Customer Reviews

Maria Callas ~ Complete Studio Recordings

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of course this is a fabulous bargain, but there is also a lot to be said against it.

Firstly, there's the issue of presentation. The 69 cds and 1 cd-rom do come in serviceable, light cardboard sleeves (and the cds do slip out, without needing to be prized out of the sleeve), but they are identified only by number and work-title. Unlike some other sets, this one does not give a track listing on each sleeve. And that's a pain: you have to turn to the minimalist booklet, which contains the track listings and--well, that's about it. One very good thing is that the cds are arranged chronologically, so that you get to follow Callas's career. The bad news is that this arrangement makes it hard to find any individual title and, frustratingly, the booklet does not contain an index of which work is on which cd. You want to find the second recording of Norma? You gotta hunt for it. At this price, you expect the documentation to be minimal, but just a little bit of effort could have made this so much more user-friendly.

Second, there's the boxing. The cd sleeves are housed in a fairly flimsy cardboard "drawer," which slides into an extremely flimsy oblong cover This cover will probably have started to disintegrate in the mail by the time you get it (mine did). Because the cd sleeves are a thin cardboard rather than paper, the whole box takes up almost 9 inches of shelf-space. (Compare this with the economical and manageable 2 inches or so that the 30cds of EMI's Elgar set, with plain paper sleeves, fit into--a less showy format, but way more serviceable.)

Third, there's the cd-rom documentation. In a word, minimalist. A few photos, and the libretti of the operas (in the format of the booklets); nothing for the recital discs.

Fourth, there's the remastering. Most of the remasterings are dated 1997, and therefore appear to belong to the "black cover" EMI issues. Some date from the early 2000's and therefore seem to be from GROC reissues. A very few seem to have been remastered for this set. However, not all previously released GROC remasterings are here. (Why not?) Identified below are the cds in the set that were NOT remastered in 1997 (15 in all). Note that it is especially (and sensibly) the earlier recordings that tend to be most recently remastered.

cd 1. Early recordings (1949)--Remastered 07 (time: 24:23)
2-4. La Gioconda (52)--R 07
5-6 Lucia (53)--R 04
10-11--Tosca (53)--R 02
12-13--Traviata (w/ Santini 53)--R 07
14-16--Norma (54)--R 03
38-39--Il barbiere di Siviglia (57)--R 07

Every time I get to compare the efforts of small companies such as Pearl with the major companies (including Naxos) I find I prefer the Pearl. And I know there are complaints on the `net about these EMI efforts. (Though I find EMI better than most of the majors at this.) So it's probably good that I don't have any comparisons for these remasterings. At times, I feel the sound has probably been smoothed out too much and deprived of life, but these are (to my ears) a vast improvement over some of the ratty old lp manifestations that are stored in my aural memories.

Fifth, there's the number of cds. 70 sounds a lot, but be warned: some of them are very short measure. The very first cd is a massive 24 minutes. And the individual opera sets, of course, often contain one cd under 50 mins.

Finally, there's the content. I have always admired Callas, but I've never been obsessed. So I wondered: do I really want 69 cds of that very distinctive voice? Especially since I already had a number of these performances in boxes with full documentation? After all (I told myself), it's not the most beautiful voice, and it did fray with the years. But, well, I figured this set would save space and fill in gaps and so forth, so I ordered it.

Then I sat down to listen to all 69 of the discs, from beginning to end. I am wary of completism, but there is something to be said for this complete set: I found it is not just a convenient way to amass a lot of individual operas featuring Callas, but that it is, somehow, a whole that is greater than its parts--a massive work, an oeuvre, that provides a context and brings a talent to life. You know how it is when you decide to listen to the whole Ring over (let's say) four days. Even if you're ambivalent about Wagner (as I am), it's an extraordinary experience. The Callas experience is amazing. I found myself listening to familiar performances that I first heard decades ago, as though hearing them for the first time. I found myself thinking that I was really appreciating her for the first time--her control, her intelligence, and, yes, her beauty.

For all the irritating inadequacies and arbitrary decisions in its presentation--and for all our frustration with EMI for finding a new way to repackage its back catalogue yet again every couple of years--this is a stunning set. So 5 stars for content, overriding (for me) the deficiencies of presentation.

