Puccini: Tosca

Giacomo Puccini (Artist), Lorin Maazel (Artist), Birgit Nilsson (Artist), Franco Corelli (Artist), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Artist), Silvio Maionica (Artist), Piero de Parma (Artist), Dino Mantovani (Artist), Libero Arbace (Artist), Roma Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00000I931
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,588 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Nilsson, Birgit

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MY FAVORITE TOSCA OF THEM ALL WITH A SUPREME SCARPIA!!!!!!!!, December 15, 2004

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Mark the music lover (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puccini: Tosca (Audio CD)

I have listened to just about every tosca recording out there by price, olivero, te kanawa, tebaldi, freni, and YES La Divina Callas. But I can never quite find the magic that is undisputedly captured in this phenomenal electrifying performance. Madame Nilsson has never been better. Her voice in this recording is so beautifully round, italianate, and full of stentorian high notes. Her voice even gets God's attention in this role when she sings Oh Scarpia we shall meet before God!!! Franco Corelli is THE MAN and is perfect as Cavaradossi. He posseses this achingly beautiful voice that just hits you right in the heart not to mention ringing dizzying high notes. As much as I am overjoyed with Nilson and Corelli's performances, the main reason for this review is to defend and praise the fabulous portrayal of Fischer-Dieskau as Scarpia. I say pooh on the opinion that Scarpia ruins this set. I don't care what anyone else says, the man is brilliant in the way he interprets this sadistic beast. For the first time, we have a baritone who sings with such finesse and musicality. His religiosity in his seduction of Tosca in church in Act one made my jaws drop!!!!! He approaches each line with the sensitivity of a lieder singer. In this respect, his interpretation is far more lethal like a cup of sugar full of hidden razor blades. He is the most slimy seductive Scarpia I have ever heard and ranks in my opinion as one of the greatest interpreters of Scarpia on disc, and on the same level of Tito Gobbi. Lorin Maazel and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra are utterly fabulous and passionate. This is a flat out perfect performance PERIOD!!!!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful But Underrated Album: You have to hear it !!, January 24, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Puccini: Tosca (Audio CD)

About The Opera: Tosca one of those operas that all opera-lovers come across and remember fondly for its intense and emotional power. It's essentially the dramatic life of a dramatic diva. Her full name is Floria Tosca. The setting is Rome, Italy, the early years of the 19th century when Napoleon Bonaparte was conquering Europe and making enemies left and right. The artist Mario Cavaradossi paints for the Church while his true love Tosca seems to sing for the Church. The two are an unbreakable couple, despite Tosca's innate jealousy and dominant spirit. But there is a rival for the fair lady's hand. The evil chief of Police Scarpia lusts after Tosca and will do anything to have her. Jealous of the lovers, he plots to get rid of Mario and keep Tosca for himself. Mario, a secret revolutionary, is hiding a political enemy. Scarpia is on to him and threatens to kill him. He tortures Mario in front of Tosca and makes a proposition. To save her lover, she must consent to be his mistress and to give up her body to him. Tosca agrees out of love for Mario. The deal is that Mario is to be "mock executed". Tosca gets the upper hand when she stabs him to death, in one of the most powerful scenes in all opera. She is now convinced she is free to be with Mario since he is not really going to be killed in that mock execution. But it turns out that he is indeed executed and that Scarpia had planned that all along, not intending to keep his end of the deal. Having nowhere else to turn, Tosca leaps to her death from the Castle San Angelo which is still a landmark in the city of Rome.

ABOUT THIS ALBUM: There is no libretto, only a helpful but brief synopsis and background of the opera. The cast includes Birgit Nilsson as Tosca, Franco Corelli as Cavaradossi, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau as Scarpia, Piero Di Palma as Spoletta and Alfredo Mariotti as Sacristan. Lorin Maazel conducts the Orchestra of The Academy of Saint Cecilia in Rome. The perfection of this album for me is in the collaboration with Maazel's excellent conducting musicianship, the authentic Roman orchestra conducting what is really Roman/Italian music of the highest opera calibre. Birgit Nilsson is incredible as Tosca. She has the right voice- high, heavy, dramatic, and she acts the role with bravura and effective theatrical prowess. Note how she has the high C's or whatever high notes are called for, and not just that, she gets into the character with dramatic integrity. She literally SCREAMS, not just an operatic version of a scream, a real scream when she discovers in the last act that Cavaradossi has been really executed. The Torture Scene, which involves herself, Cavaradossi and Scarpia is among the most intense I've heard on record.

And Nilsson is up to paar with the likes of Maria Callas in the scene where she kills Scarpia. "Questo Il Becio Di Tosca!" "This is Tosca's kiss!" she cries with murder in her voice, even more so than Callas who can say the line with a little bit of fear and more vulnerability. This is probably due to the fact Callas was a specialist in bel canto while Birgit Nilsson was the reigning goddess of Wagner operas (Isolde, Brunhilde) and did justice to the heavier roles of Strauss' Salome, Elektra and Puccini's Turandot. Nilsson holds her own as Tosca, with a power that electrifies. This album was recored in 1967 at a busy time for Miss Nilson. Franco Corelli, too, was quite busy and working in many operas with her. They had worked together in Puccini's Turandot around the same time and there is also a recording of it. Franco Corelli is by far the most dramatically convincing Cavaradossi. He is less of the "romantic artist idealist" that Placido Domingo portrays, and is more of the hot-blooded Italian rebel/activist with a talent for art and a love for the beautiful Tosca. Corelli is doing a terrific jobe here and he is perhaps at his best. While other comments bash baritone Dieskau as Scarpia (they claim this role never suited him and he has no real energy into portraying opera's nastiest villain) I disagree. His portrayal is more earthy, more seductive, dark, sinister, Don Giovanni like in fashion. We must take in mind that Scarpia is not just an ugly, lusty monster. He is a powerful and attractive man. He's an alpha male but he happens to be a jerk. Dieskau brings out the seductive, sexiness to his voice more so than the EVIL. Scarpias that are truly evil on record have included Samuel Ramey, Titto Gobbi, Cornell McNeill and Ruggero Raimondi. This is one album you must own even if you have other Toscas. Other excellent Toscas you must add to your "Tosca" albums include Placido Doming/Leontine Price/Sherill Milnes ...Robert Alagna/Angela Gheorgiu/Ruggero Raimondi...Mirella Freni/Domingo/Samuel Ramey..Renata Tebaldi's performances as Tosca on record and the one album everyone always refers to as the best one of them all..Maria Callas, Di Stefano and Gobbi.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Puccini: Tosca (Audio CD)

Ok, I know this is heresy but FORGET CALLAS. To my mind this is one of the best Toscas on record. Althought what is referred to as her "cold" sound is in evidence, this is a Tosca with power and dramatic force, whose top notes gleam. She is well matched by Corelli in one of his best performances. Some may object to Fisher-Dieskau's Scarpia, but it is exciting to hear. Maazel whips up plenty of excitement and the Santa Cecilia plays with much passion and fine sound. An excellent performance for not much money