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Heinz
Sandauer conducts operetta selections from 'Viktoria und ihr Husar'
and 'Die Blume von Hawaii' (Paul Abraham) on Philips P 10115 R from
the early nineteen fifties.
On Philips P 10110 R he leads 'The Merry Widow' - Die lustige Witwe
(Franz Lehar) and 'White horse Inn' - Im Weissen Rössl (Ralph Benatzky).
Twilight
Concert No. 5
Cover by Alex Steinweiss
Frank
Loesser's The Most Happy Fella with Jo Sullivan, Art Lund, Susan Johnson,
Shorty Long and Mona Paulee.
Club
français du disque CDF1: Nelson Mass (Haydn) (Missa in Angustiis)
with Jonathan Sternberg conducting the Vienna Opera Orchestra. The singers
are Theresa Stich-Randall, Rudolf Schock, Mona Paulee and Gottlob Frick.
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When
Mona Paulee visited Europe in the summer of 1952 and also performed
in Vienna, the obvious thing for producer Marcel Prawy to do was to
obtain taped performances of this beautiful voice for release on Don
Gabor's Remington label. I suspect that the recordings with Miss Paulee
were radio recordings made by the OR, Österreichischer Rundfunk
(Austrian Public Broadcasting Service) as the technical quality surpasses
the sound of most Viennese recordings produced by Prawy himself.
In
these recordings the orchestra is not the Tonkünstlerorchester
or Austrian Symphony Orchestra as it was often referred to, but Mona
Paulee sang various selections with the famous Viennese orchestra
of pianist-conductor-composer Heinz Sandauer - "Der Sandauer"
as the popular band leader was called.
Heinz
Sandauer
Heinz
Sandauer (Vienna, January 1, 1911 - August 5, 1979) was a composer,
conductor, arranger and orchestrator. In the last capacity he
worked for Franz Léhar, Emmerich Kálmán
and Robert Stolz. According to the info on the AEIOU web site
and other sources, he took up the post of conductor of the Viennese
Radio Orchestra (Wiener Rundfunkorchester)
in 1937. From 1946 on he worked for the radio station Red-White-Red
(Rot-Weiß-Rot) and later for the Austrian Radio and Television
Organization ORF. From 1963 on he was a professor at the 'Wiener
Musikhochschule' where he taught the lighter side of music and
jazz. He
is the author of a course for jazz piano for the advanced jazz
pianists.
Heinz Sandauer made numerous records with various artists who
sang popular songs and selections from operettas. He composed
songs and a few more serious scores too: 'Concerto Ritmico for
Two Solo Percussion Instruments and Orchestra', 'Hungaria' (for
Piano and Orchestra), 'Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra',
and 'Swanee River', subtitled 'Variations for Orchestra on a
Negro Spiritual'.
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Heinz
Sandauer
Picture taken from Elite
Special SOLP-439
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He studied
under Austrian composer Joseph Marx at the Viennese State Academy
for Music and Dramatic Art (Staatsakademie - now Universität
für Musik und Darstellende Kunst) and became later a professor
at this institute himself. Many studied with Joseph Marx who
was a romantic but also a conservative and one best option to
learn the basics of form, harmony and full-blooded orchestrations,
and for acquiring skill.
Heinz Sandauer started writing music for films when he was in
his twenties. In all he wrote scores for twenty movies and arranged
scores for many other motion pictures, a.o. the science fiction
movie 'Destination Moon' from 1952 (in 1957 Sandauer recorded
his arrangement of Leith Stevens's score in stereo with the
Vienna Concert Orchestra).
He also arranged several songs of his teacher, Joseph Marx.
Together with Willy Schmidt-Gentner he arranged Marx's "A
New Years Hymn" (Ein Neujahrshymnus) for mixed choir, organ
and orchestra from 1914. This orchestrated version was heard
in the film "Cordula" (1950).
Through records Sandauer's name became famous in many European
countries especially in the nineteen thirties and fifties. In
the US he appeared on Urania 8004: "Music Under the Stars"
with selections in the semi-classical style of pieces written
by Sinding, Debussy, Drigo, Lemare, Fibich, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky,
Raff, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Gounod, Paderewski, Wagner, and
Chopin, with violinist Walter Schneiderhan and pianist Otto
Schulhof, and Heinz Sandauer conducting the Vienna Philharmusica
Symphony Orchestra in this recording.
On Philips
Records he conducted operettas for which -so it seems- he
arranged the scores in his flamboyant, entertaining style.
P 10109 R - Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles)
and Paganini
P 10110 R - Die Lustige Witwe (Merry Widow) and Im Weissen
Rössl (White Horse's Inn);
P 10115 R - Viktoria und Ihr Husar and Blume von Hawai (Flower
of Hawai);
P 10214 P - Gräfin Maritza (Countess Maritza) and
Maske in Blau (Blue Mask).
P 10215 R - Frederieke and Schön ist die Welt (Franz
Lehar).
