La Sonnambula / Maria Callas, Monti, Zaccaria, Cossotto; Votto

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
You can hear the vocal troubles of Maria Callas's later years just beginning to appear in this 1957 recording. Callas is usually identified with larger-than-life tragic heroines quite different from the simple bride-to-be Amina, whose wedding plans are nearly destroyed by her sleepwalking into compromising situations. But she makes the melodramatic plot emotionally credible, and she rises to the challenges of Bellini's expressively elaborate writing. --Joe McLellan

La Sonnambula / Maria Callas, Monti, Zaccaria, Cossotto; Votto, Music, Vincenzo Bellini, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Fiorenza Cossotto, Nicola Monti, Giuseppe Morresi, Antonino Votto, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Average customer rating:

The best Sonnambula!

ONE OF CALLAS' MOST BRILLIANT EVENINGS

Brilliant! But even better live!

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bellini: I Puritani / Callas, di Stefano, Rossi-Lemeni, Panerai; Serafin

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

Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, 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

Maria Callas ~ Cherbini - Medea [selection]

ASIN: B0000BWTKA
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

Viva! Viva Amina!... Tutto E Gioia, Tutto E Festa
In Elvezia Non V'ha Rosa
Care Compagne
Come Per Me Sereno...Sempre, O Felice Amina
Sovra Il Sen La Man Mi Posa
Il Piu Di Tutti, O Amina
Perdona, O Mia Diletta
Prendi: L'anel Ti Dono
Scritti Nel Ciel Gia Sono...Ah! Vorrei Trovar Parole
Domani, Appena Aggiorni
Come Noioso E Lungo Il Cammin...Vi Ravviso, O Luoghi Ameni...E Gentil, Leggiadra
Contezza Del Paese
A Fosco Cielo, A Notte Bruna
Basta Cosi. Ciascuno Si Attenga
Elvino! E Me Tu Lasci
Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante
Davver, Non mi Dispiace
Che Veggio?
O Ciel! Che Tento?
Osservate: L'uscio E Aperto
E Menzogna
D'un Pensiero E D'un Accento
Non Piu Nozze

Tracks:

Qui La Selva E Piu Folta Ed Ombrosa
Reggimi, O Buona Madre
Vedi, O Madre...E Afflitto E Mesto
Viva Il Conte!
Ah! Perche Non Posso Odiarti
E Fia Pur Vero, Elvino
Signor Conte, Agli Occhi Miei
Signor?...Che Creder Deggio?
Oh! Se Una Volta Sola
Ah! Non Credea Mirarti
No, Piu Non Reggo
Ah! Non Giunge Uman Pensiero

Customer Reviews:

The best Sonnambula!.......2004-05-16

I'm very pleased with my purchase. Callas sounds lovely. She was the greatest singer ever!

ONE OF CALLAS' MOST BRILLIANT EVENINGS.......2004-02-19

Callas was in absolutely spectacular voice when she performed this "Sonnambula" in Cologne in July, 1957. It is really amazing to think that this magnificently scaled-down voice was equally capable of encompassing the roles of Norma, Medea, Gioconda, Tosca, etc. But Callas was, of course, Callas, and sounding as she does on this performance, no one can come within hailing miles of her accomplishments. The voice has an almost gossamer quality to it, and she negotiates the most intricate and difficult coloratura embellishments, which take her all the up to top E flat. Her lyrical Elvino, Nicola Monti, is the perfect tenor partner for her. Together, they make the duets sound as though they were being sung by teenagers. Amazingly, both Callas and Monti are heard on the studio EMI version of "Sonnambula", which was recorded a few months before this performance ---- but neither of them were anywhere near the form in which they are heard here. Even the usually stolid Antonio Votto musters up an eloquence he seldom achieved elsewhere. I find this "Sonnambula" superior to the 1955 Callas Bernstein version, first because the sound is infinitely better, and second because Callas seems much more relaxed (admittedly, she tossed off a few extra bravura embellishments for Bernstein that she eschews here) and polished.
I cannot recommend this wonderful recording too highly.

Brilliant! But even better live!.......2004-01-14

This is a FANTASTIC Sonnambula! But the live-recording with Callas and Valletti is even BETTER, it's THE standard!

