Customer Reviews

Tosca

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

 

 

This live-performance of Tosca starring Milanov, Corelli and Guelfi was recorded very late in Milanov's career but unlike the studio-recording this is a blazing, vocally stunning Tosca. The queen of pianissimi not only triumphs in the gentle parts of the "Vissi d'arte" but sings absolutely impeccable high Cs in Act II. Her portrayal is vivid, beautiful and engaging. Listen to Corelli and Milanov singing the love-duet of act one and be enchanted. Act II is a thrill, only a few Toscas thrill me as much as this one. Huge-voiced Guelfi and Milanov are BLAZING equally and Scarpia's blood-curdling murder is portrayed with shocking realism. Corelli sings Cavaradossi, one of his best roles, ardently, passionately and charmingly. This Tosca is a highlight in this opera's history, one no true operalover should live without. And this may finally destroy the prejudice that Milanov was boring. Hell, she's as thrilling as the greatest Tosca can be!

Source: Live performance at Royal Opera House, London.

Sound: Good mono. Stage noises are almost absent. There is some variability in the recorded volume of the singers as they take up positions on the stage nearer to or farther from the microphones. The effect is not excessive and it adds a sense of dimensionality to the procedings. A well-disciplined English audience delivers only a few poorly timed coughs. On the other hand, their applause for "Recondita armonia" and "Vissi d'arte" is tepid and short-lived when by right they should be standing on their seats, cheering, whistling and otherwise tearing the joint apart.

Sometimes you want a performance that touches the sublime. You yearn for a Furtwaengler, a Callas or a Gobbi to reach past the musty conventions and contradictions that define the preposterous and unlikely art of opera to create something better than mere dreary reality and more true.

Sometimes you just want an overweight, middle-aged woman to step forward and SING THAT SUCKER! That's exactly what the magnificent Milanov does here. Floria Tosca is supposed to be a famous opera singer, well, nobody, not even Callas, sounds more like an opera star than Zinka Milanov.

And so it is with Franco Corelli, too. I do not for one second believe that he is a journeyman painter in a bad jam. What he sounds like is a really popular tenor who has far more space in his head for resonance than he has for brains. He's terrific!

Giangiacomo Guelfi turns in a fine performance as Scarpia. His huge voice and confident manner provide the framework from which Milanov and Corelli can soar.

Go to Callas and Gobbi for art. This is the place to wallow in the shabby delights of Puccini's little shocker.

Milanov was one of the greatest Toscas ever. In this live recording, she is more passionate than in her studio recording with Bjoerling. Paired with Corelli, she is just wonderful. If you ever wondered why Milanov kept the Met audinces in thrall for so many years, get this recording and you'll see why. Callas may be the best singing actress, but Milanov has the most beautiful voice. It is good to hear them both.

I am grateful to the previous reviewers whose comments made me buy this recording. As one reviewer points out, Zinka Milanov sounds matronly. But what the hell is wrong with a matron who is the owner of a voice of such ravishing beauty, having power, bite AND a famous pianissimo?! I think this is her best recorded Tosca. Franco Corelli has a voice that might give you a heart attack and he makes Maria Callas' favorite partner, di Stefano, sound like a tenorino.The exciting and huge voiced GianGiacomo Guelfi is the eptiome of Scarpia. Sir Alexander Gibson's conducting, though not at par with the justly famous DeSabata recording, is very acceptable, and so is the mono sound of this live recording.

Simply a must have !

This 1957 Covent Garden "Tosca" is anything but "sizzling". The below reviewer gives a very distorted view of this mediocre recording. The chief fault of this recording is its Tosca. Zinka Milanov is a very matronly Tosca. She sounds old and her voice contains very little of its famed beauty. This lack of beauty probably has to do more with how it is recorded than how it actually sounded live in an opera house. Simply put, Milanov is a Tosca that doesn't make you care what happens to her. She is very staid in the Act 1 duet. She sounds very dispassionate. Later, in the Torture Scene, she vacillates between being mildly involved in the drama and being completely disinterested in it. Her supposed love for Mario never really comes through, and is only surface deep. It's just not convincing. Her Tosca lacks any Mediterranean passion. Also, her high C on "In quella lama" is very tight sounding.

Franco Corelli makes an ardent Mario. You can tell that the chemistry between him and his leading lady is nearly zero. His cries of "Vittoria!" are thrilling, and he is suitably impassioned in the Torture Scene. His "E lucevan le stelle" is one of the most thrilling on records. He sings mezza voce beautifully, and he does some stunning diminuendi in the aria.

Gian Giacomo Guelfi is a very loud, unsubtle Scarpia. He acts like a sadistic monster. He has a huge voice and uses it unstintingly. Even though he is very unsubtle, he gets Scarpia's evil character across more than ably.

The sound of this recording is a bit dry and there is a little bit of tape hiss, but it is quite good for a live recording. All three of the principles cause their fare share of microphone distortion. All three have impressive fortissimos; the one who sings the loudest is Guelfi. He causes a lot of microphone distortion, with Corelli second and Milanov third.