Decca Legends: Verdi: AIDA

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A compelling Aida, especially for those who revel in a virtuoso orchestra going through its paces. Under Karajan's baton, the Vienna Phil plays with breathtaking elegance and refinement, not perhaps the ideal attributes of a Verdian pit band but undeniably exciting, as are the conductor's tempo choices, often faster or slower than usual. In 1959, Tebaldi remained a great Aida even if she was in fresher voice for her earlier mono recording. Bergonzi is a characterful Radames, Simionato a terrific, full-bodied Amneris, and the rest of the cast vocally fine, if occasionally bland. The excellent transfer is better balanced than earlier releases of this recording, helping to earn its place among the choice Aidas on disc, though I prefer RCA's mono version with Milanov and Bjorling from 1955, also at midprice. But you can never have too many Aidas. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Aida: Preludio
Aida: Atto primo - Scena I: Si: corre voce che l'Etiope ardisca
Aida: Atto primo - Scena I: Se quel gerrier io fossi! ... Celeste Aida (Radames)
Aida: Atto primo - Scena I: Quale insolita gioia (Amneris)
Aida: Atto primo - Scena I: Alta cagion v'aduna (Il re)
Aida: Atto primo - Scena I: Ritorna vincitor! (Aida)
Aida: Atto primo - Scena II: Possente, possente Ftha (Sacerdotessa)
Aida: Atto primo - Scena II: Mortal, diletto ai Numi (Ramfis)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena I: Chi mai fra gl'inni e i plausi (Schiave)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena I: Fu la sorte dell'armi a tuoi funesta (Amneris)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena I: Su! del Nilo al sacro lido (Coro)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Gloria all'Egitto (Popolo)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Marcia e bllabile (Grand March & Ballet)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Vieni, o guerriero vindice (Popolo)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Salvator della ptria, io ti saluto (Il re)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Che veggo! ... Egli? ... Mio padre! (Aida)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Quest'assisa ch'io vesto vi dica (Amonasro)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Ma tu, Ru, tu signore possente (Amonasro)

Tracks:

Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: O Re: pei sacri Numi (Radames)
Aida: Atto secondo - Scena II: Gloria all'Egitto (Il re, Popolo)
Aida: Atto terzo: O tu che sei d'Osiride madre immortale (Sacerdotesse, Sacerdoti)
Aida: Atto terzo: Qui Radames verra!... O patria mia (Aida)
Aida: Atto terzo: Ciel! mio padre! ... Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate (Aida, Amonasro)
Aida: Atto terzo: Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida (Radames)
Aida: Atto terzo: Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti (Aida)
Aida: Atto terzo: Tu! ... Amonasro! ... tu! ... il Re? (Radames)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena I: L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia (Amneris)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena I: Gia i Sacerdoti adunansi (Amneris)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena I: Ohime! ... morir mi sento! (Amneris)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena I: Radames! Radames! Radames! Tu rivelasti (Ramfis)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena II: La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse (Radames)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena II: Presago il core della tua condanna (Aida)
Aida: Atto quarto - Scena I: O terra, addio (Aida)

Amazon.com

A compelling Aida, especially for those who revel in a virtuoso orchestra going through its paces. Under Karajan's baton, the Vienna Phil plays with breathtaking elegance and refinement, not perhaps the ideal attributes of a Verdian pit band but undeniably exciting, as are the conductor's tempo choices, often faster or slower than usual. In 1959, Tebaldi remained a great Aida even if she was in fresher voice for her earlier mono recording. Bergonzi is a characterful Radames, Simionato a terrific, full-bodied Amneris, and the rest of the cast vocally fine, if occasionally bland. The excellent transfer is better balanced than earlier releases of this recording, helping to earn its place among the choice Aidas on disc, though I prefer RCA's mono version with Milanov and Bjorling from 1955, also at midprice. But you can never have too many Aidas. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

The classic 1959 stereo "Aida" with Tebaldi and von Karajan.......2007-06-18

SOURCE: Studio recording produced by John Culshaw and made at the Sofiensall, Vienna, during September 1959.

SOUND: Leading edge late 1950s analogue stereo. This recording was intended to be a showpiece of the new stereo revolution. Subsequent digital remasterings have been sympathetic and successful.

This is a John Culshaw production, a contemporary of the famous Culshaw-Solti "Ring" production and this "Aida" shares in both the extraordinary sonic virtues of "The Ring" and its nuisances. Culshaw, more than any other producer, saw the great new possibilities in the stereo medium. He particularly realized that stereo allowed for a "three-dimensional" and endlessly variable sonic picture, These recordings not only provide aural depth, they are positively choreographed. It's all very impressive, no doubt about it, but it's not especially like the actual experience of attending an opera in a real opera house.