Maria Callas,thirty years after her death, refuses to be forgotten, and nor should she be, for there will never be another like her. Her artistic, musical, and dramatic attributes are entirely too vast to go into here, and besides, Callas needs no advocates ---- she's still converting people to her artistry today, and probably always will. Why is she the most revered soprano of the Twentieth Century? Much of the answer lies here on the discs including in this beautiful box. The operatic repertoire represented here is immense -- Callas covered everything from Norma and Sonnambula through Turandot and Tosca, by way of Aida, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, Lucia, and even two Rossini comedies. She was a vocal cameleon, taking on a different voice for every role she portrayed. She had a thousand colors in her voice, and her personal magnetism infused her singing. A perfect vocal emission? Certainly not, but it was always a great instrument of expression, and sometimes, of great beauty. Callas forged an operatic path that no other soprano dared to tread, possibly because she realized that her particular vocal sound was one which needed to be studied to be appreciated. Virtually all of the Callas performances here are models of their kind. Her colleagues (di Stefano, Tucker, Monti, Gobbi, Barbieri, Gedda, etc.) all shine alongside of her, and Tullio Serafin (her mentor), Herbert von Karajan, Antonino Votto, Gavazzini, and Galleria all provide exemplary leadership. This box is a must have for those who have yet to experience the artistry of the greatest operatic artist of the last century, one whose vast legacy will live forever.

To quote Tony Locantro in the booklet, Callas is the prima donna assoluta for now and all time. Her life itself was like a great Romantic opera, he said, a story of triumph, drama, and, finally, tragedy. But her art and life are too well known to discuss here.

What is left is, apart from the legend, the voice, of which fortunately a lot is recorded. This set has all the studiorecordings she ever made with EMI. Individually these records would add up to a lot of $$ to buy, so this set is wonderful. It comes in a nice box, and in compact paper cases. Of course, EMI could have made this set look more fancy, but then this atrractive price would not be possible I guess. It is all about the music in the end, and the quality of the cd's itself is superb. This set has I believe the latest remasters from Abbey Road Studio's, so it does not get better than this. It also comes with a good booklet, and extra info in pdf format can be downloaded at callas30.com
Get this set, whether you are a fan, or just thinking about giving opera a try, since, as in art so seldom happens (apart from Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Caruso and La Callas), this is undisputed the best opera can get when it comes to a female voice. All that on 70 cds for almost nothing, what more could one want? Great EMI, hope a similar set on all live performances will follow?

In an opera lover's absolutely perfect world, this set would also contain the Callas live recordings that EMI has issued over the years. However, the 70 CD's of her studio recordings are one of the great all time bargain, given that even new, they are at a price of about $1 a CD.
Callas is one of the recorded treasures and her legacy here will give pleasure and meaning to listeners and singers. Some of her greatest work is here - La Forza del Destino, Rigoletto - and her greatest work is opera at its best, moving, lyrical (beautiful), dramatic, and oh so intense. To make it even more of a bargain, she is often paired here with her great colleague Tito Gobbi, who while he did not have the greatest baritone voice, could make more meaning from Verdi than any contemporary of his (with the possibile exception of Fischer-Dieskau who did not, however, have as good a VERDI voice). And she is often conducted here by her mentor, the great opera conductor, Tullio Serafin.
My wife just had her first grandchildren so I have been in the midst of many discussions of what are good or useful or educational toys for children. Buy them this set. Growing up with the intensity of life Callas embodied must be good for you. It will make your sense of life and what is possible bigger.

outstanding recordings - heard this item reviewed on NPR and it totally lives up to the high praise.

The set comes with 69 CDs worth of aria collections and 22 complete operas, which are (in the order of recordings);
La Gioconda (2 versions)
Lucia di Lammermoor (2 versions)
I Puritani
Cavalleria Rusticana
Tosca (2 versions)
La Traviata
Norma (2 versions)
Pagliacci
La Forza del Destino
Il Turco in Italia
Madama Butterfly
Aida
Rigoletto
Il Trovatore
La Boheme
Un Ballo in Maschera
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
La Sonnambula
Turandot
Manon Lescaut
Medea
Carmen

The EMI website says that these are "with brand new remasterings". The box specifically notes that Cetra recordings have been remastered for this set. I assume that the others are the most recent remasterings (the same ones used for Great Recordings of the Century?). The flimsy box and packaging require some care when handling. The 70th disk of the set is a Mac-compatible CD-ROM, from which librettos in the PDF format can be downloaded to your computer for all operas and arias (except, the libretto for Cavallera Rusticana seems missing for the Mac version). There is a photo gallery PDF, but I don't find any essay on the Mac CD-ROM.

