Mady Mesple (Speaking of Lakme)
Jon Davis
>the role including Mme Sutherland.
Ever heard the Mado Robin recording?
>What were Mme Mesple's other roles? Recordings?
Many and various, but mostly in the French repertoire. Here's what I've found:
Massenet: WERTHER (Sophie) EMI
Ganne: LES SALTIMBANQUES (Suzanne) Pathe
Gounod: PHILEMON ET BAUCIS (Baucis) - ORTF
Paer: MAITRE DE CHAPELLE - ORTF
Rossini: GUILAUMME TELL (Jemmy) EMI
Lecocq: FILLE DE MADAME ANGOT (Clairette) EMI
Milhaud: COLOMBE (Isabella) Belgian Radio '73
Bizet: DON PROCOPIO (Bettina) ORTF '75
Mozart: SCHAUSPIELDIREKTOR (Madame Herz) EMI
Planquette: CLOCHES DE CORNEVILLE (Germaine) EMI
Auber: MANON LESCAUT (Manon) - EMI
Offenbach: VIE PARISIENNE (Gabrielle) - EMI
Offenbach: GRAND DUCHESS (Wanda) - Sony
Offenbach: ORPHEE AUX ENFERS (Eurydice) - EMI
Gretry: ZEMIRE ET AZOR (Zemire) - EMI
Hahn: CIBOULETTE (Ciboulette) - EMI
Auber: FRA DIAVOLO (Zerline) - EMI
Offenbach: POMME D'API (Catherine) - EMI
Offenbach: MSSR. CHOUFLEURI (Ernestine) - EMI
Offenbach: MESDAMES DE LA HALLE (Ciboulette) - EMI
Messager: VERONIQUE (Helene) - EMI
Jon Davis
"I think popular music in this country is one of the few things in the
20th Century that have made giant strides in reverse."
Bing Crosby
Bruno Tredicine
of Guillaume Tell, and she sings quite well, surely better than many
others in that role, such as Della Jones with Chailly or Amelia Felle
with Muti. I own also an old LP that she recorded with Nicolai Gedda,
with duets from french operas (Mireille, Roi d'Ys, Pecheurs de perles
and so on), and it's a notable work too. Maybe her subtle voice didn't
allow her a wide range of role; I don't know much more about her
career but I could find out in a book with reviews of operatic CD
that she was in some french operas recording, such as Auber's Fra
Diavolo always with Gedda (EMI, cond. Marc Soustrot), or Massenet's
Werther -in the side role of Sophie-, still EMI, under Pretre.
On Thu, 21 Jun 2001 18:07:23 GMT, "Candide" <PityM...@anywhere.com>
wrote:
>One of my most prized recordings is the EMI Classic of Lakme featuring Mady
>Mesple,Charles Burles and Roger Soyer.
>Can anyone tell me about Mme Mesple? According to my ears she seems to sing the
>Bell Song right on note,clear, with a rich tone. Although some notes seem
>preternatural,and she does soar above the orchestra (taking into account this
>is a studio recording). IMHO she is streets ahead of any other I've heard in
>the role including Mme Sutherland.
Steffan O'Sullivan
Auber: Fra Diavolo (EMI) and Rossini: Guillaume Tell (also EMI).
--
-Steffan O'Sullivan | "Everything is held together with stories.
s...@panix.com | That is all that is holding us together,
Plymouth, NH, USA | stories and compassion."
www.io.com/~sos | -Barry Lopez
Gregory Neal Freed
Mesple is indeed wonderful. I've always thought so. We are in
the minority, I think, as most opera fans I know find her tone
too acid or something. Frankly I don't get it. In Lakme, at
the very least, she's perfect. Some other good recordings:
From the studio, Auber's Manon Lescaut. Fluffy, with excellent
singing from Mesple including some effortless f's if memory serves.
Gretry's Azor et Zamire, featuring a held out G. I hate to
sound like the high notes are all that's good about her singing,
but they _are_ amazing. Various recital discs, a duet album
with Gedda, and a hilarious diva turn in Mozart's The Impressario.
There's also a lot of French operetta about which I don't know
too much. There must be an Olympia, too.
Live, if you don't mind the sound, there's a hard to find Ariadne
in which she sings (for my money) a Zerbinetta without equal,
partnered by Troyanos in the prologue and with Crespin in truly
unfortunate voice as Ariadne. It's astonishing. This is actually
my fave Mesple recording because it showcases not only her technique
but also her charm.
I'm sure I'm leaving out good stuff. A small gem is her performance
of "Jane" on the multi-disc Debussy song set.
Let me know what else you find!
Greg
Leonard Tillman
and (the Auber) Manon, plus a recital album somewhere in my "crates"!!
Wonderful, dazzling coloratura-soprano,
even if not quite the equal of her predecessor, Mado Robin - but
then, who (IMO) is? (with the sole exception, again IMO, of Anna
Moffo!!)
Best, LT
-"Love is not what makes the world go 'round -
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
~Franklin P. Jones
vaurien
specific Gaulic tradition of sound production. I like her voice - she
projects a wonderful comic presence in a few Offenbach operettas.
--
DOS EPELE FALT NIT VAYT FUNM BOYM
"Candide" <PityM...@anywhere.com> wrote in message
news:vJqY6.5940$8P6.1...@typhoon1.gnilink.net...
>
>
> X-No-archive: yes
Leonard Tillman
"Our family cat however does peep his head up during certian passages of
her "Bell Song". <g>."
--- Regards to him!!
He knows what's good!!!
