Description

FREDERICK JAGEL (JUNE 10, 1897, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – JULY 5, 1982, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA)

 

 

 

 

He began his musical education in New York under William Brady and Vincenzo Portanova, later refining his skills in Milan with Corace Cataldi-Tassoni. In 1924, he made his operatic debut at the Teatro Politeama in Livorno, performing as Rodolfo in La Bohème under the name Federico Jeghelli. This marked the beginning of a series of guest appearances across various Italian opera stages, as well as a season with the Italian Opera in Holland.

By 1927, he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he would remain a prominent figure for over two decades, performing under his real name, Frederick Jagel. His debut role at the Met was as Radamès in Aida. Jagel was celebrated for his mastery of the Italian repertoire, though he also took on challenging Wagnerian roles such as Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, and Tristan. In 1930, he played Gritzko in the premiere of Mussorgsky’s The Fair at Sorochyntsi, and his portrayal of Herod in R. Strauss’s Salome became one of his signature roles.

Jagel’s tenure at the Met saw him participate in the premieres of several significant works, including Montemezzi’s La notte di Zoraima (1931), Alfano’s Madonna Imperia (1928), Seymour’s In the Pasha’s Garden (1935), and Rocca’s Il Dibuk (1936). In 1948, he took on the title role in the premiere of Britten’s Peter Grimes. After a long and distinguished career, he retired from the stage in 1950.

In addition to his work at the Met, Jagel was a frequent guest at the San Francisco Opera from 1930 onwards, and he also performed at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires during the 1928 and 1939-1941 seasons. He made a notable appearance in Lohengrin at the Chicago Opera in 1943 and portrayed Herod at the City Center Opera in 1942. After retiring, he resided first in New York and later in San Francisco, alongside his wife, the American soprano Nancy Viarini.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1924 Livorno Teatro

1927 Metropolitan Opera

1928 Buenos Aires Teatro Colón

1930 San Francisco Opera

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Wagner – Leopold Stokowski And The Philadelphia Orchestra, Agnes Davis, Frederick Jagel – Excerpts From Siegfried

Label: Victor Red Seal – AM-441

Series: Musical Masterpiece Series

Format: 2 x Shellac, 12″, 78 RPM

Shellac, 12″, 78 RPM, Single Sided, Etched

All Media, Album

Country: US

Released: May 1938

Genre: Classical

Style: Opera, Romantic

Siegfried (Symphonic Synthesis)

A Introduction And Forging Of The Sword (Act 1)

Tenor Vocals – Frederick Jagel

B Siegfried In The Forest (Waldweben) (Act 2)

C Siegfried In The Forest – Cont. (Waldweben) (Act 2)

D1a Siegfried In The Forest – Concl.

D1b Siegfried Mounts The Burning Height; Brunnhilde’s Awakening. (Act 3)

Soprano Vocals – Agnes Davis

Tenor Vocals – Frederick Jagel

E Brunnhilde And Siegfried (Act 3)

Soprano Vocals – Agnes Davis

Tenor Vocals – Frederick Jagel

Record Company – RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Camden

Recorded At – Church Studio, Camden, New Jersey

Composed By – Wagner

Conductor – Leopold Stokowski

Orchestra – The Philadelphia Orchestra

Soloist, Soprano Vocals – Agnes Davis

Soloist, Tenor Vocals – Frederick Jagel

“Automatic” (AM) auto-coupled release.

Disc 3 is single sided and etched on the blank side.

Two concentric label arcs of equal length = Camden pressing.

Recorded December 10, 1934 at Camden – Church Studio.

[side # – matrix & take # – Rec. date – section]

1 – CS-87015- 1 / 10-Dec-34 / Introduction + Forging of the sword

2 – CS-87016- 1 / 10-Dec-34 / Siegfried in the Forest, Part 1

3 – CS-87017- 1 / 10-Dec-34 / Siegfried in the Forest, Part 2

4 – CS-87018- 1 / 10-Dec-34 / Siegfried in the Forest, Part 3 + Siegfried mounts

5 – CS-87019- 1 / 10-Dec-34 / Brünnehilde and Siegfried

6 – Blank side of a double-sided record, replaced at a later date with the selection below.

6 – CVE-37702- 2 / 6-Jan-27 / Götterdämmerung – Act 3, Closing scene (recorded at the Academy Of Music, Philadelphia).

Other (Catalog number, record 1 (sides A & D)): 14848

Other (Catalog number, record 2 (sides B & E)): 14849

Other (Catalog number, record 3 (side C)): 14850

Matrix / Runout (Label, side A): 87015

Matrix / Runout (Label, side B): 87016

Matrix / Runout (Label, side C): 87017

Matrix / Runout (Label, side D): 87018

Matrix / Runout (Label, side E): 87019