Voices from the Golden Age

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 938, 2 August 1957, Page 21

Voices from the Golden Age

RECORDINGS made by famous operatic singers in the early days of the gramophone are to be broadcast by the YC stations in a_ series of programmes called The Golden Age of Opera. Compiled and_ scripted’ by George Perry (below) the series begins on Monday, August 5, at 8.25 p.m. Mr Perry, who is station supervisor at 1YA, produced an earlier series which was broadcast for almost two years by 1YA and 1YC, George Perry’s interest in early operatic recordings was quickened by some of the letters sent in by listeners to the 1YD Grand Opera Request session, he told The. Listener. They wanted to know why these records were not broadcast.

"The answer to that was easy," said Mr Perry. "They were made in the days before electrical recording and sound ludicrous to modern ears. But we still received those requests: ‘Even if they are as bad as you say, couldn’t we hear a few occasionally.’ " After searching in 1YA’s historical library Mr Perry found a few discs which were still playable, and in the Wellington studios of the NZBS he found more. With scripts to tell the story of the artists and their records six half-hour programmes were compiled, and they were broadcast by 1YA. The response of listeners all over New Zealand was such that the series had to be extended, and then extended again. "The revival of interest in the singers |. of the Golden Age-it lasted from about 1890 to 1930-was not confined to New Zealand, though,’ said Mr Perry. "Lately a large number of old records have been re-issued by recording companies overseas-in the last couple of years on long-playing discs. Both H.M.V. and Victor have re-issued a large number, and there are also several smaller companies in the United States, notably Scala and Eterna, who specialise in historic operatic recordings. Most of these were originally issued during the great recording boom from 1902 to 1914, and, although the orchestral accompaniments sound thin, it is surprising how successful the old ‘acoustic’ process was in recording the voices of these great singers. The re-issue of the discs made by Melba, Caruso, Chaliapin, Battistini, Destinn, Calve,.Plancon and others has made it possible,’ Mr Perry said, "to compile another series of programmes in The Golden Age of Opera,"