Stars on
these records from the nineteen fifties are Sari Barabas, Maria
Mucke, Gerda Scheyrer, Hedy Fassler, Rudolf Christ, Hainz Roland,
Toni Niessner, Walter Anton Dotzer, Friedl Pöltinger, a.o.
with the Vienna Broadcasting Orchestra and Academy Choir. His
arrangements are showish, skillful and have verve as have the
arrangements for the Mona Paulee recordings. They also show
some traits typical of the music of German movies, of radio
shows and of the television shows of the nineteen fifties and
sixties. Though probably less prolific, Heinz Sandauer was for
the Austrians what the elderly Louis Levy with his orchestra
and big band was for the Brits and the British film industry.
- R.A.B.
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There would not
have been a better arranger and conductor to accompany the versatile
voice of Mona Paulee in songs of American musical shows.
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Mona
Paulee around 1952
Picture taken from Remington R-199-120
and edited by R.A.B.
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As Mona Paulee's
selections were too many to release on just one record, Don Gabor
cleverly released the songs on three different discs and added on
the B-Sides mostly excerpts of classical concertos, symphonies and
opera from his catalogue. This not only meant that it was necessary
to buy all three records instead of one in order to have all songs,
but the releases did initiate many consumers to the field of classical
music and the Remington catalog of course.  The
records were issued in the special 'Twilight Concert' series.
Mona Paulee was
an attractive addition to the section "American musical shows"
of the Remington catalog, which listed also singers like Jean Campbell
and Bob Dale (R-199-115, South Pacific), Christina Carroll (R-149-41,
Soprano Arias; R-149-46 Jerome Kern), Elizabeth Humphries and Lucille
Graham.
Gabor could be sure of increased sales, because the voice of Mona
Paulee is not only beautiful, but also very expressive, and the singer
conveys much more than ease and spaciousness. Her timbre is ephemeral
and often touching, attributes which are not always encountered in
one voice.
R-199-119
Mona Paulee sings Romberg - One Kiss, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,
Lover Come Back To Me - and Gershwin - Somebody Loves Me
- coupled with Scherzo From 'A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn),
The Young Prince And The Young Princess From 'Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov),
Overture To 'Die Fledermaus' (Johann Strauss). Issued as Twilight
Concert No. 3 (selections also later released on Paris P-125).
R-199-120
Mona Paulee sings Gershwin - The Man I Love - and Friml - L'Amour,
toujours l'amour, Indian Love Call - coupled with excerpts from compositions
by Tchaikovsky: Waltz Of The Flowers, Pizzicato Ostinato from Symphony
No. 4, and Conzonetta (Andante) and Finale (Allegro) from the Violin
Concerto with Michèle Auclair. Issued as Twilight Concert No.4.
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Twilight
Concert No. 4
Cover by Alex Steinweiss
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R-199-122
Mona Paulee sings Cole Porter - Love for Sale, Night and Day -
and Gershwin - Lady Be Good, coupled with excerpts from compositions
by Bizet, Puccini, Rimsky-Korsakov Issued as Twilight Concert No.
5
Several songs were also issued on 7" discs like REP 65 and REP
68 with Lover Come Back to Me and Love for Sale respectively.
On Plymouth P-12-67
Gabor released The Man I Love, Somebody Loves Me and Lady
Be Good together with selections from Cavalleria Rusticana and
Tosca taken from the classical Remington catalog.
These are all
lovely performances. Gershwin's "The man I Love" is very
expressive with a powerful orchestral arrangement written by Sandauer
with varying tempi and a few short phrases of the piano. Friml's songs
are romantic, Porter's have a longing atmosphere, and the Romberg
selections were of course appropriate as Sigmund Romberg (also a Hungarian
and fellow countryman of Gabor, born in Nagykanisza on 29 July, 1887)
had died on November 9 of 1951. Romberg's songs enjoyed a renewed
popularity, but his shows did not survive as they were old fashioned.
"Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is his most well known
song and maintained itself mainly in many a fine jazz performance
(like the one by Shelley Manne and his Men at the Manne Hole on the
double release on Lester Koning's Contemporary Records). Mona Paulee
sings this gem beautifully, and Sandauer turns the song into a tango
and the performance reaches an intensity of its own, quite different
if compared to the beauty of matron Helen Traubel's exquisite performance
accompanied by Jose Ferrer on the piano, in "Deep in my Heart",
Sigmund Romberg's biopic from a few years later (1954).
The liner notes
on Remington R-199-120 give a short biography:
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Mona Paulee
- Mezzo Soprano
An enviable
position in the fields of concert, opera and radio is held
today by sparkling, dark-haired Mona Paulee. A beautiful and
warm voice, musicianship of extraordinary versatility and
penetrating interpretative gifts combine with a vivacious
temperament to make Mona Paulee an appeal to the musical sophisticates
and on other occasions speak a simple heart-to-heart language.
Mona Paulee was born in Canada but was brought up in the United
States. She received her early music education in Portland,
Oregon, and pursued her music goal through many arduous phases,
beginning in night clubs and movie houses, then to concerts
on the west coast, and a debut with the San Francisco Opera.
Eventually she became a member of the Metropolitan.
