We all should be grateful to have both singers' legacy. A world with just Callas or just Tebaldi would have been rather boring. There's room for both of them. Why can't we love and appreciate both?
Always comparing...always taking or pulling apart...dissecting the divas! Both were blessed and whoever was fortunate enough to have ever heard or experienced either of them, in person, was also blessed for having been able to. We are still blessed because we have the ability to hear them through recordings. Appreciate the fact that they and others even exist! That should be a blessing we can all agree on!
They were both great, but if each could give a one-night only concert of their very best performances, the same night in neighboring opera houses, I'd choose Maria Callas hands down. Her voice, her singing, her emotions just give me chills and often bring tears to my eyes. Renata Tebaldi is great and I love her singing, but Maria, oh Maria!
If I had to choose between two CDs, I would choose Callas as well. But if we talk about a live performance, I would choose Tebaldi, for a simple reason: the greatness and perfection of her voice is harder or maybe impossible to get from recordings. I imagine Callas to be exceptional and moving, just like in the recordings. She's almost like a pop singer, in the sense that she could communicate and move everyone, not just those who are familiar with this kind of music. But I would be so curious, after reading so many things about Tebaldi's voice, how she would sound in a theatre. Experts such as conductors, singers and those who listened to her singing live, talk about a spectacular voice, the most perfect human voice ever heard.
Ich kann ihrem Kommentar nichts hinzufügen… sie haben alles richtig gesagt… man bekommt Gänsehaut und: Callas spielt und singt soooo sensationell, dass einem die Tränen hochsteigen…. UNGLAUBLICH
I'm so affected by the duo Callas-Gobbi! These singers are so natural on the stage. They work on the entire role, not just the famous arias, like many of singers, especially in our time.
Callas rompiendo las notas con su llanto, el canto se vuelve angustia, desespero, la música es como un manto que la cubre….Scarpia la había llevado al límite….como pensaría Puccini….una mujer herida en su honor , humillada, grita, gime, pelea, sufre…esa es Tosca…esa es Callas.
Пучини очень эстетский композитор с преимущественно светлым звучанием и очень тонкими эмоциональными переходами. Сплошную трагедию тут устраивать не стоит. Это не для Пучини. Нильссон в этой партии по мне идеальна.
@@Lorenzo-be1nmIn her best years Tebaldi sings to perfection, the voice was seamless, round, perfect from top to bottom. Callas never sang to perfection because Callas voice was flawed
Tebaldi was a fine singer but Maria had so much more in many ways...i simply can not compare this two artists. Never compare a pear with an apple- both are fine;-) Maria gave 100%, i love her special unique sound, frasing, her acting, her expression. Nobodys perfect but Maria was very close to. An opera singer should always be unique, distictive! Thanks for your video!
You really can't compare a lyric spinto with a dramatic coloratura.... one has a stronger middle voice they other has an easier high register.... although tebaldi sometimes screamed her high notes while callas wobbled hers.... no one's perfect
Don't forget that we're listening to their voices on youtube. In my opinion, Tebaldi's voice sounded spectacular in a theatre while Callas voice was perfect for recordings... That's the difference and that's why I wouldn't want to hear Callas sing live as I wish I could hear Renata's voice live, which must have been something really special. I heard a story (Bergonzi) about Tebaldi being a superstar while she was still studying in the Conservatory in Parma, way before her debut... when she had her singing lesson all the other students gathered outside the door to hear Tebaldi sing. Maria, on the other hand, is almost like a pop singer to me, her voice can speak to anyone and everywhere. So, if you ask me who do I prefer in this performance of Tosca, we're on youtube so I'd say Callas, but I wish I could hear Renata sing this live.
This "Callas was a singing actress" vs Tebaldi was A Voice is some publicity stunt that was pulled ages ago, but fans recite this tripe as if it were the truth. It is not the truth. Callas had an enormously flexible instrument; the nuances of feeling which translate into great beauty are the essence of musicality itself.
they just had different qualities and a different repertoire. Callas had the quality of a pop singer, she could move everyone even in recordings. Tebaldi was probably the most perfect human voice you could hear in a teatre. They were both great and comparisons make no sense.
