Search - Cherubini, Maria Callas, Scotto :: Medea

Overwhelming

gks5q@virginia.edu | 05/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of Callas' most famous roles. Callas was born to play monumentally tragic, misunderstood characters such as the mythical Medea who was driven to such depths of despair by her husband's betrayal that she killed their joint children just to punish him. I do not imply any naive emotional parallels to Callas' own tragic and misunderstood life, but the strength of Callas' characterization of Medea in this opera is certainly remarkable. There are some surviving movie clips of Callas performing arias from Medea on stage. The effect of the soprano, one moment standing there dressed in a regular recital attire, and in another moment with the first bars of music suddently transforming herself into an ancient Greek woman possessed by fury and despondency, is indescribable.P.S. There is another Medea - or rather Medee - a French baroque opera starring Lorraine Hunt, which features performances as fiery as this one, but whose music is perhaps of a higher order. Check it out."

I love this set

Mr. Jeffrey Belcher | Melbourne, Victoria Australia | 11/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this set although you don't seem to have to look far to find plenty of people who rabbit on about this not being one of Callas's best studio recordings or best recordings of Medea. Pooh! I say, I reckon someone said that once & everyone's just jumped on the band wagon.It is 1957, Callas's voice is great, very clean, her phrasing is as amazing as ever, diction terrific - not one missing consonant. The stereo sound captures the strings, the orchestra, the chorus terrifically - I love the overture to this opera, It always gives me goosebumps, and I defy anyone to listen to the final "E che? Io son Medea!" and not be thrilled. Ok, there can be something extra special about Callas recorded live but that doesn't stop this from being a really enjoyable studio set & nicely free from all the extraneous noises that live versions invariably include.Unfortunately, at the moment, it can be difficult to find a copy as it is one of the very few studio recordings of Callas not owned by EMI although it has been issued on their label under licence in 1990 & 1997. BMG (originally Ricordi) now have the copyright and have declined EMI's request to extend the licence. Apparently, BMG have said they wish to release a version themselves. This is some time ago and they have not delivered. (This information is courtesy of an email from EMI when I queried why it was missing from their current catalogue.)I bought a 2nd hand set & it is great. If you can find one I recommend you do too."

A must

Dalua | 03/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most famous Callas roles and for the reason. This is indeed a classic. Cherubini music is great to start with, Serafin simply understands it and it shows. The cast is great, but of course above all there is Callas in this role which suits her best. For sure on her live recordings of Medea (La Scala and Dallas most of all) there are parts in which she's even better than on this one, but the technical quality of this recording is a big plus. Listen to this one first and then go on to the live ones to appreciate the nuances. No wonder there are no other Medeas around, who would dare it after Callas ?"