Customer Reviews

Verdi: Arias, Vol. 1

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This is the first of Callas' three EMI recitals of Verdi heroines and by all counts it is a disc not to be missed. It houses the only commercial representation of Callas' two major stage parts: Lady Macbeth and Abigaille. It also includes precious momentoes of her Elisabeth di Valois (a role that she sang only 5 times at La Scala in 1954) and Elvira in Ernani (which she never sang on stage). Callas' voice began to deteriorate by 1958 and there are indeed moments of unsteadiness and fragility, most significantly in Abigaille's cabaletta, where Callas found herself overtaxed and the top notes are more willed than sung. However, Callas' interpretative individuality and her unique, heartrending intensity, as always, transcend vocal opulence and technical polish. Take, for instance, the sleepwalking scene from Macbeth: Lady Macbeth is a part that Callas was born to sing and the 1952 live performance at La Scala testifies this. The major flaw of that occasion was the crucial sleepwalking scene, where de Sabata's tempo is alarmingly fast and Callas' rendition turned out to be only a sketch. By 1958, Callas' interpretation saw a marvellous deepening in finess, vocal and verbal colouring, making this recording not only her most complete portrayal of Lady Macbeth, but as histronically true and devastating as one could wish. Abetted by Rescigno's superb rapport, this is the plum of the pudding. Yet there are other riches that should not be ignored: Elisabeth's Act IV scena demonstrated Callas' artistic imagination to the fullest -- listen to the way she coloured her voice for the 5 separate states of mind and how well she knit them into a convincing whole: a young woman of nobility and dignity yet at the end of her tethers. The Ernani scena brought out a performance as suave and graceful as one could hope for. Abigaille's scena, despite technical faults mentioned above, is both exciting and involving. Taken as a whole, this is Verdi interpretation at its blazing and incomparable best and deserved a honoured place in any vocal music lover's collection.

This is one of the great Callas recordings. She is heard in this 1958 stereo recording in all three of Lady Macbeth's big scenes, and they have never been equalled, much less surpassed. She weaves herself into the character as no one else, and creates magic at every turn. The voice's particular color, and the way Callas applies it to the music, is not unlike that of a great painter applying colors and texture to a canvass. These three scenes alone make the CD indespensible to any opera fan. The "Nabucco" scene is also very exciting, with Callas throwing vocal thunderbolts in the opening section, followed by a beautifully controlled cavatina, and, finally, concluding with a hair-raising cabaletta (which, admittedly, ends on a stressed-out high C). The Ernani aria is also well done, at a very fast tempo, which makes it all the more youthful and enthusiastic. The "Don Carlo" aria, "Tu che le vanita'" is a contrast of moods and colors, and Callas is in full and firm vocal command. A great Verdi recital by Callas at her most compelling and exciting.

What a force of nature and what a beauty this Maria Callas was! I've never heard a more scary and dramatic Lady Macbeth... And yet she manages quiet and gentle moments beautifully... (Don Carlo)

I like this a lot but for a great Verdi-Recital also get Tebaldi's early Verdi-stuff! Pretty amazing!

Why, why, why did Maria Callas not record these operas in studio? If there was only one Verdi Arias Collection of Maria Callas to choose, this would be the one! She has the voice that these operas need. Rough, powerful, i d e a l!!! Of course, little can be said about her understanding of these roles. My personal favourite is her Lady Macbeth! The way she reaches those high notes! Fast, angry! She is GLORIOUS!(L.Rysanec has also given us a wonderful Lady). Let me not forget the sublime "Ernani!Ernani!" or her spectacular Abigaille (only G. Dimitrova has managed to surpass her). I'm not a Callas fan (a Tebaldi one) but when Callas sings roles that suit her voice and personality I adore her! Therefore, this compilation strongly recommended for every true opera fan!

If it wasn't Bellini, I would say that Callas' imagination was best captured by Giuseppe Verdi. Despite her successes in Puccini, Donizetti, Rossini, Ponchielli, Leoncavallo, and Mascagni, no other composer except Bellini and Verdi captured her dramatic canvas so vividly...so beautifully. This can be seen in her explorations of great Verdian roles such as Violetta, the two Leonoras, Gilda, Amelia, Elisabetta, Lady Macbeth, Abigaille, Aida, Elena, and what few arias she sang from Otello, Ernani, Aroldo, I Lombardi, Il Corsaro, and Attila. Verdi's music obviously allowed her imagination to soar, and such an imagination we can witness in this recital of arias of Verdian roles she had sung in her earlier career. The bulk of this disc concentrates of Macbeth, a role which she sang in La Scala only once on stage, but one which she is going to be associated with forever. The first selection, "Nel di della vittoria...Vieni t'affretta" is an example of what an excellent musical painter she is. The letter scene, a short yet crucial moment in the fabric of Verdi's opera is read by Callas in what is known to be the greatest exponent of this excerpt ever recorded. The aria and cabaletta that follows is sung to perfection by Callas, every phrase well inflected, especially the portion where Callas sings "Nuovo diletto..nuovo diletto...e necessario!" Callas' knowledge of stressing the right words lends an environment of sinister proportions here, and in her next aria, that aura of evil is felt with an even greater immediacy as well. The Sleepwalking scene, that of which I believe is her best achievement in this recital, is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Verdian singing. Not even de Sabata, who conducted her definitive Tosca, approached Rescigno's reading of the role. While there was a nuance of confusion and delirium in La Scala (1952), Rescigno's conducting in this recital presents even an even greater set of paints for Callas to play with, and play with it she does rather well. I think this is the greatest Sleepwalking Scene ever recorded, and no other soprano was able to approach the degree of artistry and drama that Callas achieved in this great recording. The next selection comes from another early Callas role--the voice-wrecking role of Abigaille. How fortunate we are indeed to have a snippet of a clear-sounding "Ben io t'invenni" from Callas, as we can hear better the kind of Abigaille she could have been were this role recorded in the studio. Her great Abigaille was fortunately recorded, as she only sang this role three times (and fortunate we are that she did, otherwise we would have no Norma, Lucia, Violetta, Tosca, etc.). Her aria from Ernani is beautifully done, with the colors of a woman who is obviously in love. The pace that Rescigno takes in the cabaletta is rather quick, but then suits the vocal colors Callas puts into the role. The final aria from this selection "Tu che la vanita", was fortunately recorded by Callas on studio, as it shows us what a great Elisabetta she was. Unfortunately, none of her performances of Elisabetta di Valois ever emerged, and so we must be happy of what little we have of her Don Carlo arias (also in another disc we can hear her Non pianger and O Don Fatale). Listen to how she stresses the drama on the word "Francia", and you will find that no other soprano can achieve such an amazing painting of Elisabetta's final aria. Indeed a magnificent recital, and a must have for anyone who want to hear good music.

