"The other diva of the twentieth century," a saying goes (and obviously in reference to the Divine), will be a peerless Verde, beautiful Violetta (though they say its acute), or Aida glorious must Desdemona, his Training also allowing it verismo as a person, none Maddalena, Santuzza fantastic ... but she still show a preference for the music of Puccini, singing almost all jobs, perfect Mimi or Butterfly, Tosca fire unforgettable Manon, Minnie spirited, irreplaceable in the Triptych.
This box provides an overview Membran, partial but representative of one nicknamed "The voice of an angel" (in the words of Toscanini). Found mainly extracts integral studios made it for Decca in the fifties (including Mario del Monaco). But also some captured live on major opera stages (the Metropolitan, La Scala), or a part of the first recital studio recorded in 1949. All records of this case date back to the fifties elsewhere (some also with little date of precision). As often in this collection Membran, the sound quality is generally good but nevertheless variable, with postponements or sometimes sloppy transitions.
Below is the detailed content of the box. Abbreviations used: = OASCR Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia Roma; OSR = Swiss Romande Orchestra; OTSM = Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano.
= = CD1 Italian Opera (77 min)
Puccini: Madama Butterfly: "Un bel di di vedremo" (OASCR, Aberto Ererde 1951), followed by the final scene of Act 1 (with Giuseppe di Stefano young to the San Francisco Opera, conducted by Gaetano Merola, live 1950); La Bohème: "Mi chiamano Mimi" and "Donde lieta usci" (excerpts from the famous full with Bergonzi, OASCR, Tullio Serafin, 1958); Manon Lescaut "In quelle trine morbid" (OSR, Alberto Erede, 1949); Tosca: "Vissi d'arte" (OASCR Alberto Erede, 1951) - Boito: La Wally "Ebben not lontana andro" (OTSM, Ninon Sanzogno) - Gounod: Faust: Song of the King of Thule (jewelry air sung in Italian OSR, Alberto Erede, 1949) - Verdi: La Forza del Destino "Pace, pace mio Dio" (Orchestra del Teatro di Firenze Comunal, Gabriele Santini, live 1956); Il Trovatore "Tacea placida la notte" (OSR, Alberto Erede, 1949); Aida "Ritorna Vincitor" (OSR, Alberto Erede, 1949), "O Patria mia" (OTSM, Antonino Votto).
= CD2 = Puccini: Tosca (73 min)
The magnificent "Vissi d'arte" from 1949 (OSR, Alberto Erede) will be the only studio of this disc. Follow two scenes (19 minutes) of Act 1, a pickup at Covent Garden in 1955, with Ferruccio Tagliavini and Tito Gobbi, under the baton of Francesco Molinari-Pradelli. Finally, large extracts of Act 2 (34 minutes) and Act 3 (16 minutes), with Scarpia Leonard Warren and Cavaradossi Richard Tucker, the Metropolitan in 1956, under the baton of eminently theatrical Dimitri Mitropoulos (who does all the price of this recording, with superb Tebaldi).
= = CD3 Puccini: La Bohème / Madama Butterfly (69 min)
First selection (29 minutes) of the first studio Mimi Tebaldi in 1951 Giacinto Prandelli, Fernando Corena, Giovanni Inghilleri Hilde Güden Rafael Arie, OASCR Alberto Erede. Then a selection (40 minutes) Butterfly, mainly in reference studio version recorded in 1958, OASCR under the baton of Tullio Serafin, with the irresistible Carlo Bergonzi, Enzo Sordello, and the beautiful Fiorenza Cossotto. Only the final scene of Act 1 (13 minutes) is derived from the 1951 recordings with Alberto Erede, and this time the Pinkerton Giuseppe Campora.
= = CD4 Puccini: Turandot / La Fanciulla del West (53 min)
Liù gives us the first ten minutes of this CD; extracts from the 1955 studio version, with Calaf Mario Del Monaco, Nicola Zaccaria, Fernando Corena, OASCR Alberto Erede. Follows a selection (42 minutes) of the Fanciulla recorded three years later, in 1958, again with Mario Del Monaco, and Jack Rance Cornell MacNeil, OASCR Franco Capuana.
= = CD5 Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Puccini: Manon Lescaut (66 min)
The three extracts (23 minutes) of Cavalleria recorded in 1957 with Jussi Björling and Ettore Bastianini (OMMF Alberto Erede) give only one desire: to rush to the full recording, a reference. Follows a selection of Manon Lescaut studio recorded in 1954, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli OASCR, with Des Grieux testosterone but wonderful Mario Del Monaco; one of the main references of the catalog, notwithstanding what may be said critics of the Florentine.
= = CD6 Giordano: Andrea Chénier (51 min)
With a necessarily very similar program, these are the two studios versions of Tebaldi in Maddalena proposed here. First version in 1957 (29 minutes) with the iconic Chénier Mario del Monaco, and Gérard superlative Ettore Bastianini, with forces led by Gianandrea Gavazzeni OASCR. Then excerpts (22 minutes) of a first sensed studio version for RAI in 1952 under the baton of Arturo Basile, with Chénier Forgot José Solér and Ugo Savarese in Gerard.
= = CD7 Verdi: Aida / Otello (75 min)
The following three CDs are devoted to Giuseppe Verdi, starting with a selection (43 minutes) from the captured Aida studio in 1952 with Mario brazen Radames del Monaco, Aldo Protti, Ebe Stignani, OASCR Alberto Erede. Then a selection (32 minutes) from Otello studio captured the same year, with the hot Maure Mario del Monaco and always Erede in Rome.
= = CD8 Verdi: La Forza del Destino (48 min)
A selection of full studio realized in 1955, a reference version with Tebaldi at its best, as are the other leading roles, all staggering: Mario del Monaco, Ettore Bastianini, Cesare Siepi, OASCR under the baton of Francesco Molinari -Pradelli.
= = CD9 Verdi: Il Trovatore / La Traviata (65 min)
A selection (36 min) of Trovatore registered in 1956 with the Geneva Grand Theatre Orchestra and the decidedly indispensable Alberto Erede. With Ugo Savarese, Manrico and also staple of Mario del Monaco. Following extracts (29 min) from La Traviata (in a lower sound quality): two excerpts from the studio version 1954 with Gianni Poggi, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli OASCR are separated by extracts (19 min) of a live at the Metropolitan Leonard Warren in 1957, under the baton of Fausto Cleva, and a "Addio del passato" Milanese led by Antonino Votto (dating unclear).
= = CD10 Recital (55 min)
For starters, two extracts of Giovanna d'Arco, recorded for RAI in 1951, with the young Carlo Bergonzi, under the direction of Alfredo Simonetto. Then a curiosity: an air of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro at La Scala under the direction of Antonino Votto (dating unclear). Finally, a recital (35 min) captured "probably in 1955" (or rather 1956) with Giorgio Favaretto at the piano in Italian arias by Handel (Giulio Cesare), Sarti (Giulio Sabino), and signed melodies Scarlatti, Verdi , Bellini, Mozart, Rossini, Tosti and Davico.
