L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra
Derek McGovern
- and Mario's recording of it - I thought I'd give L'Alba Separa its
own discussion thread, thereby freeing up the Lanza Sings Tosti thread
for some of the other Tosti songs (Luna d'Estate, La Mia Canzone,
Ideale, etc). I know that Muriella, in particular, will have plenty to
say about this recording (and I look forward to reading her comments)!
First the lyrics and their translation:
L'ALBA SEPARA DALLA LUCE L'OMBRA
L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra,
E la mia volutta' dal mio desire.
O dolce stelle, l'ora di morire.
Un piu' divino amor dal ciel vi sgombra.
Pupille ardenti, O voi senza ritorno
Stelle tristi, spegnetevi incorrotte!
Morir debbo. Veder non voglio il giorno,
Per amor del mio sogno e della notte.
Chiudimi,
O Notte, nel tuo sen materno,
Mentre la terra pallida s'irrora.
Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
THE DAWN DIVIDES THE DARKNESS FROM LIGHT
The dawn divides the darkness from light,
And my sensual pleasure from my desire,
O sweet stars, it is the hour of death.
A love more holy clears you from the skies.
Gleaming eyes, O you who'll ne'er return,
sad stars, snuff out your uncorrupted light!
I must die, I do not want to see the day,
For love of my own dream and of the night.
Envelop me,
O Night, in your maternal breast,
While the pale earth bathes itself in dew;
But let the dawn rise from my blood
And from my brief dream the eternal sun!
And from my brief dream the eternal sun!
The lyrics are by the writer/poet/politician Gabriele D'Annunzio, who
also wrote the words for Tosti's 'A Vucchella. D'Annunzio certainly
had a well-developed sense of the dramatic (his extraordinary life
seems to have been equal parts melodrama and adventure), and in
Tosti's magnificent setting he found a worthy musical collaborator.
This song is certainly as taxing as many an aria to pull off,
especially if one takes the tricky B-flat (on e-TER-no") at the end.
Most Lanza aficionados I know feel that this is the one weak point on
Mario's recording; some of them regard the note as "terrible". It
actually doesn't bother me. While it's not one of Lanza best B-flats,
it's the poor recording quality that makes it sound worse than it is.
When Mario initially hits the note, everything distorts, but then (if
you listen carefully) there's an improvement of sorts and the note
becomes cleaner, almost as if (or quite possibly because) the startled
Cinecitta' engineers have quickly adjusted their dials.
But getting back to the rest of the song...
The defining moment in Lanza's delivery, for me, is from "Chiudimi, O
Notte" onwards. There's an extraordinary majesty in his singing here,
aptly described by James Kilbourne in his essay Visiting a Dying
Friend (the link for which is in our Pages section):
"Some of the crescendos are haunting in their impact, even reminiscent
of the other-wordly, nearly spiritual sound of the final note of his
earlier Passione."
They most certainly are. But while I have plenty more to write about
this recording, at this point I'd rather hear what others have to say.
So feel free to jump in and join the discussion, folks...
Muriel
volume! The idea that it's as difficult as an aria to sing, is not far
fetched, because Tosti and Puccini were friends and there was probably
a subliminal influence there. There is nothing sweeter than the
collaboration of Tosti and D'Annunzio. Their words and music seem to
be divinely sent. In fact, the music can stand alone as I allow it to
wash over me while I listen.
This is one song that speaks to me but I cannot explain why at this
moment. It is about dying and I am currently emotionally drained after
having today attended the funeral of one of my closest friends.
None of the harshness present here bothers me at all. I also love
"Chiudimi, O Notte" et al, as it seems to flow from Mario's inner
being. That's all I can write for now.....
Lou
case of love at first hearing, although I was quite taken with the
aria-like qualities of the song. Initially I found the lyrics
inaccessible, but once I got over that hurdle, Lanza's incisive and
compelling reading easily became one of my top favorites.
I find Mario's interpretation of L'Alba Separa decidedly Carusoesque
in its marvelous combination of passionate energy with dignity and
restraint. In fact, I am hard put to choose between this recording and
Caruso's 1917 version, said to be one of the most thrilling examples
of his fully developed vocal powers. I have to take your word that
Lanza's B-flat at the end of the song sounds distorted because to my
untrained ear, it is only a tad less thrilling than Caruso's. (By the
way, is it true that that B-flat was not written by Tosti? If so, I
thank whoever was responsible for the interpolation. I can't imagine
L'Alba Separa without it.)
It has always struck me as an uncanny coincidence that only a few
months before Mario Lanza's demise, his dream of an operatic career
almost but not quite within reach, his character sings movingly about
preferring death to a dream unfulfilled. (Is it me or does Lanza
emphasize "Morir debbo", albeit ever so slightly, whereas Caruso
gives it the run-of-the mill treatment?) But not for him a loser's
death. In "Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora, e dal sogno mio
breve il sole eterno," he expresses a yearning for immortality in
gripping, powerful crescendos that always leave me shaken, as if Mario
has just given vent to his own cri de coeur. Perhaps it is this hint
of prescience that gives Lanza's take on "Chiudimi O Notte" onwards
the almost other-wordly quality described by James Kilbourne in his
essay.
Talking about coincidences, both Tosti and D'Annunzio came from the
Abruzzi region of Italy, as did Lanza's mother.
Muriel
Muriel
> > So feel free to jump in and join the discussion, folks...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Armando
Wonderfully descriptive Lou!
It's hard to tell whether it's due to the recording, but on the B flat
Lanza's seems to just get there. Regardless, this is a great
performance.
And you are quite right, Tosti wrote a G, not a B flat.
