The Real Toscanini by Cesare Civetta

Author:Cesare Civetta [Civetta, Cesare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO004000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Composers & Musicians; MUS006000 MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Classical; MUS008000 MUSIC / Instruction & Study / Conducting
ISBN: 9781574674163
Publisher: Amadeus
Published: 2012-10-20T16:00:00+00:00

Valdengo continued, “One day, after having had me sing the first two acts, the Maestro again took time to illustrate Iago’s part for me. He got up from the piano to show me how Iago must walk, how he must gesture, and what the mask of his face must be.

“I remember that the Maestro wanted a pianissimo at the phrase ‘Ed io rimango di sua Moresca l’alfiere.’ On the ‘Ed io,’ which is a D-natural, he wanted a piano, but filled with evil intention, expressed between the teeth, the way one ponders something angrily. So many times I would repeat that downbeat the way he wanted it, very clearly, like a rap of the tongue on the oboe reed. Even the trill on the word alfiere became the subject of long study. The Maestro wanted a trill, yes, but even that had to be evil, vulgar.

“There were days when I no longer knew to which saint I should implore and what to do to satisfy him. He was thinking of having me perform a passage in a certain way, but then, hearing it, he would change it, questioning me: ‘Tell me what you think too … if you want to sing this piece … if the throat responds to you.’

“Sometimes he had me change the color of those famous ‘Vigilate’ that Iago expresses in the second act, addressing Otello. I remember I practiced for days and days for the way to bring out those blessed E’s, that must be in the forefront with respect to the chorus, but not forte. One day I had to confess to him, ‘Dear Maestro, I cannot succeed in finding the color that you want.’ He replied, ‘Practice and you’ll see that one fine day nature will allow you to find it without you noticing it; everything matures little by little.’ The Maestro wanted it piano, but so that on the note E the ‘Vigilate’ didn’t sound like ‘Vigilote.’

“He said, ‘I want it to have a beyond-the-grave effect, satanic and penetrating deeply into the soul of Otello, so much that it completely deranges him.’ Finally, after much practice, I succeeded in pleasing him. He was so happy that he embraced me, saying, ‘Valdengo, we’ve found them, they exist, remember, always do them like this. This is what Verdi wanted from Victor Maurel [the first Iago], exactly like this!’

“Every time I arrived at those notes, I felt my blood chill in the veins, because I was afraid of not doing it the way he wanted it, and after the passage, he would look at me and would smile saying, ‘Remember how much we practiced those few notes?’

“I sometimes practiced just one passage for hours. One day, not succeeding in pleasing him, I said, ‘Maestro, I’m afraid of not being able to please you.’ He responded, ‘I never again want to hear you say, “I can’t do it,” because with willpower one can attain everything one wants, and that’s all there is to it!’”

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