Customer Reviews

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Fiorenza Cossotto, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the opera CDs I pull out most often. If you don't know Callas except in her dramatic roles, you've got a pleasant surprise in store; her voice here is light and unfailingly beautiful. The tenor Nicola Monti is easy on the ears too, and their duets are sublime. Great "easy listening" opera.

there are only two reviews here and none are particularly encouraging. one reviewer cannot believe that callas, one of the formost belcantists of the last century, had "the nerve" to sing this. the other only thinks that callas is the only reason for this set. what is one to say. the idea of what bel canto is has been so shaken from its original roots that you get people thinking that sutherland is bel canto. thats almost like thinking that Native Americans are from INDIA because they are called "indians". (i.e. "bel canto MEANS beautiful singing") silly isnt it? perhaps some research should be done. figure out what kind of singers bellini wrote for, what their range was, what their VOLUME was like. take a look at the orchestration and then think about "is this something that should be sung by a big wagnerian voice like sutherland's?" also think about what kind of soprano callas is. forget about what you have read before. forget the "dramatic coloratura" tag that has been placed on her. read what rossini thought of full toned high notes, should the voice really be even through all the scales and all registers? or is the composer exploiting the sound of each different tone? ('madame pasta's voice is made of a wide variety of metalo'). consider that pasta, malibran, and viardot were NOT sopranos, but pushed up mezzos.....

then, after you do all that, tell me what you think of bel canto, and of this recording, which is perhaps one of the greatest testaments of callas' art.

daniel

La Sonnambula, like "Norma", was written for Bellini's muse Giuditta Pasta and hence casting chirpers in this taxing role is completely wrong. The role requires a dramatic soprano d'agilita with an ability to colour her voice in the lightest and airy colours WITHOUT chirping or tweeting. And that was there, right there in Maria Callas' voice. when this was recorded she was singing the role in Köln (Germany) and Edinburgh and had immense successes doing so. Her partner, Mr. Monti, may not be as amazing as Cesare Valletti (On the live-recording from 1955, also available on EMI, the BEST Sonnambula without a doubt) but he's adequate. Votto may not be a Bernstein or Serafin but he conducts with sensivity and Italianita. The "minor" roles are brilliantly cast with the young Fiorenza Cossotto and Nichola Zaccaria. A wonderful, if cut, studio-recording of Bellini's romantic masterpiece.

Some of the "reviews" on this recording amaze me. This 1957 EMI studio recording of "La Sonnambula" represents Callas' art as graphically as does her Norma, Medea, Traviata, or any of her other great operatic impersonations. No ---- I do not put this studio recording on the same level as her live performances of this opera at La Scala in 1955, or in Cologne in 1957 (five months after this recording was made), but there are a lot of very beautiful things here. Callas is in, for the most part, very good voice. She sings with great beauty, lyricism, sensitivity, and awesome musicianship. Her tenor, Nicola Monti, is actually quite good, and was moreover the only tenor of his time who could have undertaken this tenor assignment, which is that of a tenor di grazia (today, Juan Diego Florez fills the bill perfectly). Cesare Valletti partnered Callas in this opera at La Scala in 1955, but had been recording for RCA Victor at the time of this recording. Antonino Votto's orchestral execution is rather subdued here, which gives this entire performance somewhat of a pallid demeanor (Votto was much more lively when he conducted Callas in this opera five months later in Cologne). Prior to the emergence and releases of the two live Callas "Sonnambula" performances, THIS was the recording that stood alone for five years as the only recording of this opera (prior to the release of the first Joan Sutherland recording on London/Decca in 1962). It was considered a perfectly valid recording of this rarely-heard opera, and it has brought joy to many through the years.
The sound is state-of-the-art mono. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

N.B. This is now available at super-budget price in an excellent Naxos re-engineering.

The opera semiseria "La Sonnambula" is a slight thing compared with the grandeur and complexity of the tragedia lirica "Norma". Both were first performed in 1831, but are worlds apart; "La Sonnambula" has a formulaic plot, little depth of characterisation, banal action and could be said to consist of little more than a pleasing succession of pretty tunes. Unless, that is, excitement is injected through the sheer virtuosity of a charismatic diva who has coloratura fireworks and an unearthly, limpid beauty of utterance at her disposal - in other words, unimpeachable bel canto technique. Visconti understood this when, in his La Scala production upon which this recording is based, he had Callas come front stage to deliver the second verse of Ah! Non giunge with the all the house lights turned up. The story is told of Callas demurring when he asked her to play Amina dressed as a simple village maiden but wearing a diva's diamonds; he reminded her that the audience had come to see the famous Maria Callas sing Amina. Furthermore, it was more likely that a conductor such as the young Bernstein would invest "La Sonnambula" with more verve than a traditionalist like Votto - as the 1955 live recording confirms.

