Maria Callas

[Tsaraslondon]

The first studio Norma--is that the 1954 recording?  I think it's a very good one, and can only tremble in awe at the other two....

It's now available through Brilliant (the one I have) and through EMI's newest budget opera series, btw.  The Brilliant you need to download the libretto from their website; the EMI has the libretto and some of their usual Callosolatry for liner notes on a PDF.    I have the Brilliant, and for twelve dollars you can hardly go wrong.

I have no hesitation in claiming that the live 1955 La Scala Norma is one of the greatest performances Callas ever gave. Here voice and artistry find their truest equilibrium.  From first note to last, her voice seems to be responding to her every whim, so we are no longer aware of technical accomplishment, merely her profound identification with the character

On the other hand, there is no denying that by 1960, the date of the second studio recording, Callas's voice was no longer as robust and reliable an instrument as it was even 5 years earlier. Top notes tend to harden and do not fall easily on the ear, and, for that reason, I totally understand those who retain their preference for the earlier  studio recording. However, in the middle and lower registers, the voice takes on a new beauty, and the characterisation has taken on further depth and complexity. Furthermore the cast and recording quality are all preferable to the first one. Corelli, often noble in tone, and on his best behaviour musically, far outshines the awful Fillipeschi. One would maybe expect Stignani to be the better Adalgisa, but, to my ears, she sounds far too matronly and her singing is often clumsy. By contrast, Ludwig, sounds, as she should, like the younger woman, and is surprisingly fleet in the coloratura passages, if not quite as accurate as Callas. Unexpectedly perhaps, their voices blend remarkably well and both duets are fine examples of the give and take that should exist in a perfect partnership. Zaccaria is much firmer, his tone much more buttery than the woolly Rossi- Lemeni, whose tone leaks air at every emission. With more spacious sound and Serafin again at the helm, it could hardly be bettered in the studio.

Interestingly on the 2 occasions Norma was the subject of BBC's Building a Library series, the reviewers, different each time, narrowed the final choice down to the two Callas recordings. One chose the first, and the other the second, so I guess that in the end it comes down to personal preferences. That said, there can be no doubt, that, even 45 years after Callas last sang the role on stage, she completely dominates its history. We are fortunate indeed that it is preserved in so many different performances.

[DarkAngel]

You do get both studio Normas 1954 & 1960 in the complete studio boxset........
The pricing can be incredibly cheap if you look around, got mine under $100 for 70 CD set

The boxset booklet included gives cast list and track desciption with timings for the operas

CD 70 loads a PDF file on your desktop with Callas black and white photo gallery and libretto for each opera
but there is a problem for me.....

The individual opera CD set books contain background info and synopsis with track numbers, the PDF file from complete boxset does not have these, this info should have been included in PDF......would have been very simple to do and surprised they are not included 



Also while I am complaining a bit the CD sleeves and outside box artwork are very generic and cheap looking, would have been nice touch to put a different Callas photo on each cardboard CD sleeve to make this more appealing and use a better picture of Maria for outside box......

Look how much nicer the $650 deluxe 70 CD boxset looks ($330 Amazon sellers)

[Tsaraslondon]

The Deluxe box set really is that, and you would think that I would have bought it, especially as I could have bought it for around £100, when one of my local retail outlets was closing down. But, at the time, I just couldn't justify spending that much money for a box and photos, many of which I already have in other books, when I already had the vast majority of the discs in my collection already. Does this mean I have finally grown up? When I was younger I had different priorities. Record collecting came first and pretty much everything after it. No wonder I never had any money. 

[DarkAngel]

The Deluxe box set really is that, and you would think that I would have bought it, especially as I could have bought it for around £100, when one of my local retail outlets was closing down. But, at the time, I just couldn't justify spending that much money for a box and photos, many of which I already have in other books, when I already had the vast majority of the discs in my collection already. Does this mean I have finally grown up? When I was younger I had different priorities. Record collecting came first and pretty much everything after it. No wonder I never had any money. 

