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On February 11, 1840, the premiere of the opera “La fille du régiment” from Gaetano Donizetti took place in Paris.

It was 62 years later, in 1902, that this opera was presented in the The Metropolitan Opera in New York the first time. Here is the original evening list of the performance and an autograph from the singer Marcella Sembrich, who sang the main role. She was also the first Lucia in 1883 to open the MET and became the celebrated star of the house.

Nine years later and worlds away, Emma Eames and Marcella Sembrich sing Le Nozze di Figaro (1912)

#Eames #Sembrich #Mozart #Le Nozze di Figaro

Susan Graham sings Reynaldo Hahn's Si mes vers avaient des ailes

Graham's elegant musicality and delicately sensuous voice empitomize the modern approach to singing at its very best, just as Sembrich's seamless legato, preternaturally clear attacks and crystalline purity of tone sum up the aesthetic values of the Edwardian era.

Aside from the obvious fact that Graham is a mezzo whereas Sembrich was a lyric coloratura, the major differences are mostly a matter of expression. Graham uses her voice for expressive purposes, deploying subtle variations of dynamics and phrasing in order to arouse emotion. As a result, she sometimes compromises her attacks, tastefully allowing herself small liberties that would have been considered unacceptable a century ago. On the other hand, Sembrich's voice is expressive in itself: the sound of her voice, the perfect phrasing, the masterful legato are enough to move the listener, and no extraneous effects are needed (indeed, they would probably detract from the splendor of her performance, which seeks to communicate a very late-nineteenth-century, and very French, vision of the beau idéal). Of more modern singers, only Sutherland and Caballé have adopted a similar approach.

#Graham #Hahn #Sembrich