Episode Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist
A further celebration of great French singers today, featuring one of the greatest of them all, tenor Georges Thill (1897 – 1984). But as always with Countermelody, there’s a difference: Most of Thill’s recordings are, indeed, in French, and he is such a masterful purveyor of the language that it is always a delight to hear him sing in his native tongue. However, and here’s the “French Twist” of the episode’s title, though Thill sings entirely in French in this episode, at no point is he singing music that was originally set in French. Whether the original language be German (Wagner, Flotow, Lehár, Schubert), Italian (Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo), even English and Russian: it’s all sung here in French translation. It makes for a fascinating program and proves that Thill was just as effective a Verdian and Wagnerian as he was in the French operatic repertoire. Vocal guest stars include the Belgian baritone José Beckmans and the exceptional French soprano Germaine Martinelli.
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
All tracks feature Georges Thill (1897 – 1984)
Giuseppe Verdi, Francesco Maria Piave [after Victor Hugo; French translation by Édouard Duprez]: Comme la plume au vent [La donna è mobile] (Rigoletto). George Thill, orchestra conducted by Henri Busser [1931]
Richard Wagner, French translation by Alfred Ernst: L’aube vermeille [Morgenlich leuchtend] (Les Maîtres Chanteurs de Nuremberg [Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg]). Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1935]
Johann Strauss II, French lyric by Lucien Boyer: Aimer, boire et chanter [Wein, Weib und Gesang]. Orchestra conducted by Marcel Cariven [1935]
Franz Lehár, Paul Knepler, Fritz Löhner-Beda, French lyric by André Mauprey: Ô ma belle étoile [Du bist meine Sonne] (Giuditta). Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1935]
Giuseppe Verdi, Francesco Maria Piave [after Alexandre Dumas fils, French translation by Édouard Duprez]: Non, non, loin d’elle… Tout me le dit, cher ange! [Lunge da lei… De’ miei bollenti spiriti] (La Traviata). Orchestra conducted by Fernand Heurteur [1927]
Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica [after Victorien Sardou, French translation by Paul Ferrier: Le ciel luisait d’étoiles [E lucevan le stelle] (Tosca). Orchestra conducted by Fernand Heurteur [1927]
Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni [after Carlo Gozzi, French translation by Paul Spaak]: Ne pleure plus, Liù [Non piangere, Liù] (Turandot). Orchestra conducted by Georges Truc [1928]
Ruggero Leoncavallo, French translation by Eugène Crosti: Pauvre Paillasse [Vesti la giubba] (Paillasse [Pagliacci]), Orchestra conducted by Fernand Heurteur [1927]
Friedrich von Flotow, Friedrich Wilhelm Riese, writing as W. Friedrich, after Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, French translation by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Albert Vanloo: Lorsqu’à mes yeux [Air des larmes – Ach, so fromm – M’appari] (Martha). Orchestra conducted by Elie Cohen [1930]
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Vladimir Belsky, French lyric by Michel Delines: Chant Hindou [Song of the Indian Guest] (Sadko). Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1933]
Franz Liszt, Ferdinand Freiligrath, French lyric by Louis Hennevé: Rêve d’amour [O Lieb, solang du lieben kannst]. Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1933]
Richard Barthélémy, Louis de Morsier: El Pampero [Tango chanté]. Orchestra conducted by Marcel Cariven [1933]
Franz Lehár, Alfred Willner, Heinz Reichert, French lyric by Max Eddy, Jean Marietti: Ne t’aurais-je qu’une fois [Hab’ ein blaues Himmelbett] (Frasquita). Orchestra conducted by Elie Cohen [1933]
Franz Schubert, Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, French lyric by Louis Pomey: La truite [Die Forelle], D. 550. Arranged and conducted by Marcel Cariven [1935]
Franz Schubert, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, French translation by Antoine Bélanger]: Le roi des aulnes [Erlkönig], D. 328. Henri-Bertrand Etcheverry, Claude Pascal, unknown conductor and orchestra [1933]
Richard Wagner, French translation by Charles Nuttier: Mon cygne aimé [Mein lieber Schwan] (Lohengrin). Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1931]
Richard Wagner, French translation by Charles Nuttier: Mais ce secret est donc terrible [Wär’ das Geheimnis so geartet] (Lohengrin). Germaine Martinelli, orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot [1937]
Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito [after William Shakespeare, French translation by Camille du Locle]: Vous avez vu, sans doute… Par le ciel [Talor vedeste in mano di Desdemona… Sì, pel ciel] (Othello). José Beckmans, François Ruhlmann, Orchestre de l’Opéra [1943]
Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito [after William Shakespeare, French translation by Camille du Locle]: Que nul ne craigne [Niun mi tema] (Othello). François Ruhlmann, Orchestre de l’Opéra [1943]
Eric Coates, Royden Barrie [né Rodney Bennett], French lyric by Louis Hennevé: Les oiseaux dans le soir [Bird Songs at Eventide]. Orchestra conducted by Armand Bernard [1932]