Mezzo-soprano Conchita Supervia’s recordings were all made within a five-year span–1927-32. Fortunately, she was at the height of her career at the time (she died at 41 in 1936). Marston plans a four-volume series comprising Supervia’s complete recordings, of which this 2-disc set is Volume 1. Her claim to greatness is grounded not only on a beautiful voice, a range that went from coloratura heights to low notes a baritone could wish for, and a dramatic identification with the music she sang, but also on that rare, undefinable gift of communicating with her audiences. She sang from the heart to the heart, a quality that, to paraphrase a Supreme Court Justice’s definition of pornography, “you’ll know it when you hear it.” Not only was the voice imbued with emotion, but her articulation of the text was extraordinary, though never at the expense of the musical line, no manneristic stress on words, or, as with so many of our contemporary singers, isolated syllables. And she colored the text vocally with a mastery that makes its every emotion palpable.
Perfection, of course, is elusive, and Supervia did have one trait that’s hard for some listeners to accept: her famous (or infamous) rapidly beating vibrato, which she applied judiciously. Sometimes it’s barely obvious. At other times though, it becomes a fast flutter akin to the sound of a record on a turntable with an unstable motor. It may shock a first-time listener, but by the second or third time around it’s easily overlooked in the context of her glorious singing and emotional generosity.
This set includes much familiar material, all of it recorded in 1927 and 1928. It features often-reissued arias from Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, Cenerentola, and Barber of Seville, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier (incredibly, she sang Octavian in Rome in 1911, aged 16!), and of course, her irresistible Carmen. There’s also a sprinkling of zarzuela arias and a hefty helping of songs, including a spectacular performance of three from Falla’s Popular Spanish Songs. When completed, the four volumes will include rare items of recordings made in Spain and Argentina, unavailable since their local 78 rpm releases 70 years ago. Needless to say, transfers are excellent, given the obvious limitations of some of the original material. Ward Marston has become a legend whose transfers of historical material are available on numerous labels. His own label, Marston Records, was once generally available. Now it’s online at www.marstonrecords.com. [1/25/2005]