It's not just that. They had different qualities and even a different repertoire, for the most part, so comparisons don't make much sense. In my opinion, Maria's greatness can be easily recognized even from recordings, while Renata should be heard live in a teathre to fully understand how great she was.
Does Callas' top wobble slightly? Yeah. But Tebaldi sounds flat, uninvested....like she's bored? Meanwhile Callas gives you CHILLS, the way she PHRASES, the way she MOVES....her eyes, her hands...EVERYTHING. Callas SINGS, Tebaldi is operatic ASMR.
Both are exceptional in their own way. The Tebaldi Stuttgart video suffers from a rather static camera angle. I never saw Callas live but Tebaldi had enormous charisma - star quality. Seen from the stalls, her first act entrance provoked a palpable response from the entire audience even before the applause. Her spinto middle range better for Puccini.
Callas was the full package. She had the acting and singing chops. A voice that could do coloratura, yet take on dramatic and lyrical roles, both in the soprano and mezzo soprano tessitura. Tebaldi had a more pleasant and majestic tone, whereas Callas's voice was a bit harsh and murky, almost crow-like. Tebaldi lacked Callas agility, (she was in fact quite sluggish in this area) and high notes, but her sound always remained pleasant. Both were excellent bel canto singers, with very nuanced and emotive phrasing in Italian. The only thing that I wished for was to hear them sing more French and German operas (don't think they ever sung in German). But oh well. They were excellent interpreters of heroines/antiheroines of the Italian operas of the Romantic era.
TEBALDI ONLY EVER SANG IN ITALIAN IN OPERA..........BUT THERE IS A RECORDING.....A VERY PRIVATE TAPE......OF TEBALDI SINGING THE WHOLE OF THE ROLE OF CHARLOTTE FROM WETHER IN WONDERFUL FRENCH......THIS FROM CIRCA 1971.......AND SHE SOUNDS SENSATIONAL.! THIS WAS A RECORDING OF A REHERSAL AT HER HOME OF HER PART IN THE ENTIRE OPERA.
@@luigicorvi1661 Did Tebaldi ever sing Norma, or was she afraid to take it on like Renee’ Fleming. Callus’s “Norma” is a Signature Opera for Her, despite it being one of the most, if not the most difficult Operas for a Soprano, yet Callas sang it often & Beautifully 🎶
Maria Callas' expression beats that of Tebaldi a million times over. Tebaldi sings wonderfully but with Callas you feel the true feelings of the character.
Due soprani che hanno avuto sucesso due stelle, ma callas e' callas e non ha avuto paragoni, primo perché era una attrice teatrale e la sua musicalità e espressività non ha mai avuto paragoni senza togliere merito a signora tebaldi, ma callas musica pura un amore di donna che ha dato tutto se stessa alla musica al canto e a teatro ancora oggi è un'esempio per tutti cantanti ha lasciato un patrimonio intrigante. Non tramonta mai♥️💞♥️ grazie per il filmato 🥰
It's wrong to compare Tebaldi and Callas together. Each of them are gem, each have a different qualities. This same like each person is different. Singing, interpretation, style is different. Just saying.
In a way I agree, but on the other hand I think it's natural to compare singers who sing the same repertoire. Both of them sang a lot of performances of "Tosca", "La traviata" and "Aida", and several times they even sang at the same theatre during the same season. So I think comparison was unavoidable, but I agree that a comparison shouldn't necessarily contain a "verdict" about who was better than the other.
@@eberlinpascal2837 I agree. Tebaldi's coloratura technique wasn't sufficiently good for Traviata - or Trovatore for that matter (she recorded it in the studio).
Tebaldi is much more vocally secure and her voice in this comparison is much more beautiful, but why is it I find Callas so much more moving? Tebaldi is an opera singer in costume, who never for one moment loses her composure. Callas just becomes Tosca. The whole of this act is an example of how thrilling opera can be. Callas and Gobbi together on stage. What could be better than that?
LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE.......YOU LOSE YOUR VOICE..........!.....WHICH DO YOU PREFER.....?.........DO YOU THINK...AS I DO........THAT TEBALDI AND CALLAS HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN NOT!.....THEY BOTH MITICULOUSLY FOLLOW THE COMPOSERS MARKINGS......THEY BOTH AIM FOR THE IDEAL.......THEY BOTH GIVE OF THEMSELVES EVERYTHING IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE..............THEY ARE UNITED IN THE GLORY OF OPERA.. ....THE MUSIC AND COMPOSER IS THEIR IDEAL.......THATS THE APOTHEOSIS WE ALL CAN CELEBRATE TOGETHER!!!!
@@jimbuxton2187sorry, her vocal technique was precisely what allowed her to have that repertoire. An absolute soprano, like her, is supposed to have a perfect vocal technique. Which she had, like no other one. Sorry.
Respeto a Tibaldi pero en definitiva me quedo con María Callas, su voz hace que se me erice la piel y que sienta ese escalofrío que se siente cuando de verdad disfrutas el sonido de su voz.
2:29 Maria Callas ha hecho de "Vissi D'arte" su himno y estandarte propios. Rompió con los deseos de Puccini y consagró los suyos. Nadie absolutamente nadie se atreve a cantarla como ella lo hizo. Rompió el pianissimo y la dulzura para darnos un momento dramático, arrebatado y angustiante que nos pone la carne de gallina. ¡Viva la Divina!
Callas was a great singer…perhaps the only one who could put so much of the meaning into the sound that anyone could understand the meaning. Yes a great actress and such a great singer. Shut your mouth if you don’t like her voice. It may not have lasted long, but while it did, we were all blessed.
Shall we stop for a moment to consider that since those two, no soprano has ever been able to sing the part with the same confidence and technical prowess? Tosca is not easy to sing but with them onstage you forget it and enjoy the music. With today's sopranos you're constantly reminded of that difficulty.
Oltre alla voce c'è altro! La vis drammatica della Callas resta insuperata, ogni volta che l'ascolto provo gli stessi brividi di tanto tempo fa. Che prodigio della natura e dell'arte! Grazie, Maria!
What to say.... The voice of Tebaldi is wonderful but Maria Callas is Divina.... She is an organic Artist, not just a singer... A sort of miracle! That's all. You can have a lot af beautiful voices, but another Artist like Callas?... Hopefully it will, even if until now the miracle do not repeat itself
I refuse to compare the two. Each had something special to offer. This reminds me of the ongoing GOAT debate in futbol- Messi or Ronaldo. Both are great! And sure, Callas wins the debate for Tosca, but I am sure Tebaldi wins the debate for another role.
@Iris, if you’re saying Tebaldi = Ronaldo and Callas = Messi, then I agree with that. Ronaldo is technically a beast, taller, stronger, and better at headers, Messi overcame his deficiencies with his genius.
I'll take Maria Callas any day. She has a better voice and beautiful looking as well. She certainly knew what she was singing about. I don't understand why Renata Tebaldi is admired by so many people and I don't think someday I will change my mind on Tebaldi. But Tebaldi-worshippers can't even construct a legitimate and objective argument about why she is better than Callas.
Watching Tebaldi: OK a cool singer. Watching Callas: Goosebumps all over the body and heart sped up. Callas captures you. There is no discusion here, Callas is immmortal, the rest is the rest.
@@weiliu7319 What are you talking about? We have here Callas in the very end of her career and still she is better than any Tosca ever. Its not possible to compare prime Callas to any other singer. Prime Callas is a unique phenomenon comparable only to herself in different performances. Would be greatly unfair to compare prime Callas with a fully supported soprano assoluta voice, from top to bottom, to other sopranos. A singer of Callas magnitude happened only once. As for "you have no application for singing".. if u wanna start talking about singing, we can start by the fact that Tebaldi didnt even have a trill to begin with. I bet she looked to the music score of Sempre Libera (1957) and pretended the trills that Verdi wrote didnt exist. Meanwhile, in 1957 Callas was singing Cresciutos (ascending trills) in Bolena like they were a piece of cake!
