Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Pnaerai, Zaccaria; Karajan

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Lucia was another one of Callas's signature roles; in fact, one might argue that she made people listen to it in a manner they had neglected since its inception. Long the territory of canary-like high sopranos with no interest in drama (e.g., Lily Pons), Callas brought the role into the same dramatic focus it had been created for. At its premiere in 1835, members of the audience wept audibly at Lucia's lunacy. With her darker tone and psychological probing, Callas made us hear what was in the poor girl's soul--she was an innocent, tricked, abandoned, and driven mad. This live performance, in so-so sound (but absolutely worth it), is staggering in its musical and dramatic potency; something between Callas and Karajan was in the air that made them think, breathe, and create music as one. Callas ducks the first big E-flat in the Mad Scene for dramatic effect; the second one is all the more special for making us wait for it. And elsewhere Callas's "rightness" within the role is never in doubt. Costar Giuseppe di Stefano, too, is at his best, singing with ardor and gorgeous streams of sound, and the ensemble work is so spectacular that the audience demands--and gets--an encore of the 2nd Act sextet. Any collection of great opera recordings without this set is incomplete. --Robert Levine

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Pnaerai, Zaccaria; Karajan, Music, Gaetano Donizetti, Herbert von Karajan, Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Nicoal Zaccaria, Rolando Panerai, Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Pnaerai, Zaccaria; Karajan
Average customer rating:

10 Stars

Excellent

A little bit of this...a little bit of that.

Undoubtedly Callas' Best Lucia

CALLAS' BEST LUCIA!

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Callas, di Stefano, Pnaerai, Zaccaria; Karajan
Gaetano Donizetti , Herbert von Karajan , Maria Callas , Giuseppe di Stefano , Nicoal Zaccaria , Rolando Panerai , Coro del Teatro alla Scala , and Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus 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

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Ponchielli: La Gioconda (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Fiorenza Cossotto, Antonino Votto, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Cherubini: Medea (complete opera live 1953) with Maria Callas, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Bernstein, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B00000630V
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

Lucia di Lammermoor: preludio
Lucia di Lammermoor: Act One - Scene One - percorrete...percorriamo le spiagge vicine
Lucia di Lammermoor: tu sei turbato!...e n'ho ben d'onde
Lucia di Lammermoor: cruda, funesta smania
Lucia di Lammermoor: il tuo dubbio e omai certezza...come vinti da stanchezza
Lucia di Lammermoor: la pietade in suo favore
Lucia di Lammermoor: Scene - ancor non giunse?
Lucia di Lammermoor: regnava nel silenzio alta la notte e bruna
Lucia di Lammermoor: quando rapito in estasi
Lucia di Lammermoor: egli s'avanza...lucia, perdona se ad ora inusitata
Lucia di Lammermoor: sulla tomba che rinserra il tradito genitore
Lucia di Lammermoor: qui di sposa eterna fede...ah, soltanto il nostro foco
Lucia di Lammermoor: ah, talor del tuo pensiero venga un foglio messaggero
Lucia di Lammermoor: veranno a te sull'aure i miei sospiri ardenti

Tracks:

Lucia di Lammermoor: Act Two - Scen One - lucia fra poco a te verra...tremante l'aspetto
Lucia di Lammermoor: appressati, lucia...il pallor funesto, orrendo
Lucia di Lammermoor: soffriva nel pianto...un folle t'accese
Lucia di Lammermoor: che fia?...suonar di giubilo
Lucia di Lammermoor: se tradirmi tu potrai...tu che vedi il pianto mio
Lucia di Lammermoor: Scene - per te d'immensa giubilo...per poco fra le tenebre spari la vostra stella
Lucia di Lammermoor: dov'e lucia? ...qui giungere or la vedrem
Lucia di Lammermoor: piange la madre estinta
Lucia di Lammermoor: chi mi frena in tal momento
Lucia di Lammermoor: t'allontana, sciagurato...rispettate in me di Dio
Lucia di Lammermoor: sconsigliato! in queste porte chi ti guida?
Lucia di Lammermoor: esci, fuggi, il furor che m'accende
Lucia di Lammermoor: Act Three - Scene One - d'immenso giubilo s'innalzi un grido
Lucia di Lammermoor: dalle stanze ove lucia tratta avea col suo consorte
Lucia di Lammermoor: oh! qual funesto avvenimento!
Lucia di Lammermoor: il dolce suono mi colpi di sua voce!...ardon gli incensi
Lucia di Lammermoor: spargi d'amaro pianto
Lucia di Lammermoor: Scene Two - tombe degli avi miei
Lucia di Lammermoor: fra poco a me ricovero dara negletto avello
Lucia di Lammermoor: oh, meschina! oh, fato orrendo!
Lucia di Lammermoor: tu che a dio spiegasti l'ali

