Music : Puccini: Tosca (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Victor de Sabata, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
List Price: $32.98Amazon.com's Price: $21.97 You Save: $11.01 (33%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724355630421
Label: EMI Classics
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release Date: August 19, 1997
Sales Rank: 12535
Studio: EMI Classics
Related Items:- Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
- Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
- Verdi - Rigoletto / Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, LSO, Bonynge
- Puccini - La Bohème / Freni, Pavarotti, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Karajan
- Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra
- see more
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential recording:
Little can be added to what's been written about this landmark recording, except that Walter Legge's 1953 mono production yields nothing to modern Tosca recordings for vivacity and theatrical impact--especially Maria Callas's. The miraculous Victor de Sabata conjures up a vibrant, inspiring orchestral canvas that enables Callas and her stellar cohorts to work their magic. Tito Gobbi and Callas spur each other on to heights in which the characters take over from the singers in the listener's mind. Giuseppe Di Stefano is on his best behavior, and in fresher voice than on his fine Leontyne Price-Herbert von Karajan remake. On this set, EMI includes texts, translations, and notes that discuss this recording in the context of Callas's mercurial career. --Jed Distler
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
For me this is the Tosca to get. In my view, no one comes close to the passion of Callas. Everything else is right too. Will probably never be done better. And this is a 1953 recording.
Rating: -
This is much more than the best opera recording ever: it is the true expression of perfection.
Rating:  -
Maria screamed at all times, no pianissimis. The best Tosca is with Renata Tebaldi and Mario Del Monaco.
Rating: -
Originally posted in my music review blog. Check my profile if you are interested.
---
Music critics have long been fond of drolly referring to Tosca as a "shabby little shocker" and then misattributing the comment to George Bernard Shaw. No small wonder, then, that this Tosca has long been hailed as the "greatest" opera recording of the last century, even before such milestones as the Solti Ring and the Giulini Don Giovanni.
But are such superlatives justified? There have been many fine recordings of Tosca in the 50 years since this one, most with better recorded sound and many of them boasting excellent casts. Are they so clearly second-rate?
The truth is, it depends on how you think of opera. If perfect vocalism is your standard, this performance will not be a first choice. As adored singer Floria Tosca, Callas' striking-but-not-beautiful voice is somewhat paradoxical, occasionally sacrificing legato for the sake of some dramatic effect or another. Similarly, Giuseppe Di Stefano's golden, lyric tenor voice sounds hollow and pressed on top, most noticeably in the heroic Vittoria! of Act 2. And Gobbi's voice is typically venomous, lacking any real heft or depth. Those seeking consistently beautiful, secure singing from beginning to end would do well to acquire the excellent sets of Tebaldi or Caballé, the latter featuring a young José Carreras in particularly fine voice.
Dramatically, however, this recording is likely ... Read More
Rating:  -
This CD set is fairly nice for the price it was. Everything sounded beautiful, my only problem was that some parts are way louder than others, so I had to control the volume alot.
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by: Giacomo Puccini, Victor De Sabata, Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala
Related Items:
     see more
Related Items:- Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
- Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
- Verdi - Rigoletto / Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, LSO, Bonynge
- Puccini - La Bohème / Freni, Pavarotti, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Karajan
- Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra
- see more
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724355630421
Label: EMI Classics
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release Date: August 19, 1997
Sales Rank: 12535
Studio: EMI Classics
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