I definitely would have bought it for 100 pounds or about $155 dollars......and sell current cheap set used.
Besides it could be an investment if this really is a limited edition.......value could appreciate in 10 years

For example look at the crazy prices for this boxset, $4,000 used!

[Tsaraslondon]

I definitely would have bought it for 100 pounds or about $160 dollars......and sell current set used.
besides it could be an investment if this really is a limited edition.......value could appreciate

For example look at the crazy prices for this boxset, $4,000 used!

Yes I thought about that, but at the time I really couldn't spare £100.  In between jobs and not sure where my next pay check was coming from, not that that would have stopped me when I was younger.

[DarkAngel]

Callas 1955 Normas.......

 

TS
Have you had a chance to compare the 1955 Callas - Votto (La Scala) to the 1955 Callas - Serafin (RAI)

We have different conductors/orchestras and different Aldalgisa for each version.
Some say better sound source for Serafin but Divina label must feel the Votto is better performance overall

[Tsaraslondon]

Callas 1955 Normas.......

 

TS
Have you have a chance to compare the 1955 Callas - Votto (La Scala) to the 1955 Callas - Serafin (RAI)

We have different conductors/orchestras and different Aldalgisa for each version.
Some say better sound source for Serafin but Divina label must feel the Votto is better performance overall

The Rome one is pretty good, but this was a concert performance for RAI, and as such lacks the dramatic conviction of its counterpart. Callas is in slightly less good voice. It takes her a while to settle down, and Casta Diva is not as affecting in Rome. Simionato easily outclasses Stignani, who was getting a bit past it by this time, sounding mature and  lacking elegance. Of course we do have Serafin, but, as can can happen so many times  on a night when everything goes right, Votto is inspired to give one of his very best performances. Del Monaco is pretty much the same in both performances. I wouldn't prefer him to Corelli in the 1960 studio recording, but, if his singing lacks elegance, we do have the compensation of his clarion tone.

The sound on the Divina issue is actually very good, easily the equal of, say the Berlin Lucia Di Lammermoor with Karajan, and much better than on any of the other labels I have heard it.

[knight66]

I don't know either of those, Mike. I have it on an old Virtuoso pressing, which is fine really. It was a BBC Third programme broadcast, so the sound is actually quite good anyway.
I keep hoping that Divina records will issue it. Failing that, it seems incredible to me that the Royal Opera House haven't issued it in their own Heritrage series.

Thanks for that TS, I will take pot luck.

Mike

[DarkAngel]

TS
I placed an order for Divina label Norma.........if order is processed well I am next looking at this prize:



There is no EMI studio Anna Bolena, only the 1957 live version from La scala with conductor Gavazzeni.
I suspect Divina will again improve our sound quality, they have obtained original master tape to work from for this remaster.........Callas is an unstoppable elemental force of nature here

[Tsaraslondon]

TS
I placed an order for Divina label Norma.........if order is processed well I am next looking at this prize:



There is no EMI studio Anna Bolena, only the 1957 live version from La scala with conductor Gavazzeni.
I suspect Divina will again improve our sound quality, they have obtained original master tape to work from for this remaster.........Callas is an unstoppable elemental force of nature here

The sound on the EMI issue isn't at all bad, which probably means that the Divina issue will be even better. And this performance is, without doubt, also one of Callas's greatest achievements. Just listen to the way she launches the stretta to the Act I finale; the intensity of her attack is phenomenal. Versions by Sutherland, Sills, Gruberova and just about everyone else I have heard pale by comparison.

[Tsaraslondon]

Some may be interested to read this article about Nicolas Gage's preposterous baby boy story.

