Great Arias From French Opera
Norma
Leontyne Price ~ the ultimate Aida
Renata Tebaldi rivalry
painting by Oleg Karuvits
2004
Showing posts with label Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera. Show all posts
December 30, 2016
Maria Callas ~ Diva Divine
Great Arias From French Opera
Norma
Leontyne Price ~ the ultimate Aida
Renata Tebaldi rivalry
September 24, 2015
101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes 107: Renata Tebaldi is Aida
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
front cover
photo of tape box cover by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
front cover
photo of tape box cover by Styrous®
~ ~ ~
I
started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums I am
selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. The 101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes series is an extension of that collection. Inquire
for information here.
~ ~ ~
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-World War II period. Among the most beloved opera singers, she has been said to have possessed one of the most beautiful voices of the 20th century which was focused primarily on the verismo roles of the lyric and dramatic repertoires. And what opera could possibly be more dramatic than the grandest of all grand operas, Aida?
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
back cover
photo of tape box back cover by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
back cover
photo of tape box back cover by Styrous®
Aida was the first opera I saw live; it had elephants and Leontyne Price in 1958 at the beginning of her career (link to more on Price in Aida below). l was spoiled right from the first! And as usual, I have a favorite part; Act one, scene 2 does it for me in this opera. There are two links below to this on YouTube; the costuming and dancing in part one is stunning and not to be missed.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Aida (Italian: [aˈiːda]), sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario attributed to French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. However, Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz has argued that the scenario was actually written by Temistocle Solera. Aida was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on 24 December 1871, conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Now, how appropriate is THAT!
Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, for which Verdi had been invited to write an inaugural hymn, but had declined. Metastasio's libretto La Nitteti (1756) was a major source of the plot.
Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, for which Verdi had been invited to write an inaugural hymn, but had declined. Metastasio's libretto La Nitteti (1756) was a major source of the plot.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box spine
detail photo by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box spine
detail photo by Styrous®
Verdi originally chose to write a brief orchestral prelude instead of a
full overture for the opera. He then composed an overture of the "potpourri"
variety to replace the original prelude. However, in the end he decided
not to have the overture performed because of its—his own
words—"pretentious insipidity". This overture, never used today, was
given a rare broadcast performance by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra on 30 March 1940, but was never commercially issued.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box with libretto
photo by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box with libretto
photo by Styrous®
Synopsis
Antecedent: The Egyptians have captured and enslaved Aida, an Ethiopian princess. An Egyptian military commander, Radamès, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris is in love with Radamès, although he does not return her feelings.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
Renata Tebaldi was born on February 1, 1922, in Langhirano, Italy. Her major breakthrough came in 1946, when she auditioned for Arturo Toscanini. Toscanini called her "voce d'angelo" (angel voice). Toscanini encouraged her to sing the role of Aida
and invited her to rehearse the role in his studio. She was of the
opinion that the role of Aida was reserved for a dramatic soprano, but
Toscanini convinced her and she made her role debut at La Scala in 1950
alongside Mario del Monaco and Fedora Barbieri in a performance conducted by Antonino Votto. This launched her international career.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape detail
reel 2
photo by Styrous®
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape detail
reel 2
photo by Styrous®
There was an infamous rivalry between Tebaldi and Maria Callas so intense it was known outside the opera world (link to more about Callas below). How much of the rivalry was real, and how much whipped up by fans and the press, is open to question. Some believe the rivalry was instigated by their
respective recording companies in order to boost sales, and that they
were instructed to play along. According to Time magazine, when
Callas quit La Scala, "Tebaldi made a surprising maneuver: she announced
that she would not sing at La Scala without Callas.
'I sing only for artistic reasons; it is not my custom to sing against anybody', she said."Nevertheless, Tebaldi apparently felt that the public perception of a rivalry was ultimately good for both their careers, since it aroused so much interest in the two of them.
Renata Tebaldi - Aida
libretto
photo by Styrous®
libretto
photo by Styrous®
Tebaldi retired from the stage in 1973 and from the concert hall in
1976. By the end of her career, she had sung in 1,262 performances, 1,048 complete operas, and 214 concerts.
Tebaldi never married. In a 1995 interview with The Times, she said she had no regrets about her single life.
She spent the majority of her last days in Milan. She died on December 19, 2004, at age 82 at her home, in San Marino, Italy. She is buried in the family chapel at Mattaleto cemetery, Langhirano, Italy.
Tebaldi never married. In a 1995 interview with The Times, she said she had no regrets about her single life.
