Whistle Stopper - Puccini: Tosca (1953) with Callas, di Stefano, Gobbi, cond. by de Sabata

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Manufacturer: EMI Classics

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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724358564426
Format: Original recording remastered
Label: EMI Classics
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release Date: 2003-12-02
Studio: EMI Classics

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: I am NOT a fan of Madame Callas...........
Comment: ...if you are, and don't want to be offended/mad, stop here [but note the five stars]. Blessed with massive God-given talent, she had a defective technique that she wouldn't change, made bad casting decisions, and ruined her voice at a young age. Difficult to the point of being unprofessional, rude to fans and colleagues alike [What does a performer owe the fans? Ted Williams said he only owed his base hits, but he sure owed that. A singer at least owes showing up, and hitting the right notes], she was a terror. She got some bad cards in the game of life, but dealt a lot of them to herself. But. But. Sometimes the stars line up just right....this is the Tosca for the ages, and MAYBE the greatest complete recording of an opera ever made. Listen to Callas' "Vissi d'arte"...listen when she kills Scarpia, and later, herself. That's pure magic. That's why, in spite of what I wrote above, I STILL listen to Callas. She was off a lot, but when she was on, look out. If there was ever a greater Tosca she was either [a] Maria Jeritza or [b] a girl who only existed in the mind of Puccini. {The first Tosca was Madame Hariclea Darclee...she is said to have been fabulous, and judging by the quality of her assignments, she must have been, but good luck finding a recording}.

As to the rest...Maestro di Sabata carries the show...he makes great singers even greater. PERFECT orchestral playing in an opera where the orchestra has to set the mood [yes...I know that's true of others]. Giuseppe di Stefano may really have been more of a lyric tenor than Cavaradossi calls for, but he gave an absolutely wonderful performance, and meshed perfectly with Callas. If Tucker [or Caruso] is my ideal in this role, di Stefano is a good second choice. As for Maestro Gobbi, when was he ever other than perfect? When? Yes, there have been other great Scarpias...maybe they were equal, but none were better. Check out the story of the Scarpia costume he donated to a museum...and it's NOT funny.

OK, I've said enough, and offended Callas fans. I apologize for that. God rest her soul. And I do recognize her good points. When the opera house in Heaven runs Tosca, I want to see Jeritza on opening night. THEN, I want to see Callas. Then Madame Darclee. [and don't leave out Tebaldi]. But, I want di Sabata to conduct every night, with this orchestra. Well...Heaven is in the future; right now we have this, and it is absolutely the recording of the ages. Ten stars? Twenty? You HAVE to have this. Period. The End.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Opera as Drama
Comment: NOTE: While all my remarks are valid for this CD incarnation, the remastering is generally regarded as poor. Instead, I strongly recommend the original 1997 Callas Edition of this same recording, still in print and easily available here on Amazon. The Callas Edition has better, more natural sound AND it has the libretto/notes described in the official Amazon review above (which incorrectly attributes them to this budget edition).

This was originally posted in my music review blog. Check my profile if you are interested.

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Music critics have long been fond of drolly referring to Tosca as a "shabby little shocker" and then misattributing the comment to George Bernard Shaw. No small wonder, then, that this Tosca has long been hailed as the "greatest" opera recording of the last century, even before such milestones as the Solti Ring and the Giulini Don Giovanni.

But are such superlatives justified? There have been many fine recordings of Tosca in the 50 years since this one, most with better recorded sound and many of them boasting excellent casts. Are they so clearly second-rate?

The truth is, it depends on how you think of opera. If perfect vocalism is your standard, this performance will not be a first choice. As adored singer Floria Tosca, Callas' striking-but-not-beautiful voice is somewhat paradoxical, occasionally sacrificing legato for the sake of some dramatic effect or another. Similarly, Giuseppe Di Stefano's golden, lyric tenor voice sounds hollow and pressed on top, most noticeably in the heroic Vittoria! of Act 2. And Gobbi's voice is typically venomous, lacking any real heft or depth. Those seeking consistently beautiful, secure singing from beginning to end would do well to acquire the excellent sets of Tebaldi or Caballé, the latter featuring a young José Carreras in particularly fine voice.