Not that Votto does a bad job; he conducts with the right lilt and charm. Mono sound is much less of a disadvantage in so light and graceful a piece and Votto delivers gracefully the minimal accompaniment required to the arias and the simple, rustic choruses. He never obtrudes and ensures that the ensemble concluding Act 1 is a highlight.

The raison d'être of this set must be Callas. Hers was never a voice as sheerly beautiful as that of Sutherland or Sills but the compensations are many and it is a pleasure to hear in a role which makes no inordinate demands on her vocal technique beyond its capability. She successfully lightens her voice throughout; it is strange to think that only the following September she would record Turandot - not entirely successfully. So many things are right here: the heart-stopping downward portamenti; the lapidary staccati; the subtle variation of vibrato to enhance emotion; the haunting, plaintive cantilena - all these are immediately and gratefully encountered in Come per me sereno and the subsequent aria Sovra il sen. There is little edge or beat except in the stratospheric E-flats at the end of Act 1 and of course in the concluding showpiece Ah! Non giunge - and here, despite the wobble, she amazes with a spectacular diminuendo. Callas creates a vulnerable, infinitely touching Amina, full of pathos - and her characterisation is matched by peerless vocalisation. The last fifteen minutes provide a suitably climactic conclusion to a thrilling performance; this is a great bel canto singer in full flight.

Her supporting cast are more than adequate, although some are bettered elsewhere. Many have complained about what they hear as the slightly whining tone of Nicola Monti but I find him perfectly acceptable; he was, after all, thought good enough to partner Sutherland in her first studio recording, too. His voice is of the light, attractive kind probably envisaged by Bellini himself: it is sure of intonation, artfully modulated and produced with a minimum of vibrato. The duet Son gelosa is delightful and he is a model of grace in such phrases as "mio bene". True, his mezza-voce is not as honeyed as that of Valletti or, especially, Tagliavini but they are all three of the same voice type - with the significant difference that Monti's high C in Ah vorrei trovar parole is a bit of a bleat and he has far less heft in reserve. Nonetheless, he combines sensitively with Callas and understands the idiom perfectly. A young Fiorenza Cossotto lends distinction to the small role of Teresa and the ubiquitous Zaccaria sings the Count smoothly and nobly; it is only when you hear what Cesare Siepi makes of Rodolfo that you realise what is missing in Zaccaria's assumption. A blot on the set is Eugenia Ratti's pert, acid Lisa; hers is the edgy "Minnie Mouse" type of soubrette voice that I can well live without.

However, there are other options. I am very attached to the 1952 Cetra recording conducted by Capuana, which is almost contemporary but seems to come from an earlier age. It features a wonderful cast: Tagliavini, who has the most apt and beautiful voice of all those tenors who have essayed Elvino; Pagliughi, at the end of her career and bereft of the money notes but making the most convincing and childlike of Aminas with her clear, infinitely touching innocence and purity; and Siepi, who brings extraordinary warmth and sparkle to a potentially dull rôle. It is the most consistent and authentic version of "La Sonnambula" and I would not part with it. As much as I admire Sutherland, her first recording is blighted by her droopy characterisation and indistinct words; her second was recorded too late and is compromised by Pavarotti's inappropriate, gung-ho style. I like the modern Naxos version with Luba Organasova and Raúl Giménez: she, warm and vibrant, if rather anonymous; he, stylish and experienced - but it has little "star quality". I have not yet heard the new set with Bartoli and Flórez, but the reports are that she does exactly what I feared, and pulls the music about self-consciously while appearing to be recorded in a different acoustic to accommodate the smallness of her voice; he is as good as you would expect.

There are two important live recordings: the aforementioned 1955 Bernstein/ Callas occasion and the 1961 New York performance with Sutherland. The sound is pretty dire in both. They have their adherents, but for a studio recording the choice remains between this Callas version and the Cetra (Warner-Fonit) classic.

