Rosa Ponselle
On the Air, Volume 2 1936-1937
Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) was arguably this century's greatest soprano. Artists such as Callas and Caruso acknowledged her vocal supremacy. Ponselle's voice had volume, beauty, emotion, sure intonation and remarkable flexibility. This two CD-set chronicles the second volume of her on the air recordings from 1936-1937. By Ponselle's own account, her broadcasts captured her true voice and she preferred these performances to her numerous commercial recordings. This set has been produced in association with the Rosa Ponselle Foundation and a portion of the sales will go to the Rosa Ponselle Scholarship Fund.
Track Listing
| | | |
| CD 1 (78:34) | |||
CHESTERFIELD HOUR | |||
| 1. | Ave Maria (Sandoval) | 4:19 | |
| 2. | Ich liebe dich (Grieg) | 2:10 | |
| 3. | The Night Wind (Farley) | 1:47 | |
| 4. | CARMEN: Habanera (Bizet) | 4:38 | |
1 April 1936 | |||
| 5. | LA VESTALE: Tu che invoco (Spontini) | 4:36 | |
| 6. | Good-bye (Tosti) | 4:31 | |
| 7. | Cuckoo Clock (Griselle and Young) | 1:26 | |
| 8. | El Morenito (Buzzi-Peccia) | 2:33 | |
GENERAL MOTORS HOUR | |||
| 9. | SEMIRAMIDE: Bel raggio (Rossini) | 5:10 | |
| 10. | LA TRAVIATA: Addio del passato (Verdi) | 5:08 | |
| 11. | CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA: Voi lo sapete (Mascagni) | 3:24 | |
| 12. | Marechiare (Tosti) | 3:00 | |
| 13. | Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (Bland) | 4:08 | |
GENERAL MOTORS HOUR | |||
| 14. | Ave Maria (Schubert) missing orchestral closing | 4:51 | |
| 15. | Annie Laurie (Traditional) | 3:26 | |
ERNESTINE SCHUMANN-HEINK: 75TH BIRTHDAY PARTY | |||
| 16. | Wiegenlied (Brahms) | 2:18 | |
| 17. | Home, Sweet Home (Bishop) | 5:05 | |
GENERAL MOTORS HOUR | |||
| 18. | AIDA: Ritorna vincitor (Verdi) missing one bar | 7:34 | |
| 19. | Dicitencello vuje (Falvo) | 3:33 | |
| 20. | OTELLO: Ave Maria (Verdi) | 4:48 | |
| CD 2 (74:56) | |||
GENERAL MOTORS HOUR | |||
| 1. | Ouvre ton coeur (Bizet) | 2:46 | |
| 2. | Homing (Del Riego) | 2:46 | |
THEN AND NOW | |||
| 3. | Moonlight Bay (Madden-Wenrich) | 2:27 | |
| 4. | Carme (arr. De Curtis) | 3:51 | |
| 5. | LA FORZA DEL DESTINO: La Vergine degli angeli (Verdi) | 4:30 | |
| 6. | MADEMOISELLE MODISTE: Kiss Me Again (Herbert) | 4:43 | |
PROMS CONCERT, CINCINNATI OHIO | |||
| 7. | Ave Maria (Kahn) | 4:25 | |
| 8. | THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER: My Hero (O. Straus) with Frank Forest | 4:33 | |
| 9. | The Old Refrain (Kreisler) | 4:39 | |
| 10. | Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt (Tchaikovsky) | 4:00 | |
| 11. | The Night Wind (Farley) | 1:50 | |
RCA MAGIC KEY | |||
| 12. | FEDRA: O divina Afrodite (Romani) | 4:50 | |
| 13. | Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (Bland) | 3:38 | |
| 14. | MADEMOISELLE MODISTE: Kiss Me Again (Herbert) | 4:35 | |
| 15. | My Old Kentucky Home (Foster) | 4:12 | |
| 16. | Home, Sweet Home (Bishop) | 4:24 | |
ADDENDUM: | |||
| 17. | Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes (Traditional) | 3:52 | |
MGM SCREEN TEST | |||
| 18. | Rosa Ponselle Conversation | 2:56 | |
| 19. | CARMEN: Habanera (Bizet) | 1:59 | |
| 20. | CARMEN: Chanson bohème (Bizet) | 3:52 | |
CD 1:
Tracks 1-8 and 18-20 originally broadcast from New York City.
Tracks 1-8 orchestra conducted by André Kostelanetz; tracks 18-20 conducted by Erno Rapee.
Tracks 9-13 and 16-17 originally broadcast from Los Angeles; tracks 9-13 orchestra conducted by Erno Rapee.
Tracks 14-15 originally broadcast from San Franciso; orchestra conducted by Erno Rapee.
Languages: Italian [1,5,9-11,18-20]; English [2-3, 6-7, 13, 15,17,]; French [4]; Spanish [8]; Neapolitan [12]; Latin [14] and German [16]
CD 2:
Tracks 1-6, 12-16 originally broadcast from New York City
Tracks 1-2 conducted by Erno Rapee; tracks 3-6 orchestra and chorus conducted by Kelsey; tracks 12-15 orchestra conducted by Frank Black and track 16 piano by Rosa Ponselle
Tracks 7-11 originally broadcast from Cinncinnati; orchestra conducted by Eugene Goossens.
Tracks 18-20 recorded in Hollywood
Languages: French [1,19-20]; English [2-3,6,8-9,11,13-18]; Italian [4-5,12]; German [10] and Latin [7]
Photographs: Enrico Aloi and The Rosa Ponselle Foundation
Producer: Bill Park
Audio Conservation: Ward Marston
Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi
Marston would like to thank Elayne Duke, Robert Fazio, Raymond Horneman, Lawrence F. Holdridge, Peter Lack, Leigh Martinet and William Shaman for their help in the production of this CD release.
For more information on Rosa Ponselle, or to order any of Enrio Aloi's beautifully illustrated books on Rosa Ponselle, please visit the Rosa Ponselle Website.