Oh I can post lots of Callas performances that I enjoy in spite of glaring technical faults, that I love. I'll start with an extreme version. Callas' rendering of the Eboli aria from Don Carlos, "O don fatale." I adore this one. It's rife with all sorts of unhealthy vocal tension, pushed voice, shrieking wobbly top, not well mixed low passaggio into raw chest, an overly dominant chest pushed too high, and a shaky hollowing middle register. Callas isn't even a mezzo and has no business attempting one of the most difficult and perhaps most dramatic of all arias in the entire mezzo repertoire. Well, in spite of all of that she manages to phrase better than anyone else who sings this aria IMHO. The phrases are arched perfectly into conveying the extremity of Eboli's emotions, and capture the fire and thunder of Verdi's pulsing impetus like nothing else I've heard, no matter how great the voices of many other great mezzos I have heard. The volcanic temperament of Eboli suits her perfectly, and she wears it like a glove. I adore Giulietta Simionato in this as the ultimate Verdi mezzo to my ear, but I have to admit that Callas phrases this aria better and I am obsessed with Callas' rendering of this. In my mind's ear I fantasize Simionato's voice being used by the mind of Callas and singing this.
Technically deficient performances you still enjoy
On the back of the Callas-Butterfly argument what are some technically deficient performances, let’s say, that you still enjoy? This is probably a thread aimed more at those of us who stand by the old-school of singing as some are not quite so bothered by technique as others.
My first choice would be Callas’s Imogene in Il Pirata. Okay, maybe it’s not so much technically deficient as a voice that is failing itself. But it’s a remarkable performances with some remarkable dramatic coloratura moments and such sensitivity and involvement that I can’t help but be moved. No other recording approaches this for drama and insight, even if Callas is past her best and the rest of the cast not exactly well-versed in bel canto style, but they're good and the conducting is excellent. Sometimes I listen to Caballe and think this is so lovely that I must prefer it, but then I get bored and realise how much better the Callas version is. You really need a dramatic voice for this role.
Another would be Ilona Tokody in Respighi’s La Fiamma. Maybe this is partly because it’s the only decent recording of this wonderful opera available in good sound but I really do enjoy some of Tokody’s singing. Her voice has plenty of problems, she rarely gets it to expand above the staff and there are plenty of wobbles up high but she is also capable of making quite a beautiful sound in her middle register. But one thing she definitely is, is involved, and it’s one of those rare cases where I can enjoy the performance even despite some pretty awful sounds in places. At least she has a chest voice. I love this opera and wish it were more popular.
There are others but these are maybe the most obvious ones for me.
My first choice would be Callas’s Imogene in Il Pirata. Okay, maybe it’s not so much technically deficient as a voice that is failing itself. But it’s a remarkable performances with some remarkable dramatic coloratura moments and such sensitivity and involvement that I can’t help but be moved. No other recording approaches this for drama and insight, even if Callas is past her best and the rest of the cast not exactly well-versed in bel canto style, but they're good and the conducting is excellent. Sometimes I listen to Caballe and think this is so lovely that I must prefer it, but then I get bored and realise how much better the Callas version is. You really need a dramatic voice for this role.
Another would be Ilona Tokody in Respighi’s La Fiamma. Maybe this is partly because it’s the only decent recording of this wonderful opera available in good sound but I really do enjoy some of Tokody’s singing. Her voice has plenty of problems, she rarely gets it to expand above the staff and there are plenty of wobbles up high but she is also capable of making quite a beautiful sound in her middle register. But one thing she definitely is, is involved, and it’s one of those rare cases where I can enjoy the performance even despite some pretty awful sounds in places. At least she has a chest voice. I love this opera and wish it were more popular.
There are others but these are maybe the most obvious ones for me.
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I completely agree with the Il Pirata. I don't know Illona Tokody but now I will go look her up and listen because I'm curious. I hope more people post on this forum I find it very interesting.On the back of the Callas-Butterfly argument what are some technically deficient performances, let’s say, that you still enjoy? This is probably a thread aimed more at those of us who stand by the old-school of singing as some are not quite so bothered by technique as others.
My first choice would be Callas’s Imogene in Il Pirata. Okay, maybe it’s not so much technically deficient as a voice that is failing itself. But it’s a remarkable performances with some remarkable dramatic coloratura moments and such sensitivity and involvement that I can’t help but be moved. No other recording approaches this for drama and insight, even if Callas is past her best and the rest of the cast not exactly well-versed in bel canto style, but they're good and the conducting is excellent. Sometimes I listen to Caballe and think this is so lovely that I must prefer it, but then I get bored and realise how much better the Callas version is. You really need a dramatic voice for this role.
