Search - Giacomo Puccini, Erich Leinsdorf, Rome Opera Orchestra :: Puccini: Turandot [Hybrid SACD]

Classic Turandot

R. M. Simmons | Mississippi | 11/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though this recording is generally highly rated, the ease and arrogance with which a few reviewers have dismissed this historic performance leave one perplexed and saddened, wondering if perhaps Amazon's customer rating system is such a great thing after all.



Granted, the technology behind this early stereo recording is often less than exemplary, and the various LP pressings and CD issues have varied in quality. The current reissue seems as good as we are likely to get any time soon.



Despite these shortcoming, I really do wonder if some of the less than enthusiastic reviewers really understand what they are hearing when they hear these voices.



Certainly we have a wealth of great voices today, but there is no denying that with our global community, voices are beginning to sound more and more the same. This recording documents a different era, when regions and nations produced a unique sound.



This recording is a living testament to a time when Scandanavian voices (Nilsson and Bjoerling) rang free and open-throated with a particular brilliance in the upper register; when Italian sopranos (Tebaldi) sang with an exciting blend of Italianate bite and Mediterranean warmth and hue; when sopranos often produced pianissimos not by a mere reduction in volume, but by producing an uncanny, disembodied tone that floated. Listen to the confrontation between Turandot and Liu near the end of the opera to hear Tebaldi and Nilsson both produce this striking sound. The soft, warm tones seem suspended in space. Milanov could produce this sound; so could Caballe.



For this performance I can only feel gratitude. No one can objectively say that these roles have been performed better by other singers. Many, myself included, would insist that these performances are unsurpassed, perhaps even unequalled. At any rate, we are the beneficiaries of these great artists who, during the hot Roman summer of 1959, not only left behind a classic performance of this great work, but who also preserved on disc one of the greatest tributes to a great era of singing--an era that can only accrue in legend with each passing year."

Turandot, third time around

Thomas M. Hines | Birmingham, Alabama USA | 01/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Puccini's final opera, Turandot, with an outstanding cast (Jussi Björling, Birgit Nilsson, Renata Tebaldi, Giorgio Tozzi, and Mario Sereni as principal singers) and illustrious conductor (Eric Leinsdorf) has now been released for the third time in Super Audio version (supplanting the Living Stereo version of a few years back). To the untrained ear, so to speak, there appears to be little difference between the two recent versions; nonetheless, the Super Audio (played on a SACD,5.1 chanel system) captures the nuances and dynamics of both orchestral and vocal production in a manner that sets it apart from the Living Stereo initial release. The orchestra sounds much richer than before. The choral accompaniment and comprimario singers (Ping, Pang, and Pong)have an immediacy and clarity that seem lacking in previous versions. Björling's hauntingly exquisite voice projects an Italianate warmth, coupled with a glistening upper register, that makes it extremely effective in the role of Calaf; Nilsson's heroic soprano (reflecting her Wagnerian training and repertory) rings out with a penetrating clarity of tone and pitch. She blends power and sweetness in a superb interpretation of the ice princess, Turandot. The final duet with Björling is indeed well worth the price of the two-disc set; both voices join in lyrical and dramatic utterances of rare beauty that elicit something close to awe in the listener.



There are some minor defects (at times Björling sounds oddly distant and the orchestra tends to cover the singers in the crescendo passages) due, perhaps, to the problems of early stereo recording (1959). For those who are Corelli or Pavarotti fans, this performance may not supersede these great artists' classic recordings of Turandot but the Leinsdorf/Björling/Nilsson Super Audio release is still one of the very best currently available. It belongs in the top three by virtue of its superior artistry and dramatic force. Highly recommended."

Historic Turandot Recording Finally Back in the Rich Sound I

RJS | 09/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here, at last, the famous 1959 RCA recording is presented in what is truly "master tape" sound. Originally recorded in three channel stereo, this SACD allows playback in that format, in an SACD mixdown to two channels, or in CD audio of the two channel mix -- and all at a bargain price! The lack of artificially added reverb boosts the presence of the voices of the cast, emphasizing the authority of Giorgio Tozzi's Timur, the passion and resignation of Renata Tebaldi's Liu, and the gleam and burnished luster of Jussi Bjoerling's late-career Calaf. Choral passages that formerly were muddy-sounding are now clear, and, in the orchestra, the basses, timpani and bass drum benefit from a much more solid bottom end sound. The SACD formats also allow the brass to shine more brightly, and nothing is over-modulated. Yes, the winds and the strings are still horribly out-of-tune, but the sound overall is clear and present. The exception to the relatively dry acoustic is the voice of Birgit Nilsson, who, in her portrayal of Turandot, makes the Rome Opera House absolutely ring (pun intended?) with her voice.



The characters can be followed as they navigate the soundstage, with no remixing attempts to "correct" the original choreography by artificially placing the voices in the center, as has been done previously with some sections of this recording.



The enclosed booklet contains poorly reproduced pictures taken during the recording sessions (if it was a choice between preserving the original photos or the master tapes, thank goodness it was the tapes!), and no libretto. However, an internet link for downloading the libretto as a PDF file is included."