Derek McGovern
To be honest, it's been nearly 10 years since I heard Caruso's version
of this song, and I'll have to reacquaint myself with it. (I don't
have that particular CD any more, but I imagine the recording's
available on the net.) Of course, it almost seems cruel to compare
Lanza's version with that of Caruso, knowing that the former had
suffered a heart attack only weeks before the recording was made. In
fact, given how poor Lanza's health was in 1959, it's extraordinary
that he managed to sing at all during those final months - let alone
deliver a handful of his most compelling renditions!
But I will compare them soon and report my comments. Incidentally, I
recall that Steve Bell of the Parlour of Opera Lovers group - the
Lanza enthusiast who attended Mario's Manchester concert - opined that
this was one instance in which Lanza was "a mere mortal" compared with
Caruso's "godlike" rendition. We shall see...:-)
I'm pretty certain, by the way, that Tosti wrote the B-flat on
"eterno", but left it optional. Armando and others will know for sure!
Yes, it's uncanny how many of the lyrics in Mario's last recordings
seem to be torn from the circumstances of his own life. In One Alone,
for example, he longs to "rest awhile"; in the Vagabond King, he
sings, "For if I die as I hope to die/Then I'll never be sober again,
not I!"
Derek McGovern
Armando.
Derek McGovern
with Caruso's version of this song.
Lou: I agree that Caruso's handling of "morir debbo" (I must die) is
pretty "run of the mill" compared with the emphasis that Lanza puts on
it - or on "debbo", in particular. It's a most appropriate emphasis
too! I find Caruso a little careless with the words here and in one or
two other places. Part of the problem, though, is the tempo: he's in
such a rush that the song loses some of its haunting quality. (I'm
sure there was no need for such a fast tempo; after all, it's hardly a
long song.) Carreras also takes it quite quickly on his Tosti album.
But Caruso's in great voice here, and I can understand why this
recording is so highly regarded. His beautiful legato on "Chiudimi, O
Notte, nel tuo sen materno" and the sheer energy of his singing are
impressive. Great B-flat too. But the bottom line for me is that his
rendition simply doesn't move me - certainly not in the way that
Lanza's does.
Would I be as moved by this recording if I didn't know that the singer
had only months to live? I think I would.
On 11/12/07, Lou <loua...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
Joel
with you
regarding the tempo on Caruso's recording. To me, they are two
different approaches
that move me in different ways. I never tire of listening to Caruso's
great musical line
throuhout, and Lanza's passionate interpretation.
I've enjoyed reading all the wonderful comments
and comparisons, as these are my two favorite singers.
Joel
On Nov 13, 2:38 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Inspired by Lou's magnificent post above, I've reacquainted myself
> with Caruso's version of this song.
>
> Lou: I agree that Caruso's handling of "morir debbo" (I must die) is
> pretty "run of the mill" compared with the emphasis that Lanza puts on
> it - or on "debbo", in particular. It's a most appropriate emphasis
> too! I find Caruso a little careless with the words here and in one or
> two other places. Part of the problem, though, is the tempo: he's in
> such a rush that the song loses some of its haunting quality. (I'm
> sure there was no need for such a fast tempo; after all, it's hardly a
> long song.) Carreras also takes it quite quickly on his Tosti album.
>
> But Caruso's in great voice here, and I can understand why this
> recording is so highly regarded. His beautiful legato on "Chiudimi, O
> Notte, nel tuo sen materno" and the sheer energy of his singing are
> impressive. Great B-flat too. But the bottom line for me is that his
> rendition simply doesn't move me - certainly not in the way that
> Lanza's does.
>
> Would I be as moved by this recording if I didn't know that the singer
> had only months to live? I think I would.
>
Derek McGovern
Yes, there's no doubt about Caruso's musical line. I'd also have to
acknowledge that he's in fresher voice than Lanza here. Though it's
definitely exaggerated by the poor recording quality, there is a hint
of harshness in Lanza's timbre here - a slightly worn quality - that
isn't present on some of the other tracks on the Caruso Favorites
album. It's simply that he's ill, and terribly tired. But whether a
first-time listener would even pick up on that is a moot point. What's
important - and immediately apparent - here is that Lanza believes the
words, and is *living* them, and when he gets his second wind, as he
does on the first "E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!", his energy
level is certainly equal to that of Caruso.
I forgot to mention earlier that I particularly like Lanza's phrasing
of "Veder non voglio il giorno,
Per amor del mio sogno e della notte." He's heartbreaking in his
expressiveness here.
Joel: Since you're a big Caruso enthusiast, I'd be very interested in
knowing your thoughts on his Luna d'Estate as well. We've recently
been comparing Caruso's and Lanza's renditions of this song in our
Lanza Sings Tosti thread, and no doubt more comparisons will follow as
we continue to discuss some of the other Caruso Favs. (I'm looking
forward to discussing things like Senza Nisciuno and the Caruso-Bracco
Serenata at some stage!)
Muriel
things occur to me as I listened to both Lanza and Caruso versions of
this recording. If I'm repeating anything, please overlook it.
Overall, Caruso is running when Mario is walking carefully. I've found
this to be true in different Caruso recordings. He only slows down
from "Chiudimi," on, and then you get a sense of the power in his
voice. In the last three lines, he gives "l'aurora", "breve" and the
final "eterno" his full throttle. I find his diction more difficult to
understand. This could be because he's singing in his native language.
Mario enunciates clearly and I have no trouble following him. Those
same three words, coming from Mario, are more lyric in timber. I
suppose Caruso never had that quality, though.