Amazon.com essential recording

Lucia was another one of Callas's signature roles; in fact, one might argue that she made people listen to it in a manner they had neglected since its inception. Long the territory of canary-like high sopranos with no interest in drama (e.g., Lily Pons), Callas brought the role into the same dramatic focus it had been created for. At its premiere in 1835, members of the audience wept audibly at Lucia's lunacy. With her darker tone and psychological probing, Callas made us hear what was in the poor girl's soul--she was an innocent, tricked, abandoned, and driven mad. This live performance, in so-so sound (but absolutely worth it), is staggering in its musical and dramatic potency; something between Callas and Karajan was in the air that made them think, breathe, and create music as one. Callas ducks the first big E-flat in the Mad Scene for dramatic effect; the second one is all the more special for making us wait for it. And elsewhere Callas's "rightness" within the role is never in doubt. Costar Giuseppe di Stefano, too, is at his best, singing with ardor and gorgeous streams of sound, and the ensemble work is so spectacular that the audience demands--and gets--an encore of the 2nd Act sextet. Any collection of great opera recordings without this set is incomplete. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

10 Stars.......2006-08-04

Apart from all of the, as Berstein said it, 'pure electricity' - does anyone not notice all of the incredible musical detail that is in this recording?? Callas is the supreme musician - no other Lucia comes close to this one. I love Joan Sutherland, but she gargles her way through the score, with no true legato and very little sense of line and musical direction...I've never heard Beverly Sills' Lucia, because: I can't stand her voice. Opera is not just music - it's theatre, it's emotion. Who cares about bell-tone e-flats when the real beauty lies within the interpreter and how s/he communicates the details!

PS: Donizetti wrote the mad scene in F major originally - not E-flat - Listen to the recording with Andrea Rost - the original 1835 Lucia - musically, the entire opera makes more sense. AND the lower e-flat in the Callas recording brings that entire scene to a perfectly 'maddening' close.

Excellent.......2005-10-01

Callas made several studio and live recordings of Lucia di Lammermoor. Her greatest reading of this role is probably this one, from Berlin in 1955. Her voice, although no longer the full dramatic voice of 1953, her first studio recording of the role, is perhaps even finer in 1955. Her voice seems to allow a greater degree of light and shade than before, and is steadier than later in her career. Whenever it is asked of her, Callas seems able to imbue a phrase with wonderful tenderness. She 'becomes' the very embodiment of Donizetti's Lucia - yes, she 'became' many characters from Medea to Amina (Sonnambula), but Lucia, like Norma, was a huge role in her career. Her partnership with di Stefano is as fine here as in the studio - although he benefits from being heard in the theatre acoustic, which does not seem to highlight any form of weakness in his high notes - an unfortunate side effect of the close mono sound of the Legge recording in 1953.
Rolando Panerai has had a wonderful and long career- I really like his timbre and approach to the role of Enrico - although others may not, preferring Tito Gobbi on the studio set.
Having a great conductor like Herbert von Karajan - and at this point in his career he was great - conducting may at first seem something of a waste considering that emphasis is nearly always (sometimes unfairly) based on the singers. Karajan manages to inject some life into the score while following the singers fastidiously - a welcome change from lots of other conductors who meander through the score, suiting the wants of the artists rather than the demands of the composer.
The sound is usually of a good standard considering the unofficial source and age of the recording - although it does not quite compete with studio recording from this period. I am not sure which label provides the best transfer of this particular performance, although this EMI version benefits from the inclusion of a libretto.
Subsequently I would say this is probably the best "live" recording and amongst the greatest of the work available - although outstanding recordings, "live" and in the studio, with Sutherland, Sills, Caballé, as well as many other sopranos, vie for a top recommendation.

