There's some great stuff in this set (although it's a bit confusingly labeled)--a reminder of just how many really good Puccini opera recordings were circulating in the late 50s and early 60s.
A little off topic but what a day for classical music. Brahms and Tchaikovsky’s birthdays and the 200th anniversary of the premiere of Beethoven’s (The Ninth 👔)
I'm glad to see this review. When you were doing your ideal Puccini operas with no weak links, I was delighted to find that your picks were pretty much the same as mine. Forty years ago, I was writing for American Record Guide, and editor Doris Chalfin sent me all the Puccini operas she got. By default I was "the Puccini expert" for ARG, and I felt a kind of imposter syndrome until I saw your reviews. Oh, and by the way, it was a snippet from the Schippers "Boheme" that was my introduction to recorded opera. As a kid, I was fascinated by magazines that contained 3D photos, and cardboard sound recordings. The October 1964 issue of HiFi/Stereo Review included "an actual stereo recording -- Mirella Freni, the brilliant new operatic star, sings 'Mi Chiamano Mimi" from La Bohème." I played it over and over, and loved every second of it, including Nicolai Gedda's contribution, a single "Si." (That was the second cardboard record in the magazine that year; in April, it was "So You Want to Write a Fugue," by Glenn Gould. Little could I have imagined that about fifteen years later, I would study conducting with Laszlo Varga, the cellist in that recording. Obviously, I never did achieve a conducting career. Another of Varga's students did, however: Kent Nagano.)
I was recently getting familiar with various recordings of Barber's School for Scandal overture, and just a few bars in, Schippers blew all the others away. It had real snap! I presume you have the Schippers/Barber disc (also with a bit of Berg, Menotti and d'Indy.)
@@dennischiapello7243 Good Evening....no I do not unfortunately, I should really look into that..I have the recording of Schippers /Price the Knoxville 1915, (one of my favorite Barber compositions)beautifully conducted by Schippers..also what is just grand, 3 Reincarnations for Accapela choir, and the Hermit Songs..the School of Scandel overture is just amazing!! Leonard Slatkins recording is no "chopped liver"..all the best and like Dave says on keep listening!!!
I’m looking forward to your report on the reference Boheme, which will make my day if it turns out to be Beecham. Horrified to learn there are”traditional cuts” in the Ping, Pang and Pong scene. It’s some of the very best music in the opera, plus it holds in abeyance all the noisy bombast that follows in Act 2.
Thanks again for another wonderful video that combines first-rate information with your unique zesty delivery. I am not sure, however, that you are quite right about Il trittico. EMI did record all three (with the Rome Opera), although with a different conductor for each one. Gobbi sang in Il tabarro and de los Angeles (with Barbieri) in Suor Angelica. The copyrights for the recordings date 1956, 1958, and 1959. I wonder why they chose not to include the others.
Interesting box. Glad to see the Nilsson/Corelli Turandot included. It’s strange that EMI-Warner doesn’t give that recording more love, considering that Nilsson and Corelli were and are _the team_ in that opera. I don’t think that recording has been issued separately since the 1980s. And EMI chose Callas/Fernandi for the Greatest Recordings of the Century edition, which it certainly was not!
Dave, while I love ALL of your videos, I have been waiting to find out what I should listen to Lloyd Symphony 2 with. Like an addict, I check multiple times per day. In the meantime, I was delighted to learn the reference recording for Pulcinella. I only recently discovered the piece and have really enjoyed it. But Abbado’s recording is clearly next level and mind blowing.
EMI doesn't have one. The best is still the live Scotto/Domingo but the DVD on Arthaus Musik has the original complete four act version, nearly an hour longer, in all its appalling glory.
Nilsson is perfect as Minnie but why didn't EMI cast Corelli and Gobbi? The performance is also cut to hell. But if you're only having one Puccini, this would be a good box, I agree. (Edgar is only for diehard completists. The Requiem segment in Act 3 was sung at Puccini's funeral. But the libretto is the nuttiest text ever written.)
Can anyone explain why "La Fanciulla del West" is translated as "The Girl of the Golden West" when "Golden" is obviously not in the Italian title ("D'oro") ? Always wondered!
I can't help but see "La Funiculi Funicula del West" whenever I read the title. Maybe he should've gone with that. But what's-his-name would've sued him like he sued Strauss!
The problem with the La bohème is shockingly Gedda , he sings a really mediocre Che Gelida. Thank God they put that Bohème in the box though instead of the terrible Levine recording with Scotto and Kraus. The butterfly is worth having for Björling alone, this was one of his last recordings. Gibin was a Brazilian tenor who never made any other major recordings, but sings the absolute crap out of this role and matches Nilsson decibels and does a fantastic Ch’ella mi creda. If he were around today, he would be one of the top dramatic tenors.
@@ER1CwC She absolutely is! And Schippers does an excellent job too! But she’s just as good on the Karajan recording and the singing on that one is generally stronger and the playing of the Berlin Phil is on a completely different standard! But it’s still a perfectly fine and solid recording of Bohème. I’d say it’s the 3rd best in the EMI catalogue behind Beecham and Pappano who both have stronger overall casts and better Rodolfo’s.
@@djquinn4212 How about Serafin with Callas and Di Stefano? Gedda was also a controversial choice for the Callas Butterfly. Michael Scott in his perceptive book complains that Walter Legge didn’t have a good ear for casting Italian operas. I don’t know if Legge cast the Freni/EMI Boheme. Too bad EMI didn’t get Pavarotti though, who actually did do L’amico Fritz with her!
@@ER1CwC The callas bohème is with Votto, not Serafin. They went with all stereo recordings in this box, I’m assuming that’s why they didn’t include the earlier callas recordings. I can’t speak to the Michael Scott (did he take time off from Dunder Mifflin?) book, but I can understand the criticism about certain things.
@@djquinn4212 Right, Votto. I think you're right about the preference for stereo here, thus the second Callas Tosca. Haha different Michael Scott! It's an excellent book, even if I might not agree with everything he writes. His argument is that Legge was much more at home in German and Viennese (i.e., Mozartian) opera. As a result, you get Gedda in Butterfly, an over-the-hill Tagliavini in Lucia, a worn out Tagliabue in Forza, even Di Stefano in Trovatore, etc. (According to him, that is.)
