Customer Reviews

Puccini: Tosca

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Maria Callas' assumption of Floria Tosca combined with Tito Gobbi's Scarpia are the stuff of legend. They made two complete recordings of these roles together, in 1953 and 1964 respectively, though it was only in 1964 and 1965 that they appeared together on stage in this opera. Fortunately, there are recordings of them playing these roles in the theatre that provide a glimpse of what it must have been like to be present on one of these monumental nights in the theatre.

This present recording is from early in the series of Callas/Gobbi/Zeffirelli Tosca's at Covent Garden, dating from Jan 24, 1964. And, to my ears it is a fine recording as it perfectly captures the spirit of those performances. While it is true that both Callas and Gobbi had lost much of their respective vocal splendour by this stage, they are without doubt Tosca and Scarpia and thrillingly bring to light these great characters as set to the music of Puccini. From Callas there are some wobbly high notes but in this particular performance they are kept to a minimum, perhaps 3-4 at most. Throughout, Callas sing excitingly though it is apparent that the power and volume of her voice is reduced. However, it is a fully committed performance from start to finish and her concentration and will power are as evident as is her vocal accomplishments in the role. It's a truly legendary performance. What is interesting is that Callas receives no ovation from the audience on her entrance though there is enthusiastic applause after each act and after her stunning "Vissi d'arte", sung simply and as the prayer that it is.

Some people have well founded concerns about the sound quality of bootleg/private recordings of live performances such as this one. While the sound quality is less that would have been achieved in the studio or even if it had been recorded commercially, it is more than acceptable. Every word and syllable uttered is clear and the orchestra sounds vivid throughout. There are the inevitable sounds of the performers stomping around the stage and plenty of coughing from the audience but you do get a real sense of what it must have been like to be there. Also, the cost is so inexpensive it makes purchasing this set a given as it makes fascinating listening in comparison with the two Callas/Gobbi commercial recordings. True, there is no libretto but most Callas fans will already have at least one copy of the 1953 recording from EMI on CD so they will have a full libretto in a number of languages.

My advice: for Callas and Gobbi fans, grab a copy. It's a fascinating snapshot of a wonderful night in the theatre. For those who want to hear Callas as Tosca, start with the 1953 recording. This one is Callas at the end of her career when the voice was in decline. The first studio recording has her at the very top of her game both vocally and interpretively. This recording is not definitive as that one will always be but it is worth a listen.

Source: Live performance from 1964.

Sound: No more than fair.

Documentation: The usual Opera d'Oro offering. No libretto. Short essay on the history of the opera. Short summary of the plot. Track list.

Maria Callas is a very, very great singer who appeared in far too many dismal opera productions.

This is another performance on which I find it difficult to base an objective opinion. I bought it in an attempt to capture Callas in one of her greatest roles in a live setting. Well, that's what I got. Callas is ... Callas, that is to say, she is tremendous. For this particular helping of her greatness, though, you have to give her the benefit of a lot of goodwill. Her mighty conception of Floria Tosca is still present in full force, but in 1964 her execution is not at all what it once had been.

Tito Gobbi is, well ... Gobbi, one of the all-time greats. But 1964 is late for him, too, and behind all his dramatic power and charisma you can all but hear his voice fraying away with each bar.

Then there is Renato Cioni. Ehh, the very thought of that man makes my teeth itch. At some point, Cioni possessed a nice, useful, second-class voice, the sort of thing that is invaluable for a house tenor who eases the load on a star performer. Somewhere along the line, though, he must have become convinced that he, himself, was a star. Now, Pavarotti, born as he was with a tremendous voice, got away on ego and a silly bag of tricks for many years. Cioni, born much lower on the tenorial evolutionary scale, couldn't carry it off for ten seconds. He is the anchor that drags down any performance, even Joan Sutherland's high-flying first recording of "Lucia." Here in "Tosca," Cioni is, alas ... Cioni.

If you want a great "Tosca" with Callas and Gobbi, get the studio recording with diStefano. If you absolutely must have a live Callas/Gobbi "Tosca," this one, at least, is not very expensive and it offers better sound than the live Mexico City version (also on Od'O), although the latter has attractions for those who like audience excitement.

In the normal course of events, I'd give this recording four stars for sub-par Callas and Gobbi, then deduct one or even two stars for the wretched Cioni. However, it appears that, unlikely as it may seem, some people actually have a taste for that man's tenorial whining, so ... four stars.