Description

GASTON MICHELETTI (TAVACO, CORSICA 5 JANUARY, 1892 – AJACCIO, CORSICA, 21 MAY, 1959)

 

 

 

 

A Corsican tenor, Micheletti spent the major part of his career (from 1925 to 1946) as one of the stalwarts in Paris at the Opera-Comique, where he was justly acclaimed in a wide variety of roles, admirably represented by this careful remastering of his Odeon records. Since he has until now been best known as partner to Supervia in her Carmen recordings and as Des Grieux to Emma Luart’s Manon (already reissued by Vintage, 4/97), this solo recital is most welcome. His pleasing, plangent lyric tenor, with a quick vibrato typical of its time in his part of the operatic firmament, is used with the utmost artistry in a wide range of French repertory, most notably perhaps as Faust, Romeo, Wilhelm Meister and Werther, all four of whose solos are included here. Micheletti’s high notes were not produced easily, so it’s not surprising, indeed rather gratifying, to hear him take the high C of Faust’s cavatine as an exquisitely produced head note. In an age when Francophone singers, particularly tenors, are at a premium, it is a pleasure to hear all these pieces sung with such a feeling for the shape and timbre of the text, nowhere more so perhaps than in the duet from Hoffmann, where he is partnered by Luart — a gently romantic rendering, both artists singing lightly off the text in a way you won’t hear in any modern set of the work. The same can be said of the ‘Chanson du Magali’ from Mireille, where he sings with another of his Comique partners, Marie-Therese Gauley (who sang the Child in the premiere of L’enfant et les sortikges). The recital ends with four songs, two Italian ones and — utterly haunting — two Corsican folk-songs with guitar accompaniment, collector’s pieces, as the originals are rarities.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. A Pipa (Tessarech) Chanson corse 188.790 KI 3872 Odeon
2. Air des Muletiers (Tessarech) Chanson corse 188.790 KI 3871 Odeon
3. Airs sérieux et à boire Pt 1 (Monteclair – L’Affilard – De La Barre) 98 AS188 L’Anthologie Sonore
4. Airs sérieux et à boire Pt 2 (Monteclair – L’Affilard – De La Barre) 98 AS189 L’Anthologie Sonore
5. Carmen (Bizet) Air de la Fleur 123650 xxP69001 Odeon
6. Carmen (Bizet) Attends un peu, Carmen with Conchita Supervia 123772  xxP7266 Odeon
7. Carmen (Bizet) C’est toi, c’est moi!… Mais moi, Carmen je t’aime encore with Conchita Supervia 123774, 123774, xxP7263, xxP7264 Odeon
8. Carmen (Bizet) Je suis Escamillo with Arthur Endréze 123776 xxP7271 Odeon
9. Carmen (Bizet) Je vais danser en votre honneur with Conchita Supervia 123772 Odeon
10. Carmen (Bizet) Non tu ne m’aimes pas with Conchita Supervia 123773 xxP7265 Odeon
11. Carmen (Bizet) Près des remparts de Séville with Conchita Supervia 123714 xxP7098 Odeon
12. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) C’est toi, Santuzza (Tu qui, Santuzza)… Oh marjolaines! with Germaine Cernay and Alice Héna 123819, 123819, xxP 7275, xxP 7274 Odeon
13. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Commère Lola, vous vous en allez… Vive le vin qui pétille with Alice Héna andChorus123821 xxP7348 Odeon
14. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Le bonjour, camarades with Arthur Endrèze 123822, 123822, xxP7341, xxP7342 Odeon
15. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Mère, ce vin est généreux with Mady Arty 123822 xxP7342 Odeon
16. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola, blanche fleur à peine éclose 123817 xxP7345 Odeon
17. Comme, o zuccaro 166.778 Odeon
18. Faust (Gounod) Cavatine 123650 Odeon
19. Frasquita (Lehar) Ne taurai-je qu’une fois 166.659 KI 6000 Odeon
20. Herodiade (Massenet) Air de Jean 171.023 xxp6471 Odeon
21. Hymne corse (Cottoni) 188.789 KI 3870 Odeon  1930
22. La Vendetta (Casadesus) Odeon
23. L’addio a Napoli (Cottrau) 188.878 KI 5632 Odeon
24. L’Ajaccienne Traditional 188.712 Odeon
25. Lakmé (Delibes) Ah, viens dans la foret profonde 188.708 KI 4428 Odeon
26. Lakmé (Delibes) C’est l’amour endormi with Marie-Thérèse Gauley 188.515 KI 1164 Odeon
27. Lakmé (Delibes) C’est Le dieu de La Jeunesse with Marie-Thérèse Gauley 188.507 KI 1100 Odeon
28. Lakmé (Delibes)Fantaisies aux devins mensonges 123528 Odeon
29. Lamento (Tessarech) 188.789 KI 3869 Odeon
30. Lamento di u castagnu a un corsu (Lambroschini) 188.872, 188.872, KI 5536, KI 5537 Odeon
31. Le Chant du Soleil (Bizion) 166.945 Odeon
32. Le Pays du Sourire (Lehar) Je t’ai donné mon coeur 166.646 KI 5960 Odeon
33. Le Pays du Sourire (Lehar) Toujours sourire 166.646 KI 5959 Odeon
34. Le Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Aubade 188.654 KI 2375 Odeon
35. Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) C’est une chanson with Emma Luart 188.574, 188.574, KI 1610, KI 1611 Odeon
36. Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Légende de Kleinzach 188.533 KI 1231 Odeon
37. Les Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Parjure à mon serment 188.898 Odeon
38. Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Adieu séjour fleuri 188.898 Odeon
39. Maitre Pathelin (Bazin) Je pense a vous 188.813 Odeon
40. Majorquina (Brinville) 166.658 Odeon
41. Manon (Massenet) Duo de la lettre Pt 1, Pt 2 with Emma Luart 123.529, 123.529, xxP6617, xxP6618 Odeon
42. Manon (Massenet) Je suis seul! 188.660 Odeon
43. Manon (Massenet) Le reve de Des Grieux 188.655 Odeon
44. Marechiare (Tosti) Odeon 188.878 KI 5633
45. Martha (Flotow) Air des larmes 188.813 Odeon
46. Mignon (Thomas) Adieu, Mignon, courage! 188.506 Odeon
47. Mignon (Thomas) Elle ne croyait pas 171.019 Odeon
48. Mireille (Gounod) Air de Vincent 188.150 Odeon
49. Mireille (Gounod) O Magali! with Marie-Thérèse Gauley 171.017 xxp6567 Odeon
50. Mitrane (Rossi) Ah! Rendimi quel core  AS 131-1 Anthologie sonore
51. Paillasse (Leoncavallo) Avec moi tenter ce jeu 188.708 KI 3190 Odeon
52. Paillasse (Leoncavallo) Non, Paillasse n’est plus 188.582 Odeon
53. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Cavatine de Romeo 171.019 xxP6463 Odeon
54. Romeo et Juliette (Massenet) O nuit divine… Ah ne fuis pas with Eide Norena 123605, 123606 Odeon
55. Serenade Nocturne (Casals) 166.945 Odeon
56. Sigurd (Reyer) Le bruit des chants 171.023 xxP6472 Odeon
57. Tarentella sincera 166.778 Odeon
58. Tosca (Puccini) Lamento 188.657 Odeon
59. Tosca (Puccini) O de beautes egales! 188.657 Odeon
60. Un Autre Baiser (Rinaldi) 166.658 Odeon
61. Vado ben spesso (Bononcini) 64 AS132 L’Anthologie Sonore
62. Vocero (Tessarech) 188.712 KI 3206 Odeon
63. Werther (Massenet) Invocation a la Nature 188.510  KI 11352 Odeon
64. Werther (Massenet) J’aurais sur ma poitrine 188.655 Odeon
65. Werther (Massenet) Lorsque l’enfant revient 188.654 KI 2376 Odeon
66. Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me reveiller 188.582 Odeon