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