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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Performance, February 5, 2000
This review is from: Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan (Audio CD)
This recording is not only a document of immense historical interest, it also preserves in sound what is by all standards a magnificent performance of Donizetti's opera. At the centre of the stage is, of course, Maria Callas. Her portrayal of Lucia in the Berlin performance captured here is a trifle more pallid than that in her first EMI studio recording. Some of the vocal accentuations are also less strongly etched than previously, although there continues to be lots of interesting details in her interpretation of the part. There is, by contrast, an increased tenderness in both characterisation and vocal utterance which highlights the vulnerability and helplessness of the heroine, and thereby making the final tragedy even more shocking and poignant. The "Mad Scene" is hauntingly introspective and it is thus entirely appropriate that Callas doesn't opt for an E flat in alt at the end of "Ardon gli incensi", which otherwise would have been musically and dramatically inconsistent with the interpretation of the scene. Nevertheless, Callas is generally in very good voice and her coloratura singing in the extended cadenza in the "Mad Scene" is, barring just one unsteady B flat, impressively executed. On the whole, she has given us a mesmerising portrayal of Lucia with many vocal delights along the way. Opposite Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano gives what must be one of his best performances as Edgardo. Not only is he in marvellous vocal form, his singing is involving and red-blooded, making him the perfect romantic hero of great ardour. He is here also more subtle and stylish than usual, caressing his lines and even individual words in the act one duet. He performs the final scene with great sensitivity and succeeds in making this scene, which can be an anti-climax in some performances, a most tragically moving one. The other cast members are also excellent. Rolando Panerai sings lustily as Enrico and, through his vocal acting, one can almost see how he put pressure onto her poor sister. Nicola Zaccaria is a warm and sympathetic Raimondo while Giuseppe Zampieri and Luisa Villa are respectively an aristocratic Arturo and an attentive Alisa. The La Scala Chorus, despite some ragged ensemble in places, sings with feeling and panache. And there's Herbert von Karajan. Some people may wonder whether a Karajan is necessary for this opera, which is basically a vehicle for star singers. However, under the sure hands of Karajan, the orchestral playing is not only secure, it is also impressively sculpted with lots of light and shade (and some Beethovenian accents in Act II), which makes one appreciate the score afresh. It is evident that there exists a wonderful rapport between the stage and the pit and everything coalesce into a complete, consistent and organic whole, which never fails to move and thrill the listener. As the recorded sound is above average for a stage performance in the mid-50s, this set has provided me with immense pleasure. Not only would I put it above both the studio versions of the opera with Callas, it is, to me, the ultimate LUCIA which no one should afford to miss.
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A performance of genius, August 14, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan (Audio CD)
Where to start? "Lucia" did not appear to eb an opera I'd ever even listen to in its entirety---too dated, too "tweety-birdish", just a little moldy around the edges. It was a review somewhere suggesting that this performance was on a higher plane of being, so to speak, that led me to try it--to venture back before Puccini and Verdi into an earlier time. And what a pick with which to start! By Callas' completely haunting and atmospheric "Regnava nel silenzio", I was hooked. Then the dashing entrance of di Stefano's totally engaging and dashing Edgardo. Then their long scene ending in the almost preternaturally wonderful "Verranno a te"---in which the orchestra under Karajan, the soprano and the tenor are so wedded, so sympatico. In the long scene with Rolando Panerai, also having a stellar night, Karajan, Callas and Panerai are all so vivid, and the ominous overtone grows yet stronger. Panerai is so compelling: alternately cajoling, then snarling commandingly at the hapless Lucia. At Edgardo's furious, anguished entrance, in which he attempts to stop the wedding, the drama takes a darker turn yet. Di Stefano's fury and heartbreak are real, and effective. Callas' mad scene completely revised my understanding of bel canto mad scenes. Varying her vocal tone, she takes Lucia through confusion, longing, agony, daydreams---right over the brink into a palpable madness. The tenor owns the final scene, of course, and we see no more of Lucia. Di Stefano has rather more bite than one is accustomed to hearing in "Tombe degli" and "Fra poco". His "Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali" is unforgettable, though; and he reaches a power and a beautiful sadness in this scene, one of his most moving in all his recordings. His phrasing, the sheer beauty of his voice, and his intelligence of interpretation have not, in my opinion, been matched by his successors. EMI's liner notes call this performance "a night of nights". ANY day or night in which an opera lover plays this memorable set becomes special. It is a vivid, haunting, rousing, dramatic, and wonderfully musical experience---once experienced, never to be pushed aside. This set will not be taken lightly: it commands your attention, and ultimately, your devotion.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bel canto restored, October 20, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan (Audio CD)
Bel canto is not only about high notes and fireworks (as some listeners and singers in the mould of, for example, Edita Gruberova, would think, it is one of the most expressive music ever written. Callas was the first to REALLY understand that, and she marvellously restored a great 19th century tradition of using heavier voices in this kind of opera. The type of soprano is called drammatico con agilita which is able to convey emotion and sing the musical line in a sort of "lunar" way that Rost, Svenson, Gruberova etc. cannot even hint at. Sutherland and Scotto came close to this ideal at least as far as Lucia is concerned, but they just couldn't surpass Callas. Nowadays, voices of this calibre have gone and both theatres and recording companies have to make do with thin voices (I am tempted to say "canaries")which are all right to produce E-flats and other virtuosities (if this is what you look for in bel canto), but they are literally crippled when it comes to musical drama and phrasing. Callas' Berlin performance is legendary, to my mind superior to both Callas studio recordings and an example to follow in portraying the haunted Lucy and creating the right atmosphere from the very beginning (listen to her Regnava nel silenzio...). The crowning glory is, of course, the mad scene, so distant and yet true and close, and I couldn't care less about the famous "missing" E-flat (so often underlined by those with arena mentality), if you want to have one, and a good one, just wait until the end of the scene. I am thrilled to see that Callas continues to arouse sometimes violent controversy among opera fans, since controversy is her main feature. She continues to outsell all living sopranos. She swept aside a number of bad habits (alas they are being re-introduced)and showed the direction to embark in so many operas. Even now every respectable singer trembles when taking on a "Callas role", such was her impact. Tosca, Norma, Lucia and Traviata - her most famous roles - are champ de battaille of Callas fans and detractors also at Amazon: most probably you would have a one or five stars rating, because you adore her or you don't like her at all. She continues to "upset" people. Can anything of the above be said of any other soprano and all that 34 years after her final curtain and 22 years after her death?
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