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

Average customer rating:

This one's a dog. Seek Callas' Amina elsewhere
Excellent
Lovely Sonnambula
WOW
My review

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Fiorenza Cossotto, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Vincenzo Bellini , Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala , Maria Callas , Nicola Zaccaria , Fiorenza Cossotto , Nicola Monti , Giuseppe Morresi , and Antonino Votto
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Bellini: I Puritani / Callas, di Stefano, Rossi-Lemeni, Panerai; Serafin
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Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tullio Serafin
Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B000002RXR
Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

Viva! Viva Anima!...Tutto E Gioia, Tutto E Festa
In Elvezia Non V'Ha Rosa
Care Compagne
Come Per Me Sereno...Sempre, O Felice Amina
Sovra Il Sen La Man Mi Posa
Il Piu Di Tutti, O Amina
Perdona, O Mia Diletta
Prendi: L'Anel Ti Dono
Scritti Nel Ciel Gia Sono...Ah! Vorrei Trovar Parole
Domani, Appena Aggiorni
Come Noioso E Lungo Il Cammin...Vi Ravviso, O Luoghi Ameni...E Gentil, Leggiadra Molto
Contezza Del Paese
A Fosco Cielo, A Notte Bruna
Basta Cosi. Ciascuno Si Attenga
Elvino! E Me Tu Lasci
Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante
Davver, Non Mi Dispiace
Che Veggio?
O Ciel! Che Tento?
Osservate: L'Uscio E Aperto
E Menzogna
D'Un Pensiero E D'Un Accento
Non Piu Nozze

Tracks:

Qui La Selva E Piu Folta Ed Ombrosa
Reggimi, O Buona Madre
Vedi, O Madre...E Afflitto E Mesto
Viva Il Conte!
Ah! Perche Non Posso Odiarti
E Fia Pur Vero, Elvino
Signor Conte, Agli Occhi Miei
Signor?...Che Creder Deggio?
Oh! Se Una Volta Sola
Ah! Non Credea Mirarti
No, Piu Non Reggo
Ah! Non Giunge Uman Pensiero

Amazon.com

You can hear the vocal troubles of Maria Callas's later years just beginning to appear in this 1957 recording. Callas is usually identified with larger-than-life tragic heroines quite different from the simple bride-to-be Amina, whose wedding plans are nearly destroyed by her sleepwalking into compromising situations. But she makes the melodramatic plot emotionally credible, and she rises to the challenges of Bellini's expressively elaborate writing. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

This one's a dog. Seek Callas' Amina elsewhere.......2005-12-31

Source: Studio recording made March 3-9, 1957 at the Basilica di San Eufemia in Milan.

Sound: Fairly good 1950s mono. The orchestra is generally caught fairly well. For some odd reason, the chorus, except for the few scattered bits in which they bellow over-lustily, are nearly inaudible. It is next to impossible to catch the words they are singing, even with libretto in hand.

Cast: Amina - Maria Callas; Elvino - Nicola Monti; Il Conte Rodolfo - Nicola Zaccaria; Lisa - Eugenia Ratti; Teresa - Fiorenza Cossotto; Alessio - Giuseppe Morresi; Un Notario - Franco Ricciardi. Conductor: Antonino Votto with the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala in Milan.

Maria Callas must, by any reasonable standards, be absolutely the greatest singer ever to appear in so many truly lousy operatic performances. This recording offers a fine case in point. Callas sings very well here, not perfectly, to be sure, but impressively, nonetheless. She has skillfully reduced her voice into the small container that is Amina. It's a tight fit and a listener might be forgiven for occasionally worrying whether she is about to explode suddenly and forcefully into Norma or Medea in full flight. Despite that, Callas pulls off her own performance successfully enough.

Unfortunately, she can't do the same for her tenor or her baritone, nor can she wield the baton in front of the La Scala band. Nicola Monti, Nicola Zaccaria and Antonino Votto all seem to have prepared for the 1957 recording sessions by drinking deeply from the Fountain of Uninspiration. None of the three is exactly awful, but all three are throughly blah and uninspired, each in his own way. Worst of the bunch is Monti, the tenor. He simply can't pull his weight in the several duets with Callas. They become no more than soprano solos blurred by an irrelevant and increasingly annoying male voice. Zaccaria, the bass-baritone, seems not to be entirely present in this "Sonnambula." He offers a fine example of a telephoned in performance. Votto's conducting is relentlessly humdrum--emphasis on the "hum" over the "drum." Of the well-known names in the cast, only Fiorenza Cossotto offers the support Callas deserves, but her part is short and peripheral.

I find that Amazon carries two additional live performances of "La Sonnambula" in which Callas stars. One was made at about the same time as this studio version. It, alas, again unites her with the useless Monti and Votto. Nevertheless, critical opinion holds that it is a better performance than this studio version. It could hardly be worse. Some years earlier, Callas had sung "La Sonnambula" with Leonard Bernstein in the pit and with a real tenor, Cesare Valletti, on stage. The sound on that set is a bit questionable, but it is definitely the performance to choose if you want Callas as Amina.