"I was in love many times," she said. "This is very good for a woman." But she added, "How could I have been a wife, a mother and a singer? Who takes care of the piccolini when you go around the world? Your children would not call you Mama, but Renata."
She spent the majority of her last days in Milan. She died on December 19, 2004, at age 82 at her home, in San Marino, Italy. She is buried in the family chapel at Mattaleto cemetery, Langhirano, Italy.
September 23, 2015
101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes 106: Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
~ ~ ~
I
started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums I am
selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. The 101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes series is an extension of that collection. Inquire
for information here.
~ ~ ~
One of the towering icons of opera history was the American-Greek soprano, Maria Callas. Callas was bigger than opera. She was bigger than life; no, ALL sopranos are bigger than life. Callas was bigger than Existence and she blazed with a brilliance that burned out too soon! This album is a testament to the miracle of her voice.
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
Almost
everyone knows the name, Maria Callas; even if they have never heard a
note of an opera, they have heard her name. She possessed what was called, "The Callas Sound." Callas, whose voice ranged from a mezzo-soprano to Soprano sfogato, had a notorious rivalry with opera superstar, Renata Tebaldi, an Italian lyrico spinto soprano. A critic wrote of her:
"Her secret is in her ability to transfer to the musical plane the suffering of the character she plays, the nostalgic longing for lost happiness, the anxious fluctuation between hope and despair, between pride and supplication, between irony and generosity, which in the end dissolve into a superhuman inner pain. The most diverse and opposite of sentiments, cruel deceptions, ambitious desires, burning tenderness, grievous sacrifices, all the torments of the heart, acquire in her singing that mysterious truth, I would like to say, that psychological sonority, which is the primary attraction of opera."Ethan Mordden wrote:
"It was a flawed voice. But then Callas sought to capture in her singing not just beauty but a whole humanity, and within her system, the flaws feed the feeling, the sour plangency and the strident defiance becoming aspects of the canto. They were literally defects of her voice; she bent them into advantages of her singing."
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
There
is a booklet with lyrics, notes, texts and translations included with
the tape; it is the size used for record albums so it is folded into a
small square.
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet folded
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet open
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet & reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
Born
in New York City, on December 2, 1923, Callas was raised by an overbearing
mother. She received her musical education in Greece and established her
career in Italy. Her battle with her weight was legendary and her vocal decline is attributed to it.
Callas was the toast of international society. She was the ultimate Greek Drama Queen onstage as well as in her personal life which included many scandals. Her affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married (he later left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy) made headlines all over the world.
Callas burned with a fury while she lived. She died on September 16, 1977, of a heart attack in Paris, France. She was 53 years old.
Callas was the toast of international society. She was the ultimate Greek Drama Queen onstage as well as in her personal life which included many scandals. Her affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married (he later left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy) made headlines all over the world.
Callas burned with a fury while she lived. She died on September 16, 1977, of a heart attack in Paris, France. She was 53 years old.
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape label detail
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
1 - Orphée Et Eurydice - J’ai Perdu Mon Eurydice
2 - Alceste - Divinités Du Styx
3 - Carmen - L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle
4- Près Des Remparts De Séville
5 - Samson Et Dalila - Printemps Qui Commence
6 - Amour! Viens Aider Ma Faiblesse!
Side 2:
1 - Roméo Et Juliette - Valse-Je Veux Vivre
2 - Mignon - Polonaise-Je Suis Titania
3 - Le Cid - Pleurez, Mes Yeux (Air De Chimène)
4 - Louise - Depuis Le Jour
Companies, etc.:
Record Company – Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd.
Credits:
Conductor – Georges Prêtre
Liner Notes – Andrew Porter
Orchestra – French National Radio Orchestra*
Vocals – Maria Callas
Notes:
Comes with lyric booklet.
Columbia – ZS-35882
Format: 7½ ips reel-to-reel tape
Country: UK
Released: 1961
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera
Net links:
New York Times obituary
Links to music on YouTube:
Orphée Et Eurydice - J’ai Perdu Mon Eurydice
Alceste - Divinités Du Styx
Carmen - L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (LIVE)
Carmen - Près Des Remparts De Séville
Samson Et Dalila - Printemps Qui Commence Roméo Et Juliette - Valse-Je Veux Vivre
Mignon - Polonaise-Je Suis Titania
Le Cid - Pleurez, Mes Yeux (Air De Chimène) (live 1962)
Louise - Depuis Le Jour
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera is for sale on eBay
Imperfect as her voice may have been; it was one to remember!
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, September 23, 2015
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