Label: SONY CLASSICAL Catalog: 88697804682 Format: CD
Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Cornell MacNeil, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Puccini: Tosca
Wholenote Discoveries - June 2011
The Metropolitain Opera has instituted a program to issue classic Saturday afternoon performances from the past preserved on their own archive tapes, entrusting them to Sony Classical which is issuing them at re-issue prices. The first batch includes Tosca, Die Walküre, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Le Nozze di Figaro, Romeo et Juliette (Gounod), La Bohème, and Il Barbieri di Seviglia. The first two to come my way are Tosca and Die Walküre. The Tosca, dating from April 7, 1962, finds Leontyne Price in the title role with Franco Corelli as Cavaradossi and Cornell MacNeil as Scarpia. The conductor is Kurt Adler . My intention was to first dip in at significant points but I was immediately engaged from the opening bars, listening through to the finale of the Third Act. A little history... on a Sunday afternoon in January 1955 a younger Leontyne Price’s Tosca was heard and seen across the continent in the NBC Television Opera Theatre with David Poleri as Cavaradossi. She was back in The Magic Flute as Pamina in 1956 and finally in 1960 she was Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Judith Raskin and Cesare Siepi. Hence, she was no stranger to the MET audience who accorded her an enthusiastic ovation as she arrived on the stage in Act One, even before she had sung one note. Her Tosca heard on these CDs is inspired and beautifully characterized opposite Corelli whose voice was quite incomparable for its beauty and ease of delivery, making this an important document. The sound is clean and clear throughout. The booklet includes a complete synopsis of the events on stage and all the cues (30) are given but no libretto. Let’s hope that future releases will include the legendary 1961 Turandot with Corelli and Nilsson conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Bruce Surtees
This complete live recording is taken from the Met’s historic Saturday afternoon radio performances and is newly remastered from the original April 7, 1962, broadcast. This brand new multi-disc set represents its first official release on CD.