Sydney Rayner - Ora e per sempre addio (Decca, 1932)

Sydney Rayner (1895-1981) was an American tenor whose career encompassed opera, musical theater, radio and concerts. Born in New Orleans, Rayner began vocal studies after spelling the singer of a dance band with which he played fiddle. For a year, he “survived” (Rayner’s words) a teacher who trained him as a baritone before finding another teacher who recognized his tenor voice. His debut was as Araquil in a local production of Massenet’s La Navarraise in 1924, an engagement which paid him $100. Seeking further study, Rayner quit his job as a window dresser and travelled to Milan to work with pedagogue Giuseppe Ragusa. After a year with Ragusa, he began singing local concerts, and made his Italian debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème on June 6, 1927 at Rome’s Teatro Adriano. Reviews were enthusiastic and Rayner was soon in demand throughout Italy. Performances in Spain and Portugal followed, and the tenor returned home in the winter of 1927 for a series of well received concerts.

For the next few years, Rayner divided his time between Europe and the U.S. There were important debuts with the Staatsoper Berlin and San Francisco Opera, but it was at Paris’ Opéra-Comique, where he debuted in January of 1930 as Julien in Louise, that he found his artistic home for the next five seasons. Rayner sang a variety of roles there, including Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Don José in Carmen, des Grieux in Manon and the title role in Werther. The busy tenor also made appearances in the French provinces, as well as in Switzerland and Belgium. Rayner also debuted with a pair of American companies known for presenting opera at popular prices, Salmaggi Opera and Fortune Gallo’s San Carlo Opera, marking the start of an association that would last until the end of his career.

Rayner’s Chicago debut came about on November 23, 1935 as Tannhäuser, and appearances with the Canadian Grand Opera and Cincinnati’s popular Opera at the Zoo followed. With his growing list of successes, it wasn’t long before Rayner was contacted by New York’s Metropolitan Opera, debuting with the company as Don José on May 23, 1936. Rayner was quite popular with New York audiences and seemed destined for a long and happy association with the Met…but it was not to be. Stubborn and opinionated by his own admission, his insistence on singing elsewhere during the Met season led to quarrels with management. After just two seasons and 25 performances of 7 roles including Canio, Turiddu, Hoffmann, des Grieux, and Faust, Rayner’s Met career was over.

The early ‘40s saw appearances in Chicago, Rio, Sao Paolo and Havana. These engagements were few and far between, however, and Rayner found himself in need of income. Shortly after his dismissal from The Met, Rayner filed for bankruptcy, claiming over $14,000 in debts and no assets. A few years later, his wife Eva sued for divorce, citing “cruel and abusive treatment”. Luckily, the San Carlo Opera was always eager for a star of Rayner’s pedigree. For the next decade, the tenor crisscrossed the continent, visiting Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Memphis, Atlanta, Spokane, El Paso and many other cities. The repertoire consisted of the same audience favorites…Il Trovatore, Aïda, Pagliacci, and of course, Carmen, an opera which had become his favorite. One departure from this routine occurred on January 9, 1947, when Rayner created the role of Lippo Fiorentino in the premiere of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. As was the case during his Met days, the tenor sang for Salmaggi during his nights off.

Rayner’s final performance was Canio in Pagliacci for Salmaggi Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15, 1950. Following his retirement from the stage, the tenor devoted his time to teaching from his Manhattan studio. He spent the next two decades training young voices before ill health forced his retirement in 1969. Following a long illness, Sydney Rayner died at his Long Island home on September 14, 1981, just two days after his 86th birthday.

Sydney Rayner was a man of many facets…and contradictions. He was as renowned for his cooking as he was for his work on stage, with newspapers often publishing his recipes. He was a leading tenor at the Met yet chose to perform with a cut rate repertory company during his nights off. He was known to friends as a jovial, fun loving man, yet his temper and antagonistic behavior led to a cancelled Met contract as well as a divorce. Rayner also possessed one of the great talents of his generation. It’s a pity he’s largely forgotten today. Rayner’s repertoire of 40 roles included the leads in Tosca, Andrea Chénier, Rigoletto, Forza del Destino, Ballo in Maschera, Otello, Lucia di Lammermoor, Salome, Martha, Lohengrin, Roméo et Juliette, and La Juive. His handful of discs made for Decca and Sonabel reveal an exciting spinto voice with a ringing top. Here, Rayner sings “Ora e per sempre addio” from Verdi’s Otello. This was recorded in London for Decca in 1932.

Видео Sydney Rayner - Ora e per sempre addio (Decca, 1932) канала Dead Tenors' Society