@@Tdvc the problem with this way of thinking is that you put Callas on a pedestal and thus can't fully appreciate other singers, because you're working on the assumption that Callas will always be better.
@@user-cy6xl3vd3f Evidence aplenty for that assumption. I find it so strange that with the legacy available for 60 years to all who can hear we still have such stubborn prejudice against a phenomenon that showers us with endless blessings. Such ingratitude speaks volumes.
Tebaldi becomes so tense when she has to reach a somewhat high note, starting around an "A" she tightens all her muscles and completely stops acting, quite often under pitched on a "B" and most of the time flat on a high "C". It quite obvious in those excerpts, just watch her body and face expressions when she prepares to hit a high note, everything freezes until the problematic note has passed, she then relaxes and gives a series of nice and luscious lower notes, pleasantly ending what ever she was singing, just like some sweet angel, to the great joy of her fans. I know, I was once one of those fans.
Tebaldi becomes tense because she uses much toraxic resonance for the high notes (of course mixed with head voice). The high note of a real soprano spinto is like this (like Tebaldi). But how Tebaldi high note sound ? Tebaldi high notes have much impact because of the "color" she has on top and because of the granitic quality of her high notes, huge high notes and Tebaldi high notes have NO irregular vibrations, her vibrato is perfect. Instead Magda Olivero high notes ? how they sound ? theay are not worth anything Miss Denis Robert, colorless, thin, and with irregular vibrations, flawed vibrato. Leontyne Price high notes have NO impact, are a threadlike. And Callas high notes are strident, light in color and with irregular vibrations, ugly
@@ginopietracupa4305 ultimately all that is irrelevant. especially to the audiences. one sounds soulless, giving us a mechanical performance, the other sounds like she encompasses entire human experience within a performance. the fact that you will know which is which without me naming names, says everything.
@@NikolaTheodore Tebaldi has much spirituality in her singing and she is noble. Callas is prententious and fake emotion, she sings everything the same, she sings Puccini like Bellini, always weeping
Pav ovce said: there willbe another Tebaldi, another Monsarrat, but fhere will neverbe another Callas " unfortunately that marazmatic Domingo called that shrieking, shouting baba Netrebko another Callas??? Iwnder why Jupiter or Zeus did not struck him dumb with thunder on the spot for such blesphemy! Since that , i never listen for Domingo'recordings.thank God i can enjoy a much greater tenor, Prince of Tenors-FRANCO ACorelli.
I am really at a loss to understand how these two sublime artists could have ever been compared. Tebaldi had a ravishing vocal endowment and she was a wonderfully disciplined artist. No reason whatsoever to compare her and Maria Callas. Both had different attributes, sought different artistic goals, and really specialized in their own respective repertoires. Tebaldi was a modern Twentieth Century soprano whose repertoire was rooted in Puccini and the verismo composers, as well as a few Verdi roles. Ms Tebaldi’s voice is bright and girlish and dark and angry and hopeful and playful, as -I think- the voice of Choi Choi in Madame Butterfly should sound. Callas' art was rooted in a much earlier period (bel canto) and she had a three octave range which enabled her to undertake everything. Callas did perhaps not have the vocal velvet of Tebaldi. She was a different artist altogether. Bashing one against the other is stupid and shows an innate ignorance about music. Two different artistic approaches COMPLETELY. Both divas defined a period in Italian opera that we will not likely encounter again.
My parents were avid opera buffs and got to see both Callas and Tibaldi live, at several venues. Dad was firmly in the Tibaldi camp, mum the Callas camp… what a childhood! Callas owns several roles, rightly of wrongly, cannot say the same for Tibaldi, perhaps with the exception of Madama Butterfly. CALLAS for me. But, I don’t have a Musical bone in my body. Tibaldi definitely has a sweetness in her voice, though projection seems missing.
