The
slow bell tolls, the hidden chorus chants. . . . Under the frowning walls a young girl lifts
her face. She calls. Her lover answers from his cell. Clear and enrapt the questioning voices rise
. . . tender . . . poignant . . . burdened with grief
and longing. They swell and mingle in a
long farewell. They fade. The poison claims her.
There are few people in the civilized world
today who are not, in a measure at least, familiar with the “Miserere” from Il Trovatore. For this scene,
set like a jewel in the florid libretto of this gorgeous old opera, is
genuinely moving, melodically superb. . . .
The music finds Verdi at his best, a natural master of the lyric
line. It is the sort of thing that one
remembers.
The “Miserere” from Il Trovatore
has recently been recorded on Victor Red Seal Records by Rosa Ponselle and Martinelli,
of the Metropolitan Opera Company, with the full Metropolitan Chorus and
Orchestra. It is marvelously clear,
marvelously realistic. The Orthophonic Process has captured every breath and nuance of their art.
The foremost artists, the leading orchestras,
the most beautiful and important compositions, are always at your command on
Victor Red Seal Records . . . That distinguished collection of interpretations,
by recognized masters, which is Victor’s permanent contribution to the good
music of the world. . . . Victor TalkingMachine Company, Camden, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Enjoy listening to the January 23, 1928 recording of Rosa Ponselle and Giovanni Martinelli's performance of the "Misrerere" from Verdi's Il Trovatore:
THE ETUDE MUSIC MAGAZINE – March 1929
