Endrèze, whose real name was Arthur Krakman, was, in his time, a very famous baritone. He was born in the US, but went to France to study singing with Jean de Reske. Reske was one of the most highly reputed vocal teachers in Europe.
Endrèze had a beautiful legato, and his French was close to native. The quality of the recordings vary. Unfortunately, we are not hearing the totality of the voice; that is, we are missing overtones. The aris from Hamlet and thaïs have the best sound, and you can hear that he had a large baritone voice. He was able to bring his voice down to sing lyrical French mélodies (Art Songs).
Hahn, L’enamourée
Ils se disent, ma colombe,
Que tu rêves, morte encore,
Sous la pierre d’une tombe :
Mais pour l’âme qui t’adore,
Tu t’éveilles reanimée,
Ô pensive bien-aimée !
Par les blanches nuits d’étoiles,
Dans la brise qui murmure,
Je caresse tes longs voiles,
Ta mouvante chevelure,
Et tes ailes demi-closes
Qui voltigent sur les roses !
Ô délices ! je respire
Tes divines tresses blondes !
Ta voix pure, cette lyre,
Suit la vague sur les ondes,
Et, suave, les effleure,
Comme un cygne qui se pleure !
Hahn, The enamored woman
They say to themselves, my dove,
that you are still dead and dreaming
beneath a tombstone;
but you awaken, revived,
for the soul that adores you,
oh pensive beloved!
Through the sleepless nights,
in the murmuring breeze,
I caress your long veils,
your swaying hair
and your half-closed wings
which flutter among the roses.
Oh delights! I breathe
your divine blond tresses!
Your pure voice, thatf lyre,
moves on the waters’ wave
and touches them gently, softly,
like a weeping swan!
Hahn, L’heure exquise
La lune blanche
Luit dans les bois;
De chaque branche
Part une voix
Sous la ramée…
Ô bien aimée.
L’étang reflète,
Profond miroir,
La silhouette
Du saule noir
Où le vent pleure…
Rêvons, c’est l’heure.
Un vaste et tendre
Apaisement
Semble descendre
Du firmament
Que l’astre irise…
C’est l’heure exquise.
Hahn, The Exquisite Hour
The white moon
Shines in the woods;
From every branch
There comes a voice
Beneath the boughs…
O my beloved.
The pond reflects,
Deep mirror,
The silhouette
Of the black willow
Where the wind is weeping…
Let us dream, it is the hour.
A vast and tender
Consolation
Seems to fall
From the sky
The moon illumines…
It is the exquisite hour.
Hahn, Phyllis
Depuis neuf ans et plus dans l’amphore scellé
Mon vin des coteaux d’Albe a lentement mûri;
Il faut ceindre d’acanthe et de myrte fleuri,
Phyllis, ta tresse déroulée.
L’anis brûle a l’autel, et d’un pied diligent
Tous viennent couronnés de verveine pieuse;
Et mon humble maison étincelle joyeuse
Aux reflets des coupes d’argent.
Ô Phyllis, c’est le jour de Vénus, et je t’aime!
Entends-moi! Téléphus brûle et soupire ailleurs;
Il t’oublie, et je t’aime, et nos jours les meilleurs
Vont rentrer dans la nuit suprême.
C’est toi qui fleuriras en mes derniers beaux jours:
Je ne changerai plus, voici la saison mûre.
Chante! les vers sont doux quand ta voix les murmure,
Ô belle fin de mes amours!
Hahn, Phyllis
For nine years and more in the sealed jar
My Alban hillside wine has been slowly maturing;
We must enrap it with acanthus and flowering myrtle,
O Phyllis, your unfastened locks.
Anise burns on the altar, and with a conscientious step,
All come crowned with pious verbena;
And my humble abode sparkles with joy
At the reflection of silver goblets.
O Phyllis, it is the day of Venus, and I love you!
Listen! Telephus burns and sighs elsewherer;
He forgets you, and I love you, and our best days
Shall return in our final night.
It is you who shall blossom in the fair days left me:
I shall change no more, the ripe season is here.
Sing! Poetry is sweet when whispered by you,
O fair end of my loves!
Thomas, Hamlet, “Spectre infernal! – Image vénérée”
HAMLET, s’adressant au spectre.
Spectre infernal! – Image vénérée!
O mon père! … ô mon roi!
Réponds, hélas! à ma voix éplorée!
Parle-moi! … parle-moi!
Pourquoi, réponds, hors de la froide terre,
Où je t’ai vu descendre inanimé,
Pourquoi te dresser, ô mystère!
Le diadème au front et tout armé?
Spectre infernal, image vénérée!
Ô mon père! Ô mon roi!
Réponds, réponds enfin à ma voix éplorée.
Parle-moi, parle-moi
Ombre chère, ombre vengeresse,
J’exaucerai ton voeu!
Ô lumière, ô soleil,
Gloire, amour, douce ivresse!
Adieu! Adieu! Adieu!
Je me souviens, je me souviendrai!
