Customer Reviews

Puccini: Tosca

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Judged on its own merits, this recording of Tosca is nothing less than excellent. Price is a great Tosca, Domingo a near-ideal Cavaradossi--vocally speaking, and Milnes does a great job as Scarpia--although his view of the character is a shade too conventional, in my opinion. Mehta conducts with fire and fury, drawing exciting playing from the New Philharmonia, painting a bright, blazing portrait, even though in doing so he misses some of the finer "brush strokes" which make that portrait so absorbing. The recorded sound is warm and full, if at times a little cramped, and the stage picture isn't always clear. When compared with Price's 1962 recording with von Karajan, this recording comes in a definite second place, and as a dramatic experience it doesn't compare with the 1953 Callas-de Sabata, but no one should hesitate to purchase it. It would make a fine addition to anyone's collection.

Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" was critically declared a "shabby little shocker" at its Metropolitan Opera debut. Opera's greatest aritsts and singers have rushed to embrace and perform this evocative work ever since. After the overwhelming success of the RCA "Il Trovatore" set starring Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, and Zubin Mehta, its not surprising that these pre-eminent artists were reunited again for "Tosca", this time with results less-epochal, but wonderful nonetheless. Maestro Zubin Mehta, to my ears, is one of the most outstanding interpreters of Puccini's music in our time. He's unafraid of the inherent excitement in the music, building to the unending climaxes, revelling in them, but always aware of the crucial ebb & flow that characterizes the music of the Italian master. This recording benefits greatly from Mehta's fearlessness AND superb theatricality. There is an almost relentless tension that is sustained throughout this performance, even in the tenderest of moments, creating a continuity so requisite to this particular opera. The quieter sections of music simmer with a vitality that is a Mehta specialty. Admittedly, others have championed more subtlety, nuance, and/or 'finesse' in their approaches to this grand opera.(yawn) Maestro Mehta's expert pacing, fluidity, and almost visceral excitement are far more preferable. This performance sizzles. The great American soprano Leontyne Price, "Tosca REGINA" in 1962 with H. Von Karajan, became "Tosca DIVA" in 1973 under Mr. Mehta's tutelege with stunning results. Leontyne Price's second recorded 'Tosca' is imperious, demanding, sensuous, volatile, AND very womanly. Her voice, now rich, dark, & weighty in the middle, is weaker in the lower end, sometimes losing focus, but she compensates with a biting 'chest' voice that's most effectively used. The soprano's upper voice is nothing short of sensational here, cutting through the orchestra with gleaming, powerful, & pitch-perfect outpourings (especially during the 'torture scene')that alternate with a feline sensuality in softer passages (the duets with Cavaradossi)and superlative in the TOSCA "tests" in ActIII: "..lo quella lama.." and "O Scarpia! avanti a Dio!". In Ms. Price's hands, "Vissi D'Arte" is more urgently intoned than previously(but beautifully-sung), her murder of Scarpia still desperate and overwrought (here she fails the "test" on "Avanti a lui.." - most Toscas do). In the opera's finale she's no more overly-dramatic than any of her illustrous rivals -most of whom barely pass the finale "tests" - and anyone who consequently jumps to their death might be classified as "mad". Leontyne Price is splendid in this role. Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has recorded the role of Cavaradossi several times and filmed it as well. In this, his first recorded essay, he is a bit less comfortable above the stave than later in his career. His voice - dark, mellifluously beautiful, and strong in the middle & lower end - sometimes constricts and loses vocal sheen in high forte passages, causing him to'scoop' to reach the some of the climactic notes("Recondita.." & "Vittoria!"). Elsewhere, Mr. Domingo sings gloriously. The intensely passionate and soulful quality he infuses "E lucevan le stelle" with ( sung incomparably), then followed, in turn, by a tenderly-sung "O dolci mani" is ample demonstration of this tenor's stellar artistry. His painter is sophisticated, ardent, and committed, making his duets with Tosca, and 'torture' uncommonly stirring. Mr. Domingo is an exemplary Cavaradossi overall. Sherrill Milnes's Baron Scarpia is more problematic, in one of the most challenging roles in the Baritone repertory. His voice is robust enough to meet the out-sized vocal demands of singing the Baron Scarpia. However, Mr. Milnes' vocal range, usually one of his chief glories, seems restricted at both ends here , and he employs an extroverted singing style that's sneer-infested, unsubtle, and, with notable exceptions, almost alien to beautiful tone. Dramatically,he's a more youthful Scarpia than is usually heard and,as noted by previous reviewers, his charaterization/style is valid. However, while suitable for the opera, its also monotonous, tiresome, & without sufficient charm or grace to balance his portrayal. His overt machismo is so over-pronounced as to render this usually exciting artist dull! Mr. Milnes' upper voice is unusually tight, with suspect pitch, & colorless. The middle voice is more impressive and seductive, with resonance & warmth suffusing Act I's "Te Deum" and Act II's "Tosca e un buon falco" -and beauty of tone. The role's lower-lying music (when actually sung) is inadequate, sung with a hollow tone. Mr. Milnes' contributions to this recording, while interpretively debatable, are vocally assured and often thrilling, do not significantly detract from, and certainly do not derail this performance from its propulsive course. The sonics are vivid, spacious, and distortion-free. This "Tosca" is truly one of the GRANDEST performances on CD, with Leontyne Price and Zubin Mehta leading the parade. Wow!!!!
Note:
The re-mastered performance is sonically more pointed than the previous analog incarnation, and the voices seem more forward than before, while the climaxes benefit from the additional spaciousness offered by this new technology.

