This CD is reissued by ArkivMusic.
Notes and Editorial Reviews
It is strange to find that two such prolific recording artists in the same field should never before have recorded together. This disc was released by Decca to coincide with the concert the two singers gave together at the Royal Albert Hall, on October 9th, and happily it offers what the concert tended to neglect—full-scale, full-blooded operatic duets. It would be idle to pretend of course that either singer is unscathed by the effect of time. The recording must have been made well over a year ago (John Mordler, the recording producer, moved from Decca to EMI in late 1972), but already then much of the bloom had gone from two exceptionally beautiful natural voices.
But once that is said, there is much to enjoy in lusty
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accounts of warhorse duets into which each singer, oblivious of danger, launches with characteristic forthrightness and power. The brief duet from Adriana Lecouvreur is the only item in which both singers are on home ground. Tebaldi has Manon Lescaut as hers (Des Grieux is not in Corelli's regular repertory), while Corelli sings his usual roles in the Aida and Gioconda items against Tebaldi breaking new ground. As Amneris Tebaldi is not the wickedest-sounding interpreter, but her voice copes magnificently with the mezzo demands. As Laura, too, Tebaldi takes over a mezzo role, more impressive in the passionate moments than in the delicately dreamy conclusion.
The Zandonai item, by far the longest, makes a fascinating comparison with the version also on Decca (SET 422,1/70) from Magda Olivero and Mario del Monaco. Where Olivero husbands her voice with utmost care (she often makes a virtue of necessity in singing on a mere thread of sound), Tebaldi attempts exactly the interpretation she would have given had she taken up the role a decade or more ago. Plainly it is not the voice of a young girl, but only occasionally is the inevitable hardness on top distracting. The Corelli/Del Monaco contrast is more predictable. Neither is subtle, but Corelli at least attempts to give a detailed interpretation, while Del Monaco's voice is better preserved.
A strange mixture then in every way, but admirers of both singers should certainly investigate this record. Tebaldi in particular provides many vintage moments, uniquely identifiable. The recording made in the Victoria Hall, Geneva, is wide-ranging and atmospheric.
-- Edward Greenfield, Gramophone [12/1973]
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Works on This Recording
1.
Manon Lescaut: Tu, tu, amore, tu? by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Franco Corelli (Tenor),
Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
Conductor:
Anton Guadagno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1893; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/1972
Venue: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
Language: Italian
2.
Aida: Già i sacerdoti adunansi...Ah! tu dei vivere! by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Franco Corelli (Tenor),
Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
Conductor:
Anton Guadagno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/1972
Venue: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection is preceded by "L'aborrita rivale."
3.
Adriana Lecouvreur: Ma dunque è vero by Francesco Cilèa
Performer:
Franco Corelli (Tenor),
Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
Conductor:
Anton Guadagno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1902; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/1972
Venue: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
Language: Italian
4.
La Gioconda: Ma chi vien? by Amilcare Ponchielli
Performer:
Renata Tebaldi (Soprano),
Remo Cambiati (Bass)
Conductor:
Anton Guadagno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1876; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/1972
Venue: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection is followed by "Oh! la sinistra voce!".
5.
Francesca da Rimini: No, Smaragdi!...Inghirkandata di violette by Riccardo Zandonai
Performer:
Franco Corelli (Tenor),
Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
Conductor:
Anton Guadagno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Suisse Romande Orchestra,
Léman Chorus
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914; Turin, Italy
Date of Recording: 09/1972
Venue: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
Language: Italian
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