Thomas, Hamlet, “Infernal specter, revered image!”
HAMLET, speaking to the ghost
Infernal specter! – Revered image!
O my father! … oh my king!
Answer, at last, my weeping voice!
Speak to me! … speak to me!
Why, answer me, out of the cold earth
Where I saw you go down dead,
Why suddenly do you loom, O mystery!
The crown on your forehead and armed?
Infernal specter! – Revered image!
O my father! … oh my king!
At last, answer my grieving voice!
Speak to me! … Speak to me!
Dear shade, vengeful shadow,
I will carry out your wish!
O light, o sun,
Glory, love, sweet intoxication!
Farewell! Farewell! Farewell
I remember, I shall remember!
Paladhile, Psyché
Je suis jaloux, Psyché, de toute la nature!
Les rayons du soleil vous baisent trop souvent,
Vos cheveux souffrent trop les caresses du vent,
Quand il les flatte, j’en murmure!
L’air même que vous respirez
Avec trop de plaisir passe sur votre bouche.
Votre habit de trop près vous touche!
Et sitôt que vous soupirez
Je ne sais quoi qui m’effarouche
Craint, parmi vos soupirs, des soupirs égarés!
Paladhile, Psyche
I am jealous, Psyche, of all of nature:
The rays of the sun kiss you too often;
Your hair endures too much the wind’s caresses:
The moment it caresses them, I whisper about it;
The very air you breathe
It passes your lips with too much pleasure;
Your clothing clings to you too closely;
And as soon as you sigh,
Whatever frightens me
Fears that among your sighs, some are misplaced.
Massenet, Thaïs, “Voilà donc la terrible cité”
Voilà donc la terrible cité!
Alexandrie! Alexandrie!
Où je suis né dans le péché;
L’air brillant où j’ai respiré
L’affreux parfum de la luxure!
Voilà la mer voluptueuse
Où j’écoutais chanter la sirène aux yeux d’or!
Oui, voilà mon berceau selon la chair,
Alexandrie! O ma patrie!
Mon berceau, ma patrie!
De ton amour, j’ai détourné mon coeur.
Pour ta richesse, je te hais!
Pour ta science et ta beauté, je te hais! Je te hais!
Et maintenant je te maudis
Comme un temple hanté par les esprits impurs!
Venez! Anges du ciel! Souffles de Dieu!
Parfumez, du battement de vos ailes,
L’air corrompu qui va m’environner! Venez!
Massenet, Thaïs, “So here is the ghastly city!”
So here is the ghastly city!
Alexandria! Alexandria!
Where I was born in sin;
The glowing air where I breathed
The awful scent of lust!
Here is the voluptuous sea
Where I listened to sing the siren with golden eyes!
Yes, here is my cradle according to the flesh,
Alexandria! O my homeland!
My cradle, my homeland!
From your love, I turned my heart away.
For your wealth, I hate you!
For your science and your beauty, I hate you! I hate you!
And now I curse you
Like a temple haunted by impure spirits!
Come! Angels from heaven! Whispers of God!
Perfume, with the beating of your wings,
The corrupt air that will surround me! Come!
Arthur Endrèze
November 28, 1893 – April 15, 1975
This is taken entirely from Wikipedia. I generally don’t like to use Wikipedia, but there is very little information about Endrèze on the internet.
Born Arthur E Kraeckmann, he studied agronomy at the University of Illinois, and sang for pleasure in his spare time.
He came to the attention of the conductor Walter Damrosch who advised him to go to France to improve his singing; he did so, enrolling at the American conservatoire at Fontainebleau where he studied under Jean de Reszke. He also studied under Reynaldo Hahn.
Endrèze made his debut in 1925 in Nice in the role of Don Giovanni, following this with Hamlet, and went on to sing in seasons at Deauville.
In Paris he made his début on 4 October 1928 in Le roi d’Ys as Karnac, and sang roles in Madama Butterfly (Sharpless), La traviata (Orbel), Tosca (Scarpia), and the revival of Le rêve (Hautecœur) in 1939.
His first appearance at the Opéra on 12 September 1929 was Valentin in Faust. From 1930 until 1946 his roles included the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, Nevers in Les Huguenots, Telramund in Lohengrin, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, the title role in Rigoletto, Iago in Otello, Amonasro in Aida, Athanaël in Thaïs, Hérode in Hérodiade, the title role in Hamlet, Capulet and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Pollux in Castor et Pollux and Jacob in Joseph.
Endrèze created the title role in Guercoeur in 1931, the Conseiller Herzfeld in Maximilien (Darius Milhaud) in 1932, Prince d’Antioche in Un jardin sur l’Oronte in 1932, the Prince de Metternich in L’Aiglon in 1937 (Monte Carlo and Paris), and Comte Mosca in La Chartreuse de Parme in 1939.
He married Jeanne Krieger-Beligne, Chef de chant at the Opéra. Arrested by the Germans in 1940 he managed to make his way back to the United States but returned to France after the war, and after retiring from the stage devoted himself to teaching.