Turandot, opera: Act 3: 'Diecimila anni al nostro Imperatore'
This live performance of Turandot, recorded in Milan in 1964, is thrilling, with all the lead singers at their estimable best. A problem lies in the fact that halfway through the second act, the recorded pitch slips up, so... more » that the rest of the opera is performed a half-tone sharp. Listeners may be so caught up in the drama and virtuoso singing that they will not notice, but it can get in the way. --Robert Levine« less
This live performance of Turandot, recorded in Milan in 1964, is thrilling, with all the lead singers at their estimable best. A problem lies in the fact that halfway through the second act, the recorded pitch slips up, so that the rest of the opera is performed a half-tone sharp. Listeners may be so caught up in the drama and virtuoso singing that they will not notice, but it can get in the way. --Robert Levine
CD Reviews
Well...
Paul A. Dunphy | 01/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's an excellant Turandot, one of the best, and undoubtedly, it would have been a dream to be in La Scala then. Nilsson is as always a fabulous Turandot, yet to me she just doesn't have Sutherland's ...beauty? in the last act. As an ice princess she is perfect, as one melted by love, less so. Corelli is WONDeRful, he beats Pavarotti, the other definitive Calaf hands down. Liu is portrayed very well, much better than Caballe does on the Decca set (Caballe sounds far too mature to be convincing as a love struck slave girl), and the rest of the cast is generally stellar.The only drawback, and a big one, is the sound. It's a live recording, so one cannot expect studio quality, yet this set is worst than some, even older live recordings. The one big flaw is the slip in the pitch, yet also, there is a fair amount of static, almost regularly bursts of static, which is very distracting. Occasionally, the balancing slips up, and one is treated to almost inaudible singing. However, such faults will be more apparent to modern listeners used to stereo digital sound, and that said, this makes a wonderful Turandot, rivalling the Decca in raw emotion, passion and outright excitement, yet let down, slightly or a lot, depending on what one looks out for, by the poor recording."
Nilsson's TURANDOT sends CHILLS
F. Barton | Newport, WA USA | 11/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of course, the RCA complete recording of TURANDOT, with Bjorling and Tebaldi is the ultimate studio version. But this VERY modest priced 2CD set, recorded at La Scala live, is a must have! Corelli is superb in this role, many think he is unsurpassed. Nilsson has much more dramatic icy force, completely in character, from the '59 studio recording. The Liu is an incredible surprise, as I had never heard of her, as she shines! In act two, both Nilsson and Corelli give SO much, that when they hit their high Cs, it sends shivers down your spine, to hear such spectacular singing! I dare you to listen to it just once, IMPOSSIBLE! This performance is a joy from start to finish and should be in EVERY collection, because of the performance, AND the price."
When La Scala was La Scala
Paul A. Dunphy | Bogota, New Jersey USA | 06/10/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Despite their backstage squabbles, throughout the 60s Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli were box office dynamite as the ice princess and the unknown prince who melts her heart. The sound is quite good for a live recording. Both artists are at their peak - Corelli does not exhibit too much of the underattack which would later be his undoing. Nilsson is freer and more brilliant than in either of her two studio recordings. An added plus is the Liu` of Galina Vishnevskaya in her La Scala debut season sounding youthful and poignant (get a load of the crowd's reaction after "Signore ascolta"). Gianandrea Gavazzeni brings out all the nuances of this fascinating score. The balance of the cast is made up of La Scala stalwarts of that era (Zaccaria, Ercolani). The one drawback for me is the chorus which sounds a bit shrill - particularly the upper voices. Whether this is a result of the recording process or not, it still is not enough to detract from a truly exciting performance."
Edges out Nilsson's earlier one with Bjoeling and Tebaldi
AJ | Bean Town | 09/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is exciting indeed to hear Nilsson and Corelli duel it out, each trying to hold on to high notes longer than the other. I think Corelli is the winner on that strength. Besides that, the two principles are without equals in their perspective fields. The great Wagnerian soprano and the great spinto tenor. I am not thrilled by the Liu of Vishnevskaya, her voice a shaky one. The Liu of Renata Tebaldi have always been my favorite, the conbination of tone quality and pathos. But you have to listen to the splendid singing by Corelli and Nilsson. This is, with all due respect to Sutherland/Pavorotti's Turandot, the finest on the market."
Monumental effort
F. Barton | 08/09/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Turandot is the best there is, and that includes the studio recordings. Nilsson and Corelli dominants completely, I frankly find Liu's voice a bit shaky, but not bad. Corelli's sound is totally the greatest tenor of the century, bar none. And of course, who can touch Nilsson as the ice princess. But I would have to nominate Sutherland/Pavorotti/Horne's decca recording for sheer glorious singing by Sutherland and Caballe as Liu. But it's still second best to this live recording!"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1