All that aside, purely as a matter of personal taste, it seems to me that the orchestra is too far forward in relation to the singers and given undue prominence over them. Others, of course, hold quite different opinions.

CAST: Aida - Renata Tebaldi (soprano); Radames - Carlo Bergonzi (tenor); Amneris -
Giulietta Simionato (mezzo-soprano); Amonasro, King of Ethiopia - Cornell MacNeil (baritone); Ramfis - Arnold van Mill (bass); King of Egypt - Fernando Corena (bass); Messenger - Piero de Palma (tenor); Priestess - Eugenia Ratti (soprano).

CONDUCTOR: Herbert von Karajan with the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.

DOCUMENTATION: Libretto in Italian and English. Brief hagiography of Saint Herbert von K by Warwick Thompson. Brief summary of the plot keyed to the tracks on the CDs. Track list showing timings and identifying singers. Photos of Karajan, Tebaldi, Bergonzi, Simionato and Culshaw.

COMMENTARY: This recording has long been justly regarded as classic recording of an opera that has been blessed with a number of classic recordings. The presence of von Karajan, the Vienna Philharmonic, and four of the brightest singing luminaries of the post-War Silver Age of opera, all of them in good form, mandates a five-star rating.

That said, I feel obliged to offer a few comments on why this is not my own favorite recording of "Aida."

Let me be absolutely clear on this point: this is as much Herbert von Karajan's version of "Aida" as Verdi's. It is unquestionably impressive, but in a very precise and a near-icy, un-Italianate way. From beginning to end when I listen to it, I am dogged with the feeling that three of the four leading singers are offering performances at least somewhat at variance from their natural instincts. Opera lore has it that Tebaldi and Karajan clashed repeatedly over tempos and treatments. For once, I am willing to accept the common lore as simple truth.

Tebaldi, Bergonzi, Simionato and MacNeil were just one of the several dream casts that could be assembled for "Aida" in those long-gone, vocally expansive days of the late fifties and early sixties. I do not think that an equally stellar cast could be found today.

In 1959, Renata Tebaldi was on the verge of giving up the part of Aida and her voice is clearly not what it had been when she had previously recorded the role in 1952. Nevertheless, even if slightly deteriorated, Tebaldi remained a vocal wonder. I know of no one singing today who could match this performance of the Tebaldi of 1959--if for no other reason than that teachers and academies are no longer training young singers for her kind of full out, Italianate, operatic [with a capital O!] singing.

Carlo Bergonzi was still in the earlier phase of his career as a tenor, and the sound of his voice was as beautiful as his technique. Bergonzi's characterization of Radames is unexpectedly small-scale in this performance--a foolish lover rather than a rash warrior. I strongly suspect that this approach to the character is more due to Karajan than to Bergonzi. It is intelligent, justified by the text, pleasing to the ear and dead wrong. The range of Radames' emotions is flattened. Radames' fall from foolishly self-confident, conquering general to suicidally despairing, self-identified traitor should be a stupendous drop from the cliff-top into a chasm. Here, it is more like a little hop.

Giulietta Simionato has to be included in any list of the great Italian mezzo-sopranos of the Twentieth Century. Her performance here amply demonstrates why that should be. Even so, I think that she would have given a bit more oomph if any less controlling conductor had been at the podium.

Cornell MacNeil had a magnificent baritone sound but he tended to lack dramatic intensity. I find no significant failings in his Amonasro, but there are better Amonasros on other recordings.

This is a classic performance, not my favorite, but well-worthy for purchase by beginners and experienced opera fans alike.

Five stars.

A True Verdian Feast.......2006-11-29

Spinto voices are an almost extinct breed in today's operatic world. The only spinto voice will the required thrust, power, squillo, and timbre today would probably belong to that of Aprile Millo, whose several Verdi recordings display her excellent musicianship and impressive vocal qualities. Throughout the course of modern operatic recording history, only five true Aidas have been captured in the recording studio. They are Zinka Milanov, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Maria Callas, and Aprile Millo. All other Aidas such as Freni, Ricciarelli, Montserrat Caballe, Gwyneth Jones, Birgit Nilsson, Margaret Price, Maria Chiara, and the whole lot of them are either dramatic (Wagnerian) sopranos or lyric sopranos who do not satisfy all the requirements of this Verdian role. Dramatic sopranos like Gwyneth Jones and Birgit Nilsson are certainly more than able to handle all the requirements of the music, but they lack an Italianate sound which while not necessary, make the role all the more endearing. I love Gwyneth Jones in Aida, but she will definitely not compare with Tebaldi or Price in the role, as magnificent as she is in Strauss, Wagner, and Puccini. Lyric sopranos on the other hand, almost die when they try to sing the demands of this Verdian grand opera role. It is not that they cannot sing the notes--lyrics can, but they do not have the squillo of spintos. Unfortunately, with a vocal music education predominated by Mozart and Handelian singing, these golden age singers are rapidly disappearing, and we must turn to the past for great recordings of just about anything except period music.

