Emili Vendrell

In these years he alternated performances of symphonic works with the recitals of songs: Lied classic folk tunes that give great prestige as a soloist.

Once you have decided to dedicate himself to singing professionally, performed in the Gran Teatre del Liceu, an audition with the famous contralto Maria Gay, who was then acting in Barcelona. Interestingly, after singing praises of his good, he advised against that devoted to the lyric theater ... ¡No temper! Pauleta Pamies, the famous dancer who was the Lyceum, who was present at the hearing,

He comforted them saying: 'Let's say!! What will know it! YOU sing pretty, boy! "

Shortly after his brilliant interpretation of The Passion According to St. Matthew in the Palace of Catalan Music, the tenor was called to attend the premiere of a work lyric: The source of the Albera Sebastian Pons, with Enric Morera music teacher. The performance was a function in Ceret outdoors on 9 July 19 22. This was the theatrical debut Emili Vendrell. Despite not knowing much, he accepted the role of pastor because he was short and had no problem performing.

It was then that the writer Francesc Pujols asked her to premiere at the Teatro Tivoli in Barcelona from Don Juan Serralonga lyric drama that Pujols had adapted himself to the famous tragedy of Victor Balaguer, and the teacher had Enric Morera composed music. Vendrell had to overcome the reluctance of employers and Joseph Joseph Santpere Bergé, who found that "the smell was too vestry." Finally, half convinced all the work was premiered on October 10, 1922 a resounding success. Besides Vendrell, the division had the eminent baritone Emilio Sagi Barba role in star and the young soprano to Josephine Bugató Dona Juana de Torrelles. Vendrell won the role of Fadrí Sau, but particularly the third act aria "I want to die with him ..." Such was the success that led to the jealousy of the character that took the brunt of the work three romances, three duets, and several parts together.

Just months after premiered For your love Joan Ribas and Miquel Poal Aregall, including the aria "Roso, light of my life ..." which became forever linked to his voice, which has maintained its popularity, although the work belongs not to be interpreted back again.

The echo of his success came to Madrid, where he was soon acclaimed performing the Mont de Jacinto Guerrero. The master himself asked the Warrior to release Los Gavilanes in captivated by her voice, and wrote the famous aria of the rose "red flower them as Zagal labios me ..." thinking of the tenor. This work was, along with The Queen Francisquita and painful, one of the operettas that played better reading.

It is precisely with Mrs. Francisquita, which represented the first time in Barcelona in February 1924, which identified best. He came to interpret the 1315 times and has left us a record label reference, although the opening night is not the most pessimistic thought came at the end of the work.

That same year she sang at the Teatro Tivoli in Barcelona from Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin in the Catalan translation of Joaquin Pena, who gave him another stage victory. Vendrell is little wonder the opera and even sang this work, but always said that he represented Massenet's Manon, which recorded the "Sogno" making it a creation.

The following year she sang, among other titles, the well-loved José Padilla, Juan Bautista For a woman of Lambert, and God Save the King Pablo Luna with treble Felisa Herrero. The latter, a premiere, it became a failure, perhaps because the script was weak.

In 1926 he made his first transatlantic voyage to debut in South America with great success in all your actions.

In the following years his fame was consolidating several revivals and a premiere as The Duchess of Candle, Pablo Luna. Some composers, as the teacher Luna scores were adapted for the tenor voice. It was a creation of Captain Albert Molinos de viento.

In 1930 he premiered with tremendous success, the role of Father Rafael La painful master Jose Serrano, whose work he did in his life most of nineteenth century art performances. In the midst of civil war took part in several performances of Amadeo Vives Dona Francisquita and the opera The giravolt May Eduard Toldrà work he had premiered in 1928 at the Palace of Catalan Music.

In the forties was spacing your activities and devoted himself to preparing his son Emilio to his imminent debut in the opera scene. At the end of his career arrived to sing together in the work of the Duke of Jose Maria Torrens Montal.

On the night of January 14 19 53 Vendrell said goodbye to the scene with Mrs. Francisquita next to his "Beltrania" Raga Cora, in a role full of great emotion, still remembered.

Emili Vendrell, but never stopped singing and rejoined the Catalan Choral Society menbre a rope over the tenor, while giving occasional recitals. Retired from the world of theater, opened in the Palace of Catalan Music a song cycle which was the author of the lyrics, with music by his friend the composer Elisard Hall, titled Songs of the sea and mountains.

On May 13, 19 61 he was made a massive tribute in recognition of the Palacio Municipal de los Deportes, organized by Radio Barcelona, ​​where he was accompanied, among others, the tenor Hipolito Lazaro and Gaietà Renom, the sopranos Maria Cecilia Gubert Espinalt and personalities and many of the artistic life of that time. Unfortunately, it was affected by the fatal disease that took him to the tomb on August 1, 1962.

