Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Nicola Rescigno, Philharmonia Orchestra of London :: Verdi: Arias, Vol. 1

Verdi interpretation at its blazing best

Sheng-chi Shu | Singapore | 05/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

THE CALLAS GENIUS IN FULL FORCE

lesismore26 | Chicago, Illinois USA | 06/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Fierce!

lesismore26 | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"