Maria Callas

[Tsaraslondon]

Hurrah! Mine has  arrived, really looking forward to listening over the weekend. 

Still waiting for mine 

[Lilas Pastia]

There's hope, then! 

Joke aside, please report about the sound quality when you guys have heard it !!

[Sarastro]

Joke aside, please report about the sound quality when you guys have heard it !!

I have a copy of this recording from one del Monaco fan, and must assume that sound quality is good. And singing is excellent. I highly recommend!

By the way, I've got a couple Callas's recordings of Donna Anna's "Non mi dir", also "Or sai chi l'onore', and Donna Elvira's "Mi tradi". I can't really say this is Anna of my dreams, but not bad.
Mozart's great music doesn't allow to swing and flow the voice, imho.

[Tsaraslondon]

I have a copy of this recording from one del Monaco fan, and must assume that sound quality is good. And singing is excellent. I highly recommend!

By the way, I've got a couple Callas's recordings of Donna Anna's "Non mi dir", also "Or sai chi l'onore', and Donna Elvira's "Mi tradi". I can't really say this is Anna of my dreams, but not bad.
Mozart's great music doesn't allow to swing and flow the voice, imho.

The Mozart she recorded in 1963 is from when her voice was well past her best, and she no longer has the firmness required for this music. And, surprisingly for her, interpretative insights are few, though she tears into the recitative of "Mi tradi", with real conviction. However, when she made a test recording of "Non mi dir" for EMI in 1953 (unfortunately shorn of its recitative) she sings with absolute security and sails through the aria as if it is the easiest thing in the world. It was, as I said, a test recording, pure and simple, not meant for a release, and made so that the engineers could get a feel for the voice. It is nonetheless a wonderfully assured performance. Phrasing is spacious and she harldy seems to breathe at all. Remarkable is the way she phrases though and into the second statement of "non mi dir", as is the long breathed rallentando before she embarks on the alegretto, which she sings with an ease and accuracy not available to many Annas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyxmsIc6Gf0

[knight66]

Translondon, Thanks for the link, it is really beautiful. I have not heard this track before. It seems odd to me that test tracks emerge, where the orchestral parts have to be obtained, the orchestra presumably rehearse; yet it is not then a piece that is formally recorded....furthermore, it is off the normal repertoire for the singer.

Especially odd when the result is so delightful.

Mike

[Lilas Pastia]

The Mozart she recorded in 1963 is from when her voice was well past her best, and she no longer has the firmness required for this music. And, surprisingly for her, interpretative insights are few, though she tears into the recitative of "Mi tradi", with real conviction. However, when she made a test recording of "Non mi dir" for EMI in 1953 (unfortunately shorn of its recitative) she sings with absolute security and sails through the aria as if it is the easiest thing in the world. It was, as I said, a test recording, pure and simple, not meant for a release, and made so that the engineers could get a feel for the voice. It is nonetheless a wonderfully assured performance. Phrasing is spacious and she harldy seems to breathe at all. Remarkable is the way she phrases though and into the second statement of "non mi dir", as is the long breathed rallentando before she embarks on the alegretto, which she sings with an ease and accuracy not available to many Annas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyxmsIc6Gf0

It is indeed everything you say it is, but I don't think it's a real Anna sound. I've known it for a long time and came back to it every now and then without ever being convinced. Callas' was a big voice, and no amount of fining down could disguise the sheer size of her sound. Here she sounds like treading carefully to avoid sounding like Norma. When she goes into those high-lying fortes I have the feeling of a powerful beast trying to get out of its cage. I'm making this sound rather bad, but it's not. It's still an extraordinary interpretation, both vocally and artistically. But I think the Mozart ladies have a different kind of vocal makeup.

Here's a good example of the kind of sound I associate with Anna: it's a youtube vid of
Teresa Stich-Randall in the same aria. She shows only half (if that) of Callas' dramatic instincts, but the compact, silvery, penetrating tone is a good example of what I have in mind. On the same page there's Elizabeth Grümmer singing Non mi dir (in German). Hers is an 'in between' kind of voice. Bigger and more 'operatic' than Stich-Randall's, but powerful and hugely convincing as a total package.

[Tsaraslondon]

It is indeed everything you say it is, but I don't think it's a real Anna sound. I've known it for a long time and came back to it every now and then without ever being convinced. Callas' was a big voice, and no amount of fining down could disguise the sheer size of her sound. Here she sounds like treading carefully to avoid sounding like Norma. When she goes into those high-lying fortes I have the feeling of a powerful beast trying to get out of its cage. I'm making this sound rather bad, but it's not. It's still an extraordinary interpretation, both vocally and artistically. But I think the Mozart ladies have a different kind of vocal makeup.

