Notes and Editorial Reviews
This makes a good Callas set for beginners. It contains arias
that showcase a good section of her most successful repertoire
and it captures her voice at its best. Exactly when it is captured
remains a mystery, however: the set’s main problem for pre-existing
fans and aficionados is that, while it contains information
about where and with whom each track was recorded, we are not
given any dates. Given the variable nature of Callas’ voice,
the multiple occasions on which she recorded many of her roles,
and the speed of her vocal decline, this is a serious oversight.
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However, while this may put off collectors it won’t discourage
first-timers. They will also be helped by the sumptuous packaging:
the CDs and DVD are housed in a luxurious hardback book with
glossy photos and full texts and translations. There is also
a very good essay from Ira Siff giving an overview of her career
and including some lovely personal recollections, as well as
analysing her significance for her art.
The excerpts themselves are well chosen to showcase Callas at
her best. I was most pleasantly surprised by the French excerpts
which are sung sensitively and with an unusually perceptive
ear for French style. Her Donna Elvira is also very interesting,
if rather unlovely. For those who are already Callas fans the
chief attraction may be the DVD. As you might guess from the
title, The Callas Effect, its main aim is to pin down
what made Callas special and to pick out some examples of that
from her career. It does that fairly well, though it tells us
nothing new, instead reiterating commonplaces such as how effective
her acting was and how she always used the music to deduce how
to give a gesture or action on stage. It focuses disproportionately
on her contribution to the 1964 Zeffirelli Tosca at Covent
Garden, interviewing some who were involved in that production
either as extras or chorus members. There are also extensive
extracts from the filmed Act 2. These might not tell us anything
new, but they serve to underline just how magnetic a stage presence
she really was, as well as what vocal beauty she was capable
of even at that late stage in her career. There are some (very
unhelpful) interviews with superfans who, somewhat amusingly,
are given the title of “Opera connoisseurs”, and with modern
singers, such as Joyce DiDonato, who comment on her significance
for the art of singing. The most interesting moments, however,
come from those who collaborated with her professionally, such
as John Copley and John Tooley. Tooley tells a fascinating story
of how he offered her Santuzza at Covent Garden as a return
to the stage, long after she was supposed to have retired, with
the mouth-watering prospect of Domingo as Turridu. We will have
to be content with dreaming about what that would have been
like! She refused but, he tells us, years later she admitted
to him that she should have done it.
So while aficionados probably won’t find much to inspire them
here, it’s not a bad way in for those who may want to explore
Callas’ legacy on disc. It’s also very good value for money
and would make a good gift for someone.
-- Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International Read less
Works on This Recording
3.
Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1918; Italy
4.
La Bohème: Si, mi chiamano Mimì by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896; Italy
5.
Rigoletto: Caro nome by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano),
Renato Ercolani (Tenor),
Carlo Forti (Bass)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Italy
6.
La traviata: Ah, fors' è lui by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Franco Ghione
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Lisbon San Carlos National Theater Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
11.
Mignon: Je suis Titania la blonde by Ambroise Thomas
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Georges Prêtre
Orchestra/Ensemble:
French National Radio Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1866; France
12.
Alceste: Divinités du Styx by Christoph W. Gluck
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Georges Prêtre
Orchestra/Ensemble:
French National Radio Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1767; Vienna, Austria
13.
Norma: Casta diva by Vincenzo Bellini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831; Italy
14.
Macbeth: La luce langue by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Nicola Rescigno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Italy
15.
Turandot: In questa reggia by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1926; Italy
16.
Tosca: Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Victor De Sabata
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
17.
Madama Butterfly: Un bel dì vedremo by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1904; Italy
19.
La Wally: Ebben?... Ne andrò lontana by Alfredo Catalani
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1892; Italy
20.
Il trovatore: D'amor sull' ali rosee by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
21.
Andrea Chénier: La mamma morta by Umberto Giordano
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896; Italy
22.
Il pirata: Col sorriso d'innocenza by Vincenzo Bellini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Nicola Rescigno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1827; Italy
23.
Ernani: Surta è la notte by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Nicola Rescigno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Italy
24.
Aida: Ritorna vincitor! by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Nicola Rescigno
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
25.
Carmen: Carreau, pique...la mort! by Georges Bizet
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Georges Prêtre
Orchestra/Ensemble:
French National Radio Orchestra,
French National Radio Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1873-1874; France
28.
La Gioconda: Suicidio! by Amilcare Ponchielli
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Antonino Votto
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1876; Italy
29.
Manon Lescaut: Sola, perduta, abbandonata by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1893; Italy
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