|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The disc might merit the 5th star, but ..., 2 Oct 2006
... the Cavaradossi, a tenor called Eugene Tobin whom I didn't know of, conspires against my granting it outright, as he is simply of a lower level than Tebaldi's or London's. The stage production itself also contributes, out of its own anodyne-ness. But let's not complain too much: we are to thank heavens for the fact that this video tape was kept in the vaults of SDR, the South German Broadcasting Corp., and survived in such a good condition four decades of storage for it allows us to see a legend of 20th century opera singing in one of her signature roles, in full command of her conditions and in a complete performance at that. From the other great Tosca of the times, Maria Callas, we only have the second act, in two separate performances that I know of (are there more stashed away in the archives of some european TV station or opera house?) but her vocal conditions in those two videos were not the most adequate, even in the earlier of the two, her Paris debut. She of course was the better actress (Tebaldi's suffering of Polio infection in her childhood reputedly limited her stage movements, according to critics) but "La signorina"'s voice was unique and in a class of its own, far more subtle and cultivated than Callas's. George London was a masterful Scarpia, a nasty impersonation with a master's degree in cynicism, and he proved also a very accomplished actor; his voice was enormous, powerful as perhaps none other of his generation. Both he and Tebaldi are featured in Decca's late 1950's stereo recording to good effect, accompanied by Del Monaco's short on subtlety Cavaradossi. Callas is, of course much better served in the rightfully legendary 1954 EMI recording than in the videos I made reference to, and far less well so in the 1964 stereo remake.
The rest of the cast are downright substandard: the Spoletta barely bothers to sing, preferring to speak many of his interventions, the Sacristan and Angelotti fare better but sing in some sort of semi-italian that would be booed today.
Patan was well known, as was also his brother Giuseppe, as exponent of a tradition of opera conducting that was earned after hard work in the orchestra pit in provincial theatres in the deep Italian boot. That tradition hardly exists now. Sound is alright as is also the video image, rather fuzzy by today's standard but mind this dvd comes from a 1962 black and white video tape.
|
![Tosca [1961] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B8SACZRGL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Puccini - Tosca, Live 1961 (Tebaldi, Poggi, Nhk) [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qEH3TMoUL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Puccini - Tosca [DVD] [1985]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YlIDCw4lL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Hvorostovsky, Vargas, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31NNTMfZRWL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
![Parsifal - Wagner/Stein [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2BCW2bnDxL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
