{"product_id":"irma-gonzalez-1945-1965","title":"Irma Gonzalez (1945-1965)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eIRMA GONZÁLEZ LIVE \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Irma González (s); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003ePlácido Domingo, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eGiuseppe di Stefano, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eJon Vickers (tn); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eOralia Dominguez, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eAurora Woodrow (ms); various cond \u0026amp; O \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e URTEXT 189\/90, mono (2 CDs: 141: 42) Live: 1945–65 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePUCCINI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMadama Butterfly: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eChe tua madre; Con onor muore. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLa Bohème: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eSi, mi chiamano Mimi; Donde lieta usci; Quando m’en vo. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eManon Lescaut: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eIn quelle trine morbide. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eTosca: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eVissi d’arte; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eO dolci mani. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eTurandot:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003e Signore, ascolta. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMASCAGNI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eL’Amico Fritz: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eSon pocchi fiori. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eLEONCAVALLO \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003ePagliacci: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eBallatella. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eGIORDANO \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eAndrea Chenier: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eVicino a te. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBOITO \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMefistofele: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eL’altra notte; Spunta l’aurora pallida. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBELLINI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eNorma: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eMira, o Norma. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMASSENET \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eManon: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eAdieu, notre petite table; N’est-ce plus ma main. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eHérodiade: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eIl est doux, il est bon. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBIZET \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eCarmen: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eJe dis que rien. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eTCHAIKOVSKY \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMaid of Orleans: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eAdieu, forêts. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eVERDI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLa Traviata: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eAddio del passato. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eAida: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eO patria mia. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eRequiem: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eRecordare. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eOtello: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eGià nella notte densa; Era più calmo? … Piangea cantando; Ave Maria. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLa Forza del Destino:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003e Pace, pace mio Dio. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eVARIOUS \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eSongs from \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMeet Me in St. Louis \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe long, sad list of exceptional singers who made few or no commercial recordings, from Jean de Reszke to Gilda Cruz-Romo, is now extended by these remarkable live performances over a span of 20 years by Mexican soprano Irma González. Previously, she had appeared on one V-Disc (a Spanish song) and a live performance of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony conducted by Bruno Walter, though there exists one commercial recording: songs by Manuel Ponce and Silvestre Revueltas. This two-CD set of broadcasts and live performances, then, fills a void and introduces us to an operatic soprano of remarkable achievement and artistry. The comparison to Cruz-Romo is especially apt. Like Cruz-Romo, González sang everything from Mozart to Verdi and Puccini, and also like Cruz-Romo, González was more than just a voice, she was an exciting, musical, and consummate artist. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eWhen she made her debut in 1939, Giuseppe di Stefano had not yet sung in public, Jon Vickers had not begun vocal lessons, and Plácido Domingo had not been born, yet she sang with all of them—and with Ezio Pinza, Cesare Valletti, Mario del Monaco, Cesare Siepi, Giulietta Simionato, Grace Bumbry, Ettore Bastianini, Sherrill Milnes, Oralia Dominguez, Boris Christoff, Richard Tucker, and Giuseppe Taddei. There’s a remarkable 1980 video (in color) on YouTube of her singing “In questa reggia” from \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eTurandot, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eat age 64, with a wonderful Calaf named David Portilla. She worked with such conductors as Kleiber, Klemperer, Ansermet, Casals, Walter, Beecham, and Markevitch. Her voice combined the rich, creamy colors of Renata Tebaldi with the brilliant high range of Marisa Galvany, but she was a more intense interpreter than the former and a more musical and finished vocalist than the latter. In short, she had it all. As a teacher, her most famous pupil was tenor Francisco Araiza. She died in 2008 at the age of 92. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eBy and large, the singing on this two-CD set is simply extraordinary. It takes one’s breath away. The final phrases of “Vissi d’arte,” for instance, are sung exactly as written, without the usual breaks or distortions that sopranos “traditionally” throw into it. The “Recordare” from the Verdi Requiem, with the little-known mezzo Aurora Woodrow, shows off her melting legato; the Ballatella from \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePagliacci\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and “L’altra notte” from \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMefistofele\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e display a fine trill. “O patria mia” showcases her faultless line and extremely musical phrasing. Only once, for me, does she disappoint: Her “Addio del passato” is the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ehealthiest-\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003esounding performance I’ve ever heard, too loud and too insensitive to text. Not bad for a soprano you’ve never heard of before. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eConsidering that this is a Mexican production, the transfers are fairly good. At least some attempt was made to remove some of the surface noise, but not much, and the high notes are somewhat distorted in places depending on the quality of the original. On CD 2, there are also four errors in transfer: The \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eHérodiade\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e aria is pitched a whole tone too high, Micaela’s aria from \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eCarmen\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e a quarter-tone too low, “Adieu, forêts” a half-tone high, and the “Recordare” a half-tone low, but when the sound is clear and full, with no distortion or blasting, you can hear the voice in all its glory. The bonus track comes from 1945, when González traveled to New York to record as soundtrack double to Judy Garland in the Mexican version of \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMeet Me in St. Louis,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e oddly renamed \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Wheel of Fortune. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eNot too surprisingly, the best conducting comes from the well-known names here: Oliviero de Fabritiis, Carlo Felice Cellario, Anton Guadagno, and Igor Markevitch. The lavish booklet is full of interesting photos, including one with a baby-faced, 21-year-old Domingo, but alas, the text is only in Spanish. Full recording data is on the inside back cover. If you are a lover of outstanding vocal art, this has to be the surprise issue of the year. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Lynn René Bayley \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Urtext","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49605969445144,"sku":"600685101896","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1796852_f63d6b4b-33a3-4d3b-a85b-e062c5256cad.jpg?v=1777594431","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/irma-gonzalez-1945-1965","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}