Vocal collectors who’ve been hanging onto the defunct Bourg label’s horrific vinyl transfer of this 1912 Trovatore (sung in French, and slightly cut in places) can now trade in the LPs for a tootsie roll. Remastering genius Ward Marston works wonders as he divines more sonic information than anyone’s ever heard from rather dicey source material. Pathé’s hill-and-dale 78s were not exactly state-of-the-art audio, even by the acoustic era’s limited standards. The orchestra sounds like a blatty wind-up toy, but the voices leap out at you with newfound vivacity. The late-19th-century French Verdi tradition was rich in vocal talent, as you readily hear. What we’d give nowadays for an elegant, powerful Manrico like Charles Fontaine, partnered by Jane Morlet’s supple and involving Leonore. The great Belgian bass Jean Noté makes a riveting Count, and Ketty Lapeyrette brings Azucenza to colorful life. A quintet of classic Le Trouvère excerpts featuring golden age French singers fill out Disc 2, including soprano Lucette Korsoff, and the unusual, dark bass voice of Juste Nivette. Excellent notes and full discographical data round out another winner in Marston’s ongoing Pathé opera cycle.