Mario definitely has a rather raspy edge , due to his failing health,
but it doesn't alter my opinion that his vocal abilities were still
intact. He is involved with the song, but I'm not convinced he was
thinking of his own demise at this time. Now, when you talk about his
Desert Song One Alone, then, I'd agree he had begun to have an inkling
of what was to come. No, I would put this thought out about L'Alba:
Mario had had a whole lifetime of ups and downs in the brief ten years
prior to this recording. This was 1959 and he made his classic
recording of Che Gelida Manina in 1949! His outlook was light years
away from that of the beautiful young man with so much promise ahead
of him. Wouldn't we all be tired as well? He still had hope, though,
at this point, and probably still talked of singing Vesti la Giubba at
the Rome Opera House. I'd chalk his wonderful persuasiveness with
these lyrics to his now mature interpretative skills.
Was his breath control discussed on this thead? I've lost track.
Writing "Vesti" just made me recall something about that. In his FTFT
Vesti, he takes a breath that is almost imperceptible - before
"infranto". Sometimes I'm aware of it and other times, I don't hear
it. That is a very special moment for me.
Thanks.....and ciao from Muriel
On Nov 13, 5:24 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for your comments, Joel.
>
> Yes, there's no doubt about Caruso's musical line. I'd also have to
> acknowledge that he's in fresher voice than Lanza here. Though it's
> definitely exaggerated by the poor recording quality, there is a hint
> of harshness in Lanza's timbre here - a slightly worn quality - that
> isn't present on some of the other tracks on the Caruso Favorites
> album. It's simply that he's ill, and terribly tired. But whether a
> first-time listener would even pick up on that is a moot point. What's
> important - and immediately apparent - here is that Lanza believes the
> words, and is *living* them, and when he gets his second wind, as he
> does on the first "E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!", his energy
> level is certainly equal to that of Caruso.
>
> I forgot to mention earlier that I particularly like Lanza's phrasing
> of "Veder non voglio il giorno,
> Per amor del mio sogno e della notte." He's heartbreaking in his
> expressiveness here.
>
> Joel: Since you're a big Caruso enthusiast, I'd be very interested in
> knowing your thoughts on his Luna d'Estate as well. We've recently
> been comparing Caruso's and Lanza's renditions of this song in our
> Lanza Sings Tosti thread, and no doubt more comparisons will follow as
> we continue to discuss some of the other Caruso Favs. (I'm looking
> forward to discussing things like Senza Nisciuno and the Caruso-Bracco
> Serenata at some stage!)
>
> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
Derek McGovern
I agree with you about Caruso's power on this recording. For me,
that's always been his most impressive attribute - that terrific
strength he has in his voice (right up to a high B), and the energy he
brings to his singing. Remember how conductor Peter Herman Adler
described both Caruso's and Mario's approach as an almost "peasant
aggressiveness"? I wouldn't apply that term to either man's singing
here (in fact, in Mario's case, I'd mainly apply it to some of his
rough Coke recordings), but I know what he means. Both men had vocal
energy to burn! But where Mario definitely has the edge for me is in
his relish for the words and, of course, that incredible timbre.
> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -
Muriel
think about his statement when we listen to some of Mario's CC
Neapolitan songs?? He tended to show a little aggressiveness in those.
Grazie e ciao until I feel better....(Shall I hold my breath waiting
for Aline to write again??? That should motivate her!) Muriella
Derek McGovern
magic" with us all. As many of you know, I love Lanza's rendition of
L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra, but have always been frustrated by
the poor sound quality on this recording. In fact, it's probably the
worst recorded of all the Caruso Favorites selections. Happily,
though, Mike's come to the rescue with that impressive sound editing
suite of his, and I think you'll be impressed with his efforts. For
one thing, he's managed to reduce much of the harsh "sandiness" of the
recording (as heard on CD and LP, that is; who knows how much better
the actual master tape is?!), and he's also removed some of the
distortion on Lanza's climactic "eTERno". The result is that the note
isn't half bad. While it's not Mario's greatest B-flat, it's certainly
not the write-off that some have claimed either. So short of this
recording being released as a SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc), this is
probably the best we're going to hear it. Thank you, Mike!
Of course, no amount of sound improvement can hide the fact that Lanza
wasn't in good health when he recorded this song. His voice still has
that heaviness that we hear on most of his 1959 recordings, and which
can only come from being tired and unwell. But what superb *singing*
Mario produces here! As an artist, this is one of his most hauntingly
majestic performances.
Over to you, Mike!
Mike McAdam
sample that will allow you to give a listen to the 1st verse
"straight" from the CD, followed by the 1st verse again with some
moderate tweaks, then again with some additional tweaks:
http://www.macadamedia.com/music/L'AlbaSepara-Verse1x3.mp3
The second link :
http://www.macadamedia.com/music/L'AlbaSepara-final.mp3
....is the final modified version that Derek has given his seal of
approval to.
Enjoy!
M.
Ann-Mai
Like Derek said in his opening post to this thread, this song is one
of my favourite. The way Mario sings this song hits me right in the
heart.
>
> - Vis tekst i anførselstegn -
Joe Fagan
beautiful.
Armando
Actually, I find take two the smoothest, but the voice is a little too
far back and less ringing. The final take is a good compromise in what
is one of the highlights from the Caruso Favourites Album. A great
piece of singing!
Muriel
This is probably the best we'll ever hear it. Bella.....Muriel
Derek McGovern
the Lanza recordings I return to most often on the Caruso Favorites
album, and it's a treat to hear it in better sound.
I was just wondering if Lanza himself listened to this recording very
often, and, if so, what he thought of his singing here. Of course, the
album wasn't released until after his death, but presumably RCA would
have given him copies of the tapes. Oh, how I wish that a musically
literate journalist had interviewed him about his actual singing for
once!
Incidentally, we often praise Ennio Morricone for his arrangements of
some of the Neapolitan songs on the "Mario!" album, but the man also
deserves credit for his work on L'Alba Separa. It's a particularly
fine arrangement, and I've always found the concluding orchestral bars
very moving. It's too bad Ennio wasn't around earlier to arrange some
of the Coke Show numbers!
