Lebendige Vergangenheit: Fritzi Jokl

On this CD:

1. L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (Pastoral Ode), oratorio, HWV 55 Excerpt
Composed by George Frideric Handel
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

2. Il rè pastore, opera, K. 208 Dein bin ich
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

3. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 o säume länger nicht
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

4. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 Der Hölle Rache kocht
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

5. Il barbière di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera Frag'ich mein beklomm nes Herz
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

6. Don Pasquale, opera Ich kenn' den tiefen Zauber
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

7. Alessandro Stradella, opera Seid meiner Wonne stille Zeugen
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

8. Martha, opera Letzte Rose
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

9. Les Huguenots, grand opera in 5 acts Ihr edlen herrn allhier
Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

10. Un ballo in maschera, opera Mit starrem Angesicht
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

11. Un ballo in maschera, opera Lasst ab mit Fragen
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

12. Mignon, opera in 3 acts Titania ist herabgestiegen
Composed by Ambroise Thomas
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

13. Dinorah (Le pardon de Ploërmel), comic opera in 3 acts Du liechter Schatten an meiner Seite
Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

14. Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring), waltz for orchestra (with voice ad lib), Op. 410 (RV 410)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by Fritzi Jokl

15. Abu Hassan, opera in 1 act, J106 Wird Philomele trauern
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber

16. Abu Hassan, opera in 1 act, J106 Hier liegt, welch' martervolles Los
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber

17. Rigoletto, opera Teurer Name, dessen Klang
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi

18. Ariadne auf Naxos, opera, Op. 60 Grossmächtige Prinzessin
Composed by Richard Strauss

Customer Reviews:

Unique, fascinating, instructive, rare........2005-10-18

I gave this issue 5 stars for its intrepidity, interest and technical excellence.

14 rare Parlophones recorded by Fritzi JOKL (1895-1974) between 1924 AND 1928, with, to fill out the CD, 4 even rarer disks by Maria GERHART (1896-1975).

Both were Viennese Hochkoloratur types, with all that that implies in high-placed purity, daintily floated Kopftöne and slightly sharp intonation.

Jokl made her debut, shortly before the Great War, at the Frankfurt Opera, where she stayed for five years. She was first given all the boy rôles, but soon took over Rosina, Cherubino, Oscar, Urbain, Blöndchen and Sophie. Her Sophie was particularly admired. Within a short time she became one of the most promising young singers in Germany. She spent two seasons at the Opera of Darmstadt and two at the Volksoper Berlin, where she appeared as Konstanze, Norina and Violetta. She then became a special favorite of the audience in Cologne. A guest appearance took her to Covent Garden, where she sang Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, then Zerbinetta (as an understudy to Maria Ivogün). She was then invited to the Munich, where she gained a remarkable success as Zerbinetta, the performance conducted by the composer himself. She was immediately engaged for the Munich Festival, marking up a series of triumphs. Under Knappertsbusch she sang Susanna and Despina. Her repertory further included Gilda, Nedda, Olympia, Marzelline and Rosalinde. She took part in a revival of Flotow's rarely performed Alessandro Stradella. Karl Böhm was her conductor in many performances.

In 1932 Fritzi Jokl was invited by Otto Klemperer to join the Kroll Oper in Berlin, but political changes then set in. Klemperer had to leave and the soprano was not allowed to begin her engagement. A few special theatres continued to be allowed to accept Jewish artists and audiences (Jüdischer Kulturbund), but later even this was halted and in 1936 Jokl was forced to leave Germany. She emigrated to the United States and there was happily married to the author and journalist Jack Siegel, but, at 40+, had little chance to continue her singing career. At the Metropolitan, Fritzi Jokl's rôles were the property of Lily Pons and Bidú Sayão, and the management was not willing to take her under contract. Her voice was thereafter heard only in private circles, as well as from these very elusive Parlophones now re-mastered by Preiser.

Gerhart also had an appreciable, mostly Viennese career, and then taught at the Vienna academy for many years.

All this items are excellent, perhaps the most interesting historically being Gerhart's two-sided rendition of the original 1912 version of Zerbinetta's hair-raising rondò. It, like the Weber sides, shows a well-schooled, old-fashioned central-European artist of lovely, silvery tone. Gerhart's delicate, elegiac Caro nome is a classic of her school.

Jokl is more theatrical and her voice more interesting, both timbrally and musically. She was an elegant Mozart singer of the post-Mahler sort, and has the right style for Meyerbeer: not as brilliant as a Tetrazzini or a Kurtz, but rhythmically piquant and full of charm. She holds her own as a contemporary of Ivogün and Hüni-Mihatschek.

I was delighted to have these souvenirs of such lovely singers. Gone, but, thanks to Preiser, not wholly forgotten.

Music Track:

Music Track

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