A kind friend sent me a link to the 1959 Gramophone Magazine recording of Byron's poems by Tyrone Power. No surprise that the reviewer "R.W." loved Ty's performance.
On the evidence of this record it is not only the cinema that has suffered by the death of Tyrone Power; the stage lost a potentially great artist. His handling of the "hurry" stanzas in Don Juan where Don Alfonso surprises the lovers is superb, and he never misses a point. In the subsequent duel his delivery of the line : "Juan contrived to give an awkward blow" brings the scene vividly to life by a simple pause and stress. Again, his narration of the Eve of Waterloo section of Childe Harold evokes the scene with great skill, and when we reach the famous alliterative line : "He rushed into the field and foremost fighting fell", Power's sudden pause and drop onto "fell" is magical. His dynamic range is wide and the total result truly noble. These are inspired readings and a revelatory introduction of Byron to the gramophone. R.W.
This is no surprise. After listening to the John Brown recordings (thanks to Peachtree), it's right on.
Ty had a great voice. If he didn't act on screen or stage, he would have been great on the radio, which he did, didn't he here in Chicago? For a short time?
He did a lots of radio. You can find a list of his radio broadcasts at http://www.tyrone-power.com/radio.html
A lot of this is available online or from classic radio retailers like Radio Spirits. I like listening to the Lux Radio Theatre broadcasts on the computer. :)
Great find, Peachtree!! He *did* have a magnificent voice! (I recall reading at one point that he was slated to star with Ingrid Bergman on the stage in '59. Can you imagine what that would have been like!)
