BaL 17.06.23 - Puccini: Tosca

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30
Building a Library
Puccini’s Tosca - described by one critic as “a shabby little shocker” has nevertheless enthralled audiences for over a century. It has been no stranger to the recording studio, and Roger Parker talks to Andrew about the huge range of approaches that have been made and settles on the ultimate recording to buy, download or stream.

Available versions:-

Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Cornell MacNeil, Norman Scott, Paul Franke, George Cehanovsky, Alan Fischer, Ezio Flagello, Roald Reitan, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Kurt Adler *

Karine Babajanyan, Piotr Beczala, Carlos Álvarez, Wiener Staatsoper, Margarethe Wallmann, Marco Armiliato (DVD/Blu-ray)

Raina Kabaivanska, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Giancarlo Luccardi, Alfredo Mariotti, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Bruno Bartoletti (DVD)

Renata Tebaldi, Gianni Poggi, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Silvano Pagliuca, Arturo La Porta, Antonio Pirino, Giolgio Onesti, Takako Kurimoto, NHK Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Arturo Basile

Renata Tebaldi, Gianni Poggi, Gian Giacomo Guelfi, Silvano Pagliuca, Antonio Pirino, Giorgio Onesti, Arturo La Porta, Takako Kurimoto, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Basile (DVD)

Frazzoni Gigliola, Gangiacomo Guelfi, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Vittorio Pandano, Alfredo Mariotti, Antonio Zerbini, Editta Amedeo, Alberto Albertini, Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Torino della Rai, Arturo Basile *

Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Franco Calabrese, Melchiorre Luise, Angelo Mercuriali, Jailer Dario Caselli, William Nahr, Alvaro Cordova, RCA Victor Orchestra, Thomas Beecham *

Raina Kabaivanska, Nazzareno Antinori, Nelson Portella, Enzo Dara, Bulgarian National Choir, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Gabriele Bellini

Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato, Ruggero Raimondi, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid, Maurizio Benini (DVD)

Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato, Claudio Sgura, Teatro Carlo Felice, Marco Boemi (DVD)

Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli, Luca Salsi, Alfonso Antoniozzi, Teatro Alla Scala, Riccardo Chailly (DVD/Blu-ray)

Maria Callas, Renato Cioni, Tito Gobbi, Victor Godfrey, Robert Bowman, Eric Garrett, Dennis Wicks, Edgar Boniface, David Sellar, Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Carlo Felice Cillario

Laila Andersson, Lars Kullenbo, Lars Bergström, Rudolf Dassie, Anders Bergström, Bo Lundborg, Sten Wahlund, Rolf Björling, Erik Sædén, Royal Swedish Orchestra, Swedish Opera Chorus, Carlo Felice Cillario

Maria Callas, Clifford Harvout, Franco Corelli, Lawrence Davidson, Tito Gobbi, Andrea Velis, Russel Christoper, Stuart Fischer, Rober Goodloe, Metropolitan Opera, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, Coro, Fausto Cleva *

Regine Crespin, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Otakar Kraus, David Kelly, Forbes Robinson, David Tree, Victor Godfrey, John Pyle, Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Edward Downes *

Mikhail Shkaptsov, Valery Yaroslavtsev, Vitali Nartov, Vladimir Atlantov, Tamara Milashkina, Andrei Sokolov, Alexander Pavlov, Vladimir Filippov, Yuri Mazurok, USSR Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, USSR Bolshoi Theatre Choir, Mark Ermler

Renata Tebaldi, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giuseppe Taddei, Oliviero de Fabritiis

Radmila Bakocevic, Franco Corelli, Sesto Bruscantini, Orchestra & Chorus of the National Theatre of St Carlos Lisboa, Oliviero de Fabritiis

Maria Caniglia, Beniamino Gigli, Armando Borgioli, Enrico di Mazzel, Arthur Endreze, Paul Payan, Ninon Vallin, Ernesto Dominici, Rome Teatro Reale Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Oliviero de Fabritiisez