To correct an earlier reviewer, this recording was made in August 1972, not 1974. Miss Price was 45 1/2 at the time of the recording. She still sounds wonderful for any age, especially in Acts II and III. She really is the prima donna here, with plenty of great high notes to prove it. Domingo is a fantastic Cavaradossi, and his recording of E lucevan le stelle is the best I've ever heard--from him or anyone else. His voice is so rich and sumptuous, and he sings with lots of very sincere-sounding emotion. As for Sherrill Milnes, I was continually surprised by the beauty of his voice in this recording. I don't think there is another TOSCA recording out there which can boast three great principals, all still singing in top form. And Zubin Mehta does a great job of making the orchestra sound thrilling.

About This Recording: Recorded in London in 1974, it is conducted by Zubin Mehta leading the Philharmonia, it stars the American superstar Leontyne Price, the renowed Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and American grand baritone Sherill Milnes- prominent opera singers in the 70's who make their roles come alive with startling realism. This is the greatest studio Tosca, eventhough there are a few "stains" in the recording which nevertheless do not detract from the great performance. While many operaphiles will prefer to get the Maria Callas Tosca, or for that matter those of Zinka Milanov, Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson, Galina Vishnevskaya, Raina Kabaivanska, Katia Ricciarelli or Catherine Malfitano. A great Tosca is hard-pressed to find and has always been a matter of personal taste and to be truthful, no soprano, not even Callas, has yet satisfied my ideal Tosca. But Leontyne Price in this recording is doing a hell of a job, with a powerful voice, rich, dark, intense, regal and beautiful. While detractors and critics (and on Amazon.com reviews) have pointed out her faulty phrasing and "whooping" and that in the mid 70's she was in bad vocal shape, I still find her performance exceptional and sublime. If you want to see what I mean check out the following moments in the opera which showcase Leontyne's talents: "Mario! Mario! Mario!" the famous jealousy/love duet between Mario and Tosca as we are first introduced to them. While she sounds much older and her voice has more of an edgy intensity to it when compared to her gorgeously youthful 1962 Decca recording with Giuseppe Di Stefano, she can still deliver a superior Tosca. She may not sound like a young lady, but she is imperious, jealous and unbelievable in her performance, losing none of the strength of a performer, especially when she shows how jealous she is .."Tu l'aimi, tu l'aimi ove ove(You love her! You love her! Where is she ? Where is she ?). "Tosca, divina.." the scene in which Scarpia holds her hand so she can bless herself with holy water and he ignites her jealousy by making her believe Mario is cheating on her. The way she says "Grazie Signor" is regal. Her exclamations of jealousy are powerful that they cut through the orchestra with aplomb. Sherill Milnes' interaction with her in this scene is splendid. All of Act 2: In this act, Tosca realizes that Scarpia wants her for himself and that the only way to save Mario from torture and death is if she offers herself to him for one night. Leontyne Price and Milnes own this act, and they both have voices which characterize their personalities with supreme integrity. This is Leontyne at her best in my opinion. Her "Vissi D'Arte" is sumptuous. The scene in which she stabs Scarpia "Questo Il Bacio Di Tosca" is unfortunately a weak moment for Price. Rather than sounding murderous, she merely sounds frightened, high-pitched, strained and tired as if she wants to get done with the whole murder affair as quickly as possible. She makes up for this when she sings gloriously in Act 3- "Il Tuo Sangue o mio Amore Volea" with a voice that is dramatic and dark in its middle register and ringing high notes. The duet that ensues is also well rendered. She cops out at the end when she discovers Mario is really dead and she leaps to her death. She did the same thing in the 1962 Decca recording. Does anyone know what I'm talking about ? She sorta goes looney and gets out of character, as if she is enacting a brief Mad Scene that lasts only a few seconds. A good Tosca finale should find Tosca in despair and in shock, but she should never appear insane. The lines "Morto! Morto! Finiri Cosi!" should still sound dramatic but not crazy.