A huge number of people from all walks of life marched to the funeral chapel, which was installed in the home of Heather Street. The next day, all expectations were surpassed, and the funeral ceremony became an event so massive that it had cut traffic on the streets around the church of La Concepción. When the coffin was taken to the cemetery, a chorus of anonymous voices sang the thousands of migrant Amadeu Vives, while waving goodbye scarves.

Catalonia has been (and will) land of great tenors, but only Emili Vendrell has received the title of "Cantor of Catalonia."

The voice

Emili Vendrell's voice was unique and hard to classify among her contemporaries. It was characterized not by its length, from the limited - or for the special issue of power.

The material was interesting for her vocal polish and the beauty of its natural color, combined with a special mixture between chest voice and head, which used without interruption. As his son said Emili Vendrell COUTIER, this was no voice and a falsetto was not reinforced as had always said, at least in its peak years.

His artistic intelligence that made his best play with guns "pianissimo" or middle voice, which lavished as any other tenor.

Emili Vendrell's stage career began, as mentioned in the biographical notes, with Don Juan de Serralongue, representing its official debut at the scene, a world premiere. But except for love, down from the Font del Gat, Los Gavilanes, God Hail the King, the severe, Turkey Mistress, La Gaviota La Manola del Portillo and the pain was not a prodigal singer in early creations.

Some authors, like Amadeo Vives, expecting the "Vendrell version" of some of his works. He tells an anecdote in his book The Singing about the master Vives, when they were rehearsing in Los Flamencos: tenor he complained that after the success he was having with Ms. Francisquita not you write a paper its size. Vives said to him with her sharp tone: 'You killed the releases ". Vendrell was left perplexed. Living And he added: "Do not s'esveri man, let me finish. You are the artist's works great for reprisar once released, because the audience when you release a work, does not accept any other interpretation. However, when another tenor has released a book, and if successful like in reprisar it you, the audience says, "Let's see how to sing Vendrell ..."

It became their characters as diverse as Captain Alberto de Molinos de Viento, Juan de la cola Rogue miller or Fernado Los Claveles that had not been created for him.

Additions of roles to his repertoire were constant and got to sing all that was written for string tenor (and even some papers designed originally for baritone) with his unique style and refined performance.

It is curious that a work that gave him much fame as Mrs. Francisquita not draw attention at first. The saw in Madrid and did not seem too interesting or appropriate for their means. It was at the behest of his wife, Marie COUTIER, which made him pass for the score to study it with tranquility. We love the character as the reading went and made his debut in Barcelona next Bugató Josephine (Francisquita) and Mercedes Melo (Aurora). Indeed, those familiar with the score know that this is not easy, the chances of Vendrell are here to end up, coming in having to transport a key to facilitate the work of tenor. But the overall result is so fantastic that we should ignore these [, on the other hand,] anecdotes.

It has been said many times that Vendrell had to work their land. Indeed, he never exceed their potential and, as happened with his songs, always extract them from the shade that is most suited to the text, making it safe musically honest and a singer.

Examples of such musicality and good taste can be found in all its interpretations: the Romance of the Rose in Los Gavilanes, "I was in court" overall, "Women" Los Clavel, "The stone cold. .. "of the painful and so on., which was unanimously appreciated by his contemporaries.

The discography

Fortunately, we have an extensive discography straddling the recording system noise and power, enabling us to see the good qualities of the tenor.

In addition to his songs that give fame in his homeland, there is a significant amount of zarzuela excerpts recorded between 1922 and 1933 to corroborate the versatility of the tenor repertoire.

Vendrell disk to record comprehensive La Verbena de la Paloma, Los Clavel, and extensive selections of Los Gavilanes, Mrs. Francisquita, Luisa Fernanda, singing of love and war, and general.

There are also fragments of sound recordings: The Alsatian (Guerrero), Molinos de viento (Luna), The Bejarano (Alonso), Benamor (Luna), the well-loved (Padilla), the dictator (Millan), God Save the King ( Luna), Don Juan de Serrallonga (Mulberry), The Seagull (Millan), the host of the Sevillano (Guerrero), the farmer of Arles (Rosillo), The Lady in Turkey (Luna), the magician of eastern (Rosillo), down from Font del Gat (Mulberry) Margaritiña (Zamacois), the Mont (Guerrero), The King's Musketeers (Obradors), For a woman (Lambert), severe (Millan), the sun of Seville (Padilla), the Trust tenorios of them (Serrano), an adventure in Paris (Luna), For your love (Ribas), Los de Aragón (Serrano), the village (Guridi). In electrical recordings played Los Flamencos (Living), miller's Rogue (Luna) and the Ventero of Ansó (Martínez Valls).

Chapter opera, Vendrell left only four pieces: a "sogno" from Massenet's Manon, "It il mio nome ..." from Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini and "Racconto" and "goodbye" from Lohengrin Wagner, the latter two in the translation of Joaquin Pena, the result of representations made in 1924 to work at the Teatro Tivoli in Barcelona.