Helen Traubel
Following Christine Brewer's recital last Saturday, Richard Dyer, the former classical music critic for the Boston Globe, made an apt comparison between Brewer and an earlier operatic denizen of St. Louis, Helen Traubel. Brewer herself mentioned Traubel, but it was Mr. Dyer who made the comparison and got this writer thinking...
I took a look in the Celebrity Series archives and sure enough Aaron Richmond had presented Ms. Traubel at Symphony Hall in 1942 with BSO cellist Jean Bedetti and two piano accompanists: Conrad V. Bos and Leonard Bernstein (you heard me). There were numerous overlaps between Ms. Traubel's 1942 program and Ms. Brewer's (at least as originally planned). Traubel also programmed Gluck's "Divinités du Styx" from Alceste, some of the same Wagner and Richard Strauss. Both singers closed their programs with Frank LaForge's "Hills." I wonder if Ms. Brewer conceived of her program as a kind of tribute.
I wasn't around in 1942, but I'm betting Ms. Traubel's recital was as musically wondrous as Ms. Brewer's. It's nice to know that our muse here at the Series has not drifted too far and that we are in some way representing quality performing in a continuum.
Here is the Boston Globe's review of Ms. Brewer's recital.
UPDATE: Please see Ms. Brewer's comment below (a first!) and note that Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for her CD, Echoes of Nightingales, and Hyperion, the label releasing the CD, is offering streaming excerpts.
I was so happy to see that Helen Traubel sang on the Celebrity Series back in 1942 and also very interested to see that some of her repertoire and mine overlapped! I never heard Helen Traubel sing as she was before my time, but my mother heard her sing a recital back in the 1950's when my mom was in high school. And my first voice teacher at McKendree College (Lebanon, IL) also heard her when he was a young man. He would hear some of these songs like LaForge's "Hills" and would buy the sheet music for them and teach them to his students. He taught me many of the songs that Traubel sang. And when he passed away a couple of years ago, he left me all of his vocal scores, so I have all of these gems of which many are out of print now.
ReplyDeleteI've actually made a recording of what I call "Echoes of Nightingales" which include songs that Helen Traubel, Kirsten Flagstad, Eileen Farrell and Eleanor Steber sang in their recital tours in the 1940's - 1960's. Roger Vignoles and I recorded about 20 of these lovely songs in London last year for Hyperion. Roger and I are doing a recital at Wigmore on January 28 highlighting many of these songs and the new disc will come out in February!
Best,
Christine
Lovely to hear from you, Christine!
ReplyDeleteI love connections like yours with Helen Traubel and the Celebrity Series. I find historical continuity like this thrilling to contemplate whenever I find it, and your connection was especially nice to learn about as it was so immediate and personal. Thank you for a wonderful recital and for adding to this post!
Jack
Christine, I stumbled on this page, whilst I was researching Helen Trauble. My Grt G-ma has in her collection amongst many) a Columbia Masterworks record copyright 1949 ml 4221 nonbreakable
ReplyDeleteNEGRO SPIRITUALS
helen traubel, soprano,
with Coenrad Bos, piano
HELEN TRAUBEL
in POPULAR BALLADS
helen traubel soprano
with orchestra conducted by Charles O'Connell
In your research have you ever come across this record, as I cannot find any info on it anywhere.
Its a little unusual, as it is out of her genre.
Looking forward to your input. Thanks Kelly
Dear Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that I'm just now responding to your post ... I haven't come across the recording that you mentioned. I'm sure it is beautiful, even though not what we normally think of when we think of Helen Traubel!
Best,
Christine
St. Louis, Helen Traubel. Brewer herself mentioned Traubel, but it was Mr. Dyer who made the comparison and got this writer thinking...
ReplyDelete