant singer on the Italian stage. His voice was beautiful in strong passages, in mezza voce and in falsettone. By 1940 when he sang loud his sound was more masculine than when he began, but he still had his falsettone, which was unique to him--it approached the sound of a nightingale. With him in the field it was terribly difficult for another tenor to come forward. Del Monaco undertook heavy repertory, excepting a Butterfly and a Bohème, yet he still was up against a Gigli old but in voice. But Del Monaco quickly came to make a more dramatic sound, and a dramatic sound perhaps was the one thing Gigli fundamentally lacked. Gigli, dominant though he was, had to cede the dramatic repertory to Del Monaco, because Del Monaco introduced a more dramatic manner. Here is a PDF file of the first 14 pp. from a chapter. belcantosociety.org/store/images2/++CB_bySZ_158-171.pdf Here is a PDF file of the Table of Contents. belcantosociety.org/store/images2/++CB_bySZ_Table_of_contents.pdf Here is a PDF file of the List of Lithographs and Photographs. belcantosociety.org/store/images2/++CB_bySZ_lithographs_photographs.pdf Many photos in the book are gorgeous. From the Jean de Reszke chapter here are historys three great tenor heartthrobs, Mario, de Reszke and Corelli. belcantosociety.org/store/images2/++CB_bySZ_69-71.pdf Here is a PDF file of Stefans biography. belcantosociety.org/store/images2/++CB_bySZ_Stefan_Zucker_Color.pdf --------------------------------------------- To see all our downloads, please use this link: belcantosociety.org/store/index.php?cPath=27 To see all our products, please use this link: belcantosociety.org/store/all_products.php To contribute to Bel Canto Society: belcantosociety.org/store/index.php?cPath=30 --------------------------------------------- Bel Canto Society, a not-for-profit corporation, offers more than 400 opera videos, CDs, DVDs, books, downloads and webcasts on its website. Our homepage is BelCantoSociety.org. Telephone orders: 212-877-5813 7 AM-3 PM New York time, Monday-Thursday 7 AM-12 PM Friday Fax orders: 212-877-2792