Antonia Cifrone, Stefano Secco, Giorgio Surian, Riccardo Ferrari, Massimo La Guardia, Franco Boscolo, Fernando Ciuffo, Veio Torcigliani, Giovanni Caramanna, Orchestra and Chorus of Festival Puccini, Valerio Galli (DVD)

Renata Tebaldi, Giuseppe di Stefano, Ettore Bastianini, Nicola Zaccaria, Orchestra of La Scala Milan, Gianandrea Gavazenni

Zinka Milanov, Franco Corelli, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Forbes Robinson, Michael Langdon, David Tree, Ronald Lewis, Noreen Berry, Rhoderick Davies, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sir Alexander Gibson

Katia Ricciarelli, Jose Carreras, Ruggero Raimondi, Fernando Corena, Gottfried Hornik, Heinz Zednik, Victor von Halem, Berliner Philharmoniker & Chor der Deutsche Oper Berlin, Herbert von Karajan *

Leontyne Price, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giuseppe Taddei, Fernando Corena, Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan *

Leonie Rysanek, Hans Hopf, Josef Metternich, Werner Faulhaber, Karl Hoppe, Willy Hoffmass, Heinz Maria Lins, Bavarian Radio Orchestra & Chorus, Richard Kraus

Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Leonard Warren, Fernando Corena, Leonardo Monreale, Mario Carlin, Nestore Catalani, Rome Opera Orchestra, Rome Opera Chorus, Erich Leinsdorf *

Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, Renato Bruson, John Cheek Andrea Velis, Paul Hudson, Dominick Martinez, Itzhak Perlman, Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, James Levine *

Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Alfredo Mariotti, Piero de Palma, Silvio Maionica, Dino Mantovani, Patricio Veronelli, Paolo Tosi, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Lorin Maazel

Leontyne Price, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir, John Alldis Choir, Zubin Mehta

Catherine Malfitano, Placido Domingo, Ruggero Raimondi, Giacomo Prestia, Giorgio Gatti, Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of Rome RAI, Zubin Mehta (DVD/Blu-ray))

Licia Albanese, Daniele Barioni, Leonard Warren, Clifford Harvuot, Gerhard Pechner, Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera House, Dimitri Mitropoulos *

(continued in post 2)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

(continued from post 1)

Adriana Guerrini, Armando Benzi, Carlo Badioli, Elvina Ramella, Eraldo Coda, Gianni Poggi, Giulio Biellesi, Jan Emanuel, Paolo Silveri, Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI, Ruggero Maghini, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli *

Renata Tebaldi, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Tito Gobbi, Howell Glynne, Michael Langdon, David Tree, Ronald Lewis, Covent Garden Opera Chorus, Covent Garden Opera Orchestra, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli *

Renata Tebaldi, George London, Mario del Monaco, Giovanni Morese, Piero de Palma, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli

Carol Vaness (Floria, Giorgio Zancanaro, Giuseppe Giacomini, Alfredo Mariotti, Danilo Serraiocco, Piero de Palma, Orazio Mori, Jeffrey Smitm, Charles Austin, Philadelphia Orchestra, Westminster Symphonic Choir, Philadelphia Boys Choir, Riccardo Muti *

Maria Guleghina, Leo Nucci, Salvatore Licitra, Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Ernesto Gavazzi, Virginia Barchi, Giovanni Battista Parodi, Alfredo Marriotti, Silvestro Sammaritano, Ernesto Panariello, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti *

Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcelo Alvarez, Ruggero Raimondi, Fabio Previati, Marco Spotti, Enrico Facini, Giuliano Pelizon, Ottavia Dorrucci, Angelo Nardinocchi, Arena Di Verona, Daniel Oren (DVD/Blu-ray)

Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Lukas Jakobski, Jeremy White, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sir Antonio Pappano (DVD/Blu-ray))

Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Ruggero Raimondi, Enrico Fissore, Maurizio Muraro, David Cangelosi, Sorin Colibran, James Savage-Hanford, Gwynne Howell, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano (DVD)

Renata Tebaldi, Franco Corelli, Anselmo Colzani, Gino Belloni, Pierluigi Latinucci, Cesare Massini Sperti, Enza Venchi, Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro La Gran Guardia, Livorno, Mario Parenti

Jane Eaglen, Dennis O’Neill, Gregory Yurisich, Peter Rose, Andrew Shore, John Daszak, Philharmonia Orchestra, Peter Kay Children`s Choir, David Parry

Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato, Claudio Sgura, Teatro Carlo Felice, Marco Boemi (DVD)

Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Piero Campolonghi, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Guido Pico *

Maria Callas, Carlo Bergonzi, David Sellar, Giorgio Tadeo, Leonardo Monreale, Renato Ercolani, Ugo Trama, Tito Gobbi, Choeurs du Théâtre National de l’Opéra, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Georges Prêtre

Nelly Miricioiu, Stanislav Benacka, Silvano Carroli, Jan Durco, Mirosla Dvorsky, Giorgio Lamberti, Andrea Piccinni, Jozef Spacek, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Alexander Rahbari

Kristine Opolais, Marcelo Álvarez Mario, Marco Vratogna, Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Peter Rose, Berliner Philharmoniker, Philharmonia Chor Wien & Cantus Juvenum Karlsruhe, Sir Simon Rattle (DVD/Blu-ray)

Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Italo Tajo, Richard Van Allan, Michel Sénéchal, Paul Hudson, Walter Baratti, John Tomlinson, National Philharmonic Orchestra, London Opera Chorus, Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir, Nicola Rescigno

Galina Vishnevskaya, Antonio Zerbini, Matteo Manuguerra, Un enfant de la Maîtrise, Giacomo Bertasi, Guido Mazzini, Domenico Versaci Medici, Franco Bonisolli, Mario Guggia, Orchestre National de France, Choeur de Radio France, Maitrise D’Enfants De Radio France, Choeurs de Radio France,Mstislav Rostropovich *

Carmen Melis, Piero Pauli, Apollo Granforte, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Carlo Sabajno

Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Franco Calabrese, Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan, Victor de Sabata

Aga Joesten, Heinrich Bensing, Ferdinand Frantz, Rolf Heide, Ewald Böhmer, Willy Hoffman, Hessian Radio Orchestra, Kurt Schröder

Carla Martinis, Rudolf Schock, Josef Metternich, Benno Kusche, Horst Gunter, Kurt Marschner, Norddeutschen Rundfunks Sinfonieorchester, Wilhelm Schuchter

Maria Callas, Jacques Mars, Albert Lance, Tito Gobbi, Albert Lance, Louis Rialland, Jean-Pierre Hurteau, Orchestra & Chorus of the Opera National de Paris, Georges Sebastian

Mirella Freni, Plácido Domingo, Samuel Ramey, Angelo Veccia, Bryn Terfel, Anthony Laciura, Chorus of Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli *

Grace Moore, Jan Peerce, Lawrence Tibbett, Lorenzo Alvary, Salvatore Baccaloni, Alessio de Paolis, George Cehanovsky, Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, Cesare Sodero

Kiri Te Kanawa, Malcolm King, Paul Hudson, Spiro Malas, Iván Markó, Nicholas Folwell, Giacomo Aragall, Leo Nucci, Piero de Palma, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus of the Welsh National Opera, Sir Georg Solti *

Anja Harteros, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Ludovic Tézier, Salzburger Bachchor, Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann (DVD/Blu-rayAnja Harteros, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Ludovic Tézier

Salzburger Bachchor & Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann)

Éva Marton, José Carreras, Juan Pons, István Gáti, Italo Tajo, Hungarian Radio and Television Chorus, Hungarian State Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas *

Magda Olivero, Alvinio Misciano, Giulio Fioravanti, Giovanni Folani, Carlo Badioli, Athos Cesarini, Arrigo Cattelani, Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Torino della RAI, Fulvio Vernizzi *

Malin Byström, Joshua Guerrero, Gevorg Hakobyan, Chorus of Dutch National Opera, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorenzo Viotti (DVD/Blu-ray)

Renata Heredia Capnist, Franco Corelli, Carlo Tagliabue, Antonio Sacchetti, Antonino Votto *

(* = download only)

[gradus]

'Shabby little shocker' - a Philip Hope Wallace phrase I think.

[Petrushka]

'Shabby little shocker' - a Philip Hope Wallace phrase I think.

Apparently, according to a Google search, this phrase was used by Joseph Kerman in his 1952 book, 'Opera as Drama'.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Apparently, according to a Google search, this phrase was used by Joseph Kerman in his 1952 book, 'Opera as Drama'.

Yep definitely Kerman .
Bit of a blemish in any otherwise good book.

[Barbirollians]

Callas/ Gobbi/De Sabata very difficult to surpass - as much as i iike the Molinari-Pradelli version.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Callas/ Gobbi/De Sabata very difficult to surpass - as much as i iike the Molinari-Pradelli version.

I first heard the early Callas in 1970 or ‘71. I didn’t hear it again until a few weeks ago, having long since invested in the Price/Karajan. But now I understand why that Callas is so revered - it’s truly incredible.

[gradus]

Yep definitely Kerman .
Bit of a blemish in any otherwise good book.

I read it in a PH-W review donkey's years ago and thought it his. Any way up I disagree with it!

[Ein Heldenleben]

I read it in a PH-W review donkey's years ago and thought it his. Any way up I disagree with it!

The phrase became notorious and is still from time to time seen in reviews.
Perhaps P H-W omitted the quotes after one of his wine fuelled lunches at El Vino’s?

[LHC]

I'm not sure I see the point of this BAL.

Since the Pappano recording was issued on CD some 22 years ago, I think almost all of the new recordings are DVD/Blu Ray only and so won't be considered or discussed. Indeed, the Pappano audio recording appears to be NLA, although it can be still be heard as the soundtrack to the filmed version with Alagna and Gheorghui on DVD/Blu Ray.

As BAL never includes DVDs, there would appear to be no new recordings to be considered so the recommendation of one of the Callas versions seems even more certain as there isn't even a modern version in pristine sound for the reviewer to consider as an alternative for those allergic to vintage recordings.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The phrase became notorious and is still from time to time seen in reviews.
Perhaps P H-W omitted the quotes after one of his wine fuelled lunches at El Vino’s?

It's unsurprising that a rather dumb comment, from a best-forgotten critic, should be the BBC webpage sensationalist's only contribution.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It's unsurprising that a rather dumb comment, from a best-forgotten critic, should be the BBC webpage sensationalist's only contribution.

I think Kerman was pretty good to be honest. Amongst other things he wrote a survey of Musicology which is a very readable introduction to this complex subject - one that is probably now a bit out of date. Opera as Drama contains much excellent and thoughtful analysis. He also wrote with Alan Tyson the excellent Beethoven entry in the New Grove which was rightly published as a separate volume.
He did have this thing about Puccini being a bit of a cheap sensationalist which does have a grain of truth in it. But in fact Act 2 of Tosca is dramatically very well constructed. The problem is Act 3 which aways feels to me like a coda built around one sensational tune - even more so than Act 4 of La Boheme.

[akiralx]

Easy choice for me: Sinopoli on DG.

[gradus]

Karajan/VPO in super Decca stereo does it for me - the singers aren't bad either.

[Darloboy]

Last covered by BaL in June 2002 when Rodney Milnes chose Price/Karajan with Callas/de Sabata as also recommended mono historic choice.