Baritenor – Tenor and Baritone Arias by Mozart, Méhul, Spontini, Rossini, Adam, Donizetti, Verdi, Thomas, Offenbach, Wagner, Leoncavallo, Ravel, Orff, Korngold
Michael Spyres (tenor)
Marko Letonja / Strasbourg Philharmonic (Erato)
(scroll down for English review)
很高興見到史拜斯終於用「Baritenor」這個他很自豪的稱謂，錄了一張包攬男高音及男中音詠嘆調的新碟。一如女歌手，美聲時代對男聲的界定不會像近代那麼固定於高音、中音、低音，作曲家往往會為首演歌手度身訂造符合其音域的詠嘆調。
史拜斯就不像近年典型的美聲男高音，有着纖幼而尖銳的聲底，即使史拜斯的高音沒有衝得那麼俐落，但想衝也衝得到，更會比其他人多一分重量。不過此碟真正在同一首歌賣弄到極高音及極低音的，就只有軌七羅西尼《奧塞羅》的第一幕奧塞羅出戰前的詠嘆調，無疑是全碟一個重點。
選曲包羅莫扎特、美聲劇目、法國喜歌劇，然後也有威爾第《遊唱詩人》伯爵（男中音）的詠嘆調（軌十）、華格納《羅恩格林》第三幕「遙遠的國土」的法文版（軌13）；19、20世紀之交的意大利寫實主義歌劇、雷哈爾輕歌劇《風流寡婦》（軌15），最後連奧爾夫《布蘭詩歌》及康高特《死城》也有。
最差是開頭三首莫扎特，好像男高音的（軌一）及男中音的（軌二及三）都唱不好。可以說最順耳的還是史拜斯唱慣、甚至有在舞台唱全齣的劇目，例如軌八、12的法國劇目。羅西尼除了《奧塞羅》還有《西維爾理髮師》的費加羅詠嘆調（軌六），史拜斯加了許多高音、假音。我最意外是華格納（軌13），那不是衝高音，而是持續的留在高音域，華格納男高音很少會有這種聲底又唱得這麼定的。康高特《死城》（軌18）也有相同效果，但相信史拜斯短期內不會在舞台上唱這兩齣，用來吊吊癮都好。
I’m so glad that Michael Spyres finally made an album with this title that he’s so proud of. Just like the female stars of the bel canto era, male singers likewise weren’t so restricted in their range as in today. There are various arias for either tenor or baritone on this album, but the only one that showcases both the upper and lower extremes is the Rossini Otello Act 1 Aria on track 7. Spyres sang the role on stage and left a recording of it.
The album began with Mozart but I considered them the weakest of the album, it was as if Spyres couldn’t cope with either tenor (track 1) or baritone (tracks 2-3). On the other hand, Spyres usually did best in roles that he actually sang on stage, such as Adam’s Le Postillon de Longjumeau (track 8) and Offenbach’s Hoffmann (track 12).
A surprising addition is the French version of Lohengrin’s In fernem Land (track 13). Spyres managed to stay on the high range with such beauty and sturdiness that escape many Wagnerian tenors. A quite similar effect was achieved in the Korngold Die tote Stadt (track 18) aria. As Spyres probably wouldn’t do these two roles on stage so the inclusion of them here is very much welcomed.