ROSA PONSELLE: The Columbia Recordings. Rosa Ponselle,...

ROSA PONSELLE: The Columbia Recordings. Rosa Ponselle, soprano; various orchestras and soloists. Pearl GEMM CDS 9964. This two-disc set of 41 numbers contains all but one of the records Ponselle made for Columbia during a six-year period after her Met debut in 1918. The voice was large and essentially dark, the same sound from top to bottom, with no register breaks. The technique was formidable. Listen to the trill in “Casta diva,” “Ernani involami” or “Qual fiamma.” She could produce granitic alto tones for “Suicidio” and also light coloratura for the “Vespri” Bolero and the “Trovatore” duet with Luna (Riccardo Stracciari). In these early years she had no fears for her top, and an effortless C was there for “O patria mia.” There is some now-mostly-extinct light encore material here including duets such as “Comin’ Through the Rye” with her sister, Carmela, and it is doubtful “Little Alabama Coon” would ever make much of a comeback, even if Ponselle, herself, returned.

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SONGS OF DVORAK, JANACEK AND MARTINU. Gabriela Benackova, soprano; Rudolf Firkusny, piano. BMG 09026-60823-2. With the exception of the inevitable “Songs My Mother Taught Me” from Dvorak’s Gypsy Songs, the Czech and Moravian material is fresh and unhackneyed. Since Janacek and Martinu were both friends and mentors of the pianist, there can be little doubt we are hearing the music stylistically the way we ought. It is a shame, however, that Benackova, who possesses one of the most beautiful voices around, doesn’t appear to care much for consonants. Even with the texts before us, it is difficult to get a word. Still, the voluptuous pleasures of the repertory and the technical mastery of the performers make the recording special.