I absolutely adore this recital. I love Rysanek and others too. Esp. Caballe's "Verdi rarities" is stunning as well. But to deny that this is one of the best recital disks ever made is plain ignorance. But what can you expect from a basher? Why can't he be our guide when it comes to his favourites instead of bashing Callas? He's no better than that traitor, Brutus. Hides a knife under his clothes and stabs his victim in the back! For shame! Callas, Sills, Caballe, Sutherland and Nilsson would be ashamed if they read this. You can see the tragic extremes of venom here. It's sad...

Callas' renditions of Lady Macbeth's are truly dark, whilst the unsurpassable sleepwaking scene finds her at her vocal best, the final note sung to chilling effect. The Ernani and Nabucco arias are well done too, though perhaps the closing note of the latter doesn't fall as kindly in the ears as one would like. Finally, I have to concur with other reviews in that the jewel of this disc is her hauntingly beautiful interpretation of "Tu che la vanità". I believe that what truly sets Callas apart in these repertoire is her lower register, it's resonance giving just the right touch to the Macbeth selections and great elegance to the Don Carlo.

I won't have Callas continuously bashed. Don't you have anything better to do? Review what you like, Maria has suffered enough from your petty jealousy and hateful bashing. This CD is the greatest Verdi-Recital ever recorded. If you disagree, fine! Now leave her alone! Mark my words, I SHALL retaliate if you continue your hateful spree! Still, I have to admit that the "review" you wrote this time is easily the best I've read to this day. Please continue like this, please review Maria fairly. She deserves it. Can we PLEASE have peace?

Musically, this is a meticulous and inspired recording, if you don't mind a few acid high notes on the way. (It is nonetheless unfair to dismiss Callas's singing as mere screaming, because the heart of her art is not wildness, but refinement.) Commercially, I prefer this kind of specialized version (e.g., one composer or one musical style at a time) than glossier Callas anthologies, in which arias are shorn of their recitatives and thrown into a pastiche.

Some of Verdi's roles, with demands for a lirico-spinto voice and fluent coloratura, seem to be made for Callas. After all, roles such as Elvira from Ernani and Lady Macbeth are not thought to be coloratura roles but have tricky passages. My favorite goes to "Tu che le vanita" from Don Carlos and the Lady Macbeth arias. Although Callas's reading of the letter before "Vieni, t'affretta!" is mannered, once she launches into the recitative and aria itself, she becomes the imperious Lady, singing "ascendivi a regnar" with conviction, brazenness and even abandon appropriate to the role. As for the Sleepwalking scene, I get the impression that Callas read the score under a microscope, with all shifts of feelings, from fear to suspicion to pity to resolution, so naturally worked into her singing. I agree with some critics' praise that she is a "visual" singer, in the sense that the sound evokes images and gestures before one's eyes. The portrayal is direct, vivid and immediate--something that would have been lost in a soprano with more self-regarding mannerisms.

When Callas recorded this program, she was past her vocal prime and some of the scars she had taken from earlier risks (alternating Wagner and Bellini, for example) are evident in this disc. The interpretive powers are always at her command, but the voice, alas, sometimes falls short of her intentions. For example, she has lost some of the dramatic fullness (vocally speaking) for Abigaille's recitative, not to mention that she is shaky in the cadenza trill and high notes in the cabaletta (the high C at the end loses focus). The same could be said about some parts in "Ernani, Ernani, involami!". Yet with her drive and interpretive verve, the roles are somehow more alive than those of a vocally secure soprano.

For all the vocal blemishes, I would still recommend the recording to anyone with an interest in Callas or sound Verdi singing, especially with Rescigno as such a sensitive accompanist. It is also a document of some of the roles Callas sung on stage but never managed to record in studio in full. Judging by her Elisabetta here, what a missed opportunity! At least, these scenes and arias do suggest, if not demonstrate, her former greatness in the roles recorded.

This is a great recital of Verdi soprano arias. Callas sings really well, though some of her high notes are iffy, and her dramatic commitment is never in doubt. I want to point out that Fiorenza Cossotto sings all of the fioratura and trills that Verdi wrote for Lady Macbeth. Anyone with ears who listens to her "Macbeth" recording would know this.