This is a very fine recording. Perhaps it is down to her interpretation of Amina -or perhaps she found the lighter roles of the repertoire more conducive at this point in her career- but I believe that here her voice is easier in the higher regions, and more fluid and silken throughout, than any other recording since her Rigoletto recording from September 1955. That recording (about 18 months earlier than this Sonnambula) was, in turn, the greatest of her recordings since the famous Norma, in 1954 with Serafin. The bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and, to a lesser extent, Rossini always did show her at her best. Monti is a worthy partner; he has a fine grasp of the florid music. The sound is consistently fine. Votto's conducting can occasionally be crude and dull in some of his recordings, but here he gives quite a good account of the score, although it lacks the sparkle that Bernstein brought to it (EMI, 1955 (LIVE)).
Highly recommended
D. Bennett

This was my first La Sonnambula and I love it!!! Callas sounds lovely and the rest of the cast is great too! Highly reccommended!

I love this Sonnambula.....The reason? Callas! Callas was born to sing such stuff. Her agilita, her trills and coloratura are mesmerizing.... The timing, the pacing....WOW! No scooping (Gruberova etc.) here....fully attacked notes.... And so much sense in every note! A critic once sighed "Full of notes and empty of sense!" (On a soprano leggiero who tackled Elvira in "I puritani") True, no easy and light "beauty" here but MORE: an intelligent, brilliant portrait of a "stupid", "naive" character. I mean....Amina...not much to discover there? (Sutherland, Gruberova ETC.) Not true!!!! Listen to this recording or, even better, the live-recording from La Scala (1955) with Callas, Valletti&Bernstein. It's glorious, one of Callas' greatest recordings ever.

Call is always a persuasive performer, and it is well worth hearing her tackle this role. That being said, in this recording the score is cut to ribbons & the tenor is almost unlistenable. Get this for Callas, but find the new Sutherland/Pavarotti recording if you want to hear Bellini.

Source: Studio recording made March 3-9, 1957 at the Basilica di San Eufemia in Milan.

Sound: Fairly good 1950s mono. The orchestra is generally caught fairly well. For some odd reason, the chorus, except for the few scattered bits in which they bellow over-lustily, are nearly inaudible. It is next to impossible to catch the words they are singing, even with libretto in hand.

Cast: Amina - Maria Callas; Elvino - Nicola Monti; Il Conte Rodolfo - Nicola Zaccaria; Lisa - Eugenia Ratti; Teresa - Fiorenza Cossotto; Alessio - Giuseppe Morresi; Un Notario - Franco Ricciardi. Conductor: Antonino Votto with the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala in Milan.

Maria Callas must, by any reasonable standards, be absolutely the greatest singer ever to appear in so many truly lousy operatic performances. This recording offers a fine case in point. Callas sings very well here, not perfectly, to be sure, but impressively, nonetheless. She has skillfully reduced her voice into the small container that is Amina. It's a tight fit and a listener might be forgiven for occasionally worrying whether she is about to explode suddenly and forcefully into Norma or Medea in full flight. Despite that, Callas pulls off her own performance successfully enough.

Unfortunately, she can't do the same for her tenor or her baritone, nor can she wield the baton in front of the La Scala band. Nicola Monti, Nicola Zaccaria and Antonino Votto all seem to have prepared for the 1957 recording sessions by drinking deeply from the Fountain of Uninspiration. None of the three is exactly awful, but all three are throughly blah and uninspired, each in his own way. Worst of the bunch is Monti, the tenor. He simply can't pull his weight in the several duets with Callas. They become no more than soprano solos blurred by an irrelevant and increasingly annoying male voice. Zaccaria, the bass-baritone, seems not to be entirely present in this "Sonnambula." He offers a fine example of a telephoned in performance. Votto's conducting is relentlessly humdrum--emphasis on the "hum" over the "drum." Of the well-known names in the cast, only Fiorenza Cossotto offers the support Callas deserves, but her part is short and peripheral.

I find that Amazon carries two additional live performances of "La Sonnambula" in which Callas stars. One was made at about the same time as this studio version. It, alas, again unites her with the useless Monti and Votto. Nevertheless, critical opinion holds that it is a better performance than this studio version. It could hardly be worse. Some years earlier, Callas had sung "La Sonnambula" with Leonard Bernstein in the pit and with a real tenor, Cesare Valletti, on stage. The sound on that set is a bit questionable, but it is definitely the performance to choose if you want Callas as Amina.