Customer Reviews

Puccini: Tosca

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

 

 

This is my first Callas recording. I was curious about her, of course, but I was always put off by descriptions of more or less horrendous audio problems on the famous recordings. Used to modern recordings, I didn't know how I'd react to such bad sound, so I put off trying.

No more! This is a new (12/03) EMI Remaster of the famous de Sabata "Tosca" -- yes, THE definitive "Tosca" starring Callas, Di Stefano, and Gobbi. And I can tell you it sounds WONDERFUL!

Why is this set so affordable, then? I have no idea! There is no libretto included, only a slim booklet with a track list, a short synopsis of the action for each track, and one article about the opera and this performance. There is no cardboard case, and only a simple 2-part jewelcase, not the hefty one often provided with opera CD sets.

But it's enough!! It's more than enough! I'd buy these disks if they were sold loose in a paper bag. I am totally, permanently won over. This performance is simply electrifying! The music leaps out of the speakers and grabs you. Callas as Tosca had me in tears! Scarpia scared me! It's too good to believe it happened several decades ago.

All I can say is, Buy this now before they realize what a gem this is and raise the price! You won't regret it.

This recording has been showered with accolades and praise by critics, operafans, reviewers etc. etc. And listening to it a whole world comes to life. In a time when Puccini's masterpieces are destroyed by arrogant "directors" this golden age recording is like a breath of fresh air. Callas is in her prime, sounding fresh, loving, passionate and fascinating. She became Tosca, all her jealousies, passions, moods, fears are so real, so sublime and natural that you'll forget that you're listening to a recording. She cleared Tosca of those veristic, fish-wife tears after "Egli ved ch'io piango!" and her tears and agony are heard through her voice alone. Listen to Tosca's ardent "A come la sai bene l'arte di farti amare!" ... She sounds so gorgeous, so lucid and passionate, it'll warm your heart. Then there is act II with the never equalled clash between Tosca and the evil Scarpia sung and acted to perfection by Callas (Whose high Cs will chill you!) and Gobbi. (The only Scarpia) Listen to Callas' tearful, beautiful "Vissi d'arte" sung with exquisite legato, velvety warmth and most tearful colours. Pleading "Why, oh lord dost thou repay me thus?" she will break your heart! The chilling murder of Scarpia with Callas/Tosca ROARING "M'ai assai TORTURATO!!!!!" is too thrilling to describe. And the final duet sung with di Stefano and Tosca's suicide are portrayed hauntingly. Di Stefano, her favourite partner and part of the greatest operatic trio of the century (Callas, di Stefano, Gobbi) sounds sunny, charming and passionate. In short: It's the best Tosca ever recorded.

This is one of the few recordings in which the conductor attracted my attention more than the singers. This is not to dismiss the singers but De Sabata's conducting makes this the most idiomatic Tosca recording I've ever heard.

All three protagonists are heard here in their short-lived prime. Callas in firm voice is a capricious, nervous and furious Tosca. Many accuse her of overacting but here she controls herself and most outbreaks sound sincere. You won't hear the grandness, dignity and beauty of Tebaldi's Tosca but Callas' Tosca is a unique creation. No need to argue which one is better, they both are legendary and besides, tastes differ.

Di Stefano is all ardour and tenderness in this most beloved tenor role. I can already hear the manners that eventually ruined his instrument but he nevertheless is a memorable Mario. Gobbi's Scarpia frightens Tosca not because of what he is but because of what he can do. Gobbi doesn't have the huge voice that made Bastianini or London so scary but he uses his to great effect and creates a sinister Baron Scarpia. Luise's Sagristano is most convincing.

One of the greatest virtues of this old Tosca recording is its vitality and chemistry between the performers. No wonder that since its release it's impossible to make and accurate historical evaluation of Puccini's Tosca without taking it into account. Finally released at budget price!

NOTE: While all my remarks are valid for this CD incarnation, the remastering is generally regarded as poor. Instead, I strongly recommend the original 1997 Callas Edition of this same recording, still in print and easily available here on Amazon. The Callas Edition has better, more natural sound AND it has the libretto/notes described in the official Amazon review above (which incorrectly attributes them to this budget edition).

This was originally posted in my music review blog. Check my profile if you are interested.

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Music critics have long been fond of drolly referring to Tosca as a "shabby little shocker" and then misattributing the comment to George Bernard Shaw. No small wonder, then, that this Tosca has long been hailed as the "greatest" opera recording of the last century, even before such milestones as the Solti Ring and the Giulini Don Giovanni.

