Editorial Reviews : Little can be added to what's been written about this landmark recording, except that Walter Legge's 1953 mono production yields nothing to modern recordings of Tosca in vivacity and theatrical impact--especially that of Maria Callas. All the more so with this marvelously remastered edition. The miraculous Victor de Sabata conjures a vibrant, inspiring orchestral canvas that enables Callas and her stellar cohorts to work their magic. Tito Gobbi and Callas spur each other to such heights that the characters replace the singers in the listener's mind. Giuseppe Di Stefano is on his best behavior and in fresher voice than on his fine Leontyne Price-Herbert von Karajan remake. On this set, EMI includes texts, translations, and notes that discuss this recording in the context of Callas's mercurial career.
Buyer Reviews : It's hard to believe this recording is about to reach the half-century mark. The performance might have been recorded yesterday, so clearly do the performers' and producers' intentions leap to the ear. EMI's deluxe new edition has a slipcase, a booklet packed with libretto, vivid photographs and thoughtful essays in multiple languages.
Most important of all, though, an egregious editing error that was made on this recording's previous CD incarnation (involving Callas' cries of 'Mario! Mario!' on her first entrance, and discussed thoroughly by Robert Seletsky, who is a reviewer on this site) has been corrected. The mono sound is richer and the voices more vivid than in many more up-to-date CDs I've heard.
In the end, though, there is the performance. If one were to listen with a heart of stone, one might admit that Callas' top even in 1953 can turn strident, and that Tito Gobbi likewise seems pressed in high-lying passages, his tones turning white and sharp in pitch. The fact is, minor vocal flaws are of no consequence when they belong to two performers with such vivid personalities, such theatrical magnetism, such verbal clarity and understanding of the drama of Puccini and Sardou. The clarion voice of di Stefano in his prime is hardly a liability, either.
Here's to fifty more years for this timeless recording masterpiece.