"THE SECRET SON" OF MARIA CALLAS
FACTS AND FICTION

by BRIGITTE PANTIS


     In the years after Maria Callas' death the frantic, never-ending search for new revelatory intimate material about her private life has led to ever more trashy fiction flooding the market. Nicholas Gage's best-selling Greek Fire is yet another striking example.1 The reader who expects, as the dust jacket promises, previously unpublished "secrets" about Callas' love affair with Aristotle Onassis and "startling revelations" that will "forever change what is known about the protagonists," is never let down. In fact, Gage's scandalous account offers the reader a voyeuristic view of the couple's sex life and emotional turmoil that outdoes much of what others have already extensively written about the woman behind the legend, and one can only recoil in horror at the indecencies and indignities heaped upon a great artist.2
     The author, relying on information culled from previously published books about Callas and Onassis intermingled with gossip, second-hand accounts and 'intimate' recollections by the couple's associates, friends and relatives,3 strings together a narrative filled with inaccuracies, inconsistencies and overt fabrication.4 Though he puts the spotlight on the legendary cruise on the Christina, no doubt the real 'highlight' of the book is the spectacular story of "the secret son," to which the author dedicates an entire chapter. Clearly, this is a tale of incredibilities and improbabilities that are too numerous to count and to escape any reader's attention. There are many aspects which defy reason and/or are simply not consistent with known facts. It seems best to focus on some key passages in order to show that under more careful scrutiny Gage's account turns out to be based in every respect more on speculation and fantasy than on fact.5
     In a lengthy overture to the story Gage sets out to dismiss the rumor of an abortion, first reported by Stassinopoulos,6 as a fabrication and then makes strenuous efforts to circumvent the obstacle of Meneghini's dictum that his wife was unable to conceive a child7 in order to arrive, after much speculating and conjecturing and much he-said, she-said reporting (which is altogether the trademark of his writing), at the hypothetical conclusion: "If Maria had been receiving these injections ... then ... in August of 1959, she might have been superfertile." (p.201)
     "Upon learning that she was pregnant, she was overjoyed," (p. 201) Gage recounts as if he had witnessed it himself, but Callas kept this good news to herself. As the author emphasizes a few pages later (p. 207 and again on p. 212), "the story of [her] baby's birth and death has never been told. Maria spoke of it to only three people:" her servants Bruna and Ferruccio and many years later to Vasso Devetzi. This is indeed a most curious statement, to say the least. Because within a short time, according to the ineluctable law of nature, her condition of being pregnant would have started to clearly show and become ever more visible every month. What then would prevent Callas from sharing her great joy with her closest friends Hidalgo, Lantzounis, Lomazzi, the latter accompanying her everywhere in the fall of 1959, for instance to Dallas and to the courtcase in Brescia when Callas was 4 months pregnant? How is it possible that her good friend Giovanna, who "shared a hotel suite with her during the trip to Dallas," (p. 191) and was thus at her side day and night, wouldn't have noticed or suspected anything? And, mysteriously, even Mme Biki, who would by now (November) have been busy designing maternity dresses for her famous client, did not perceive any physiological changes!
     An interesting mystery, of course, is how did Callas (by that time the world's most famous woman and besieged by reporters round the clock) manage to fool the world, friends and foes alike?8 As her sister Jackie pointedly wrote in a fax sent to Gage on 18 September 2000: "Maria couldn't be wearing a coat or something like that 24 hours a day at the crucial last months of pregnancy."9 Marilena Patronikola, Onassis' niece, similarly pointed out that a pregnancy "is not something that can be kept secret and hidden."10 After all, the thought must have occurred to Gage that one of the most important physiological changes evoked by pregnancy is the increasing swelling of the abdomen. The question is: confronted with this most troubling and most pressing issue, how does he tackle this big problem? The answer comes readily. He resorts to the simplest trick: he removes Callas from the public scene and jumps straight to the end of the pregnancy. After December, we learn, "she would not appear in public for the next several months," (p. 201) with the notable exception of an interview she granted Marlyse Schaeffer of the France-Soir.