Another would be Ilona Tokody in Respighi’s La Fiamma. Maybe this is partly because it’s the only decent recording of this wonderful opera available in good sound but I really do enjoy some of Tokody’s singing. Her voice has plenty of problems, she rarely gets it to expand above the staff and there are plenty of wobbles up high but she is also capable of making quite a beautiful sound in her middle register. But one thing she definitely is, is involved, and it’s one of those rare cases where I can enjoy the performance even despite some pretty awful sounds in places. At least she has a chest voice. I love this opera and wish it were more popular.
There are others but these are maybe the most obvious ones for me.
Here is another one of Callas that I love in spite of glaring technical faults. Again this is rife with all sorts of unhealthy vocal tension, pushed voice, shrieking wobbly top, poorly mixed low passaggio into raw chest, an overly dominant chest pushed too high, locking registrations, and a shaky hollowing middle register. Callas isn't even a mezzo and has no business attempting this mezzo aria. Again, in spite of all of that, she phrases this aria better than anybody else. I hear it all the time with true mezzos and usually they are very clunky making sure every pitch is banged out trying to impress everyone with how much lush sound they can push out. Callas is the only singer I have heard that truly inhabits the powerful evil seductress character of Dalila here by singing it more sinuously and somehow savoring the French so deliciously in the arc of the phrasing like no one else. It's the most musically seductive Dalila I've heard. I'm imprinted on it and every mezzo I hear is somehow unfulfilling in this aria. Again the powerful evil seductress is easily suited to Callas' temperament and she pulls it off magnificently.
Maria Callas sings "Amour viens aider ma faiblesse" from
Samson et Dalila by Charles Gounod
Orchestre de la Societé des Concerts du Conservatoire
Georges Pretre, Conductor
Maria Callas sings "Amour viens aider ma faiblesse" from
Samson et Dalila by Charles Gounod
Orchestre de la Societé des Concerts du Conservatoire
Georges Pretre, Conductor
I must say I couldn't handle the almost complete "Il pirata" which is on youtube. But this moment is awesome.On the back of the Callas-Butterfly argument what are some technically deficient performances, let’s say, that you still enjoy? This is probably a thread aimed more at those of us who stand by the old-school of singing as some are not quite so bothered by technique as others.
My first choice would be Callas’s Imogene in Il Pirata. Okay, maybe it’s not so much technically deficient as a voice that is failing itself. But it’s a remarkable performances with some remarkable dramatic coloratura moments and such sensitivity and involvement that I can’t help but be moved. No other recording approaches this for drama and insight, even if Callas is past her best and the rest of the cast not exactly well-versed in bel canto style, but they're good and the conducting is excellent. Sometimes I listen to Caballe and think this is so lovely that I must prefer it, but then I get bored and realise how much better the Callas version is. You really need a dramatic voice for this role.
Another would be Ilona Tokody in Respighi’s La Fiamma. Maybe this is partly because it’s the only decent recording of this wonderful opera available in good sound but I really do enjoy some of Tokody’s singing. Her voice has plenty of problems, she rarely gets it to expand above the staff and there are plenty of wobbles up high but she is also capable of making quite a beautiful sound in her middle register. But one thing she definitely is, is involved, and it’s one of those rare cases where I can enjoy the performance even despite some pretty awful sounds in places. At least she has a chest voice. I love this opera and wish it were more popular.
There are others but these are maybe the most obvious ones for me.
I see this is turning into a Callas thread. So be it. I'm a besotted Callas fan, mostly because I love the sound of her voice. I know you're not supposed to say that. The orthodox view is that Callas was a great vocal actress with a flawed voice. Nonetheless I love her voice. She's one of those few singers whose voice sends chills down my spine. About her supposed technical flaws I'm indifferent. But one famous performance is an exception. There are three famous recordings of live performances by Callas of La Traviata. The 1955 La Scala performance conducted by Giulini is in execrable sound. That leave the 1958 Lisbon and Covent Garden performances. All four critics whose reviews I've read prefer the Covent Garden, although in some cases that reflects preference for her collaborators. I have one problem with that, mainly that in Lisbon she's in much better voice. Throughout the first act of the CG performance her voice sounds unpleasantly coarse; in fact it sounds as if she hadn't fully warmed up until the second act. For that reason I don't care to listen to it. It puzzles me that the critics don't seem to have noticed this.
