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EMI have dug into a treasure trove of film footage to produce these archival discs of some of the twentieth century’s greatest musical talent. Although uneven in quality given the age of the films and the technology available at the time, we get to glimpse a number of legendary artists either in their prime, or in the twilight of their careers, leaving us a legacy that would have otherwise drifted long ago into folklore.

Spanish soprano Teresa Berganza is the featured artist of volume fourteen, and if these documents are indicative of the series, I want to own every one of them. Opening with Falla’s famous "popular" songs, Ms. Berganza delivers spirited and charming performances, brilliantly accompanied by Gerald Moore. This film, from a series of television programmes made for the BBC, features Moore in collaboration with several of the artists with whom he often appeared in recital. The bonus tracks are also from this series.

Ms. Berganza’s singing is elegant and refined in all of the works presented here. Both in recitals with piano accompaniment and with orchestra, she has complete control over her instrument. She is quite a presence on stage. Graceful and elegant, she is every ounce of the poised and refined artist, and there is just a hint of the diva, which makes us listeners clamor for the next song.

Of particular value is the large cache of Spanish songs recorded at the Aix-en-Provence festival of 1964. Although the film quality is rather poor, the sound is acceptable, and given that these are songs that are somewhat on the fringes of the recital repertoire, one can tolerate the slightly dim images just to hear this music. One wonders if a singer could get by with programming the Montsalvatge songs given their condescending attitude towards people of color, which in 1964 might have been commonplace, but not so thirty years on.

The orchestral concert excerpts show that this is a singer for both the opera stage and the recital platform. Her Cherubino arias are charming and witty, and she handles the coloratura of Donizetti and Rossini with ease and confidence. Her Parto from La Clemenza di Tito is a tour de force of dramatic and vocal skill.

The bonus tracks are excellent vignettes of other fine artists. Only Julius Patzak, by the time of this film well past his prime, turns in a less than stellar performance. Ludwig, Hotter and Fischer-Dieskau are at the top of their game.

Subtitles in several languages provide translations as the songs progress. The booklet is choc with photos and notes by Alan Blyth are informative and entertaining. The disc also contains short and tantalizing previews of other discs in the series, assuring EMI of a chunk of my paycheck over the next few months. Recommended unconditionally.

Kevin Sutton

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