Derek McGovern
from Lou near the beginning of this thread and Muriella's touching
comments, if you haven't already encountered them.
And since the links to Mike's sonically improved version of L'Alba
Separa upstream in this thread are no longer working, here's the
updated link:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/m7AKjz-o/LAlba_Separa_-_Mod3_DerekMcG_C.html
Maria Luísa
suggested. I loved to re-read them and I just listened to the song
through the link you gave and I loved it of course. I seemed to
understand that some of you who commented on this subject noted
tiredness in Mario's voice (if I understood the reading well) due to
his poor health by then, but I did not, although I am not an expert
naturally. Mario's voice as usual seems to me here more than beautiful
especially his last note. Thank you for the link and congratulations
to those members for their great posts of three years ago.
Derek McGovern
the first time in months, and found it just as moving as ever. James
Kilbourne certainly summed it up beautifully when he wrote about the
"other-worldly" qualities of some of its crescendos. This is one
recording that just cries out to be played loudly! Definitely one of
the most haunting and artistically satisfying of all Lanza's
recordings.
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
"Mario's recording of " L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra" which he
recorded in '59 moves me every time I play it. I can't explain what it
is it does to me, but something about the way he sings those last few
phrases I have to admit will bring me to tears every time."
Hi Michele: I also find Mario's interpretation incredibly moving. It
helps, of course, that it's a superb song (musically and lyrically),
with a lovely arrangement by the great Ennio Morricone. I can never
stop singing this song around the house once I've played it; what an
irresistible melody it has! (Musica Probita is another highly
addictive number.) But what Lanza does with it is really very special
indeed. It's not just the last few phrases; there are magical
Lanzarian touches throughout the song: "O dolci *stelle*", "[Ha-]Morir
debbo", "Chiudimi, o notte" (which, as Muriel so eloquently puts it,
"seems to flow from Mario's inner being"), "dal sogno mio
breve" (first time round), and "Per amor del mio sogno e della notte",
which he sings with a wonderful sense of line. Very musical,
intelligent and heartfelt. There are no tricks or histrionics; just an
artist who's completely living the moment. So much for Lanza's
phrasing being "prosaic" or "inartistic", as critic George Jellinek
once wrote of the Caruso Favorites album!
Vocally too, it's quite remarkable. Like more than a few of the
numbers on both the "Mario!" and Caruso Favorites" albums (Passione,
Voce 'e Notte, Ideale, etc), the pathos and baritonal depth of his
timbre complement the song beautifully, but, more than that, it's the
power and grandeur of his voice here that really set him apart. Listen
to the ringing splendour of the lines "Ma che dal sangue mio nasca
l'aurora/ E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!" and marvel at the
fact that this is a sick man with barely four months to live.
Come to think of it, L'Alba Separa would have made a terrific addition
to Lanza's concert repertoire in 1958. Imagine the impact on the
audience of singing like this coupled with the voice that we hear on
the 1958 Lamento di Federico!
Here are three other singers' versions for some interesting
comparisons -- both vocally and interpretively:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va5Je7rmiFI (Juan Diego Flórez, 2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3bGCq2lM8&feature=related (Jussi
Bjoerling)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98j--x9hKrc (Rolando Villazón)
And here are the lyrics and their English translation again (to save
people having to scroll back to the first post):
L'ALBA SEPARA DALLA LUCE L'OMBRA
L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra,
E la mia volutta' dal mio desire.
Pupille ardenti,
Morir debbo.
Veder non voglio il giorno,
Per amor del mio sogno e della notte.
Mentre la terra pallida s'irrora.
Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
The dawn divides the darkness from light,
And my sensual pleasure from my desire,
O sweet stars, it is the hour of death.
A love more holy clears you from the skies.
Gleaming eyes, O you who'll ne'er return,
sad stars, snuff out your uncorrupted light!
I must die, I do not want to see the day,
For love of my own dream and of the night.
leeann
provided to Florez, Bjorling and Villazon. I have to say, I've
appreciated backtracking to early threads about Bjorling and others.
Thank you. And Derek, at that time, you mentioned you couldn't find a
link to Luca Canonici's high D in Le Postillon de Lonjumeau--could
this be it on YouTube--posted after that thread closed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I42R0Es6WZ0
I'm awfully reluctant to put my ignorance on display by commenting a
lot on these three, and, as always, it's a privilege to read what the
musically knowledgeable people on this forum have to say. I have a
bit of trouble with Bjorling's vibrato, but I think his breathtaking
shift of emphasis on the last two lines--first on sole, then on eterno
is a splended finale; yet somehow, I miss poetic emotion in his
version. To my sense, Florez is beautifully nuanced; Villazon--
passionate, but not nuanced, and is there something a bit rough in his
voice above the powerful lower notes?
In any event, to my ears, Lanza is still the definitive version that
moves me beyond words. Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
Strangely, his voice sounds strained in some of the lower notes of his
upper register (if you know what I mean!), and yet the high D, which
is an extremely difficult note to reach, sounds relatively free.
I've just been listening again to the Bjoerling version of L'Alba
Separa. No, it doesn't do a lot for me, I'm afraid. As you say, his
rendition lacks poetry; it's all about stentorian power, and there's
very little relishing of the words. He seems to rush through it until
he gets to the first "sole" of the penultimate line -- and then he
holds on to the first syllable of that word for so long that he spoils
the musical "shape" of the song. I also don't like the nasality (for
want of a better word) in his voice on "notte" and elsewhere; it's
something he does quite often in his other recordings. There's no
doubting the sheer strength of his voice, though, and it's a good
ending!
By the way, there's nothing remotely ignorant about your musical
comments as far as I'm unconcerned, Lee Ann.