Placido Domingo in 1974 was in the best shape of his life, vocally speaking. He was making the Tosca movie with Raina Kabaivanska. He shows signs of masculine vigor and dark, nearly baritonal power. He is a powerful singer and actor. I didn't recognize him at all. He sounds fresh, youthful and active. He is not a passive Mario at all. Just listen to these moments: "Voi! Cavaradossi!" when Angelotti first meets up with Mario. Note how he sounds dramatic in his recognition of Angelotti and how later he vows that even if it costs him his life he will save him if it means bringing down Scarpia. In Act 2, he is defiant and willful, a true revolutionary. "Aspetto!" he says harshly to Scarpia when he is told to have a seat. He is Scarpia's equal. Vocally, Dominog had what it took to make a superb Cavaradossi without reducing him to a love-sick artist like Di Stefano did. In this sense, Mario followed in the steps of Mario Del Monaco and Franco Corelli. Note how powerful his "Vittoria! Vittoria!" cries are. Never before has he sung those lines so powerfully. His final act aria "E Lucevan La Stelle" is very moving as is his final duet with Tosca.

Sherill Milnes is not my favorite Scarpia because he chooses to sing in a rather unusual and bland manner. He sings some phrases with odd vocal color. He seems to be "talking" in some parts. Note everything he sings to the Sacristan after "Un Tal Bachiano In Chiesa!" if you know what I mean. Still, his only highlights include the famous Act 1 finale in which he sings about his desire to bed Tosca and hang Mario "Va, Tosca,In Tuo Cuor S'anide Scarpia". His Act 2 singing is fine, even if mostly lyrical and not dramatic enough. I have noted how each time the moment when Mario is about to declare "Vittoria!" and Scarpia receives the news that Napoleon has won the battle at Marengo his voicecomes up when he says "Melas ?". He is a great actor although one wishes he could be less American and more Italianate in his portrayal of Scarpia. He is clearly not Tito Gobbi, Giuseppe Taddei or Ruggero Raimondi. He has his own style. But when you hear how great this trio is - Price, Domingo and Milnes- you can never forget the opera's powerful story based on their superior singing.

I was eight when I first saw Tosca and really really enjoyed it. Unlike the stereotypically "boring" operas, Puccini's masterpiece is dramatically compelling and exciting. In the course of two and half hours, we are treated to a blockbuster starring a diva, her revolutionary artist lover, a scheming villain, murder, attempted rape, an execution and a suicide. The music is both sublime and harsh. What makes this recording from 1974 work is that conductor Zubin Mehta hurries the opera along with dynamic force from the Philharmonia Orchestra. There is never a dull moment. He treats the score as if it were verisimo opera with a grand, epic style.

A catastrophic drama, glorious music, magnificent conducting, and three huge operatic stars, add up to exalted experience. Comparing an orange to a peach, I would say that you have the Callas' Tosca and you have Mehta's Tosca; of the two Mehta's conducting tips the balance for me. He has got to be considered a great opera conductor, and probably the best Puccini interpreter of the last 40 years. (Toscanini is another incredible conductor of Puccini.)

Milnes has a big, full-bodied, and rich sounding voice and his interpretation is cold and menacing-where a lack of introspective quality is ideal for the melodramatic Scarpia. And Domingo, that guy is simply our gift from the heavens. With a voice that is smoldering and expressive, lilting and passionate, he is perfect as the sensual, non-conformist artist Cavaradossi.

Hmmm...Callas vs. Price. Shall I risk ex-communication? Who could doubt that either of them doesn't LIVE FOR ART AND LOVE! And I do think that Callas is the greatest opera singer of the recorded era, but...there is one small nuance of difference for how I feel about their interpretations. I always have this sense that in whatever Callas does there is something competitive, as if she uses her art to trounce her enemies and exalt her fans-and I do think that that is thrilling beyond belief! But with Price, I feel she really lives for and sings for the glory of art and her passionate love. Price's Tosca gets under my skin; it hits the core of my soul.

To return to Mehta; he inspires from the orchestra fantastic sound, passionate responses, clarity of detailing, and this all weaves and flows to throbbing and thunderous climaxes (and here the soloists expand into the heavens)!

This is the Tosca for me.

I feel guilty giving this Tosca five stars, since nothing here rises to the highest level, but if Leontyne Price hadn't already recorded the opera in 1962, we would marvel at her portrayal here. Her voice is so innately thrilling and beautiful that only Tebaldi comes close for Puccinian vocal splendor. About a decade after her early prime, Price entered a partnership with the young Domingo on RCA that resulted in a flood of wonderful recordings. The best feature conducting by James Levine (La Forze del Destino) and Zubin Mehta (Tosca).

Price's 1962 Tosca on Decca is stronger in three ways: the Vienna Phil., Karajan as conductor, and Price herself in better voice. But the Cavaradossi of Di Stefano, then only 41, is strained and frayed of voice, while the Scarpia of Giuseppe Taddei also shows signs of wear. This RCA set repairs those defects with two great voices in their prime to support Price, for besides Domingo we can't leave out Milnes. His Scarpia isn't venomous enough; he's a bit prone to bellowing. Even so, his tone and technique are commanding, far superior, in fact, to the legendary Tito Gobbi, who triumphed through vocal acting and characterization.

So, if you are choosing which of Price's Toscas to buy, the choice will have to be persoanl. For vocal thrills from all the principals, this RCA set is at the top of the list. For artistry on the podium and the amazing voice of Price in her very prime, the Decca set is unsurpassed.

This studio recording under the baton of Zubin Mehta is undoubtedly the greatest Tosca on record. There is a passionate intensity, a quality of grandeur in voice and dramatic performance that no other recording has mastered. Placido Domingo and Leontine Price are on fire as the power couple Mario and Tosca, while the villainous theatrics of Sherill Milnes are right on target as Scarpia. This same cast recorded a fine Il Trovatore in 1970. This album, though dated to around that time, the 70's, finds the cast in perfect shape. Puccini's music shines like a brilliant fire, and Zubin Mehta truly captures the mood of the opera.

Tosca is another one of those operas that are not easy to perform. The three principal singers- tenor, soprano and baritone/bass have to really deliver all the goods. It's an opera about the three of them- Tosca, her lover Mario and the jealous, powerful Scarpia who is determined to have Tosca for himself and to punish Mario both as a rival and a political enemy. Set in Napoleonic Italy, Mario is an artist secretly working as a revolutionary operative. Tosca is in love with Mario but is soon caught in a vicious web when Scarpia is determined to sleep with Tosca (very likely for only one night). Jealous of the fact her heart belongs to Mario, whom he has always suspected of working for the enemy, Scarpia tortures Mario and makes a deal with Tosca. Our heroine is not the weak Mimi in La Boheme nor the fragile Madame Butterfly. It is Tosca who takes action and though making the deal wit Scarpia, kills him. The role calls for a big voice, a diva, and Leontine Price is the perfect Tosca, with a more beautiful sound than even Maria Callas, to whom is credited the finest Tosca, but I feel mostly for the historic value of her performances. This is a terrific opera with a great cast and with great orchestration. Highly recommended.

