Although the words “historic” and “classic”
are all too often used to describe any recording more than a
few years old which might still be worth hearing they apply
with all their original force to this set. Everything came together
in the studio to produce a version which grips the listener
from start to finish, with no hint of routine, every phrase
characterised to perfection, and real theatrical tension. This
is due above all to the conductor, Victor de Sabata, who ensures
urgency, clarity and apparent spontaneity throughout. Callas
and Gobbi are heard at the peak of their form, and comparison
with their stereo version in 1964 shows a sad coarsening in
both of their performances allied with routine conducting from
Georges Prêtre. Even Giuseppe Di Stefano, a very variable
artist, is heard at something like his best in the 1953 version;
he was replaced by Carlo Bergonzi in the later version.
Understandably this 1953 version has been frequently reissued,
and not only EMI but also Naxos, Regis, Brilliant, and probably
many others, have it in their catalogues. Andrew Rose, who re-mastered
the present version, explains that he felt that a new transfer
could only be justified if it brought something really special
and new to distinguish it from earlier versions. I have not
been able to compare it directly with those others but I accept
that what is heard here is much more clear and comfortable to
listen to as well as more convincing than those I have heard
previously. The sound of the voices has astonishing realism,
although their closeness can be a little wearing at times, and
re-hearing does increase my incomprehension at the ineffectual
realisation of the “effects” built into the score
in respect of the cannon shot in the first Act, the closing
of the window in the second, and the rifle volley in the third.
These are part of the score, not extraneous to it, but were
treated almost apologetically by Walter Legge, the producer
of the set.
That is however a common problem with all reissues of this reading.
One version or another should be in the collection of any Puccini
enthusiast, and I can only say that I have had considerable
pleasure from this re-mastering. Memories can be unreliable
but this is certainly much superior in my memory to the original
discs. There are however two irritations which may make you
prefer one of the other reissues. The first - the lack of a
libretto or translation - is of minor importance when they are
easily available either online or elsewhere. The second is more
serious. When the whole opera lasts less than two hours, it
seems unfortunate as well as unnecessary to divide Act Two between
the two discs. Other versions on CD have Acts Two and Three
on the second disc. The change here comes immediately after
Vissi d’arte. Admittedly, in the theatre, all too
often the tension is dissipated with applause but a gap here
is something I can do without when listening at home. Whether
this is likely to bother you I cannot say. Certainly if it does
not this must be accounted a very fine transfer of a performance
which can properly be described as historic and a classic.
John Sheppard
Tosca - Maria Callas (soprano); Cavaradossi - Giuseppe Di Stefano
(tenor); Scarpia - Tito Gobbi (baritone); Angelotti - Franco Calabrese
(baritone); Spoletta - Angelo Mercuriali (tenor); Sacristan - Melchiorre
Luise (bass); Sciarrone/Gaoler - Dario Caselli (baritone); Shepherd
boy - Angelo Mercuriali (treble) 