Derek McGovern
I was playing around with the equalization feature on the audio editing program Audacity this evening, and decided to put Lanza's recording of "L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra" to the test. Here's the result on the attached MP3 file; let me know what you think! While I can't claim to have improved the recording to the extent that the engineers of the great Encore set achieved on other Caruso Favorites selections, it does sound less harsh and "sandy" to my ears. In any event, it's a great excuse to bump this classic thread back up to the top of the list. After all, this is one of the great renditions of "L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra"---irrespective of Lanza's obvious tiredness here, or a less than perfectly executed climactic note (although it doesn't sound half bad here). It's simply one of the most moving and majestic of all Lanza's recordings. (Just listen to the magnificence of the man's handling of the line "Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora" near the end of the song.)
Here are the lyrics again, and you might also want to reacquaint yourself with Lou's magnificent post from upthread.
Happy listening (and reading)!
Derek
L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra
L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra,
E la mia volutta' dal mio desire.
O dolce stelle, l'ora di morire.
Un piu' divino amor dal ciel vi sgombra.
The dawn divides the darkness from light,
And my sensual pleasure from my desire,
O sweet stars, it is the hour of death.
A love more holy clears you from the skies.
Pupille ardenti, O voi senza ritorno
Stelle tristi, spegnetevi incorrotte!
Morir debbo. Veder non voglio il giorno,
Per amor del mio sogno e della notte.
Gleaming eyes, O you who'll ne'er return,
sad stars, snuff out your uncorrupted light!
I must die, I do not want to see the day,
For love of my own dream and of the night.
Chiudimi,
O Notte, nel tuo sen materno,
Mentre la terra pallida s'irrora.
Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
Envelop me,
O Night, in your maternal breast,
Derek McGovern
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/65S8M0KX/LAlba_Separa_dalla_Luce_lOmbra.html
leeann
Lanza's "L'alba separa..." catches me off-guard almost every time I play it--which is rather often, actually. But the recording quality of this incredible piece in the lineup of Caruso Favorites is frustrating. How terrific to have another smoother,deeper--well, richer--listening option, thank you Derek!
There are a lot of ideas in this thread to keep talking about, but I have to admit I was rather relieved that Lou mentioned in her spectacular post that she'd initially found the lyrics inaccessible. My prosaic mind had to hit Sanvitale's The Song of a Life: Francesco Paolo Tosti again for a little help. It was interesting to learn that "L'alba..." is actually the second piece in a four-poem set that D'Annunzio wrote for Tosti whose composition further united them in a musical cycle.
D'Annunzio based these poems, in part, on his own tragic love affair with a woman who ultimately went mad--who lived in darkness. And while Tosti initially found D'Annunzio's form and style terribly complicated and wondered if and how he might set the words to music, ultimately, the work, Quattro canzoni d'Amaranta epitomized a new phase in Tosti's work.
Critics who thought of his work almost as light, as attuned to popular tastes, recognized the depth of Tosti's musical interpretation of D'Annunzio's poems. As they talk about the technical form and structure of Tosti's music and how it relates to D'Annunzio's words, there seems to be consensus that this work epitomized transformations in Tosti's music--that he got inside the lyrics, that his complicated rhythms, chords, and melodies work with the poetry, enhance its meaning.
Since with the background emphasis on how words and music work together, it just seems right that, as all the posts on this thread emphasize, Lanza should nail this work. We talk a lot about how he gets inside words and music--from picking pineapples to Otello. But I think this is one of the best, where Lanza makes us understand (even when the words are hard) something about darkness and light so majestically, hauntingly, with heartfelt power and grandeur, yet without artifice--just to extrapolate a few of the descriptors already here. What a match! Best, Lee Ann
Tony Partington
Very nice job of remastering Derek! Yes, the "boxiness" is very much improved and, as you say, the sandy, harsh quality is somewhat diminished. I did a side by side comparison and listened to the song three times and there is no question that there is indeed an improvement. This makes me just long for BMG to give the CARUSO FAVORITES album the same VIP treatment they gave the MARIO! album.
And speaking of the MARIO! album, while I was doing my weekly perusal of the iTunes store and their Lanza section I came across a recording released on February 15, 2012 of this year - VENGABOND It is the MARIO! album as released by Vintage Records. Well at $5.99 the temptation was too great and I went ahead and downloaded it. Very interesting. I'll let you folks be your own judges, I think quality wise it falls somewhere between the original MARIO CD and the Hi-Fi remastered version. Anyway, here are two selection from Vintage Records VENGABOND.
Michael McAdam
On Tuesday, July 24, 2012 11:18:26 AM UTC-3, leeann wrote:
Lanza's "L'alba separa..." catches me off-guard almost every time I play it.................................................
..............................................Lanza makes us understand (even when the words are hard) something about darkness and light so majestically, hauntingly, with heartfelt power and grandeur, yet without artifice--just to extrapolate a few of the descriptors already here. What a match! Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
I do hear differences, especially between the harsh CD version and the one I was playing around with. I think mine's a tad warmer/richer than your version, but no doubt someone with more sophisticated equipment could improve it still further.
Hi Lee Ann: Mike's right---that was a great post, and I'd like to comment on it when I'm feeling less frazzled by the heat and unbelievable humidity here in Busan tonight!
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/k6JaHsMM/Santa_Lucia_Luntana_--_origina.html
But overall, I still feel the SACD strikes the perfect balance between Lanza and the orchestra.
Cheers
Derek
Armando
Good job Derek! This is great singing from Lanza, but I must agree with Mike. The punishment Lanza was inflicting on his body is evident in this as well as in the other tracks on this collection and in virtually all of his 1958/59 recordings.
The singing, with few exceptions,( some of the Albert Hall selections) is of a high standard, but the voice is prematurely dark, heavy and tired sounding even in some of the tracks from the outstanding Mario album and the equally impressive singing in FTFT. As I’ve stated in previous posts the voice itself was not damaged and had he pulled himself together it would have sounded fresher while retaining both its natural darkness and brilliance.