Excellent.......2005-08-16

This is a very fine recording. Perhaps it is down to her interpretation of Amina -or perhaps she found the lighter roles of the repertoire more conducive at this point in her career- but I believe that here her voice is easier in the higher regions, and more fluid and silken throughout, than any other recording since her Rigoletto recording from September 1955. That recording (about 18 months earlier than this Sonnambula) was, in turn, the greatest of her recordings since the famous Norma, in 1954 with Serafin. The bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and, to a lesser extent, Rossini always did show her at her best. Monti is a worthy partner; he has a fine grasp of the florid music. The sound is consistently fine. Votto's conducting can occasionally be crude and dull in some of his recordings, but here he gives quite a good account of the score, although it lacks the sparkle that Bernstein brought to it (EMI, 1955 (LIVE)).
Highly recommended
D. Bennett

Lovely Sonnambula.......2005-02-21

La Sonnambula, like "Norma", was written for Bellini's muse Giuditta Pasta and hence casting chirpers in this taxing role is completely wrong. The role requires a dramatic soprano d'agilita with an ability to colour her voice in the lightest and airy colours WITHOUT chirping or tweeting. And that was there, right there in Maria Callas' voice. when this was recorded she was singing the role in Köln (Germany) and Edinburgh and had immense successes doing so. Her partner, Mr. Monti, may not be as amazing as Cesare Valletti (On the live-recording from 1955, also available on EMI, the BEST Sonnambula without a doubt) but he's adequate. Votto may not be a Bernstein or Serafin but he conducts with sensivity and Italianita. The "minor" roles are brilliantly cast with the young Fiorenza Cossotto and Nichola Zaccaria. A wonderful, if cut, studio-recording of Bellini's romantic masterpiece.

WOW.......2004-06-08

This was my first La Sonnambula and I love it!!! Callas sounds lovely and the rest of the cast is great too! Highly reccommended!

My review.......2003-02-16

I haven't listened to this recording yet. However, I am giving Callas the benefit of the doubt by giving this recording four stars. I would like to clear up some things. Sutherland had a huge voice. So did Callas. To say that Sutherland had a Wagnerian-sized voice while ignoring the size of Callas' voice in order to criticize Sutherland is very vindictive and misinformed. Also, it is not Sutherland's fault that her voice was even through all scales and all registers. I happen to like a voice with such evenness. Please do your research before writing your critical reviews and try to be fair in your assessment of great singers like Sutherland.

Average customer rating:

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006L75
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Average customer rating:

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Manufacturer: Melodram
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009JMY
Release Date: 1995-12-14

Average customer rating:

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Manufacturer: Verona
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005G5H
Release Date: 1993-03-04

Average customer rating:

a class for the novice or the professional
Excellent example for musical teaching

Master Class

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002RVV
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

Il Barbiere di Siviglia: 'Una voce poco fa'
Il Barbiere di Siviglia: 'Una voce poco fo'
La Sonnambula: 'Ah non credea mirarti'
La Boheme: 'Si mi Chiamno Mimi'
La Boheme: 'Si, mi chiamano Mimi'
'Nel di della vittoria'
TOSCA: 'Vissi d'arte'
Callas' Closing Remarks To Students

Customer Reviews:

a class for the novice or the professional.......2000-01-02

having seen Master Class on Broadway, i was excited to hear this CD. To actually hear Maria Callas herself giving instruction, teaching and revealing her remarkably interesting personality is a joy. Then of course the music is stunning. I highly recommend this for a unique experience.

Excellent example for musical teaching.......1999-05-21

When I first listened to that CD, i was excited to hear Maria Callas teaching and indeed she was one of the biggest artists ever in Opera History. The way she interpretates the Arias in unique and very easily you can hear that all the students had big problems to follow her example. What I liked as well was her Humour and on the other hand the strict way of teaching, what you can hear very good in this CD. Even for me as a trained Opera-Singer is this CD a very good interpretation-Class for futur roles.Its a must for every singer to have these Masterclass-CDs.

Average customer rating:

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Manufacturer: Metromusica
ProductGroup: Classical
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000M4Y6QS

Product Description

Opera/Melodrama in 2 Acts. Libretto by Felice Romani.~~~CD1)~~Act I~~~~CD2)~~Act I cont.~~~Act II.

Average customer rating:

Bellini Heroines

Manufacturer: Andromeda
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00008EOCS
Release Date: 1994-03-01

Norma - Callas Del Monaco, Simionato Votto (2 CD Box Set)(Hunt)

Average customer rating:

Norma - Callas Del Monaco, Simionato Votto (2 CD Box Set)(Hunt)

Manufacturer: Hunt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000U1U17G

Product Description

Also includes La Sonnambula

Music Review: