Search - Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, Ambroise Thomas :: Mad Scenes

A DESERT ISLAND DISC

02/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a life-long Callas fan, this rates as my personal "desert island" disc. The final scene from "Anna Bolena" is full of nuance, limpid high notes, and as close as you can get to a perfect recitative. The supporting voices can only be described as comical, at best; excreble at worst. The cavatina is a music lesson to any musician in the lilting way she shapes her gruppeti, and her breath control in her cadenzas are awe-inspiring. The final cabaletta is hair-raising in her fury. The "Pirata" scene is a little more careful, but nonetheless ravishing. One forgets one is listening to early 19th-century music, so full of modern expression is it. One should compare it to the live "pirated" (no pun intended) recording from 1959 at Carnegie Hall. The mad scene from "Hamlet" finds the Callas voice once again a new instrument: the voice totally French in approach. The coloratura passges are incredibly clean and natural, and for the most part, the high notes are all in place. Her use of colors and dynamics are, as far as I know, the only that are completely faithful to the score. As for the Callas trill, it has never been equaled, and that includes a certain retired Australian soprano who once sang Clotilde to Callas' Norma. A MUST for all Callas fans, and a great introduction for novices."

Classical

01/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this used... She made me weep like a baby... What a fascinating singer! I'm definitely buying more Callas-stuff!"

Best bel canto singing from Callas

06/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am tried of people comparing Callas and Sutherland or Tebaldi. Why can't we appreciate all of them? All singers have their strength and weakness. Callas is at her best here in this album. She is very moving and her technique is superb. The Mad scence from Anna Bolena is just stunningly beautiful. The final cabaletta shows Callas at home in one of the most challenging arias in bel canto operas. Her trills and scales are beyond criticism. This is one of my favorite albums together with Sutherland's "The Art of Prima Donna" and Price's blue album."