|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
press |
|
|
"Ward Marston Breaks Out--The Birth of Marston, A New Record Company" by James Camner, Fanfare, November/December 1997 |
 |
Ward Marston is clearly a man with a mission. He was bubbling over with enthusiasm about his new record company, Marston: "I'm so full of excitement for the future, I'm very optimistic. It's all because of the desire on my part or preserve this rare material and get it out to as many people as possible." The nonpareil sound engineer is now in a position to realize his long-cherished dream to do things his way, thanks to a solid reputation built from long years of high standards and ground-breaking successes. Marston explains his decision to form his own label this way: "For years, I have enjoyed remastering great music for BMG, EMI, CBS, Romophone, Biddulph, and others, but there were always projects I wanted to do, but didn't have the opportunity, or I wanted to take more time to get better sources, or I felt a certain project just had to be issued regardless of sales." "I chose the Manon because I want to issue all of those Pathé operas, in most instances the first complete recordings made of each work. I have already issued the Roméo on VAI, and it has been well received. I have a great love of Massenet and felt that Manon was just the right opera to do. After Manon will come La Favorite and then Carmen." The Pathé operas made between 1911 and 1923 were, at one time, a commercial failure, due in part to the prohibitive cost of buying and preserving such large sets. As a result, the few copies that still exist today are great collectors' prizes. "It would be impossible to overestimate the historical and musical significance of the Pathé series, which transport us back to an era when the art of French singing still flourished in Paris. The sound on these discs is by any standard primitive, and yet, they somehow give one the palpable impression of an actual live performance." Another compelling reason for Marston to begin with the Manon is that he had assembled two complete sets of the opera, allowing him to keep the pitch constant and join the sides according to the score. "I chose Gadski because, of all the singers who sang at the Met in those early days, she is one of the most ignored. She's a wonderful singer, almost a miniature Lilli Lehman. Alma Gluck is very badly represented on records and she's truly one of the great voices of all time." It was Larry Holdridge, the noted record dealer/collector, and patron saint of record reissues, who convinced Marston to do Gluck. "Larry has been the greatest help to me of anybody I can think of. There's no doubt that if it were not for Larry, I wouldn't be doing any of this and I wouldn't be launching a record company. If I call him up for a copy of such and such, the next day it will be at my doorstep." One planned vocal release will be complete Adelina Patti and Victor Maruel ("I normally wouldn't couple a baritone and soprano, but they have so many similarities. They're both past their prime [in their recordings], but they come across wonderfully to me.") Other imminent releases include Maurice Renaud, Olympia Boronat, Claire Croiza, Ninon Vallin, Marcel Journet, Elena Gerhardt, and a complete Rosa Raisa project. "We're not too concerned about the commercial aspect, we think Raisa's so important. Her records may not match up to her reviews, but if you really hard to extract all that you can from the records, I think people will be pleasantly surprised. There are some real gems there." Marston is clearly at the top of his game. Currently hotly pursued for the new projects by BMG, he's even doing a special bicentennial project for the US Marine Band. But he doesn't intend to neglect old friends. "I'm going to continue to do work for Romophone as my time permits. I wouldn't abandon them." Although Ward Marston constantly demurs at the idea that, with his new Marston label, he might have a commercial success on his hands, there's little doubt that his label will be well received by collectors already addicted to his unique talents. I asked whether he feels his blindness lends him any special abilities. "Everybody asks me that. If there's anything to that at all, it would only be because I can concentrate on my hearing without any other distractions. However, I'm involved with live music all the time, so I have the sound of live music in my head." Repeating another of his favorite themes, he declares, "I don't transfer records to make them sound like records, I transfer them to make them sound like music."
|
|
|