Here's a good example of the kind of sound I associate with Anna: it's a youtube vid of
Teresa Stich-Randall in the same aria. She shows only half (if that) of Callas' dramatic instincts, but the compact, silvery, penetrating tone is a good example of what I have in mind. On the same page there's Elizabeth Grümmer singing Non mi dir (in German). Hers is an 'in between' kind of voice. Bigger and more 'operatic' than Stich-Randall's, but powerful and hugely convincing as a total package.

Personally, I do tend to prefer a larger voice for Anna. I like Sutherland, but I also enjoy Grummer (in many off the air broadcasts from Salzburg with Furtwangler conducting). Interestingly enough, for most of these performances Schwarzkopf was the Elvira, and she is on record as saying that these performances are a much truer representation of her usual Elvira. For the Giulini, she gave a slightly more shrewish interpretation, to offset the gentler, creamy voiced Anna of Sutherland, but I digress. I seem to remember Leontyne Price also sang the role (for Karajan in Salzburg I believe, also with Schwarzkopf as Elvira). I haven't heard any broadcasts of those performances, but I do remember a studio version of "non mi dir", in which the aria is sung beatifully, though Price is defeated by the coloratura in the alegretto. I see that many of the Annas I do like, also sang a deal of Verdi - I'm thinking of Welitsch, Tomova-Sintov, Arroyo, Margaret Price, Sutherland. Stich-Randall's peformance is indeed nicely sung, but I miss the power of one of those larger voices.

Another early example of Callas's Mozart is this recording of her singing "Martern aller Arten" from "Die Entfuhrug aus dem Serail" (in Italian). Surprisingly enough, Costanze was introduced to the stage of La Scala by Maria Callas. The date: April 2, 1952. I know of no other performance, except perhaps the one by Schwarzkopf, which is sung with such fire, defiance, and yet with such femininity. The sustained top C is a little acrid, to be sure, but the final scale passage, in unison with the orchestra is stunningly executed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyxmsIc6Gf0

[Sarastro]

"Non mi dir" for EMI in 1953

Oh, I have three "Non mi dir's" there, one of the of course from 1953, but as I said I didn't really like it. I prefer another type of voices here. And maybe Callas thought so if she didn't sing Mozart. (I do not count Constanze and couple arias from Don Giovanni)

Maybe my favorite is Carol Vaness, she is both spinto and sings all the coloraturas clearly and powerful. I wish I also had her Elvira. But I would even say not "favorite" but standard, as I consider Donna Anna. Tomowa-Sintow and Nilsson impressed me more, though passages are not their strongest points. Sutherland, imho, sounds not as powerful as she usually does.


PS: I must confess that my main passion is music, so sometimes I'm critical to singers I like, and it doesn't mean I'm evil it only means I don't like how they sing this particular role. And how it correlates with the music itself, if it fits or not.

[Lilas Pastia]

Callas' "Tutte le torture" is indeed hair raising and one of the very best I've heard. But check out the amazingly fiery Edda Moser and Leyla Gencer (the latter on youtube IIRC). Sizzling stuff from all three ladies.

BTW my favourite Annas are Margaret Price and Suzanne Danco. Totally different in every aspect, but utterly believable: vocally, dramatically, emotionally.

[Tsaraslondon]

Well the '55 La Scala Norma has arrived from www.divinarecords.com and I have to say it is worth every penny. The sound is an improvement even on the excellent version I had on the Arkadia label, and the presentation is exemplary in every way. If I have one criticism, it would be the division of the 2 discs. I would have thought it would have been better to finish Disc 1 with the first Norma/Adalgisa duet and then start Disc 2 from Norma's lines Ma di'. L'amato giovane. I think I'm right in thinking it wouldn't have made Disc 2 too long. That said, I am now tempted by some of their other releases. With results like this, they really are worth the extra outlay



Despite what certain members of this board seem to think, this performance is a reminder that Callas not only sang with great imagination, but often with great beauty of tone.

[zamyrabyrd]

More Maria... well, I can't get enough of her...just stumbled on this great site... comprehensive "performance annals and discography"...only 186 pages so far in what seems to be ongoing research...

http://www.frankhamilton.org/mc/c5.pdf

[Tsaraslondon]

More Maria... well, I can't get enough of her...just stumbled on this great site... comprehensive "performance annals and discography"...only 186 pages so far in what seems to be ongoing research...

http://www.frankhamilton.org/mc/c5.pdf

Thanks, ZB. Looks like I have some reading ahead of me.

[zamyrabyrd]

Thanks, ZB. Looks like I have some reading ahead of me.

REALLY fascinating...from her earliest years...must be a labor of love...

[Wendell_E]

REALLY fascinating...from her earliest years...must be a labor of love...