     This claim, of course, is ludicrous for there is abundant evidence to the contrary. In particular, there are many photographs taken in February 1960 and all of them show Callas in public, as slim and slender as ever, - and this is indeed fascinating when one considers that she was seven months pregnant at the time! - wearing dresses tightly fitted at the waist. For instance, accompanied by Ghiringhelli she appeared at the première of Fellini's La dolce vita, on 5 February 1960, in the Teatro Capitol in Milan. During her stay in Paris in the second week of February photographers spotted her everywhere: visiting the exclusive salon of famous coiffeur Alexandre; attending a performance at the opera and chatting backstage with ballerina Yvette Chauvirée; dining with the Rothschilds at Maxime's. As these photographs vividly and irrefutably demonstrate, it is not possible by any stretch of the imagination to claim that in February 1960 Maria Callas was 7 months pregnant.
     As regards the "notable exception," the interview published in the France-Soir on 13 February 1960, Gage seeks to turn it flamboyantly with his shrewd composite of diffusive quotations and allusive comments into a vehicle for proving his case. And as a skilled columnist he is a master of all the tricks of his profession. Let us see what he fails to mention: "Ensuite, quand je l'ai vue à l'Opéra," writes Schaeffer about Callas, "j'ai pensé: «Elle a maigri»" (this borders on the miraculous: at 7 months pregnant she appears even to have lost weight!), and what he adds: "elle tapota sa robe de faille raide," which he describes this way: "the voluminous [!] dress of «stiff faille» that Maria wore might have suggested that she had something to hide." (p. 202) A few days later Callas was seen dining with Meneghini at La barca d'oro, a fashionable Milanese restaurant, an event that set the city buzzing once again with rumors of a reconciliation. It is in this context that the Greek newspaper Ελευθερία (Eleftheria) reported on 19 February 1960: "Maria Callas returned from Paris on the eve of her meeting with her former husband. To friends she had expressed her anger at certain statements attributed to her by a reporter from the French newspaper France-Soir and especially at what was written about her husband." And the article went on to note, "Immediately after her arrival in Milan Maria Callas officially denied the whole interview."11
     "«I don't want to sing anymore. I want to live, just like a normal woman, with children, a home, a dog.»12 This was Maria's goal as she entered the eighth month of her pregnancy." (p. 204) – This simply does not coincide with the historical facts. As performance schedules and contracts with artists are drawn up months in advance by the management of opera houses, Kosti Bastia, then director of the Athens lyric theatre, had been negotiating with Callas since January 1960 the details of her first performance at Epidaurus in August of that year, the official announcement of which was expected at the beginning of April. Because it was the first time ever that, exclusively for Callas, an opera would be staged at this pantheon of ancient Greek tragedy, this 'big news' received major coverage by the Greek press in the first months of 1960.13 The French press on the other hand reported that Callas met on 10 February with A.M. Julien, director of the Paris opera, to restart negotiations for Medea and that the work would now be given at the Palais Garnier in November 1960. In Italy, meanwhile, it was circulated that Ghiringhelli had proposed to Callas to open the 1960/61 season at La Scala, suggesting Norma, Medea or Beatrice di Tenda, which were finally all abandoned in favour of Poliuto.14
     Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Gage's account is the premature childbirth at the diva's request. Let us turn to the description of what happened and how: "But Maria's loneliness at his [Onassis] absence slowly gave way to dread at the prospect of his return," Gage relates as if Callas herself had confided her innermost thoughts to him. "She feared having him see her swollen and nine months pregnant. She felt ugly and awkward and wished he could find her slim again, and holding their baby in her arms." (p. 204) In short, Callas couldn't wait any longer and that is why she pressured her gynaecologist "to deliver the child early – by cesarean section – as soon as it was safe [!!] to do so." Thus, early on the morning of March 30, she arrived at Clinica Dezza on Via Dezza 48 and Dr Palmieri (who went to his grave taking the secret with him) "delivered a baby boy. Soon, however, the tiny infant began to have difficulty breathing. The clinic was not equipped [!!] to deal with the crisis and an ambulance was called to rush the baby to a better-equipped [!!] facility [?]." (p. 205) – This is utterly fantastic and scientifically cannot be taken seriously: neither a Caesarean section nor a premature childbirth is such an easy thing as Gage wants us naively to believe.
    First of all, it should be remembered that in those days a Caesarean section was not an optional choice for childbirth. On the contrary, in the 60ies this operation still carried a definite hazard and would only be performed if severe obstetrical abnormalities were detected and when a natural birth was impossible.15 Second, 50% of all deaths of newborn infants at the time were due to pre-maturity, i.e. birth at less than 37 weeks after conception. It was and is widely known that the chief specific causes of death among premature infants are respiratory disturbances, infections and haemorrhages, especially into the brain or lungs. For this reason a premature delivery requires skilful obstetric management and specialized nursing and paediatric care in a clinic equipped with an intensive care unit for newborn infants. Third, thanks to further medical improvements, today the chances of survival of premature infants born alive have significantly increased, but the fact remains that premature babies are liable to permanent defects (such as reduced stature, disturbed neuromuscular development and low intelligence quotient).
     In view of the above, it is flagrantly absurd to assume that Callas in complicity with her gynaecologist would have been prepared to take the risks involved in a premature childbirth by Caesarean section, so dangerous for both mother and child, moreover in an ill-equipped third-rate clinic, not to mention the possible serious after-effects on the prematurely born child. It is also good to remember that in catholic Italy physicians were forbidden to assist their patients in either the prevention or termination of pregnancy. In short, it would have amounted to a medical malpractice with serious legal consequences and would at the very least have cost Dr Palmieri his licence. Gage's (former) good friend Dr Andreas Stathopoulos, himself a physician, pretty well sums it up: "What Gatsoyannis [Gage] writes is outrageous. It's a ridiculous contention... Never ever could any physician be pressured to terminate a pregnancy, to perform a premature delivery by Caesarean section for those ridiculous reasons a month before the expected time of birth. In no civilized country could this happen, let alone with Callas as the protagonist. Ask whomever you like, scientifically this is untenable."16
     Finally, let us focus attention on the core of the issue: the documentary evidence the author provides to support his allegation. Actually Gage's 'proof' rests on 2 claims. First: "The description of the birth and death of Omero given above is based on her [Bruna's] recollections, and is supported by the picture and documents left behind by Maria in her private papers." (p. 209) Second: "Most of this chapter [The Secret Son] is based on documents from Maria Callas' private papers that I was able to obtain. I confirmed the authenticity of the papers through individuals [!] who saw them shortly after Callas' death on September 16, 1977." (p. 401)
     The alleged testimony of Callas' loyal maid Bruna Lupoli, who has steadfastly refused to speak to anyone about her mistress, raises a string of tantalizing questions: she waited 40 years for Mr Gage to come along to make this bombshell disclosure, i.e. she revealed to a complete stranger [!] through a mysterious, never-identified intermediary [!] and many undocumented telephone conversations [!] this sensational secret she had kept in her bosom for decades...17 Only to the staunchest admirer of Gage's fantasies would this make any semblance of sense.