Comparing is actually very educational. Yes Callas had strong dramatic instincts. More inside the character. And Tebaldi's voice was smoother and rounder and with capacity for high pianissimo. Both wonderful.
There's an electricity that comes from Callas' voice that hits me in so many places with such speed that I can't help but be pulled into the drama. La Divina cannot compare to any other singer.
La Tebaldi è perfetta cantante misurata, controllata, ma ingessata, con lei è una recita, mentre la Callas vive in quel canto , è più spontanea, autentica, passionale, sia nella voce che nell' atteggiamento, e per questo è inarrivabile ❤
Not even Maria Callas liked her own voice. The first time she heard a recording of her voice she starting crying and wanted to give up singing. Eventually she was able to accept it, but she never liked it. It's not an insult to not like her voice is a matter of personal taste. I personally don't like it, I never have and I never will. For example, her vibrato is so wide that is clearly going back and forth between two notes and it makes her sound off pitch (for example, 2:44). Or the very noticeable and not too pleasant sound she makes when she inhales (for example, at 2:36 although she makes it several times on this video). Yes, she was an excellent interpreter, but to me the couple of things I mentioned (and several others) annoy me enough so that I can confidently say that I don't like her voice. And it doesn't make me a joke or ignorant or a troll or anything like that.
We'd be privileged to see either soprano! In this role I always preferred Tebaldi for the grandeur, the phrasing and the stronger voice but Callas gives her own, wonderful interpretation. Callas was a master of bel canto.
in every way, Tebaldi was a great singer but could compete with callas in this type of role as Callas was the full monty, drama, beauty, emotion. Her acting was sublime but there again at times she looked liked she was actually feeling pain and hurting inside. She was let down as we know in her love life and died so young. Lucky nowadays with technology we can still her in some of the most moving moments of her career.
I find them both to be so good, and if I could combine the technique of Tebaldi (laser like and so supported) with the acting, emotive abilities of Callas, then we’d have utter perfection. But I enjoy them both so much and learn so much that I’m glad we have them both as separate examples to learn from. I noticed in my singing that being too emotive can take the voice off track and that’s harmful, but I mustn’t sing like a robot either. Trying to get the right mix is a lifelong pursuit.
vedo due grandissime artiste che hanno donato stupende interpretazioni alla lirica mondiale....ogni confronto è sterile ed inutile, ormai loro appartengono alla storia
what stupidity, to say that Callas did not sing....this guy obviously has audio difficulties or fungus that impair him to listen well. Maria Callas was way more complete because she no only had a wonderful voice with great quality, but she could also interpret whatever she sang...Renata excellent not question about it, but boring as hell. Maria was an eyes catcher on stage and even outside...She was a Casta Diva and the best well know of all soprano all over the world. She did not rely on other things to put on for her lack of voice quality, as this person is trying to picture her, but uses her dramatic quality to get the best of her performer which made her a lengend
La Tebaldi non ce la fa😂ma come l'ha ucciso Scarpia, dandogli una spinta?!😂😂la Callas è un miracolo sotto ogni punto di vista, non per niente è la Divina!!❤❤
Me da la impresion de que Callas es mas actriz que Tebaldi en esta opera. Pero cuando abren la boca uno se queda EXTASIADO POR LA TREMENDA VOZ QUE TIENEN. BRAVAS.❤❤❤❤
@@marcmitchel25 Yes, it was, but supposedly a reporter said “no Coca-cola” and it was attributed to Callas though she never said it. I agree, both have their strengths and were great artists.
