Search - Tebaldi :: The Singers - Renata Tebaldi

Tribute to a living legend!

Armindo | Greece | 12/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The singers enhanced CD series is a wonderful effort to bring legendary opera singers closer to the new generation of opera fans. Not only vocally but also visually by providing pictures from performances and rehearsals. Among these singers Renata Tebaldi, of course, could not be excluded. Her singers CD is a journey from the early to the late stages of her distinguished career. I was pleased to discover that most tracks are rarities and not extracts from her commercial complete opera recordings. This means that her signature roles like Tosca, Desdemona, Leonora (Forza)and many others are not included here. The sound is excellent, even in tracks recorded in 1949. In these early recordings one will experience the most beautiful sound ever to come out of a human throat! But don't let this comment fool you, there is more than enough drama there too. Tebaldi, in my opinion, was one of the few artists that "injected feelings in her singing". The singing and acting were there simultaneously. This is why Maestro Gardelli named her "the Caruso of sopranos".After the early recordings we listen to the second-period Tebaldi, more mature, with stronger lower register that provided her with great successes in the verisimo repertoire. You also get to hear the heroic Franco Corelli in extracts from Aida (Renata sings Amneris) and Adriana Lecouvreur. Despite my first hesitations about tracks recorded late in her career ('71, '73) , she is amazingly sublime! The Handel and Gluck extracts, for example, never sounded so beautiful, so relaxing! 2 lovely Christmas songs and her trademark "If I loved you" complete this wonderful set that has gained a special place in my heart!"

Wow

Andrew Mayzak | Seattle, WA USA | 05/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing repertoire from one of the most gifted spinto sopranos I've ever heard. This CD is a great value and I was surprised to find it enhanced with pictures of Tebaldi, a discography, song lyrics, and links to websites. For the die-hard Tebaldi fan (and that's me), it was a great investment. Her early recordings are gems of opera, showcasing some of the most beautiful singing I've ever heard. The tracks done after her "vocal crisis" show what a powerful mezzo (and I mean POWERFUL) she became while still retaining some of her soprano roles. The tracks sung in English are a little awkward to listen to, but I'm sure that we must sound the same way to Italians when singing their music. Emotionally, "If I Loved You" is really great.
Truly, an impassioned compilation of songs."