This recording of Aida is simply put, the best on disc. The conducting, the orchestra, and the singers make this musical experience very special, and it helps that Karajan was in a very romantic-intimate mood while conducting this performance of Aida. With the Wiener Philharmoniker, he produces some of the most intricately detailed orchestral sounds seldom heard in interpretations of Verdi's score. I dare say that although his conducting is not idiomatically Italian, if it is not like Serafin's or Muti's, he perhaps makes the most out of this score and produces a most exciting performance.

Renata Tebaldi is nothing short of amazing in the title role. Although her voice was fresher in the first recording with Decca, it did not change much to make any Aida moments sound difficult for her. Also, her interpretation of the role deepened (perhaps Callas influenced her), so what we get is a more intimate and exciting portrayal of the Ethiopian princess. With her golden voice and that perfect squillo, Tebaldi is perhaps the best exponent of this role. Her Radames is Carlos Bergonzi, and even if he did not have the thrilling power that Franco Corelli gave to the role, he certainly had the best Verdian style of all the tenors who sang the role. There are some moments where one would wish that he would cry his heart out or sob like Corelli did, but Bergonzi is in a class of his own. It is a different, more noble, more controlled Radames than Corelli or Domingo, and I would say that I far prefer him to Domingo. Simionato is simply amazing as Amneris. Everything that this mezzo touches spits fire and blood across the stage, and her ability to color her voice at will makes her Amneris a benchmark upon which others will be judged. She is the best Amneris of the three Italian greats--that is, Barbieri, Cossotto, and herself. Brava! Cornell Mac'Neill was the leading Verdian baritone of the 50's, and his performance in this recording shows why he was sought after in the role of Aida's father. The soloists in this recording perform with a romantic intimacy that is almost absent from the many Aidas on the market, and this is why I would recommend this recording to anyone who would want to discover Aida's music.

Gil French, Rochester NY.......2006-10-22

Don't believe it for a moment! The back of this album quotes Gramophone magazine: "This 'Aida' recording will come to be regarded as a landmark in the art of capturing grand opera on disc." Maybe back in 1959 when it was recorded, but not today. Everything feel exposed: the sound is not integrated. Aida and Ramades are very forward one moment, withdrawn (by the mastering engineer) the next. The orchestra sounds rather raw, let alone out of tune and sloppy at times--easy to hear with such exposed sound. Further, this recording has none of the balance, total integration, sublime delicacy, and overwhelming impact of Karajan's later EMI recording with Freni and Carreras, which, sound-wise, has to be one of the best engineering jobs ever done on an opera.

Also, Karajan is unbelievably stiff and metronomic, especially in Act One, the prelude to which is a snore. Ensemble is especially poor. Soloists are frequently ahead of him, and the orchestra sounds rather scrappy. On his EMI recordings, Karajan is at his peak--poetic and sensitive, with overwhelming climaxes that leave you experiencing just what "grand opera" is all about. His EMI performance is a total experience, sweeping you from beginning to end.

Nor are Tebaldi as Aida and Bergonzi as Radames here that much better than Freni and Carreras on EMI. And Simionato as Amernis is pathetic compared to Baltsa's totally glorious performance on EMI. And, with the exception of riveting MacNeil in the minor role of Amonasro, the rest of the Decca cast is not as good as that on EMI.

"My wife, take her!" I can't wait to sell my Decca recording and get the EMI.

Is there a better Aida ?.......2006-09-20

I always thought the best Aida was 'George Sir Solti conducting with Price & Vickers from Decca/Universal' until I heard this one and was amazed. The 96Mhz 24 bit technology is in a different class. It's incredible an opera recorded in 1959 can sound this good. This recording has no weaknesses.

Many thanks to Decca engineers for making this beautiful music and landmark performance available to the public.

Turgid and mannered!.......2006-06-06

Karajan completely undermines what should have been the AIDA of a generation. What a waste of a magnificent cast and orchestra, not to mention one of the best recording jobs of its period.

His tempo choices alone ruin the recording. Tebaldi is obviously at sea, and who could blame her? Everything is overextended and/or overemphasized. And for what reason, except to prove that he is the great Karajan and totally in charge?

A great opportunity, completely missed.

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