Las dos fueron DIVAS.CADA UNA EN SU MODALIDAD FUERO GRANDIOSAS. DE AHI SU CONFRONTAMIENTO DE TODA LA VIDA .porque ninguna de las dos queria perder lo que habian conseguido a fuerza de sacrificio y otras cosas que no vienen al caso DIVASSSSS LAS DOS.❤❤❤❤❤❤
There is no comparison at all: Tebaldi was a 'soprano lirico-drammatico' (lyric-dramatic soprano), while Callas was the epitome of a 'soprano drammatico d'agilità' (dramatic coloratura soprano)i.e. a true dramatic soprano also able to execute fast vocal runs and coloratura and possesses stronger top notes. But here Callas had already lost much of her vocal weight and her timbre was less dark and rich than in her vocal prime(1948-1954/55) so her voice is obviously weaker. Vocally Callas had a darker and more metallic voice than Tebaldi and I do think that it was easier for Callas to sing Tosca, for it's a dramatic role and requires a strong, big and dark voice. As an actress Callas has no rivals, Tebaldi's "interpretation" was an awful joke.
Just out of curiosity : the definition 'Soprano drammatico d'agilità' was created in 1949 (recalling the definition 'soprano assoluto' used in XIX century for Giuditta Pasta and Maria Malibran) by the music critic and journalist Teodoro Celli expressly for Maria Callas, when she sang the role of Elvira from "I puritani" after singing the massive roles of Brünhilde (Die Walküre) and Abigaille (Nabucco).
I love both and with a voice like Tebaldi’s who needs acting. Callas was a Tour de force nothing like her has ever been seen on the operatic stage. She was a perfectionist and demanded the same amount of dedication and perfection from everyone working with her. The problem is no one is perfect and I think in the end all of that total dedication & perfection killed her & made lots of enemies. Tebaldi even said the first meeting with Callas was horrible. They were performing in Brazil u believe a concert and Tebaldi was singing the crowd went wild and demanded she sing an encore & the maestro said yes you have to do encore so reluctantly she did and Callas was ferocious and hit the roof went to Tebaldi’s dressing room demanding to know what the hell was going on. So Callas could be her own worst enemy. Tebaldi said Callas was jealous.
For me there is only Callas. Tebaldi sings like an angel, every note is beautiful, if I had been in one of her audiences I would count myself a lucky woman to have witnessed talent like that with my own eyes. But when I hear her Tosca compared to Callas, it is like sepia compared to technicolour. Only in Callas do you hear that raw deep emotion, only her voice makes you feel the despair of Tosca as she confronts her terrible choice. And it is not that she is acting - close your eyes, you will hear it then too.
And that is the reason why her voice weakened later in her career. She sang all about everything but she abused her voice. She went very often off her limits, something that she could do when she was younger but this kind of singing damaged eventually her singing voice. I'm not saying of course that her career was short, she was singing on stage from 1941 to 1965 but if is she was a little bit more careful she would probably been able to sing for much longer.
@@creativecolours2022 Maybe, maybe not. No one knows for certain if that was the sole reason for her vocal decline as she had other health problems as well. She died relatively young anyway.
@@jamesmorrison2055 I'm not saying that this was the sole reason. She abused her voice either way, and when her health started to decline things got worst. Singers of this level ( and other artists like virtuoso pianists or dancers to bring some other characteristic examples) are like athletes. Their performance depends on their overall body and health condition. On how they can preserve the good function of their vocal chords, their hands, their feet. The whatever small "injuries" they get when they are younger, which they can overcome without medical help because they are still young, can literally disable them when they start getting older because everyone's body functions decline either way due to ageing. It is not something that we can prevent ( I mean ageing) just try to preserve our selves a little bit longer. Now of course you are going to ask me if it worth to go so often off limits. It did worth because she was a great artist, but everything has a price.
@@creativecolours2022 thank you for your wonderful objective comment. I guess she decided to have 6 or 7 good years rather than 10 or 15. She made her mark, but paid the price with her voice. She was a bel Canto coloratura soprano and should have kept singing that and stayed away from heavy dramatic repertoire. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
@@jimbuxton2187 Certainly but we wouldn't speak now about Maria Callas if she didn't do what she shouldn't do!. I mean all kind of acrobatics with the literal meaning of the world. That were what made her so legendary after all. That she was always to the limits and that includes everything. Her professional and her personal life.