I came across that years ago.  I love how they even have her Public School performances in H. M. S. Pinafore (as Ralph!) and The Mikado.  If only pirates of those would turn up!     You almost expect to find every occasion on which she sang "Happy Birthday!"

The same site also has several other lists (by Composer, artists who sang with Callas, discographies) worth checking out:

http://www.frankhamilton.org/mc/index.html

[Lilas Pastia]

Wow, thanks ZB. I merely scrolled and stopped here and there, and all kinds of fascinating details come up.

Like this Bocaccio performance (1941) in which Irma Kolassi also sang. Or a 1939 Oberon "Ocean Thou Mighty Monster" . She was to sing that in a late 1960s recital (in rather shaky voice). To think she actually knew the music for 30 years is astonishing and revelatory. I notice that a lot of the stuff she studied in De Hidalgo's classes were of the heavy kind, something quite unusual for a 16 or 17 year old (Norma, Aida for example )

[Guido]

Having never heard Callas before, I just impulse bought a 10 CD boxed set today "her greatest operas" for £8 (or US$16). A 10CD set of Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, La Traviata, Tosca and Cavalleria Rusticana. Haven't heard any of these pieces before, and only really know 1 of the composers a little bit - Puccini. I am excited.

[Tsaraslondon]

Having never heard Callas before, I just impulse bought a 10 CD boxed set today "her greatest operas" for £8 (or US$16). A 10CD set of Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, La Traviata, Tosca and Cavalleria Rusticana. Haven't heard any of these pieces before, and only really know 1 of the composers a little bit - Puccini. I am excited.

Are these live or studio? Cavalleria Rusticana will be studio because there are no extant live recordings of her singing this opera, and she never performed it on stage again after her early days in Athens. Of the others, there are quite a few live performances of La Traviata, most of them preferable to the studio one she made for Cetra in 1952. Of the others, she made 2 studio recordings of each (all for EMI). The 1953 Tosca, conducted by Victor De Sabata is one of the great recordings of all time, whereas the later 1965 one (with Pretre) has little to commend it. The earlier versions of Lucia di Lammermoor and Norma find her in sovereign voice, though there is also a lot to be said for the later ones (especially the 1960 Norma). I wish you some happy listening. If indeed, it is the De Sabata Tosca in the box, might I suggest that you start with that.

Might I also make another suggestion? As a bargain box, it is quite likely that they don't come with libretti and translations. If not, I would try and get hold of them before listening. To get Callas, you really need to listen with libretto in hand, so that you understand the dramatic situation.

[Guido]

Are these live or studio? Cavalleria Rusticana will be studio because there are no extant live recordings of her singing this opera, and she never performed it on stage again after her early days in Athens. Of the others, there are quite a few live performances of La Traviata, most of them preferable to the studio one she made for Cetra in 1952. Of the others, she made 2 studio recordings of each (all for EMI). The 1953 Tosca, conducted by Victor De Sabata is one of the great recordings of all time, whereas the later 1965 one (with Pretre) has little to commend it. The earlier versions of Lucia di Lammermoor and Norma find her in sovereign voice, though there is also a lot to be said for the later ones (especially the 1960 Norma). I wish you some happy listening. If indeed, it is the De Sabata Tosca in the box, might I suggest that you start with that.

Might I also make another suggestion? As a bargain box, it is quite likely that they don't come with libretti and translations. If not, I would try and get hold of them before listening. To get Callas, you really need to listen with libretto in hand, so that you understand the dramatic situation.

Tosca is with de Sabata (1953)
La Traviata is with Giulini (1955)
Lucia is with Serafin (1953)
Norma is wirh Serafin (1954)
Cavalleria is with Serafin (1953)

Thanks for the advice - is there any place online that has these libretti?

[bricon]

is there any place online that has these libretti?

Here are the libretti that you are after.

Except for the La Traviata libretto, these are the libretti that EMI supplied with earlier versions of the releases that you have in that box-set – the track cue points indicated in these libretti should coincide with the tracks on your CDs.

These are all .pdf files, they are able to be saved on your computer.

Tosca
La Traviata
Lucia di Lammermoor
Norma
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci

[Tsaraslondon]

Tosca is with de Sabata (1953)
La Traviata is with Giulini (1955)
Lucia is with Serafin (1953)
Norma is wirh Serafin (1954)
Cavalleria is with Serafin (1953)

Thanks for the advice - is there any place online that has these libretti?

All recorded before Callas's voice started to deteriorate, so you should be fine with these sets. Be warned, though, that the Traviata is live, and, as such, the sound is variable, with moments of distortion and overload. However, for such a performance, it's worth putting up with these faults in recording.

I see you have already been given advice as to where to find the libretti.