100Singers's video: 100 Singers - JEROME HINES

Jerome Hines, Bass (1921-2003) Gioachino Rossini: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (1816) Aria of Don Basilio: "La calunnia è un venticello" Conducted by Max Rudolf Recorded live at the Met December 21, 1957 My personal opinion. Both critics and admirers were astonished that the towering American bass Jerome Hines (a man of 6 feet 6 inches) has made only a few commercial recordings. It is all the more strange since his vocal prime coincided with the rise of the LP and stereophony, when record-companies began to produce complete operas in abundance. It is also rather odd in view to Hines' huge popularity and longevity at the Metropolitan Opera, where he portrayed 45 characters in more than 870 performances within a period of 41 years. Also surprising is the underrepresentation of his name in music-literature: He is rarely mentioned in encyclopedias, essays or other publications about opera singers. Even careful authors like Henry Pleasants or John B. Steane name him only in passing. And also Peter G. Davies' remark in "The American Opera Singer" is not what I would call a compliment: "Hines' vocal quality took him around the world, but in many respects he was a pioneering example of the busy but bland professional American singer; a breed destined to multiply ..." I'm well aware, it's always a risk to write something negative about a singer with a large fan base; following the principle of "Never slaughter a holy cow." Any kind of bad review, even when reflecting the truth, is uncomfortable and only a few can cope with it. As for Mr. Hines, I've heard him in many Met broadcasts and in some of his studio recordings; for example as Banco in MACBETH and as the Duke in an English sung production of BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE. Each time I was impressed by his dark bass voice. But this is only one side of the coin. It is in the nature of things that a deep voice with its limited sound spectrum is not as flexible as higher voices - the reason, why baritones and tenors have a more distinct timbre. Consequently a bass needs stronger expression to characterize the embodied figures. With all admiration and due respect, I dare to say that Mr. Hines did not possess this ability. Although he has sung in operas from Handel to Stravinsky, his vocal physiognomy was always the same. Please do not misunderstand me: His voice was a deluxe instrument of splendid grandeur, seemingly made for all the great bass-characters such as Boris, King Philip, Sarastro, Don Basilio, Fiesco, King Marke or Prince Gremin. But the same time, Jerome Hines was a surprisingly unimaginative interpreter who mantled his figures in uniformity, which immediately becomes apparent when you listen first to him (singing, for example, Méphistophélès' "Vous qui faites l'endormie" with the demonic laughter or King Philip's "Ella giammai m'amo") and right afterwards Boris Christoff or Cesare Siepi with the same scenes. To list all the differences in details would mean to degrade Mr. Hines - and this is not my intention. Nevetheless, please allow me to quote again Peter G. Davies: "When Hines relinquished the role of the Grand Inquisitor in DON CARLO to Hans Hotter, one suddenly heard how terrifying this cameo could be, even when delivered by a less vocally gifted interpreter." Opera on records is a performance on an imaginary sound-stage. There is a great difference between the sound of a voice in the free space of theater and its quality in front of a microphone. Hines was not an ideal phonogenic singer and probably for this reason a rare guest in the studios. Let me use a symbolization: Imagine a sombre landscape-painting with dark hills, woods and buildings after sunset. All is dusky, and yet you can see some contours. Also Hines' voice was dark, but without any acoustic contours in his expression; like a canvas painted over completely in black. A YouTube commentator even wrote: "Nice voice, but no phrasing and only one dynamic - forte ..." Now let us suppose that every coin has a third side: The career of a singer, who was constantly present for decades in American music life, cannot be appreciated enough. Highly intelligent, witty and educated, Jerome Hines (who studied chemistry and mathematics) even composed the religious opera I AM THE WAY, in which he created the role of Jesus for himself. "People always say I'm a basso profondo, but that's wrong. I'm a basso cantante with a low E and not a low C, which is the precondition for a true profondo", Hines explained. But however named, he was for many years at the helm as one of the most important Met singers, a conscientious and reliable pillar of the company - and this is a greater achievement than rapid stardom who often enough came over night and vanished in the morning. For the future, Jerome Hines didn't see much positive: "We are facing a generation of young singers who are much more diminutive in their approach to singing ..."