While still devoting part of her time each season to operatic
appearances, lovely Miss Paulee has concentrated more and
more on recital, radio and television appearances. Her concert
tours are more extensive and she is often guest star on the
top programs of the air. During 1950 and 1951, she made two
tours through Central America where she scored brilliant new
successes. She appeared in Europe, for the first time in the
summer of 1952, and was acclaimed in England, Scandinavia
and Holland for her concerts and broadcasts there. However,
the greatest triumphs in the career of Mona Paulee have been
her New York recitals which are hailed by the Metropolitan
press as musical events of first order.
"Her voice is the most voluptuous mezzo-soprano to be heard
this side of the ocean..." - New York Herald Tribune
"The luscious quality of her mezzo-soprano in the lower register
was carried through to the high notes with a striking ring
in its timbre. She was taken to the heart of the audience
at once." - Washington, DC Star
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Numerous were
the positive reviews in newspapers all over America when she performed
in Oklahoma, Tacoma, San Diego, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and New York.
The Philadelphia Bulletin spoke of "The natural beauty and strength
of her voice and the warmth and imagination of her interpretative
style..." and the critic of the San Diego Union said: "Mona
Paulee, exotic brunette, whose glorious mezzo-soprano voice scored
a tremendous triumph, impressed with the beauty of her vibrant, richly
colored voice, animated by intelligence and fine musicianship."
In
1956 she had a minor role next to Jo Sullivan, Art Lund, Susan Johnson,
and Shorty Long in Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella".
The conductor was Herbert Green. The complete musical was recorded
under the supervision of Goddard Lieberson. This was a phonographic
first for a complete musical as was Lieberson's famous production
of 'Porgy and Bess' for a complete opera. The show was issued on 3
Lp's (O3L-240). Selections were released on Columbia OL 5118. In the
early seventies these recordings were electronically re-recorded to
simulate stereo, the odd practice which was followed at the time for
commercial reasons to the detriment of the sound quality. The record
with selections only has one number featuring Mona Paulee and not
even in a solo. To hear more of her the complete show has to be owned.
Mona Paulee
was the winner of the "Metropolitan Auditions of the Air Competition"
in 1941. From 1938 on she followed daily lessons with Mr. John A.
Patton, who served on the faculty of the University of California
at Berkeley; Occidental College, at Los Angeles; the Colorado College
of Education; and the Utica, New York, Conservatory of Music. He is
widely known as the 'Voice Doctor of Hollywood'. Miss Paulee made
her debut at the Met singing Gianetta in 'L'élisir d'amore' (Donizetti),
she had given solo performances with the Pasadena Bach Society, had
been enrolled with the San Francisco Opera Company, and sang Lola
in 'Cavalleria Rusticana', Nicklaus in 'Tales of Hoffmann', Frederick
in 'Mignon', Amneris in 'Aida', and Maddalena in 'Rigoletto'.
She
also sang in numerous concerts in the nineteen thirties, forties and
fifties. She had minor parts and significant parts. She was Hirtenknabe
in Mozart's 'Die Zauberflöte' (The Magic Flute) and sang in 'Don
Giovanni' under Bruno Walter in 1942. She appeared in Charpentier's
'Louise' in 1943 under Sir Thomas Beecham. She sang in Mahler's Fourth
Symphony under Richard Burgin in Boston in 1945. On April 3, 4 and
5, 1955, she sang in Verdi's Requiem alongside soprano Francis Yeend,
tenor Gabor Carelli (substituted by Jack Waggoner on April 4th) and
bass Yi-Kwei Sze, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. A year before she
had sung once again in Vienna in works by Gabrieli and Monteverdi
(Paul Hindemith's Instrumentation) with among others Uta Graf (soprano),
Waldemar Kmentt (tenor) and Wolfram Mertz (bass), Paul Hindemith conducting
the Wiener Singakademie and Wiener Symphoniker (1954).
Although
her parts were important, only a few times she was top of the bill.
That is often the fate of a mezzo-soprano who has to yield the prime
part to the soprano. She loved to perform in many genres and she was
the playful, warm character and her beautiful voice was her best asset,
the vehicle that would take her anywhere.
Mona
Paulee did not make many recordings and what is left to witness her
beautiful and lovely voice are practically only the Remington recordings
which are to be cherished. There is however a very rare recording
on Club français du disque (CDF1) of Haydn's 'Nelson Mass'
(Missa in Angustiis) with Jonathan Sternberg conducting the Vienna
Opera Orchestra. The singers are Theresa Stich-Randall, Rudolf Schock,
Mona Paulee and Gottlob Frick.
Rudolf
A. Bruil - September 3rd , 2004
The
website of the California State University, Los Angeles, has a short
entry on Mona Paulee:
"Mona Paulee (Emerita, Music) passed away in September, 1995. A
mezzo-soprano with the Met during the 1940s and 1950s, she was often
heard in the Metropolitan Opera Saturday live broadcasts. She had performed
in Europe and throughout Central and South America. Paulee joined the
faculty in 1972 and retired in 1987. She is survived by her daughter,
Lani, and two grandchildren."
The university offers a scholarship named after Mona Paulee.
Mona Paulee was born October 4, 1912 in Edmonton, Canada.
R.A.B.
December, 2005
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