I don't think anyone can say there was anything wrong with the sound of her voice, if you mean her very distinctive timbre. It's other qualities that people criticize, and her unmistikable and very peculiar timbre, I would say that counts as a plus.I see this is turning into a Callas thread. So be it. I'm a besotted Callas fan, mostly because I love the sound of her voice. I know you're not supposed to say that. The orthodox view is that Callas was a great vocal actress with a flawed voice. Nonetheless I love her voice. She's one of those few singers whose voice sends chills down my spine. About her supposed technical flaws I'm indifferent. But one famous performance is an exception. There are three famous recordings of live performances by Callas of La Traviata. The 1955 La Scala performance conducted by Giulini is in execrable sound. That leave the 1958 Lisbon and Covent Garden performances. All four critics whose reviews I've read prefer the Covent Garden, although in some cases that reflects preference for her collaborators. I have one problem with that, mainly that in Lisbon she's in much better voice. Throughout the first act of the CG performance her voice sounds unpleasantly coarse; in fact it sounds as if she hadn't fully warmed up until the second act. For that reason I don't care to listen to it. It puzzles me that the critics don't seem to have noticed this.
You are perfectly entitled to love the sound of her voice. Anybody can love whatever they love. I fully support your right to voice your opinion regardless of whether I agree with it. I don't happen to love her voice but it doesn't matter one bit. I'm not indifferent to her technical flaws but I completely respect your right to do so and I empathize with it on occasion. I agree that I wish her really early recordings were of better quality, but generally I prefer them anyway, in spite of the scratch. Thank you for speaking out! Cheers to all that we love!I see this is turning into a Callas thread. So be it. I'm a besotted Callas fan, mostly because I love the sound of her voice. I know you're not supposed to say that. The orthodox view is that Callas was a great vocal actress with a flawed voice. Nonetheless I love her voice. She's one of those few singers whose voice sends chills down my spine. About her supposed technical flaws I'm indifferent. But one famous performance is an exception. There are three famous recordings of live performances by Callas of La Traviata. The 1955 La Scala performance conducted by Giulini is in execrable sound. That leave the 1958 Lisbon and Covent Garden performances. All four critics whose reviews I've read prefer the Covent Garden, although in some cases that reflects preference for her collaborators. I have one problem with that, mainly that in Lisbon she's in much better voice. Throughout the first act of the CG performance her voice sounds unpleasantly coarse; in fact it sounds as if she hadn't fully warmed up until the second act. For that reason I don't care to listen to it. It puzzles me that the critics don't seem to have noticed this.
Lots of people just don't like the inherent sound of her voice, the timbre itself. They are entitled to their opinion and I respect it just as I respect those who totally love her inherent sound. Some people love the inherent sound of Amelita Galli Curci's voice, some do not, everyone has different taste. I don't particularly love Callas' inherent sound, but neither do I particularly dislike it; it was distinctive and interesting, you can always tell when it is Callas. There are those whose inherent sounds I dislike a lot more and those whose inherent sounds I like a lot more. There is room for all. 🌞I don't think anyone can say there was anything wrong with the sound of her voice, if you mean her very distinctive timbre. It's other qualities that people criticize, and her unmistikable and very peculiar timbre, I would say that counts as a plus.
I see this is turning into a Callas thread. So be it. I'm a besotted Callas fan, mostly because I love the sound of her voice. I know you're not supposed to say that. The orthodox view is that Callas was a great vocal actress with a flawed voice. Nonetheless I love her voice. She's one of those few singers whose voice sends chills down my spine. About her supposed technical flaws I'm indifferent. But one famous performance is an exception. There are three famous recordings of live performances by Callas of La Traviata. The 1955 La Scala performance conducted by Giulini is in execrable sound. That leave the 1958 Lisbon and Covent Garden performances. All four critics whose reviews I've read prefer the Covent Garden, although in some cases that reflects preference for her collaborators. I have one problem with that, mainly that in Lisbon she's in much better voice. Throughout the first act of the CG performance her voice sounds unpleasantly coarse; in fact it sounds as if she hadn't fully warmed up until the second act. For that reason I don't care to listen to it. It puzzles me that the critics don't seem to have noticed this.
Try this remaster of the 1955 Traviata, it's similar to the arsvocalis issue.
Act 2 scene 2 and act 3 are still a bit unclear but the sound is much improved in act 1 and act 2 scene 1. There was a better source for the first half of the opera which didn't include the second half.
Maybe it's the transfer you have. Myto is quite good and, apparently, Ars Vocalis is even better. I have the London performance on Myto and the Lisbon in EMI's first CD transfer, which was done by Keith Hardwicke, I believe and, to be honest I don't hear much difference vocally. However she was reportedy suffering from a cold in London. I can't really hear it, but maybe you do. My preference is still for London.I see this is turning into a Callas thread. So be it. I'm a besotted Callas fan, mostly because I love the sound of her voice. I know you're not supposed to say that. The orthodox view is that Callas was a great vocal actress with a flawed voice. Nonetheless I love her voice. She's one of those few singers whose voice sends chills down my spine. About her supposed technical flaws I'm indifferent. But one famous performance is an exception. There are three famous recordings of live performances by Callas of La Traviata. The 1955 La Scala performance conducted by Giulini is in execrable sound. That leave the 1958 Lisbon and Covent Garden performances. All four critics whose reviews I've read prefer the Covent Garden, although in some cases that reflects preference for her collaborators. I have one problem with that, mainly that in Lisbon she's in much better voice. Throughout the first act of the CG performance her voice sounds unpleasantly coarse; in fact it sounds as if she hadn't fully warmed up until the second act. For that reason I don't care to listen to it. It puzzles me that the critics don't seem to have noticed this.