But are such superlatives justified? There have been many fine recordings of Tosca in the 50 years since this one, most with better recorded sound and many of them boasting excellent casts. Are they so clearly second-rate?

The truth is, it depends on how you think of opera. If perfect vocalism is your standard, this performance will not be a first choice. As adored singer Floria Tosca, Callas' striking-but-not-beautiful voice is somewhat paradoxical, occasionally sacrificing legato for the sake of some dramatic effect or another. Similarly, Giuseppe Di Stefano's golden, lyric tenor voice sounds hollow and pressed on top, most noticeably in the heroic Vittoria! of Act 2. And Gobbi's voice is typically venomous, lacking any real heft or depth. Those seeking consistently beautiful, secure singing from beginning to end would do well to acquire the excellent sets of Tebaldi or Caballé, the latter featuring a young José Carreras in particularly fine voice.

Dramatically, however, this recording is likely unequalled, which is saying a lot in a story driven by murder, torture, attempted rape, and suicide. Callas plays Tosca as ideally as one could hope for--a hotheaded, passionate woman subject to conflicting fits of suspicion, vanity, vulnerability, white-hot anger, and the most deeply felt compassion. For example, her jealous outburst in Act 1, "Lo Neghi?" ("You deny it?), is just short of shrill and is most convincingly pissy. Conversely, Vissa d'arte is beautiful and perfectly paced--a masterful depiction of suffering, in which the cry to God at the end of the aria is a fearful but reverent plea for mercy. But perhaps most striking is the moment when Tosca stabs and then hisses at the dying Scarpia, "Muori! Muori! Muori!" (Die! Die! Die!), delivered so viciously you can almost see the blood on her hands.

Cavaradossi is always less important in this opera, but Giuseppe Di Stefano makes a good case for him. What Stefano's Cavaradossi lacks in heroism he makes up for in beauty--with Stefano, we never forget that Cavaradossi is a lovesick artist. His two arias come off with great sentimentality and his Act III duet with Tosca, O dolci mani, displays some of the most ardent and beautiful singing ever recorded.

But Callas and Stefano are more than matched in the Baron Scarpia of Tito Gobbi. His trademark snarl is used to great effect, capable of both stentorian authority and warm, honeyed manipulation. This is the definitive Scarpia--a vile, slithering, sadistic animal in an aristocrat's coat, who makes Darth Vader look kind of like a sissy. At the end of Act 1, Gobbi's Te Deum is the most gripping in the catalogue, illustrating both his declamatory style and the thoughtfulness of his interpretation. To extract an example: Scarpia's high note in the last phrase, "Tosca, mi fai dimenticare Iddio!" ("Tosca you make me forget God!), usually milked for melodrama, is here underplayed. Why? Because for Scarpia, this isn't a fervent confession of evil; it's just a statement, and it's hardly a turning point for a villain so foul. In truth, Gobbi's Scarpia sounds most fervent when he's torturing Cavaradossi, where his gleeful snarling conveys the Baron's sadism perfectly. But, almost as important, he also dies very well, shouting furiously and choking on his own blood in a pleasingly graphic way.

Victor De Sabata leads the orchestra in a reading of blistering, Italianate intensity. Every line of the score is sharply defined without ever sacrificing weight or visceral impact. Furthermore, everything is paced to create the most excruciating tension possible--when else has the orchestra so perfectly conveyed the desperation of Tosca's confrontation with Scarpia? And when else has the ending of Tosca felt so physically, mercilessly traumatic? In Sabata's hands, the orchestra does a most marvelous thing: it becomes another voice, telling the story as clearly as any one of the characters.

In all, this is a superb achievement that admirably lives up to its reputation. If you've never experienced opera as drama, this is the place to start.

Highly recommended.