Very Highly recommended
D. Bennett

A little bit of this...a little bit of that........2005-08-13

Recordings of opera are always tricky things--primarily because opera is a theatrical event more than it is a purely musical one...it exists of course beyond the notes of the score, but also beyond the sounds of any given recording. I believe it is the "more than the music" element of opera that immortalized Callas as "La Divina"--and, truly, what gives this recording its own place in the opera firmament. I have to say that I do not like Callas' voice because it is not beautiful. As voices go, I think there are many singers who are far superior. That said, a performance is more than just beauty of sound--and in this arena, Callas is difficult to beat. For that reason, though I do not find the sound of her voice pleasing in general, I must nonetheless add my praise to her performing abilities--particularly in her earlier works, before the strain has set in and where her truly stunning technical abilities are, I feel, at their best.

Why such a lengthy diatribe on the virtues of Maria Callas before touching the nature of this particular recording? Hopefully to give readers some perspective on my opinions--particularly those who have not before heard Callas sing and are expecting something perhaps different than is delivered.

Insofar as this recording is concerned, Callas officially recorded Lammermoor three times, and though each has its own remarkable qualities, the Karajan version wins out slightly for me. Callas brings a passion and immediacy to Lucia that few other sopranos have equalled for me--either in recording or on stage. (While I also own Sutherland and Sills versions of this opera and while I find that both S&S have far more beautiful voices than Callas does, I am simply not convinced that either are "Lucia." Particularly in Sutherland's case--while "stupendous" in the vibrant quality of her tone, textual meaning is glossed over a bit too much for me. We lose the theatricality that is so intrinsic to opera. But, I digress.) Callas in this recording really hits the center of the opera for me--the emotional nature and mental collapse of the title character. Lucia di Lammermoor is for me a character opera much like a character play or novel--all of the plot machinations, etc, are really points of characterization for Lucia. The genesis of Callas' Lucia is breathtaking.

I can sympathize that some reviewers are perhaps disappointed that Callas did not take the first high e-flat that appears to be so contentious, but I believe her choice works well. Too many Lucias use the opera as a vehicle for coloratura fireworks and lose the real core of the character. While Callas, like Caballe, might limit some of the ornamentation, I think the reading nonetheless effective. (A question/note on ornamentation in general: If it is acceptable to change the original score by adding embellishments, why is it not similarly acceptable to alter the score by removing embellishments? There are many approaches to singing various passages of any Donizetti opera--some traditionally flashy, others less so. It is a matter of the conductor's and singer's choice. I do not personally see why Callas' choice re: the high note is so apparrently contemptible. I think it logical given how operas of this period are treated.)

Some recordings in which Callas appears can seem to be unbalanced merely because it is difficult to create a supporting cast with enough weight to counterbalance her. It's no act of God or Congress that Callas and di Stefano were so frequently paired; here, he has the weight and ring to ground her Lucia nicely. Karajan also works well with the orchestra to support her.

A big detractor--other than the beauty of Lucia's voice if that's what you enjoy in opera--is the mono sound quality. I personally do not mind it, but it might be a reason to choose another recording of the opera if such things matter to you.