Dramatically, however, this recording is likely unequalled, which is saying a lot in a story driven by murder, torture, attempted rape, and suicide. Callas plays Tosca as ideally as one could hope for--a hotheaded, passionate woman subject to conflicting fits of suspicion, vanity, vulnerability, white-hot anger, and the most deeply felt compassion. For example, her jealous outburst in Act 1, "Lo Neghi?" ("You deny it?), is just short of shrill and is most convincingly pissy. Conversely, Vissa d'arte is beautiful and perfectly paced--a masterful depiction of suffering, in which the cry to God at the end of the aria is a fearful but reverent plea for mercy. But perhaps most striking is the moment when Tosca stabs and then hisses at the dying Scarpia, "Muori! Muori! Muori!" (Die! Die! Die!), delivered so viciously you can almost see the blood on her hands.

Cavaradossi is always less important in this opera, but Giuseppe Di Stefano makes a good case for him. What Stefano's Cavaradossi lacks in heroism he makes up for in beauty--with Stefano, we never forget that Cavaradossi is a lovesick artist. His two arias come off with great sentimentality and his Act III duet with Tosca, O dolci mani, displays some of the most ardent and beautiful singing ever recorded.

But Callas and Stefano are more than matched in the Baron Scarpia of Tito Gobbi. His trademark snarl is used to great effect, capable of both stentorian authority and warm, honeyed manipulation. This is the definitive Scarpia--a vile, slithering, sadistic animal in an aristocrat's coat, who makes Darth Vader look kind of like a sissy. At the end of Act 1, Gobbi's Te Deum is the most gripping in the catalogue, illustrating both his declamatory style and the thoughtfulness of his interpretation. To extract an example: Scarpia's high note in the last phrase, "Tosca, mi fai dimenticare Iddio!" ("Tosca you make me forget God!), usually milked for melodrama, is here underplayed. Why? Because for Scarpia, this isn't a fervent confession of evil; it's just a statement, and it's hardly a turning point for a villain so foul. In truth, Gobbi's Scarpia sounds most fervent when he's torturing Cavaradossi, where his gleeful snarling conveys the Baron's sadism perfectly. But, almost as important, he also dies very well, shouting furiously and choking on his own blood in a pleasingly graphic way.

Victor De Sabata leads the orchestra in a reading of blistering, Italianate intensity. Every line of the score is sharply defined without ever sacrificing weight or visceral impact. Furthermore, everything is paced to create the most excruciating tension possible--when else has the orchestra so perfectly conveyed the desperation of Tosca's confrontation with Scarpia? And when else has the ending of Tosca felt so physically, mercilessly traumatic? In Sabata's hands, the orchestra does a most marvelous thing: it becomes another voice, telling the story as clearly as any one of the characters.

In all, this is a superb achievement that admirably lives up to its reputation. If you've never experienced opera as drama, this is the place to start.

Highly recommended.

Grade: A+

Customer Rating:

Summary: Amazing quality - amazing opera!
Comment: I bought this CD after the attendance of the opera and recommendation by a good friend. While I was initially hesitant because of the age of the recording, the remastering worked wonders, it sounds better than some of the modern recordings I own. The opera: unbelievably beautiful, romantic, scary, sad - if you want all the enjoyment of drama and music, this is the CD to buy!

Customer Rating:

Summary: a must own
Comment: If you are a Callas fan, you have no excuse for not owning this. If you are new to Callas or if you have only a mild interest in her art, this is one of three Callas cds you should own.
The singing is exquisite, Callas' vocal artistry and dramatic ability shine through on this recording. BUY IT!!

Customer Rating:

Summary: One of the great recordings of all time.
Comment: I was a freshman in college when this record came on the market with Puritani as a pair from EMI. Callas and Gobbi in this version changed my view of what is possible in musical acting.

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Editorial Reviews:

Little can be added to what's been written about this landmark recording, except that Walter Legge's 1953 mono production yields nothing to modern Tosca recordings for vivacity and theatrical impact--especially Maria Callas's. The miraculous Victor de Sabata conjures up a vibrant, inspiring orchestral canvas that enables Callas and her stellar cohorts to work their magic. Tito Gobbi and Callas spur each other on to heights in which the characters take over from the singers in the listener's mind. Giuseppe Di Stefano is on his best behavior, and in fresher voice than on his fine Leontyne Price-Herbert von Karajan remake. On this set, EMI includes texts, translations, and notes that discuss this recording in the context of Callas's mercurial career. --Jed Distler