Grade: A+

When I first got this recording, it was my first Tosca. As such, I didn't know what to listen to (or what to listen for) and really at the time the only other soprano I had heard was Cecilia Bartoli in La Cenerentola. So bascially it was my first Tosca with my only soprano. Even so, I knew after listening to the second act that this would be the best Tosca I had ever heard. Callas gives an amazingly intuitive dramatic performance of Tosca, with di Stefano matching her wonderfully as Cavaradossi. Tito Gobbi, of course, is Scarpia and gives the role an extremely insightful flair. Spoletta is played by Angelo Mercuriali, who gives, if not the most dramatic, certainly a precise interpretation of the role. As with all of Callas's Tosca recordings, the second act (i.e. from "Tosca e un buon falco!" to "E qual via scegliete?") is perhaps the best interpretation of the music and the donna Tosca that I have heard. Behind the baton is Victor de Sabata, who provides a unique insight into the music. He brings out, as Toscanini says, "what Puccini intended for the audience to hear". 5 stars.

...if you are, and don't want to be offended/mad, stop here [but note the five stars]. Blessed with massive God-given talent, she had a defective technique that she wouldn't change, made bad casting decisions, and ruined her voice at a young age. Difficult to the point of being unprofessional, rude to fans and colleagues alike [What does a performer owe the fans? Ted Williams said he only owed his base hits, but he sure owed that. A singer at least owes showing up, and hitting the right notes], she was a terror. She got some bad cards in the game of life, but dealt a lot of them to herself. But. But. Sometimes the stars line up just right....this is the Tosca for the ages, and MAYBE the greatest complete recording of an opera ever made. Listen to Callas' "Vissi d'arte"...listen when she kills Scarpia, and later, herself. That's pure magic. That's why, in spite of what I wrote above, I STILL listen to Callas. She was off a lot, but when she was on, look out. If there was ever a greater Tosca she was either [a] Maria Jeritza or [b] a girl who only existed in the mind of Puccini. {The first Tosca was Madame Hariclea Darclee...she is said to have been fabulous, and judging by the quality of her assignments, she must have been, but good luck finding a recording}.

As to the rest...Maestro di Sabata carries the show...he makes great singers even greater. PERFECT orchestral playing in an opera where the orchestra has to set the mood [yes...I know that's true of others]. Giuseppe di Stefano may really have been more of a lyric tenor than Cavaradossi calls for, but he gave an absolutely wonderful performance, and meshed perfectly with Callas. If Tucker [or Caruso] is my ideal in this role, di Stefano is a good second choice. As for Maestro Gobbi, when was he ever other than perfect? When? Yes, there have been other great Scarpias...maybe they were equal, but none were better. Check out the story of the Scarpia costume he donated to a museum...and it's NOT funny.

OK, I've said enough, and offended Callas fans. I apologize for that. God rest her soul. And I do recognize her good points. When the opera house in Heaven runs Tosca, I want to see Jeritza on opening night. THEN, I want to see Callas. Then Madame Darclee. [and don't leave out Tebaldi]. But, I want di Sabata to conduct every night, with this orchestra. Well...Heaven is in the future; right now we have this, and it is absolutely the recording of the ages. Ten stars? Twenty? You HAVE to have this. Period. The End.

Addendum: You Tube has a 1:11 clip of Madame Darclee made, alas, when she was 62...at least you can get an idea of the voice. Madame Jeritza is, of course, readily available. The End. Again.

The original recording of Tosca, by the legendary producer/engineer Walter Legge, was a masterpiece. So why does this CD so sound so bad? It's because the current corporate owners of EMI simply want to cut costs and put out new "improved" editions of Callas without paying any respect that Legge's work deserves. Since the original 1986 CD release, which was reasonably well done though a bit subdued compared to the LP, each subsequent remastering of Tosca (1997, 2002) has been even worse than the previous one. The original mono tapes have been noise-reduced to death to remove tape hiss, which would be minimal in any event for a mono recording from 1954, with the effect of making the orchestra sound muffled and digitized. They have continued to pinch the eq to give a more modern sound, modern apparently defined at thin, reedy, harsh and loud. Just a shame....

I bought this CD after the attendance of the opera and recommendation by a good friend. While I was initially hesitant because of the age of the recording, the remastering worked wonders, it sounds better than some of the modern recordings I own. The opera: unbelievably beautiful, romantic, scary, sad - if you want all the enjoyment of drama and music, this is the CD to buy!

Maria Callas is at her best singing the part of Tosca. Every aria is performed at an expert level epitomizing the passion and drama that Puccini wanted to create. I highly recommend this CD to any opera buff!

If you are a Callas fan, you have no excuse for not owning this. If you are new to Callas or if you have only a mild interest in her art, this is one of three Callas cds you should own.
The singing is exquisite, Callas' vocal artistry and dramatic ability shine through on this recording. BUY IT!!