L. Mitnick | Chicago, Illinois United States | 11/02/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you love Corelli, this package of 4 broadcasts MUST be in your library. All of them have acceptable monophonic sound, and each of them features Corelli in stentorian form. His vocalism, while perhaps not the most disciplined, is nonetheless beautiful and incredibly exciting. "Fannicula del West" preserves Corelli's Dick Johnson (never commercially recorded) opposite the blazing Minnie of Gigliola Frazzoni, a shamefully neglected Italian soprano who performed during the Callas-Tebaldi period. She's outstanding in this performance, and her duets with Corelli are really "hot". A great performance! The "Tosca" is a less passionate affair, but it has its rewards. Here, Corelli is paired with the legendary Zinka Milanov, who sounds much smoother here than she does on her famous RCA Victor recording. Her's is not a Tosca in the Callas mold, but rather one who is older than her lover, and more serene. Corelli is a young and athletic Mario, and his singing is, of course, fabulous. Guelfi is a reasonably evil Scarpia. Certainly a worthy "Tosca", if not the most fiery and passionate. The words "fiery" and "passionate" can certainly be applied to the "Trovatore". This is a performance that blazes from start to finish. Corelli's Manrico is even better than on his EMI commercial recording, and the great Leontyne Price is heard here in better form than she is on any of HER three commercial recordings of this opera. Simionato is a vivid Azucena, easily surpassing either of HER studio recordings of this role as well. Bastiannini is a sonorous di Luna. Von Karajan has never done anything with an Italian opera comparable to what he does here. Very possibly, the greatest "Trovatore" ever captured in sound. Finally, Giordano's "Andrea Chenier" gets a good rendition with Corelli being partnered by none other than Renata Tebaldi! Tebaldi is in her vocal prime here and her singing makes one realize what a great soprano she was.
This four Corelli operas packaged together constitute an operatic banquet, and at the price, I can't see how anyone would want to be without them. Buy them, play them, and enjoy!"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1