Puccini: Tosca [IMPORT]

Alfredo Catalani (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Arturo Basile (Conductor), Vincenzo Bellezza (Conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI Radiotelevisione (Orchestra), Turin RAI Symphony Ochestra (Orchestra), San Carlo Theater Orchestra (Naples) (Orchestra), Aldo Terraso (Performer), Giuseppe Taddei (Performer), Leyla Gencer (Performer), Melchiorre Luise (Performer), Silvio Santarelli (Performer), Vittorio de Santis (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Aldo Terraso, Giuseppe Taddei, Leyla Gencer, Melchiorre Luise, Silvio Santarelli, et al.
• Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI Radiotelevisione, Turin RAI Symphony Ochestra, San Carlo Theater Orchestra (Naples)
• Conductor: Arturo Basile, Vincenzo Bellezza
• Composer: Alfredo Catalani, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (May 30, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Idi [Ital Disc Inst]
• ASIN: B000FIGGR8
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #507,150 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware the sound, March 31, 2007

By	L. ADAMIAN "linadam" (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I second the review immediately preceding mine. Good performances by all three leads if one could only hear it half-way decently. Warning: sound is muffled and remote and not up to par of other good pirates. Get this CD only if you love Gencer or other members of the cast.
An aside: I wonder if Zeffirelli borrowed some ideas from Gencer's performance when directing Callas in the last series of Toscas - two of which I saw in NYC. Now, pace Callas fans; I am one, too. But couldn't help wondering.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars catharsis from Naples , February 25, 2007

By	RASTKO-R KOZLEVÈAR (Ljubljana, Slovenia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most opera lovers and connoisseurs associate Leyla Gencer with her towering performances in Donizetti's and early Verdi's operas. And yet one of the XXth century greatest sopranos began her carreer coming from Turkey to Italy interpreting Madama Butterfly and Tosca. While listening to this performance from Naples in January 1955, it is clear the new star was born. I heard and saw many Toscas in my life but I have never heard such passionate, dark and violent second act. Only Callas-Gobbi duo ( if you like Mrs. Callas voice, of course ) can emulate Gencer-Taddei savage confrontation. As Leyla Gencer lover I have many of her recordings but this one, in spite of the sound which seems sometimes strangely remote, is certainly one of those I like the most. Scarpia s sinister character has found in Giuseppe Taddei an ideal interpreter - his "Un tal baccano in chiesa !" is awesome and the seduction scene is simply irresisitible. I was pleased to hear Vittorio de Santis as Mario Cavaradossi - he has nice voice, his "Vittoria, vittoria!" is highly effective and "Lucevan le stelle" sound sincere and not pathetic. I wonder why this fine tenor remained almost unknown.

If you search catharsis and true drama in operatic performance, buy this CD.