Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Luigi Arditi, Konstantin Julius Becker :: Schumann-Heink Prima Voce

Historical Gem

Koli Mitra | New York, NY USA | 02/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this mostly for historical interest. I figured anyone born in 1861 was past her vocal prime before sound technology was viable. Also, imagine the quality of a recording early enough to capture the voice (of someone born in 1861) while it was still even reasonably competent! Too bad I was right. Most of the tracks date from before 1915, some as early as 1906-07. You have to cull the legendary voice out of some GAWDAWFUL noise. The latest and cleanest recording is from 1929. But it's still distorted and flat. Plus, by then Ernestine was 68, and you can hear it.



Still, I had to rate it at just ONE star from perfect. The early pieces, despite the technical limitations, reveal an amazing artist. It's obvious why she was so celebrated in her time. Understanding this --and actually HEARING it, in whatever condition-- was an incredible thrill. Those of you into interpretive history will get a fascinating sense of the style of an era from which we have few preserved examples but lots of verbal accounts. You may be curious as to how well the images created in your mind's ear by all the descriptions you read, resemble the actual sound. It's REALLY fun. Think about it: A voice from before jazz or ANY modern influence on operatic tonal production --on academic music generally. Actually HEAR someone who sang Romantic Opera when Romantic Opera was still the "contemporary sound"! Someone who sang Bizet and Brahms while these guys were still working!



This was a favorite contralto before the incomparable Marian Anderson redefined the standard. While evolution is inevitable and desirable, it's certainly a delight to hear what came before too. We take for granted that we can enjoy the new while holding on to the old. But before recorded sound -- for most of history-- such a privilege was unthinkable. This set is from the edge of that history, from a time that just barely started to allow this holding on business. Schumann-Heink had an enormous range --refreshing for those of us tired of "contralto" too often meaning "small voice". (I hope this betrays my ignorance rather than an actual dearth of good contemporary contraltos). The best female roles are written for sopranos. It's a rare contralto whose renown as the reigning diva spans two continents and half-a-century. Ernestine is the first of this breed to have been recorded.



If you must insist on a pristine recording of a beautiful-sounding voice at its height, don't buy this. Do buy it if you can also appreciate history and technique and the "idea" of a great voice (like when you can tell that someone age-worn "was really good-looking at one time.") Ultimately, even if you decide this isn't clean enough to give you a feel for the musical history, you will still own a piece of HUMAN history. A voice recorded a century ago. A performer who electrified audiences at an even earlier time. An echo from another epoch --a long, long time ago."