Tony Partington
On Wednesday, July 25, 2012 6:46:25 PM UTC-5, Armando wrote:
Good job Derek! This is great singing from Lanza, but I must agree with Mike. The punishment Lanza was inflicting on his body is evident in this as well as in the other tracks on this collection and in virtually all of his 1958/59 recordings.
The singing, with few exceptions,( some of the Albert Hall selections) is of a high standard, but the voice is prematurely dark, heavy and tired sounding even in some of the tracks from the outstanding Mario album and the equally impressive singing in FTFT. As I’ve stated in previous posts the voice itself was not damaged and had he pulled himself together it would have sounded fresher while retaining both its natural darkness and brilliance.
And so it goes... In our never ending desire to realize the perfect sound for Mario"s CARUSO FAVORITES - until BMG gets off their you know whats and actually does something worthwhile; here is my latest offering. I welcome comment.
Derek McGovern
This is great singing from Lanza, but I must agree with Mike. The punishment Lanza was inflicting on his body is evident in this as well as in the other tracks on this collection and in virtually all of his 1958/59 recordings.The singing, with few exceptions,( some of the Albert Hall selections) is of a high standard, but the voice is prematurely dark, heavy and tired sounding even in some of the tracks from the outstanding Mario album and the equally impressive singing in FTFT. As I’ve stated in previous posts the voice itself was not damaged and had he pulled himself together it would have sounded fresher while retaining both its natural darkness and brilliance.
Ciao Armando: Thanks for your comments. You'll get no argument from me that Lanza sounds tired and heavy on most of his 1959 recordings, and, to a lesser extent, on a few of the selections from the Mario! and For the First Time albums. In fact, he sounds like a much older singer at times on the Caruso Favorites album---and perhaps most of all on "L'Alba Separa"---though there are youthful sparks here and there, especially when he gets his second wind. And who can forget those fearless, rock-solid high As he pings out in "Vaghissima Sembianza" and "Serenata"?
The bottom line for me: Lanza's energy level may be compromised on something like "L'Alba Separa," but the emotional impact of his singing here overwhelms any qualms I might have about his less-than-sparkling vocal form. No other recording of this song moves me in the same way.
Cheers
Derek
leeann
I suppose he didn't actually designate a version of "L'Alba Separa" to be sung by "one of the greatest tenor voices of the 20th century suffering vocal fatigue and ill-health," but maybe there's an argument that the heaviness and fatigue actually emphasize the thematic sorrow and darkness of "L'Alba Separa."
It works in the early verses. Perhaps, too, the fatigue and heaviness underlie and enhance the magnificence of the ending crescendo of the last stanzas, if that makes sense--the incredible musical renunciation, realization, and acknowledgement of "Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora, E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!" Best, Lee Ann
Barnabas Nemeth
Thanks for your honesty Derek. I'm not quite sure what it sounds like to sing from a submarine but perhaps Mario singing "L'Alba Separa..." is it. In all events I thought I was able to eradicate the awful tape hiss and, what you described as boxy quality. Another thought about the CD recordings currently available of CARUSO FAVORITES: As we know, there is BMG release of the album coupled with THE GREAT CARUSO CD, released some time back. Then there is the two-fer CD of the album as coupled with FOR THE FIRST TIME. In listening to them both side by side, as I did just the other day, there is, for me, no question that the two-fer is far superior to the earlier BMG release. The earlier release has much more pronounced tape hiss and is far too limiting with its muddy compression. Just a side note in this discussion - Derek, you are so right, so dead on about the warmth and the immediate presence of the original stereo vinyl LP. It is fascinating indeed to realize that with all the 21st century state-of-the-art technical wizardry, the truly wonderful and perhaps most realistically true reproduction, the most "human" sounding reproduction is that of the well recorded, well engineered analog LP. A marvel indeed. More later on the wonder of the songs of Tosti.
Ciao - Tony
Derek McGovern
Lee Ann: Thanks so much for your two latest posts here. I had no idea that D'Annunzio had fallen for a woman who "lived in darkness"! It all starts to make sense... :) And I can completely relate to your comment about being "caught off-guard" by this recording. When I played it the other night, I was not expecting to be so moved all over again. And, yes (in a serendipitous kind of way), "the heaviness and fatigue" seems so right here. It's a similar story with "Santa Lucia Luntana" and "Fenesta Che Lucive" on the Mario! album---neither song finds him in his freshest voice, but the hint of weariness, coupled with that dark, baritonal sound, adds a bewitching pathos to Lanza's interpretations. I adore all three recordings.
Incidentally, I was surprised to find a customer on Amazon some years back, in an otherwise glowing review of Caruso Favorites (and the RCA "Great Caruso" album that it was originally coupled with on CD), criticizing Ennio Morricone's arrangement of "L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra" as "disgracefully sweetened by violinistic candy-floss." (It "makes makes one long fiercely for the interpretations by Jussi Björling or Carlo Bergonzi," s/he added.) I love the arrangement. However, I was impressed by the same customer's observation that the Caruso Favorites album "reveals on the whole a large, strong and gifted voice that responds duly to Sir Peter Pears' saying `A violin is a violin, and a piano is a piano, but a voice is a person'." Nice!
