Stefán Islandi, tenor- Fa la nana bambin (Sadero)

Stefán Islandi (1907-1994)

I must confess that I know very little about the cultural history and musical activity of Iceland. I am familiar with some of the craggy, volatile symphonic works of Jón Leifs, but do not know any other Icelandic composers. Nor have many opera singers from that country come to my attention. One exception is bass Kristin Sigmundsson, whom I have heard on a few MET radio broadcasts. From an earlier generation there is also tenor Stefán Islandi, who was unknown to me until I came across this recording a couple of years ago.

Islandi (originally Gudmundsson) was born in Skagafjördur, in northern Iceland, and sang as a young man in the Reykjavik Male Choir. A stipend from a wealthy boat owner enabled him to travel to Italy, where he studied with Ernesto Caronna in Milan during the early 1930's. He made his debut in Florence, as Cavaradossi, in 1933, also performing the role of Pinkerton there the same year. It was at this time that the Italian press, which routinely fumbled his surname, dubbed the tenor "Islandi". The name stuck, and Stefán Islandi sang throughout Europe for the next three decades, returning to Iceland in 1951 to take part in the first operatic production of Reykjavik's National Theater (he sang the Duke in "Rigoletto"). He retired from the stage in 1966, accepting a teaching post at the city's Conservatory.

This is the only recording I have of Islandi, and I am quite taken by it. The piece, first of all, is a real gem. "Fa la nana bambin" is a very gentle, soothing lullaby penned by one Geni Sadero (pseudonym of Eugenia Scarpa) (1891-1961), who published it in a collection of 25 regional Italian songs that she had arranged. As for Islandi's singing, it is as tender, comforting, and seductive as one could wish. The timbre is sweet but not cloying, and Islandi's sound and manner are more than a little Schipa-esque, though his voice seems to have more fullness and a slightly lower center of gravity than that of the Italian tenor ( of course it is hard to tell from a single record). In any case, the instrument is an immediately appealing tenore leggiero, and I greatly admire the purity of his vowels, especially the "i"'s. The recording was made for HMV in 1942. If anyone knows where to find more of Islandi, I would be very grateful for the information. In the meantime, I'm so relaxed that I think I will go take a nap. :)