     Regarding the key issue: obviously in order to bolster the authenticity of his story, Gage repeatedly emphasizes that the purported birth and death certificates provided on page 206 (no doubt intentionally reproduced in a scarcely decipherable format, so that the reader merely glances at them and concentrates instead on Gage's doctored translation) are authentic Callas papers which came mysteriously into his hands. There is only one problem with this contention – it isn't true. For these certificates were in fact issued (see bottom left) on 23/10/1998 and 22/10/1998 respectively, that is 21 years after Callas' death. In other words: Gage pretends to present papers from 1960 that in fact date from 1998. Thus these documents could not possibly have been left behind by Callas in her "private papers" because they did not exist at that time. To put it bluntly: the documentation on which his claim is based is actually false and manipulative. Consequently, Gage's "strong proof, including documents that Maria left behind in her private papers," (p. 199) vanishes into thin air and the "mystery" surrounding the surname as well.
     Equally significant is the fact that the questionable papers are by no means "birth and death certificates," (p. 211) as Gage boldly claims.18 By international standards, a birth certificate, to be considered valid, must be a certified copy of an extract from an original entry of birth in the official vital statistics records of the state, etc. of the place of birth, must be issued on an official form and must show the parent's (parents') surname and first names in full. Likewise the so-called death certificate is not issued on an official form, and it fails to state not only the parents' names but also the exact place and hour of death. What Gage provides can at best be described as some sort of unofficial papers, issued at request of 'someone' 38 years after the sad event, which state the birth and death of a certain Lengrini Omero on 30 March 1960 in Milan.
     It's also worth noting that Gage's translation on page 205 of the so-called 'birth certificate' is false and misleading. The Estratto per riassunto di atto nascita states as place of birth "nella casa posta in Via Dezza n. 49," while Gage translates: "at the house listed as Via Dezza number 48" (= the location of 'Clinica Dezza'). There are also discrepancies with regard to the registration numbers and naturally the date of issue (23/10/1998) is omitted.
     To sum up, as a skilled investigative reporter Gage pulls all the stops in order to successfully market a fabricated story – no matter how false or ridiculous. The main focus of Greek Fire has been the sensational 'secret boy story,' pointedly placed exactly in the middle of his narrative, serving as "the lure to sell the book because otherwise it has nothing new to add."19 This story is simply an invention. All other absurdities aside, conclusive evidence emerges from the forged documentation proving beyond any doubt that there never was any baby boy secretly born by Maria Callas. It is a real scandal that the author largely got away with it. But what is even more appalling and truely incredible is that the apologists for the book, ignoring a basic scientific principle, did not even take the trouble to verify the authenticity of the fabled "private Callas papers" which provide the core support and sole 'proof' of the story. This failure to seriously investigate the whole issue is simply baffling.
     Ultimately, Gage's chronique scandaleuse sets a precedent which is certainly much more than just a question of factual errors and deliberate distortions. It is a moral issue and raises deeply troubling questions regarding the integrity of investigative journalism and the quality of disseminated information in today's profit-orientated 'culture', dominated by stupid and vulgar entertainment. The fact that 'the secret son' story has already reached mythic proportions (see recent DVD and films) is revealing of the rapidly deteriorating standards in the present market society. Callas "sells" – and this is perhaps the only thing that matters.
     It is more than disturbing and infuriating that this much-ballyhooed trashy novel, which is a disgrace and an insult to Callas, has been uncritically accepted by some reviewers20 and Callas-experts instead of prompting an outpouring of indignation. As a result EMI, by championing Greek Fire on its Maria Callas website (cf. section 'Articles'), has the dubious distinction of being an accomplice to the selling and spreading of Gage's baby story. For the sake of historical truth, this myth must be challenged and exposed at every turn for what it is: an outright fairy tale.

