Ascolti comparati: Tacea la notte placida (Il Trovatore) – Anna Netrebko vs. Vera Schwarz

Tonight Anna Netrebko will give her role-debut as Leonora, Contessa di Sargosta in „Il Trovatore“ at the Berlin State Opera under the direction of Daniel Barenboim alongside Gaston Rivero (after Alexandr Antonenko had cancelled, the company had been rehearsing without a tenor for almost a week as all potential Manricos are busy elsewhere) and Placido Domingo as Conte di Luna.

Tacea la notte placida
e bella in ciel sereno
La luna il viso argenteo
Mostrava lieto e pieno…
Quando suonar per l’aere,
Infino allor sì muto,
Dolci s’udiro e flebili
Gli accordi d’un liuto,
E versi melanconici
Un Trovator cantò.
Versi di prece ed umile
Qual d’uom che prega Iddio
In quella ripeteasi
Un nome… il nome mio!…
Corsi al veron sollecita…
Egli era! egli era desso!…
Gioia provai che agli angeli
Solo è provar concesso!…
Al core, al guardo estatico
La terra un ciel sembrò.

 Di tale amor che dirsi
Mal può dalla parola,
D’amor che intendo io sola,
Il cor s’inebriò! Il mio destino compiersi
Non può che a lui dappresso…
S’io non vivrò per esso,
Per esso io morirò!

This should actually be an aria which could suit Netrebko´s potential (I doubt that she will be able to live up to the demands of the whole role on stage though) – was she a more accomplished singer and had the voice not become so inflexible and “lazy” from constantly straining the high register at the cost of the lower middle voice which sounds hollow and badly sustained. She starts off badly („e bella in ciel sereno“) and is in considerable difficulty with having enough breath for the long phrases: „dolci s´udiro e flebili / gli accordi / d´un liuto“ and „gioia provai che agli angeli / solo è provar / concesso“. She is pumping in way too much air and out too much volume. – Bad breath management. Opting for a very broad, thick and full sound she stumbles over simple embellishents like “versi di preci ed um-i-i-i-le“, because she is struggling to keep the voice focussed and the sound compact. There´s also little imagination and little nuance: at „un nome, il nome mio! Corsi al veron sollecita“ – there´s no dynamic change or change of mood as the music would suggest it. „Di tale amor che dirsi“ becomes almost a parody, mercilessly exposing the voice´s heavyness. One hardly believes that she was once able to handle roles like Lucia and Violetta. Not that there were not some single beautiful phrases or notes like „la LUNA il viso argenteo“ „dolci s´udiro e flebili“ or „gioia provai che agli angeli“ – but not enough for a role like Leonora, not even quite enough for this aria, really.

I don´t think Vera Schwarz ever sang Leonora on stage – however, she sang Aida, Minnie, Amelia (Ballo) and Lady Macbeth(!) – proving once more that you don´t have to have enormous vocal resources for these parts, but intelligent singers, who know HOW to sing them. And that she does – though mother nature had certainly provided her with less glorious material than Anna Netrebko. Starting her career in operetta after her debut in 1908 Vera Schwarz (1888-1964) came to the Staatsoper unter den Linden Berlin (1918-22 and 1931-33) and the Wiener Staatsoper (1921-30). Guest appearances in  Budapest, Munich, London, Amsterdam and in 1928 at the as Tosca. 1929 Octavian in „Rosenkavalier“ at the Salzburg Festival. From the mid-Twenties on she created some of Lehárs operettas together with Richard Tauber (Paganini, Zarewitsch, Land des Lächelns). In 1938 she emigrated first to England, appearing as Lady Macbeth under Fritz Busch in Glyndebourne and one year later to North America singing at the Opera houses of Chicago and San Francisco Opera, but soon concentrating on concert appearances. In 1948 she returned to Vienna, where she gave masterclasses.

A fine operatic voice with a warm and sensual timbre. Not a big voice, but very flexible and used very wisely and cleverly. A polished singer – although diction is neglected a little in favour of an exemplary legato-line. But how beautifully she goes with flow of the music and ideally catches the romantic atmosphere of the piece. The trill at the end is at best a hint, the cabaletta has not been recorded.