This is it!! The best, unsurpassed and undeniably greatest studio recording of Puccini's masterpiece Tosca....although there are many other Toscas that can be considered superb - the forementioned Leontine Price performed Tosca so many times and recorded Tosca so many times that it bece as easy as breathing to her , Mirella Freni singing Tosca, Hildegard Behrens and the ultimate diva Maria Callas. But as far as a studio recording this is the one to get. Why ? Several reasons good and true. For instance, Leontine Price BECOMES Tosca whole-heartedly, providing so much passion, sensuality, romance, tenderness, religious devotion, spirituality, fury, intensity, suffering. Tosca is the most dramatic role for a soprano to take. It's not a walk in the park. Tosca represents the Italian woman - jealous, passionate, fiery, earthy, raw, but so very contradicting in nature since Tosca is able to pray at a cathedral like San Angelo and able to kill a powerful man as Baron Scarpia.

Placido Domingo, the world's greatest tenor to many, suffuses his performance with a blissful unity of romantic lyricism, heroism, and even Oscar worthy acting. Yes. It's possible to be both a singer and an actor. Domingo stands out as one of the rare breed of tenors who could deliver powerful drama in the acting alone and yet sing with the finest tenor voice of the century, surpassing even the generic, less dramatic detailed Luciano Pavarotti. Domingo has appeared in Tosca in a live Met broadcast opposite Hildegard Behrens. Under his belt is also La Traviata directed by Franco Zefferelli and Carmen directed by Rosi. As for Sherill Milnes' performance as the villainous Scarpia, he is satisfying and very worthy but perhaps beneath the shadow of the greater interpretors Cornell Mcneill and Samuel Ramey, Under the baton of Zubin Mehta, this recording is Wagnerian in its dynamics. The finale is especially impressive. A must have for fans.

I have seen Tosca several times and heard it many more and this is a truly wonderful recording. The singing is very fine. Leontyne Price is superb. Her singing, once described as the vocal equivalent of chocolate, is so full, so deep and powerful. Her Vissi d'arte is one of the best ever delivered. Domingo is his usual excellent and very secure in his singing. He is also a wonderful musician. Sherril Milnes is by far the finest Baron Scarpia I have heard recorded. His piercing basso cuts right through in the Te Deum, something many noted bassos have failed to do. This is a keeper.

This is truly a great Tosca set even if there are some better conducted accounts of Puccini's masterpiece. Price has the right spinto voice for the role. It is a voice with power and of significant beauty. However beyond that, she manages to give us for the second time a superb portrayt of Tosca! She never overacts in order to compensate us for any vocal instability or inaqeduacy...Combining the above characteristics she earns a place beside the other two greatest Toscas of all times: Renata Tebaldi and Zinka Milanov (even if her studio recording does not represent Milanov well). Tebaldi is the grandest of them all. I had listened to all the famous sopranos in the role but only when I got to Tebaldi's Tosca (mainly her live performance available on amazon) did I understand what Puccini was all about. As for Maria Callas, she does her best, but it's hard to deny that her instrument is simply not suitable for verisimo roles, especially Puccini! Even in the Athens Opera booklet of Tosca performances, greek critics admit that Tebaldi is the ideal Tosca (need I say more?) but also praise Price's Tosca. And they're right. Price is certainly not less memorable.

The legendary american soprano is here accompanied by the heroic, yet senstitive, Placido Domingo, a great Mario. I find Carreras (on the Caballe set) also wonderful. Di Stefano (on the Callas set) and Del Monaco (on the Tebaldi studio set) also have their moments, despite that the latter lacks the more lyric sound others can give. Last but not least, here you also get to hear an impressive Scarpia by Milnes.

Therefore, any of Price's Toscas is essential in an opera collection and this is a great choice.