For newcomers to Italian operas, this is it. For the price of 3-4 complete opera recordings, you are getting nearly the entire repertoire of the standards. I should note that most recordings here are monaural and you will hear occasional hisses. But, the power, emotion, and subtlety projected by the most celebrated opera singer in the history will easily come through.

For veteran collectors who know these recordings by heart, the only "negative" associated with this set is the feeling of dejection/envy that we once paid the full price for each disk. :)

I may be cheating calling a 70-disk set as my desert island disks. Consider, though, I would be forgoing the rest of my collection of ~2000 CDs. Still, I will do okay on the island with this set alone. Indeed, listening through this set has given me a new perspective on Callas' legend. In this regard, as one reviewer noted above, a whole of this set is greater than its parts, which I always thought could not be surpassed to begin with.

what a great chance to own all the studio recordings of one of the greatest sopranos of all time. I recommend this to all opera lovers and those who are considering getting into this amazing genre of music

In the span of two decades, Maria Callas' studio recordings progressed from scratchy 78s to the highest quality stereo pressings. Ironically, her voice declined in something like the opposite proportions during those same years. Today her interpretations of the great soprano roles are considered the finest ever (with rare exceptions) and her stature as an artist has been compared to that of Michelangelo. [Read more: http://www.jeffreyround.com/TwentyYearsOnDisc.php]

Jeffrey Round
www.jeffreyround.com

What a bargain!
One thing to be aware of if you buy this is how Amazon might pack it for shipping. Mine was floating about the shipping box and must have been bounced a bit because the actual box from the CD set has a noticeable fold/dent on one corner. But all the CDs are fine.

WAIT! Do not buy this set yet. You can save $$$, get nicer presentation of the CDs and get more operas from this set: Callas, Maria - 25 Complete Opera

I am no expert, but I know a great thing when I see and hear one. The 52CD, 25 Opera product is a wonderful set, and I am so pleased I bought it instead of this 70CD set. Bigger is not always better!

In comparison of the contents, the 25 Opera set is missing Carmen, Manon Lescaut and La Gioconda. But it also has 6 (!) operas not in the complete 70CD box:

Armida
Melodrama in Three Acts
Armida: Maria Callas * Rinaldo: Francesco
Albanese * Ubaldo/Gernando: Mario
Filippeschi * Orchestra e Coro del Teatro
Comunale di Firenze, Tullio Serafin (1952)

La Vestale
Lyrical Drama in Three Acts
Giulia: Maria Callas *
Licinio: Franco Corelli High Priestess: Ebe Stignani
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di
Milano, Antonino Votto (1954)

I Vespri Siciliani
Grand opéra in Five Acts
Guido di Monforte: Enzo Mascherini
Arrigo: Giorgio Bardi Kokolios
La Duchessa Elena: Maria Callas
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale
Fiorentino, Erich Kleiber (1951)

Macbeth
Opera in Four Acts
Macbeth: Enzo Mascherini *
Lady Macbeth: Maria Callas * Macduff: Gino Penno
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di
Milano, Victor de Sabata (1952, live)

Nabucco
Lyrical Drama in Four Acts
Nabucco: Gino Bechi *
Abigaille: Maria Callas Zaccaria: Luciano Neroni
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro San Carlo di
Napoli, Vittorio Gui (1949, live)

Parsifal
Bühnenweihfestspiel in Three Acts
Kundry: Maria Callas *
Gurnemanz: Boris Christoff * Parsifal: Africo Baldelli
Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro della RAI,
Vittorio Gui (1950)
Comunale di Firenze, Tullio Serafin (1952)

Finally: PRICE. If you buy it from the Amazon Germany site, you pay about $40 (28 Euro) plus shipping.

So consider getting this other set for far less money. I did and I am very pleased with it.