My advice, of course, is not even worth two cents, but if you're looking to buy a recording of any opera, I think you need to first think about your tastes in listening choices and why you're listening to the recording. Arguments over which diva is better and for what reasons are largely irrelevant. If you love a beautiful sound--great. Choose a singer that you like (whether or not that singer is well-liked by others). If you prefer acting ability and theater that is really grounded in the text (including diction that is clear and unmuddied)--great. Choose a recording whose cast follows that philosophy of performing. For me, this recording follows the latter of the two types of recordings. I own other recordings of Lucia because I happen to like beautiful singing. As I also happen to like passionate singing, a real understanding of the text (and an ability to convey that understanding), and a wholly fleshed-out character, I also have purchased this recording. The choice of which recording happens to make it into my CD player depends entirely on my mood and preferences of the moment--as your choice of which recording to buy should be for you.

(End sanctimonius report)

Undoubtedly Callas' Best Lucia.......2005-05-03

Many will argue that Callas' first studio recording will find her in very stable voice. Then again, many will readily swing handbags at those who do not acknowledge the fact that 1955 saw Callas in her vocal and dramatic best. True, the fat notes weren't there anymore, and at this stage of Callas' career, the vocal flaws that were later going to put a quick end to her great and illustrious career were only beginning to creep into the performance, but what a night it was! Her Lucia from 1953 saw a dramatic soprano with the agility of a natural coloratura soprano, and while many would prefer the opulent, rich voice of the early 50's, I find myself coming back to her glorious interpretation in Berlin. Here, Lucia has a softer, more fragile aspect to her, brought about by the thinning of Callas and her voice. It is certainly more effective! Every single moment of the opera isn't without meaning, and the mad scene (although an E-flat was omitted) is simply astonishing. By the way, Donizetti's score doesn't have that E-flat after Ardon gli incensi. But truly, Lucia was brought alive as a result of Callas' great mark on the role. Her partners during the evening were stellar as well, backed up by the great voices of Giuseppe di Stefano, Niccola Zaccaria, Gianni Raimondi, and other great singers of that era. Callas' take of this Lucia is considered by many to be the best. I agree with them. While I wouldn't part with the first recording, and I certainly do love the interpretation in the second studio remake, this is the Lucia I would bring to my desert island. And, Karajan brings a different perspective to this Lucia that no Italian conductor could ever give to Donizetti's score. From Picco to de Fabriitis to Serafin et. al, this Lucia will make its mark above them all (except for the first studio recording, possibly). Along with the Scala Traviata of the same year, plus the Norma that would come in December, and possibly the London Norma with Joan Sutherland, her Medeas at Dallas with Rescigno and at Milan with Bernstein, her 1955 Sonnambula yet again with the West Side Story composer, the fabled Anna Bolena of 1957, plus her La Forza del Destino with Serafin, I would consider these to be her essential recordings, with her Puccinis and other Verdi's following in second place.

CALLAS' BEST LUCIA!.......2005-01-28

The cooperation between Callas and Karajan works wonders indeed. I love the lyrical side Karajan brings out of Callas. Her phrasing, especially in the duets is moving and lovely! Regnava nel silencio is always one of her Lucia's highlights but again it's her interaction with the other singers in the scenes that I really admired in this performance. Her first duet with Edgardo is magical! The voice is in great shape too and it's a joy that she pushes it very little, which gives it a sweet quality not often related to Callas. The mad scene has a verisimo feeling in it (notice the fantasma effect) and Callas saves her good top note for the conclusion of the scene.

Di Stefano is ardent and heroic, fortunately also pushing his fragile instrument less than usual. I miss some of Bergonzi's and Carreras' elegance but Di Stefano was the ideal partner for Callas. Panerai was a bit disappointing. I hadn't noticed on other recordings that he had such a fluttery voice. He sings well though with a couple of impressive high notes. Add to that a great Nicola Zaccaria as Raimondo and you have an all-around superb cast and performance. The very young Karajan cares more for his singers than he would in later years and it's a pleasure to hear his detailed conducting without loosing the voices. The remastered EMI sound is great for the '50s standards.

Some listeners who've already been fascinated by the gorgeous and technically brilliant singing of Sutherland will have difficulties enjoying Callas' performance. On the other hand, Sutherland was my first Lucia but I did hear the magic in Callas' Lucia too. It's one of Callas' most involved performances and its universal praise is justified!

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