©2005 by Brigitte Pantis

[DarkAngel]

  vs 

La Traviata 1953 studio performance conducted by Santini
I purchased several of the Naxos Callas series a while ago but just now getting around to comparing them to other versions. Ward Marston of Naxos is restoration engineer and I think he uses CEDAR system but no info in booklet. EU only has 50 year copywright so many of Callas performances now showing up at Naxos (no USA sales) and Marston gets best vinyl available to make each release.......

There should be no way a copy from record can sound better than EMI company with original studio master tapes but I prefer Naxos sound for 1953 Studio La Traviata conducted by Santini. Naxos has warmer quieter more natural sound.....purists would say the top end has been rolled off and sound enhanced but who cares I really think it sounds better, have to check a couple other samples to see if Naxos can repeat this miracle for other Callas operas......

[DarkAngel]

   VS 

Another test 1954 studio Norma conductor Serafin, here I give the edge to the EMI recording with a slightly cleaner purer treble and more presence and air around things, sounds deeper in the soundstage are clearer.....as you would expect with having original studio master tape. Naxos sound restoration by Mark Obert Thorn

Not sure what happened with 1953 studio La Traviata since Naxos has better sound there......

[Lethevich]

The problem with the majors and historical recordings is that they all remaster them aggressively, putting their faith in the latest "super technology" to win over casual fans who want the smoothest sound possible. Unfortunately this sounds really murky and bad to everybody else - so it is indeed a total waste of their master tapes Nowadays I don't think the majors have people who even like classical music making decisions about these releases.

[kishnevi]

just to clear up any possible confusion from an earlier remark of mine downthread.

I realized today that Callas's first Norma studio recording, while it is the one which is part of Brilliant's Opera Collection series (meaning licensed from EMI), is not the one released by EMI as part of its most recent budget series (under the rubric The Home of Opera)--that one is the second studio recording. 

So both recordings are now part of a budget series, not just the first one as I thought.

[DarkAngel]

I have never seen Callas in a live Norma performance, just recital arias........

Here is short clip someone found of actual Callas performance, what commanding presence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiQRTN3FEcw&feature=related

[DarkAngel]

Finally received my Divina label Norma...........excellent, bravo
(took about 10 days, payment through paypal, signature required on delivery)

The enhanced section just knocked my socks off, a treasure chest of Callas material.
The 128 photos are extremely high quality and click to enlarge to super size, many I have never seen before. The stage set photos for this Norma would make Zefferelli jealous, super deluxe especially the druid temple scences, copies of Norma program guide from theater, videos......where does this guy get this great stuff!

I have placed my order for Divina label Anna Bolena

[DarkAngel]

There are one or two live performances I don't have, though I've heard most of them. LOL

Actually, now that I think of it, I don't have the first studio Norma; the live La Scala of 1955 is so superior, and as a studio recording of the opera, I actually prefer the second, in stereo and with a superior supporting cast. Nor do I have the Lisbon La Travaiata, prefering, as I do, the Covent Garden performance of 1958. I do have the Giulini/La Scala one though.

TS maybe time to give the Lisbon Traviata another listen, there are some improved sound versions compared to the EMI black box version using original tapes cheapest being Myto:

 

Many at Amazon swear by the Pearl label Traviata, but very hard to find a copy now

I have the Myto 1958 Rescigno ROH "Traviata" but I think the Lisbon/Ghione/Myto is slightly better, and if I keep only one I go with Lisbon



The live Giulini "traviata" has such poor sound I rarely listen to it...............we need a Divina "traviata"

[kishnevi]

cheapest being Myto:

I have the Myto Rescigno "Traviata" that you like but I think the Lisbon/Ghione/Myto is slightly better, and if I keep only one I go with Lisbon

General question not really confined to Callas--how is the sound quality of Myto, in general?  I've always held back from getting the one or two issues of theirs I've come across--my experience with these sort of "live" recordings has never been the best, and I'm afraid of getting just another recording I'll never actually play because of sound issues.

[DarkAngel]

General question not really confined to Callas--how is the sound quality of Myto, in general?  I've always held back from getting the one or two issues of theirs I've come across--my experience with these sort of "live" recordings has never been the best, and I'm afraid of getting just another recording I'll never actually play because of sound issues.

Myto is not especially known for working miracles in sound improvement with older 1950's live material like the Callas Traviata, but the Lisbon version I mention they do noticeably improve things compared to before with better source tapes.

You must be careful with any live Callas material from 1950s since many works are pretty poor sound for my taste.......like the EMI blue box Traviata with Giulini, Myto Lisbon/Ghione sounds much better