Search - Sherrill Milnes, Giacomo Puccini, Zubin Mehta :: Puccini: Tosca

A Fast Paced Thriling Dramatic Studio Tosca

Indiana Opera Buff | 12/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About This Recording: Recorded in London in 1974, it is conducted by Zubin Mehta leading the Philharmonia, it stars the American superstar Leontyne Price, the renowed Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and American grand baritone Sherill Milnes- prominent opera singers in the 70's who make their roles come alive with startling realism. This is the greatest studio Tosca, eventhough there are a few "stains" in the recording which nevertheless do not detract from the great performance. While many operaphiles will prefer to get the Maria Callas Tosca, or for that matter those of Zinka Milanov, Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson, Galina Vishnevskaya, Raina Kabaivanska, Katia Ricciarelli or Catherine Malfitano. A great Tosca is hard-pressed to find and has always been a matter of personal taste and to be truthful, no soprano, not even Callas, has yet satisfied my ideal Tosca. But Leontyne Price in this recording is doing a hell of a job, with a powerful voice, rich, dark, intense, regal and beautiful. While detractors and critics (and on Amazon.com reviews) have pointed out her faulty phrasing and "whooping" and that in the mid 70's she was in bad vocal shape, I still find her performance exceptional and sublime. If you want to see what I mean check out the following moments in the opera which showcase Leontyne's talents: "Mario! Mario! Mario!" the famous jealousy/love duet between Mario and Tosca as we are first introduced to them. While she sounds much older and her voice has more of an edgy intensity to it when compared to her gorgeously youthful 1962 Decca recording with Giuseppe Di Stefano, she can still deliver a superior Tosca. She may not sound like a young lady, but she is imperious, jealous and unbelievable in her performance, losing none of the strength of a performer, especially when she shows how jealous she is .."Tu l'aimi, tu l'aimi ove ove(You love her! You love her! Where is she ? Where is she ?). "Tosca, divina.." the scene in which Scarpia holds her hand so she can bless herself with holy water and he ignites her jealousy by making her believe Mario is cheating on her. The way she says "Grazie Signor" is regal. Her exclamations of jealousy are powerful that they cut through the orchestra with aplomb. Sherill Milnes' interaction with her in this scene is splendid. All of Act 2: In this act, Tosca realizes that Scarpia wants her for himself and that the only way to save Mario from torture and death is if she offers herself to him for one night. Leontyne Price and Milnes own this act, and they both have voices which characterize their personalities with supreme integrity. This is Leontyne at her best in my opinion. Her "Vissi D'Arte" is sumptuous. The scene in which she stabs Scarpia "Questo Il Bacio Di Tosca" is unfortunately a weak moment for Price. Rather than sounding murderous, she merely sounds frightened, high-pitched, strained and tired as if she wants to get done with the whole murder affair as quickly as possible. She makes up for this when she sings gloriously in Act 3- "Il Tuo Sangue o mio Amore Volea" with a voice that is dramatic and dark in its middle register and ringing high notes. The duet that ensues is also well rendered. She cops out at the end when she discovers Mario is really dead and she leaps to her death. She did the same thing in the 1962 Decca recording. Does anyone know what I'm talking about ? She sorta goes looney and gets out of character, as if she is enacting a brief Mad Scene that lasts only a few seconds. A good Tosca finale should find Tosca in despair and in shock, but she should never appear insane. The lines "Morto! Morto! Finiri Cosi!" should still sound dramatic but not crazy.



Placido Domingo in 1974 was in the best shape of his life, vocally speaking. He was making the Tosca movie with Raina Kabaivanska. He shows signs of masculine vigor and dark, nearly baritonal power. He is a powerful singer and actor. I didn't recognize him at all. He sounds fresh, youthful and active. He is not a passive Mario at all. Just listen to these moments: "Voi! Cavaradossi!" when Angelotti first meets up with Mario. Note how he sounds dramatic in his recognition of Angelotti and how later he vows that even if it costs him his life he will save him if it means bringing down Scarpia. In Act 2, he is defiant and willful, a true revolutionary. "Aspetto!" he says harshly to Scarpia when he is told to have a seat. He is Scarpia's equal. Vocally, Dominog had what it took to make a superb Cavaradossi without reducing him to a love-sick artist like Di Stefano did. In this sense, Mario followed in the steps of Mario Del Monaco and Franco Corelli. Note how powerful his "Vittoria! Vittoria!" cries are. Never before has he sung those lines so powerfully. His final act aria "E Lucevan La Stelle" is very moving as is his final duet with Tosca.



Sherill Milnes is not my favorite Scarpia because he chooses to sing in a rather unusual and bland manner. He sings some phrases with odd vocal color. He seems to be "talking" in some parts. Note everything he sings to the Sacristan after "Un Tal Bachiano In Chiesa!" if you know what I mean. Still, his only highlights include the famous Act 1 finale in which he sings about his desire to bed Tosca and hang Mario "Va, Tosca,In Tuo Cuor S'anide Scarpia". His Act 2 singing is fine, even if mostly lyrical and not dramatic enough. I have noted how each time the moment when Mario is about to declare "Vittoria!" and Scarpia receives the news that Napoleon has won the battle at Marengo his voicecomes up when he says "Melas ?". He is a great actor although one wishes he could be less American and more Italianate in his portrayal of Scarpia. He is clearly not Tito Gobbi, Giuseppe Taddei or Ruggero Raimondi. He has his own style. But when you hear how great this trio is - Price, Domingo and Milnes- you can never forget the opera's powerful story based on their superior singing.



I was eight when I first saw Tosca and really really enjoyed it. Unlike the stereotypically "boring" operas, Puccini's masterpiece is dramatically compelling and exciting. In the course of two and half hours, we are treated to a blockbuster starring a diva, her revolutionary artist lover, a scheming villain, murder, attempted rape, an execution and a suicide. The music is both sublime and harsh. What makes this recording from 1974 work is that conductor Zubin Mehta hurries the opera along with dynamic force from the Philharmonia Orchestra. There is never a dull moment. He treats the score as if it were verisimo opera with a grand, epic style."

A Fabulous Tosca

Indiana Opera Buff | Fort Wayne, IN United States | 04/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To correct an earlier reviewer, this recording was made in August 1972, not 1974. Miss Price was 45 1/2 at the time of the recording. She still sounds wonderful for any age, especially in Acts II and III. She really is the prima donna here, with plenty of great high notes to prove it. Domingo is a fantastic Cavaradossi, and his recording of E lucevan le stelle is the best I've ever heard--from him or anyone else. His voice is so rich and sumptuous, and he sings with lots of very sincere-sounding emotion. As for Sherrill Milnes, I was continually surprised by the beauty of his voice in this recording. I don't think there is another TOSCA recording out there which can boast three great principals, all still singing in top form. And Zubin Mehta does a great job of making the orchestra sound thrilling."