I must confess that I did not know who this singer was. However, upon listening to him, I was amazed. Here was a heroic tenor who had slipped from the memory of the world of singing. His style was more italianate then French. That is there is less of the French concern for the musical line as opposed to bringing out the drama in the piece that was being sung.
As I wrote above, Vezzani was a find for me. I hope that you enjoy him.
Lalo, Le roi d’ys, “Vainement, me bien aimée”
Puisqu’on ne peut fléchir ces jalouses gardiennes
Ah ! Laissez-moi conter mes peines
Et mon émoi
Vainement, ma bien aimée,
On croit me désespérer :
Près de ta porte fermée.
Je veux encore demeurer !
Les soleils pourront s’éteindre,
Les nuits remplacer les jours,
Sans t’accuser et sans me plaindre,
Là je resterai toujours !
Je le sais, ton âme est douce,
Et l’heure bientôt viendra,
Où la main qui me repousse.
Vers la mienne se tendra!
Ne sois pas trop tardive
A te laisser attendrir !
Si Rozenn bientôt n’arrive,
Je vais, hélas mourir!
Lalo, The king of Ys”, “In vain, my beloved”
Since we can’t bend these jealous guards
Ah! Let me talk about my sorrows
And my emotion
In vain, my beloved,
do they think they can put me off:
close by your shut door
I am determined to stay!
The stars may fade,
nights replace days,
without blaming you and without complaining
I shall stay here forever!
I know what a sweet soul you are,
and the hour will soon come
when the hand which now pushes me away
will reach out towards mine!
Do not take too long
to allow yourself to melt;
If Rozenn does not appear soon,
Alas, I shall die!
Bizet, Les pêcheurs de perls, “Je crois entendre encore”
Je crois entendre encore,
Caché sous les palmiers,
Sa voix tendre et sonore
Comme un chant de ramier!
O nuit enchanteresse!
Divin ravissement!
O souvenir charmant!
Folle ivresse! doux rêve!
Aux clartés des étoiles,
Je crois encore la voir,
Entr’ouvrir ses longs voiles
Aux vents tièdes du soir!
O nuit enchanteresse! etc.
Charmant souvenir!
Bizet, The Pearl Fishers, “Nadir’s Romance”
I think I can still hear,
hidden under the palm-trees,
her tender and sonorous voice
singing like a dove’s.
O bewitching night,
exquisite rapture,
O delightful memory,
mad elation, sweet dream!
Under the light of the stars
I can almost see her
slightly opening her long veils
to the tepid evening breeze.
O bewitching night, etc.
André Grétry, Richard couer de lion, “Si l’univers entier m’oublie”
Si l’univers entier m’oublie,
S’il faut passer ici ma vie,
Que sert ma gloire, ma valeur?
(Il regarde un portrait de Margueritte.)
Douce image de mon amie,
Viens calmer, consoler mon cœur,
Un instant suspends ma douleur.
O! souvenir de ma puissance !
Crois-tu ranimer ma constance ?
Non, tu redoubles mon malheur:
O! mort! viens terminer ma peine;
O! mort ! viens, viens briser ma chaîne!
L’espérance a fui de mon cœur.
Grétry, Richard the lionhearted, “If the whole universe forgets me”
If the whole universe forgets me,
If I must spend my life here,
What use are my glory and my worth?
(He looks at a portrait of Margueritte.)
Sweet image of my friend,
Come calm and console my heart,
Suspend my pain for a moment.
O! Memory of my power!
Do you believe you can revive my constancy?
No, you double my misfortune:
O! Death! Come end my suffering;
O! Death! Come, come break my chain!
Hope has fled from my heart.
César Vezzani
August 8, 1888 – November 11, 1951
Vezzani was a Corsican tenor, born into an impoverished family in Bastia and raised in Toulon, France. An avid singer from an early age, Vezzani traveled to Paris at age 20 in search of a voice teacher. He auditioned for the Conservatory there, greatly impressing the faculty with his fine natural instrument. Despite the fact that he was barely literate and spoke French in an accent of the lowest class, he was awarded a scholarship. Vezzani was placed in the class of soprano and fellow Corsican Agnès Borgo, under whose tutelage he solidified his technique, polished his diction, and began to master operatic roles. Within three years, the young tenor completed his coursework and began auditioning for work. He was offered a contract by the Opéra-Comique, where he made his debut in the title role of Grétry’s Richard Coeur de Lion on December 17, 1911. Vezzani became quite popular at the Opéra-Comique and spent the next three seasons there in a variety of roles.
In the summer of 1914, Vezzani and Borgo (now husband and wife) were invited for a series of guest appearances with Boston Opera, followed by a U.S. tour. Unfortunately, this opportunity was never realized. In late July, war broke out in Europe and Vezzani was called to serve in the French army. He was deployed to the front, was wounded in action, and spent the rest of the war recuperating in an army hospital. In 1919, the tenor returned to the Opéra-Comique and went about picking up his career. What should have been a major international career wound up being a primarily provincial affair. After leaving the Opéra-Comique in the mid-1920s, Vezzani launched into a series of appearances in the theaters of Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulon, Brussels, Beziers, Oran and Algiers. However, the tenor found himself appearing in secondary venues most of the time and was never able to resume the momentum of his early career.
Over the course of the next two decades, Vezzani crisscrossed the European and North African provinces, singing the most demanding repertoire…Manon, Werther, Faust, Herodiade, Sigurd, Dinorah, L’Africaine, Les Huguenots, La Juive, Carmen, Guillaume Tell, La Favorite, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, Tosca, Il Trovatore, Aïda, Otello…sometimes barely taking a day between engagements. Yet, the voice never showed signs of flagging and remained amazingly intact. In 1946, the fifty-eight-year-old Vezzani was invited back to the Opéra-Comique by former colleague Louis Musy, now director of the theater. The invitation was not to appear with the company, however, but to audition on the stage of his early triumphs. The veteran tenor swallowed his pride, accepted the invitation, and sang the audition for Musy and a panel of administrators. He was not engaged.
Following his disappointing reception in Paris, Vezzani was given a contract as principal tenor at the Toulon Opera. During a rehearsal of Sigurd in the fall of 1948, the sixty year old tenor collapsed and was taken to a local hospital. Vezzani had suffered a massive and debilitating stroke, one from which he never recovered. He was taken to his birthplace, Bastia, where he lingered, totally paralyzed, for three years. His meager savings were soon depleted, and he found himself destitute. Former colleagues came to his aid and helped support the tenor during his illness. One bright spot during this period involved Vezzani’s friends taking him to a concert at Bastia’s Place Saint-Nicolas. When the audience recognized him and burst into a spontaneous ovation, Vezzani was moved to tears. Sadly, his condition continued to deteriorate, and he was moved to the hospital in Marseille where he passed away on November 11, 1951 at the age of 63.
There are many possible reasons that Vezzani never had the career he deserved. The outbreak of WWI caused a lengthy interruption in his career during a crucial early phase. With very few exceptions, the tenor’s entire repertoire was deeply rooted in mid-19th century French opera, which made him seem old fashioned and out of vogue. Vezzani could also be touchy, obstinate and difficult to get along with (a fact that his three ex-wives probably could have attested to). In spite of this, he is remembered as a warm and generous man, a man who enjoyed good food and drink and affected large hats to conceal his balding pate. Vezzani enjoyed a lengthy career in the studio. Between 1913 and 1933, the tenor recorded over 200 sides for Odéon and French Gramophone. These recordings showcase a powerful dramatic tenor with brilliant top notes, who was still capable of sustained lyricism. His artistry, while not always subtle, is precise.