Three American Sopranos: Lillian Nordica, Olive Fremstad and Ada Adini

COMPLETE TRACK LISTING
LINER NOTES
A NOTE FROM WARD MARSTON

No singer has received more requests at Marston than Lillian Nordica (1857- 1914). The American-born artist mastered the entire soprano repertory from coloratura parts to Wagner roles. Like so many of the greatest singers on early records, Nordica is instantly recognizable; she for the lovely, individual timbre of her voice, the perfectly controlled emission of tone, and the accuracy of execution. Olive Fremstad (1871-1951) moved to the United States at the age of ten from Sweden. She received rave reviews for her 1906 Metropolitan Carmen and created the role of Salome at the American premiere of the opera of the same name. Her voice was rich and expressive. Ada Adini (1855-1924) spent most of her career outside of the United States. Her remarkable and versatile soprano voice is extant on five extremely rare Fonotipia sides. All five are presented on this 2 CD-set and for the first time, truly represent her beautiful voice.

[return to main menu]

CD 1 (77:18)
LILLIAN NORDICA Columbia Phonograph Company, New York City
1.	LA GIOCONDA: Suicidio! ... In questi fieri momenti (Ponchielli)		4:01
		3 April 1906; (M-3-1) (30133-1) Published only as a dub on IRCC 232
2.	IL TROVATORE: Miserere (Verdi)		4:21
		with Marcello Reseninil, tenor 3 April 1906; (M-5-2) (Unknown) Published only as a dub on IRCC 237
3.	IL TROVATORE: Tacea la notte placida (Verdi)		3:42
		3 April 1906; (M-6-1) (30134-1) Unpublished
4.	IL TROVATORE: Tacea la notte placida (Verdi)		3:42
		3 April 1906; (M-6-2) (30134-2) Published only as a dub on IRCC 232
5.	DIE WALKÜRE: Ho-jo-to-ho! (Wagner)		2:45
		Early 1907; (M-95-1) (Unknown) Unpublished
6.	HUNYADI LÁSZLÓ: Nagy ég, mit akar mit akar velök akirály? (Erkel)		3:07
		23 May 1907; (30144-1) 30144
7.	Damon (Stange)		3:51
		29 April 1910; (30483-1) 30483
8.	From the land of sky-blue water (Cadman)		1:34
9.	Mighty lak' a rose (Nevin)		2:11
		29 April 1910; (30486-1) 30486
10.	LA GIOCONDA: Suicidio! ... In questi fieri momenti (Ponchielli)		3:51
		2 February 1911; (30133-2) 30133
11.	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Mild und leise [Liebestod] (Wagner)		4:27
		2 February 1911; (30652-1) 30652
12.	Annie Laurie {Traditional Scottish} (Douglass-Scott)		2:44
		2 February 1911; (30653-1) 30653
13.	Mandoline (Verlaine-Debussy)		1:50
		3 February 1911; (30657-2) 30657
14.	DIE WALKÜRE: Ho-jo-to-ho! (Wagner)		2:19
		3 February 1911; (30659-1) Published only as a dub on IRCC 95
15.	MIGNON: Oui, pour ce soir... Je suis Titania [Polonaise] (Thomas)		3:58
		3 February 1911; (30661-1) 30661/ Transposed down a semi-tone to A
16.	Ständchen, Op. 17, #2 (R. Strauss)		3:03
		16 February 1911; (30677-1) 30677
17.	SALVATOR ROSA: Mia piccirella (Gomes)		2:19
		16 February 1911; (30681-1) Unpublished
The [Lionel] Mapleson Cylinders Recorded in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City
18.	LES HUGUENOTS: Three excerpts from Valentine-Raoul duet (Meyerbeer)		5:59
		with Jean de Reszke, tenor 11 March 1901
19.	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Three excerpts from Love Duet, including a portion of Brangäne's Warning (Wagner)		6:10
		with Georg Anthes, tenor and Ernestine Schumann-Heink, contralto 9 February 1903
20.	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Excerpt from Liebestod (Wagner)		1:48
		7 January 1903
21.	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Excerpt from Liebestod (Wagner)		2:04
		9 February 1903
22.	DIE WALKÜRE: Ho-jo-to-ho! excerpt (Wagner)		0:35
		16 January 1903 or 12 February 1903
23.	DIE WALKÜRE: Ho-jo-to-ho! excerpt (Wagner)		1:24
		21 February 1903
24.	DIE WALKÜRE: Scene beginning "[O hehrstes] Wunder! Herrlichste Maid!" (Wagner)		1:47
		with Johanna Gadski, soprano; Marie Van Cauteren, soprano; Mathilde Bauermeister, soprano; Ernestine Schumann-Heink, contralto; Louise Homer, contralto; Camille Seygard, soprano; Marguerite Marilly, soprano; Marie Maurer, soprano; and Carrie Bridewell, soprano 21 February 1903
25.	SIEGFRIED: Two excerpts from Act III Finale (Wagner)		3:32
		with Georg Anthes, tenor 19 January 1903
CD 1 (78:42)
LILLIAN NORDICA The [Lionel] Mapleson Cylinders (Continued)
1.	GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG: Three excerpts from Immolation Scene (Wagner)		6:13
		28 February 1903
2.	GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG: Three excerpts from Immolation Scene (Wagner)		4:10
		23 January 1903
ADA ADINI Società Italiana di Fonotipia, ca. late 1904 to early 1905, Milan
3.	AIDA: O cieli azzuri (Verdi)		2:05
		XPh 553-1; 39110
4.	AIDA: O cieli azzuri (Verdi)		2:06
		XPh 553-2; 39110
5.	IL TROVATORE: D'amor sull'ali rosee (Verdi)		3:03
		XPh 571; 39112
6.	La Serenata (Braga)		2:57
		with Anemoyanni, violin XPh 579; 39211
7.	HÉRODIADE: Il est doux, il est bon (Massenet)		3:07
		XPh 580; 39216
8.	HISTOIRE D'AMOUR: Grand Air (Samara)		3:00
		XPh 581; 39215
OLIVE FREMSTAD Columbia Phonograph Company, New York City
9.	TANNHÄUSER: Dich, teure Halle (Wagner)		3:32
		21 January 1911; (30635-2) A5281
10.	LOHENGRIN: Einsam in trüben Tagen (Wagner)		4:25
		30 January 1911; (30645-1) A5281
11.	DIE WALKÜRE: Du bist der Lenz (Wagner)		2:00
		5 November 1913; (39081-1) A1451
12.	DIE WALKÜRE: Ho-jo-to-ho! (Wagner)		1:59
		28 October 1913; (39073-1) A1451
13.	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Mild und leise [Liebestod] (Wagner)		4:44
		5 November 1913; (30707-2) A5521
14.	DON CARLO: O don fatale (Verdi)		4:14
		7 November 1913; (36807-3) A5521
15.	TOSCA: Ora stammi a sentir (Puccini)		2:32
		23 October 1913; (39061-1) A1505
16.	TOSCA: Vissi d'arte (Puccini)		3:38
		21 January 1911; (30644-1) A5282
17.	MIGNON: Connais-tu le pays (Thomas)		3:00
		23 October 1913; (39060-2) A1505
18.	CARMEN: Près des remparts de Séville [Séguedille] (Bizet)		2:17
		31 January 1911; (30646-2) A5282
19.	Les filles de Cadix (Delibes)		3:22
		31 January 1911; (30647-2) Unpublished
20.	Wiegenlied (Brahms)		2:22
		23 October 1913; (39062-1) A1488
21.	Ach, wie ist möglich (Thuringian Folk Song)		3:26
		28 October 1913; (39074-1) A1488
22.	Stille Nacht (Gruber)		3:23
		30 March 1911; (30708-1) 30708
23.	Annie Laurie {Traditional Scottish} (Douglass-Scott)		3:38
		21 January 1911; (30637-1) A5273
24.	Long, long ago (Bayly)		3:20
		31 January 1911; (30636-2) A5273