Here's the link again to my current favorite reproduction of "L'Alba Separa" just in case anyone's confused by the many different urls that have appeared here:
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/65S8M0KX/LAlba_Separa_dalla_Luce_lOmbra.html
And one last thought in response to Barnabas' latest post: Barnabas: I very much doubt that anyone on either of the other two Lanza forums shares our degree of frustration over the poor sound quality on Caruso Favorites (and other Lanza albums). If they do, they've certainly kept it to themselves. Besides, I'm banned from one of those forums and persona non grata at the other, so I'm certainly not in a position to be asking anyone. A number of us here have tried repeatedly to take the bull by the horns and approach Sony/BMG, but with the sole exception of the Serenade/Cavalcade twofer CD, which we persuaded BMG UK to release in 2004, our efforts have been in vain. For whatever reason, Derek Mannering remains Sony's go-to person for Lanza album/compilation releases, and I'd be amazed if he saw a SACD version of Caruso Favorites as a priority given his views on Mario's 1958-1959 recordings.
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
Barnabas Nemeth
Derek McGovern
Cheers
Derek
Barnabas Nemeth
Derek McGovern
bradley....@gmail.com
Marcel AZENCOT (Marcus)
Le jeudi 8 novembre 2007 05:08:58 UTC+1, Derek McGovern a écrit :
Knowing how much our members Ann-Mai and Muriella love this great song
- and Mario's recording of it - I thought I'd give L'Alba Separa its
own discussion thread, thereby freeing up the Lanza Sings Tosti thread
for some of the other Tosti songs (Luna d'Estate, La Mia Canzone,
Ideale, etc). I know that Muriella, in particular, will have plenty to
say about this recording (and I look forward to reading her comments)!First the lyrics and their translation:
L'ALBA SEPARA DALLA LUCE L'OMBRA
L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra,
E la mia volutta' dal mio desire.
O dolce stelle, l'ora di morire.
Un piu' divino amor dal ciel vi sgombra.
Pupille ardenti, O voi senza ritorno
Stelle tristi, spegnetevi incorrotte!
Morir debbo. Veder non voglio il giorno,
Per amor del mio sogno e della notte.
Chiudimi,
O Notte, nel tuo sen materno,
Mentre la terra pallida s'irrora.
Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
E dal sogno mio breve il sole eterno!
THE DAWN DIVIDES THE DARKNESS FROM LIGHT
The dawn divides the darkness from light,
And my sensual pleasure from my desire,
O sweet stars, it is the hour of death.
A love more holy clears you from the skies.
Gleaming eyes, O you who'll ne'er return,
sad stars, snuff out your uncorrupted light!
I must die, I do not want to see the day,
For love of my own dream and of the night.
Envelop me,
O Night, in your maternal breast,
While the pale earth bathes itself in dew;
But let the dawn rise from my blood
And from my brief dream the eternal sun!
And from my brief dream the eternal sun!
The lyrics are by the writer/poet/politician Gabriele D'Annunzio, who
also wrote the words for Tosti's 'A Vucchella. D'Annunzio certainly
had a well-developed sense of the dramatic (his extraordinary life
seems to have been equal parts melodrama and adventure), and in
Tosti's magnificent setting he found a worthy musical collaborator.This song is certainly as taxing as many an aria to pull off,
especially if one takes the tricky B-flat (on e-TER-no") at the end.
Most Lanza aficionados I know feel that this is the one weak point on
Mario's recording; some of them regard the note as "terrible". It
actually doesn't bother me. While it's not one of Lanza best B-flats,
it's the poor recording quality that makes it sound worse than it is.
When Mario initially hits the note, everything distorts, but then (if
you listen carefully) there's an improvement of sorts and the note
becomes cleaner, almost as if (or quite possibly because) the startled
Cinecitta' engineers have quickly adjusted their dials.But getting back to the rest of the song...
The defining moment in Lanza's delivery, for me, is from "Chiudimi, O
Notte" onwards. There's an extraordinary majesty in his singing here,
aptly described by James Kilbourne in his essay Visiting a Dying
Friend (the link for which is in our Pages section):"Some of the crescendos are haunting in their impact, even reminiscent
of the other-wordly, nearly spiritual sound of the final note of his
earlier Passione."They most certainly are. But while I have plenty more to write about
this recording, at this point I'd rather hear what others have to say.
So feel free to jump in and join the discussion, folks...
Marcel AZENCOT (Marcus)
Le dimanche 15 septembre 2019 14:45:49 UTC+2, Marcel AZENCOT (Marcus) a écrit :
Hi everybody ! I’m a newcomer to this forum and site. I just fell on this 2012 discussion about l’Alba…But is it ever late to give an advice on art ? I hope not, in principle and also because since I wrote the following just a few days before the approval of my candidacy to the forum.
It just did happen as follows.
A few days ago, I was driving and I decided to listen to some music from a few Cds I had in the car.
I took some of them: I had Brahms (Ein Deutches Requiem, Schwartzkopf and Fischer-Dieskau, with the Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra under Otto Klemperer; Max Bruch, Violin concerto by Itshak Perlman, Israël Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the light and humanity of Dinu Lipatti, on Bach’s partitas; gone so young too; Ramon Vargas singing “Arie Antiche” and Alfredo Kraus doing just the same; and Mario Lanza and his ultra-famous “Mario Lanza sings Caruso’s Favourites”, Cd “The “Great Caruso” (RCA Victor)….
Hard choice as sometimes, some of these artists move me to tears, especially Lipatti and Lanza, plus all the other great artists, Perlman, Kraus, Klemperer, and this wonderful “Requiem” which is not a mass, like the other Requiems, but a collection of texts from the Old Testament and the Gospels; not the idea of a funeral but instead the enlightened hope of redemption and rebirth…That leads us to “L’Alba…”
I took Mario Lanza’s CD, that I have heard and reheard and that I, like many other people, know in detail. But strangely, every time I listen to it, I discover something I had not noticed before, like those books on your bedside table that are always available to raise your spirit and make you think. Just extend your arm and start reading again.
