Maria Callas Sings Excerpts from Turandot & Aida [Import]

Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Guido Picco (Conductor), Tullio Serafin (Conductor), Maria Callas (Performer), Carlos Sagarminaga (Performer), Giulietta Simionato (Performer), Ignacio Ruffino (Performer), Kurt Baum (Performer), Mario del Monaco (Performer), Nicola Moscona (Performer), Virgilio Tavini (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Maria Callas, Carlos Sagarminaga, Giulietta Simionato, Ignacio Ruffino, Kurt Baum, et al.
• Conductor: Guido Picco, Tullio Serafin
• Composer: Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (June 28, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Archipel
• ASIN: B00004U046
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,832 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Turandot, opera: In Questa reggia

2. Turandot, opera: Straniero, ascolta!

3. Turandot, opera: Tre enigmi m'hai prposto

4. Turandot, opera: Padre Augusto... Il sue nomo e amor!

5. Aida, opera: Alra cagio v'adunna

6. Aida, opera: Ritorno vincitor!

7. Aida, opera: Fu la sorte dell'armi

8. Aida, opera: Qui Radames verra, O, patria mia

9. Aida, opera: La fatale peitra sovra me si chiuse

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fraud!!!!!, February 28, 2001

By 

Karitta Guuska-Bertelsen (Helsinki, Finland.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maria Callas Sings Excerpts from Turandot & Aida (Audio CD)

The Turandot Act 2 section is fraudulent. It's a clever hoax, using Callas's EMI 1954 version of "In questa reggia" and then some of the 1957 recording. At one point it's Inge Borkh singing with del Monaco. Only the two short fragments from Act 3 are genuine. There's a whole website devoted to this topic.

The Aida excerpts are fine, except that they show that those Mexican performances bordered on the amateur as far as rehearsals were concerned.

5 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Performance, October 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Maria Callas Sings Excerpts from Turandot & Aida (Audio CD)

This is the only existing early recording of Callas as Turandot. Sure, there is the studio recording but that's wretched. Her voice wasn't fit at the time to handle a role like that. This is the best recording you'll find of her singing Turandot's introductory aria and riddle scene and a part of the last duet with Calaf(if you can hear it). Her tenor is Mario del Monaco. Unfortunately the sound isn't what you would call up to date. It is definitely not for those that are sensitive to fuzz, imbalanced volumes at times, and if you're interested in hearing the orchestra. You can here them every once in a while but the main feature is Callas. Luckily most of her parts are well brought out in the mastering. This is definitely for blood thirsty Callas fans that have been waiting to hear a non wobbly Turandot sung by Callas. The Aida sections include the big everybody's singing scene before Aida's big aria Ritorna Vincitor. The rest is a duet with Amneris, O Patria Mia, and the Act 4 duet with Radames. The sound for these excerpts are a bit better but that doesn't say too much. There isn't as much static/fuzz on these excerpts and the volume level stays pretty even and you can hear the orchestra. Once again, this is Callas in more even voice than her studio recording. No notorious super wide vibrato high C here. I think there is a full live recording of her in Mexico as Aida though. I would highly recommend this CD if your looking for legendary performances by a legendary performer. But if you're looking for extraordinary sound and clarity go for the Joan Sutherland Turandot and the Leontyne Price Aida. Both are also very well performed and sung.