REG
she was almost inaudible in the MET. She was my first Gilda in my first or
second MET performance ever (73 or 74), along with DiGiuseppe and who knows
who as the baritone - I came from the very serious study of orchestral
music, and I went through the performance finding her almost inaudible and
pallid in color...undoubtedly she did better in much smaller houses, but any
interesting colors in the voice were lost there.
"Candide" <PityM...@anywhere.com> wrote in message
news:vJqY6.5940$8P6.1...@typhoon1.gnilink.net...
>
>
> X-No-archive: yes
>
> One of my most prized recordings is the EMI Classic of Lakme featuring
Mady
> Mesple,Charles Burles and Roger Soyer.
>
> Can anyone tell me about Mme Mesple? According to my ears she seems to
sing the
> Bell Song right on note,clear, with a rich tone. Although some notes seem
> preternatural,and she does soar above the orchestra (taking into account
this
> is a studio recording). IMHO she is streets ahead of any other I've heard
in
> the role including Mme Sutherland.
>
> What were Mme Mesple's other roles? Recordings?
>
>
> Candide
> _+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+__+_+__+_
> "On doit se regarder soi-même un fort long temps,
> Avant que de songer à condamner les gens"
> (Molière)
> (We should look long and carefully at ourselves before we pass judgement
on
> others).
>
>
>
>
si...@webtv.net
Mesple that was exactly what it sounds lke it was. All sorts of light
waltz pieces mostly by Strauss. I thought it was wonderful, but have no
idea if it is still available.
Best John
Mark D. Lew
> Can anyone tell me about Mme Mesple? According to my ears she seems to
sing the
> Bell Song right on note,clear, with a rich tone. Although some notes seem
> preternatural,and she does soar above the orchestra (taking into account this
> is a studio recording). IMHO she is streets ahead of any other I've heard in
> the role including Mme Sutherland.
What do you think of the rest of her Lakmé? I agree that Mesplé's Bell
Song is exquisite, but I found her unsatisfying in much of the rest of the
role. I particularly disliked her rendering of the lullaby at the
beginning of act three.
mdl
Brend in LA
Song is exquisite, but I found her unsatisfying in much of the rest of the
role. I particularly disliked her rendering of the lullaby at the
beginning of act three. >>
For me, this is the perfect recording of "Lakme" -- I always thought that Mme
Mesple sounded wonderful throughout, from the stunning "Bell Song" to her duet
with Danielle Millet ("Viens, Mallika ...") and her lullaby. Everything was
just amazing to my ears. I can never get enough of it.
However, I also have to say that Roger Soyer's aira "Lakme, ton doux regard se
voile ..." breaks my heart every time I hear it, it's so beautiful. His
Nilakantha is great and has never been surpassed (not even by Jose Van Dam on
the Plasson EMI recording, and I've always been a fan of Van Dam). Just another
reason why I love this recording so much.
Vinh Nguyen
an intriguing but problematic CD of hers that I have. It's a
French compilation of live/radio materials from the INA archives
(EMI 7491682, Mady Mesple: Airs d'Operas). The selections seem
to showcase the best of her roles (Lucia, Gilda, Lakme, Yniold,
Queen of the Night, Zerbinetta, etc), filling up a generous
73+ minutes on the CD. But I don't know if my copy is defective
or what that the tracks keep emitting a fluttering noise that
sounds like a BAD acetate recording from the worst of the worst
historical transfers. I've tried numerous CD players, and even
made a CR-R dubbing, all to no avail. The recordings date from
1958-1974, and it is inconceivable that such poor sonics would
be issued by a major label (EMI) to celebrate one of its star
singers. Does anybody else have the same problem with this
CD, or am I stuck with bad luck? Since it's quite an import
rarity that I picked up years ago abroad in Singapore, I haven't
seen it in any US store or listed anywhere online, to even think
of finding a replacement. Knowing EMI, it must have gone out
of prints in a flash years ago (it was issued in 1986!) The
disc was brandnew and seem perfectly clean/pristine, just that
the sonics are horrifyingly unlistenable. Any hepful suggestion
about what I can do to get rid of this superimposed noise? Or
should I just forget about it? I'm a canary-fancier, with a
soft spot for stratospheric acrobatics, and it's driving me
crazy not to be able to get through what seems like a very
tempting compilation:
Lucia: Mad scene (1974 live concert)
La Cambiale di Matrimonio: Fanny's scene (1961 radio)
Rigoletto: Caro nome (1967 live)
Lakme: Bell song (1966 radio)
P & M: Yniold's scene (1958 live)
L'Amant jaloux: Leonore's aria (1959 radio)
Toreador: Ah vous dirais-je maman (1963 radio)
Magic Flute: Queen of Night's 2 arias (1966 radio)
Zerbinetta's aria (1969 live)
Thanks for the interesting thread on Mady Mesple that
reminds me of this CD, which still drives me crazy (for
the wrong reason!) when I touch it, argh!
Vinh Nguyen
Skip
"Vinh Nguyen" <vng...@fas.harvard.edu> wrote in message
news:9h1fqr$333$1...@news.fas.harvard.edu...
Mark D. Lew
bren...@aol.com (Brend in LA) wrote:
> For me, this is the perfect recording of "Lakme" -- I always thought that Mme
> Mesple sounded wonderful throughout, from the stunning "Bell Song" to her duet
> with Danielle Millet ("Viens, Mallika ...") and her lullaby. Everything was
> just amazing to my ears. I can never get enough of it.
De gustibus and all that. I like Mesplé OK in that duet, and also in the
duets with the tenor, but I find her blandly inexpressive in the two slow
solos and grating in all of her recits.
mdl
Leonard Tillman
--- A friend had that same one (with a coral-pink background and left
profile of Mesple, IIRC). I haven't seen it in about fifteen years,
but it certainly would make a fine addition to the available choice of
cd's!!