First I went directly to the beautiful Serenata, by Caruso and Bracco (“La luna scende e tua cara…”) and waited for the glorious five notes, almost at the end of the aria (Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!Ah!) Oh, God ! That fifth note ! My rendez-vous with fire, a blazing note, a high B easy, almost casual but resplendent, a ball of fire. So I played it again and again (of course I also often listen to the beautiful rendition by Caruso, who, as we all know, wrote the lyrics, and also by the young American tenor, Michael Spyres, also with a beautiful rendition (in concerts in France), but Lanza gives me goose bumps: as always, his fire comes from the heart.
No surprise: we are talking about a man who knew what words meant and delivered them as if he were writing his will.
And now we come to the poem of l’Alba.
D’Annunzio was, in my opinion, a true lyrical and romantic poet. At first, you would think there’s some excess in eac and every word and each and every verse of his poems, like the French romantic poets of the ninetinth century (Alphonse de Lamartine, Alfred de Vigny etc…, poetry of open hearts and indiscreet peeping but due to the poet himself, excessive weeping, excessive torments but not mortal torments or real sorrows). Our view of romanticism has changed and evolved to a sort of discretion and restraint (same thing in the singing?), less sophistication and less self-esteem and ego. But, on a second thought, d’Annunzio appears for what he was: playing cash, speaking cash, an adventurer who was a poet (or the reverse). I have his poems in Italian and I see he never hides behind the words. On the contrary, he is naked through the words (and let’s admit he appears sometimes a little bit crazy…and courageous…with a dark side : his political choices for fascism, like Malaparte …and Schipa, Gigli and Lauri-Volpi…).
In fact, this man was not meant for his century. I think d’Annunzio would have liked to live in the times of Cicero, Cesar and Pompeius Magnus (the man who, to his astonishment, found only a Veil in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple…), times where you could risk your head and your hands and live and die violently as did the three named above.
That is why I think “l’Alba…” was no exception and was written in genuine and sincere words (probably during the night, with the magic of darkness and the dim light of remote “pupille ardenti” of stars ?).
And Lanza took the words for himself, maybe in a process of unconscious (?) self-identification to the poet. He made the poem his and he speaks to us.
Now, the poem starts with a biblical style and a clear reminiscence from the Genesis Chapter and the dawn of Creation according to the Scriptures:
The Eternal separated light (“or” in Hebrew) from darkness (“hoshekh”) and called the light day (“yom”) and the darkness “night” (“laïla”): “l’Alba separa dalla luce l’ombra…This is it ! With the poet playing God, which, as we know, is the privilege of poets, masters of the Verb).
Hence, for me, the majestic tempo and singing from the start by Lanza, “L’Aaalba”, first word of the aria, is sung and sculpted like a bow, a rainbow, the singer and the poet claiming the word, the verb of Creation: let the light be ! L’Alba is the light and an order is given to the stars: “spegnetevi incorrote!” (“switch off your light and stay uncorrupted”), and then “I must die” (morir debbo”, the heart of the matter, movingly enhanced – especially “debbo”, “I must” - by Lanza, “for the love of my dream and of the night”.
The “Night” is one of the two antagonistic characters of the dramatic play, “it-she” is the new mother, “Enclose me Ô Mother (pardon, “Ô Night!”) on your maternal breast” (Chiudimi Ô note, nel tuo sen materno !” (breath), then comes the most moving in my opinion, the magnificent Lanza’s rendition of “Mentre la terra…”, slow and majestic again (“While the pale earth turns its face to dawn”), “mentre la terra palida s’irrora” (breath), the incoming kingdom of the day and the introduction of the rebirth from the poet’s-singer’s own blood, “ma che dal sangue miiiio” (again slow and majestic by Lanza) “naasca l’aurooora”, “while from my own blood comes the rebirth of dawn”.
And the end, ”e dal sogno mio breevee, il sool eteernoo, et dal sogno mio breve(briefword…) “il sol eteeernooo!”(longword, Eternity) “and from my own briefdream, the eternalsun”, the God Amon, the Sun God, comes back again (the eternal cycle), born from the poet’s-singer’s blood....
Splendid poem in which any hint of preciousness is saved by the magnificent and moving Lanza’s genuine singing-praying.
Last note? I did not feel it was missed or distorted (although we know by the sound engineers that Lanza’s voice was so powerful that the sound was distorted and he had to push the microphones ahead of him before singing).
Ever heard this poem-song by Ben Heppner? Beautiful as always with Heppner – although, comparing with Lanza, I do not feel the drama of death, desperation and rebirth in Heppner’s singing (or with any other singer) singing, (maybe Heppner is a happy man with no ghosts around him) but his “glissando” of the last note (eteerno) is slightly missed[1].
All this reminds me of a small poem on the night and the day I read on a café table (written on the white marble of the table with a thick felt pen) in Mesagne (Puglia, Italy) three years ago, a short and beautiful half anonymous poem.
Litterally :
”E poi chiude il giorno, accostando la porta de la raggione e spallancando quella dei sogni, Rita 1-10 2015 ».
I paid twice my tribute to « Rita » : by this article and by the poem in french I wrote and published on her poem, but hers is definitely better than mine.
Marcus
[1]I saw and heard Ben Heppner at the Opera Bastille in Paris in Lohengrin. He was imperial (with Waltraud Maier) but the direction, costumes and settings were a copy of the Berlin Wall, all grey and brown, even hats (!) and coats, people were grey and stone faced like the Politburo of the ex-USSR, old dictators waiving from the Kremlin Wall. The second time, it was a recital at the Opéra Garnier, Paris, where Ben Heppner, alone on stage, sang almost 20 numbers. Outstanding. Too bad he had to stop his career (another Mario Lanza fan, by the way, explaining on a Cd of melodies dedicated to his mother and her time, that Mario Lanza was her favourite. He never forgot that voice and sang “The Roses of Picardy “as an encoreat Paris Opera Garnier).