Liking it or not, what I'm saying is that you can not say someone's voice color is a flaw. The closest that could be argued against, would be to say that her sound is not what you expect a soprano to sound like, dark and cavernous. To which it could easily be answered that obviously, hers was a very unique sound, and that's a good reason to love it. I happen to be one of those very attracted to that sound.Lots of people just don't like the inherent sound of her voice, the timbre itself. They are entitled to their opinion and I respect it just as I respect those who totally love her inherent sound. Some people love the inherent sound of Amelita Galli Curci's voice, some do not, everyone has different taste. I don't particularly love Callas' inherent sound, but neither do I particularly dislike it; it was distinctive and interesting, you can always tell when it is Callas. There are those whose inherent sounds I dislike a lot more and those whose inherent sounds I like a lot more. There is room for all. 🌞
I have the ICA release. I have read criticisms of some of their transfers but I get tired of chasing down remastered recordings that rarely make a difference to me. Besides, Traviata isn't really one of my favorite operas. Among her Verdi roles the ones I treasure are Lady Macbeth, Gilda and both Leonoras.Maybe it's the transfer you have. Myto is quite good and, apparently, Ars Vocalis is even better. I have the London performance on Myto and the Lisbon in EMI's first CD transfer, which was done by Keith Hardwicke, I believe and, to be honest I don't hear much difference vocally. However she was reportedy suffering from a cold in London. I can't really hear it, but maybe you do. My preference is still for London.
The ICA isn't at all good. They even filtered out a couple of notes you hear Callas singing during the into as she quietly tests her voice. It's a part of Callas folklore that immediately makes us recognise the performance. It is one of my favourite operas and I think it Callas's greatest role after Norma. She sang it almost as much.I have the ICA release. I have read criticisms of some of their transfers but I get tired of chasing down remastered recordings that rarely make a difference to me. Besides, Traviata isn't really one of my favorite operas. Among her Verdi roles the ones I treasure are Lady Macbeth, Gilda and both Leonoras.
Lifting this from a Callas Extravaganza, might I dare suggest any (yes I said ANY) performance, good and not so good) that still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear how magically Magda Olivero is able to mesmerize her audience with her less than beautiful voice.
Jessye Norman is not the right young-sounding voice one expects to hear as Salome. She sounds more like and earthy Herodias. Nevertheless, I LOVE listening to her huge opulent voice singing this glorious music. It is like a very long and more twisted 4 Last Songs. Salome really is well within a mezzo's range as it only has one B that I know of but a number of A's, which were easy for Jessye. When they give her the head it could trigger an earthquake with the right sound system. Sorry if I have mentioned this before.
Ah yes she was, "La Verissima," regardless of vocal flaws. Cheers to her! 🌞Lifting this from a Callas Extravaganza, might I dare suggest any (yes I said ANY) performance, good and not so good) that still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear how magically Magda Olivero is able to mesmerize her audience with her less than beautiful voice.
I love the cover photo, she looks murderousJessye Norman is not the right young-sounding voice one expects to hear as Salome. She sounds more like and earthy Herodias. Nevertheless, I LOVE listening to her huge opulent voice singing this glorious music. It is like a very long and more twisted 4 Last Songs. Salome really is well within a mezzo's range as it only has one B that I know of but a number of A's, which were easy for Jessye. When they give her the head it could trigger an earthquake with the right sound system. Sorry if I have mentioned this before.
Yes she could be rather ingolata at times but then the sound was oceanic and so moving to just drown in. One of my favorite recordings of her in an early take where she sang the COUNTESS in Figaro, Mirella Freni was Susanna and their duet was so beautiful, as was the whole opera. (BBC Symphony Orchestra. Conductor - Sir Colin Davis. 1971) 🌞Jessye Norman is not the right young-sounding voice one expects to hear as Salome. She sounds more like and earthy Herodias. Nevertheless, I LOVE listening to her huge opulent voice singing this glorious music. It is like a very long and more twisted 4 Last Songs. Salome really is well within a mezzo's range as it only has one B that I know of but a number of A's, which were easy for Jessye. When they give her the head it could trigger an earthquake with the right sound system. Sorry if I have mentioned this before.
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