Search - Hina Spani :: Vocal Recital

STUPENDOUS!

Impostazione | New York City Area | 11/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have never been hit with a wave of emotion that took your breath away, then you certainly never heard Hina Spani. She was a perfect dramatic soprano with a distinctive vibrato, her technique seems prodigious and her range is extensive. She sang the most powerful Dflat in the tower aria on record. Sutherland's was strong, Callas' was strong, but Spani's was a force!



I have been introduced to many talents via recordings, among them are Elizabeth Ohms, Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, and Hina Spani. These three ladies are so superb that they have changed my concept of what operatic greatness is. If Ohms gives perfect balance of line and nobility of utterance, and Lombardi, perfection of style and line with impeccable command of dynamics, then Spani lavishes on us the dramatic impact of a great orator along with the command of technique.



There is more out there than Freni, Price, Domingo, Callas, etc...and with such singing as that which is represented by Spani, the legends of the recording industry could only ever hope to, at most, rival such art. To surpass those legendary artists is damn near impossible.



Please, listen, urgently!!!!"

Ebben?

Anton Zimmerling | Moscow, Russia | 09/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hina Spani (born Higinia Tunon) is one of the great dramatic sopranos of the XX century. This Argentinian-born singer enjoyed great success at La Scala and elsewhere in Europe. Her recordings are rather scarce, but some of them, e.g. Amelia's Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa (1927), Wally's Ebben? (1928) and Butterfly's death (1929)remain unsurpassed - and won't be surpassed.

Today Spani's timbre may remind of Leontyne Price - it is a deep dark voice with rich low notes and a ringing top: there is something similar in Spani's vibrato and Price's vibrato, too. From singers of her own time, Spani's soprano has a most strong resemblance to Lotte Lehmann's voice, but only in the low and middle register: Lehmann's breath was shorter and she never possessed such gorgeous top notes. There is one more thing that brings Spani's and Lehmann's singing together - a demonic touch in their voices. Interesting, both great sopranos have consulted the same vocal pedagogue.

Spani began as a lyric soprano and took on heavier roles rather reluctantly. She is nevertheless at her best in dramatic airs and scenes, where her large passionate voice shines with an overwhelming power. People who think that Wally's air 'Ebben? ne andro lontana' was written for a lyric soprano like Renee Fleming's, must listen to Spani's version in order to learn what distinguishes an imitation from real fury based on a solid vocal background.

Just a few comments about other Spani's items not included in this sampler on Preiser. Spani's Ofelia which can be found e.g. on Testament's anthology of singers is not her best recording. But two Brahms'songs available on Spani's 2CD set-on 'Club 99' and in Brahms' anthology on Hamburger Archive f. Gesangkunst (HAG) are unbelievable. These songs are 'Die Alte Liebe' and 'Das Sandmaennchen'. When Spani starts the initial line 'Es kehrt die dunkle Schwalbe', you simply don't suspect that the words are not German, you just follow the intonation of the Lied and some message concealed in the dark (dunkel!)timbre: one might think it is Lotte Lehmann or some other great interpreter of Lieder, who in a bizarre fancy decided to sing an Italian translation and does it with all possible passion."

Wonderful voice

John Austen | Baltimore, MD USA | 02/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess I had never heard of Spani until I came across her in EMI's Verdian "Rarities" (Introuvables du chant verdien). I liked her so much that I sought out this cd. Her interpretations tend to be slow, with a voice at once warm and delicate, bringing the thoughtfulness (almost meditativeness), the declamatory subtlety, and the focus of a lieder-singer to opera. Her effects tend to steal up on you (in "waves" as another reviewer said). For me, she is a wonderful find.



It would be churlish to complain about sound when Preiser does such a remarkable job of cleaning up recordings that all date from 1927-1930. There is considerable presence to the voice, and the orchestra is no more awful than usual for such recitals from this era. While I am often in awe of what Preiser achieves on its transfers, it nevertheless has a "house style" that tends toward brightness and a hard edge that can be fatiguing. In the case of this cd, however, Spani's own voice brings a warmth and vitality that mitigates this house style. I have not heard a Pearl transfer that I gather exists; comparing this with the single track shared by EMI's Verdi, I thought EMI did a better job with the orchestra, but I found Spani's voice, as good, and perhaps better, on the Preiser (which seems to focus the voice and recess the orchestra behind it)."