CD 1:
Tracks 1, 3-4, 10-12,15 accompanied by orchestra; Track 2 accompanied by orchestra and chorus; Tracks 5-9, 14, 16-17 accompanied by piano; Track 13 accompanied by piano and harp
Languages: Italian [1-4, 10, 15, 17]; German [5, 11, 14]; Hungarian [6];English [7-9, 12, 16] and French [13]

CD 2:
Tracks 3-8 accompanied by piano; Tracks 9-24 accompanied by orchestra
Languages: French [3-4, 7-8, 17-19]; German [9-13, 20-22]; Italian [5-6, 14-16] and English [23-24]

The Mapleson Cylinders

CD 1:
Track 18 with Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Phillippe Flon
Tracks 19-25 with Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Alfred Hertz
Languages: Italian [18] and German [19-25]

CD 2:
Tracks 1-2 with Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Alfred Hertz
Languages: German [1-2]

Photographs: Girvice Archer, Luc Bourrousse, Roger Gross, Charles Mintzer, and Robert Tuggle
Producers: Scott Kessler and Ward Marston
Audio Conservation: Ward Marston
Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi

Marston would like to thank Gregor Benko, Raymond Edwards, Lawrence F. Holdridge, Peter Lack, and William R. Moran for their help in the production of this CD release.

Due to the rarity and uniqueness of the recordings in this release, Marston would like to thank the following for providing the best possible source. Without their help, this compilation would not be possible:
CD 1, Track 1: Richard Bebb
CD 1, Track 1 and 2: William R. Moran
CD 1, Track 5: CD 1 Track 17: Robert Ziering
CD 2, Track 3, 4, and 8: Lawrence F. Holdridge
CD 2, Track 5: J. Neil Forster
CD 2, Track 6: Sir Paul Getty
CD 2, Track 19: Steve Smolian

The Mapleson cylinder recordings were provided through the courtesy of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Original cylinder to tape transfer: Tom Owen, sound engineer; tape to DAT transfer: Adrian Cosentini, sound engineer. Additional sound engineering provided by NewSound Productions, sound engineer Mark Knox. The Original six-disc LP record album of the complete Mapleson Cylinders is still available for purchase directly from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives.

For further information on Lillian Nordica's recordings, see "Recordings and Lillian Nordica" by William R. Moran, found in Yankee Diva, Lillian Nordica and the Golden Days of Opera, by Ira Glackens, Coleridge Press, New York, 1963, pp. 285-300.

Cover photo: Nordica as Isolde in Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde'
Back cover photo: Fremstad as Armide in Gluck's 'Armide'