In the early '60s, Maria Callas' mystique was in full bloom, but her career was in question, marred by frequent absences and cancellations. This 1964 production of Tosca was a triumph, however, showing her detractors that her voice was still intact, and reinforcing her fans' belief that she was the ideal diva -- brilliant of voice, and convincing on-stage. Tosca was the perfect role for Callas; she was the personification of the diva she played on-stage, and her acting brought an excitement to the part that few sopranos have equaled. This performance does show signs of vocal wear -- high passages have lost their bloom and taken on a slow wobble -- but it also has her more possessed of herself as an artist than she was even in her famous performances from the 1950s. Her "Vissi d'arte" alone is enough to show her command of music and the stage. The sound quality is better than her live performances from Mexico. Even non-Callas fans will be interested in this Tosca, largely for the callous and magnetic Scarpia of Tito Gobbi, who is at his best here. Many baritones have brought bigger and more beautiful baritone voices to bear, but Gobbi had a special feel for this part -- how to realize a loathsome man in music while remaining real and human. Renato Cioni makes a good Cavaradossi, although not on the level of his co-stars. Carlo Felice Cillario's musical leadership is excellent, resulting in a much tidier and compelling orchestral sound than is found in many live recordings, especially from that era. This is probably not the right choice for a first or only Tosca, but fans of Callas, or just fans of the opera will find a lot to enjoy here.© TiVo

After listeners adjust their expectations, this is in many ways a superlative recording of Wagner's Parsifal. First, of course, listeners have to adjust to the antique sound. Taped at live performances of the opera in November 1950, the sound is perhaps not so much antique as well-preserved. While listeners can't hear everything, they can at least hear everything that matters in this subdued but clean transfer. Then, of course, listeners have to adjust to the fact that the opera is performed in Italian. But since it was given in Rome with a mostly Italian cast for a wholly Italian audience, the choice of language is entirely appropriate and, considering it is a translation from Wagner's idiosyncratic German, wonderfully well done. Finally, of course, listeners have to adjust to the notion that the star of the opera in this performance is not the title character -- sung competently but not particularly persuasively here by Africo Baldelli -- but Kundry, a character who appears briefly in Act I, extensively in Act II, and hardly at all in Act III.But, whether or not listeners can adjust to antique sound or the Italian language, listeners will adjust to Kundry as the star whether they want to or not because this Kundry is the young Maria Callas and she blows nearly everybody else right off the sonic stage every time she opens her mouth. In her last Wagnerian role, the young but nevertheless indomitable Callas terrifies Baldelli's Parsifal, frightens Giuseppe Modesti's Klingsor, and even comes close to blasting Boris Christoff into the middle of next week. The only person she doesn't dominate is the man on the podium, Vittorio Gui, a masterful conductor who keeps firm control of the orchestra in spite of what's happening on-stage. There's no denying that Callas can sing the heck out of the role. Whatever Wagner wants from overwhelming power to unbearable passion to sheer vocal stamina, Callas has it. And there's likewise no denying that Callas sings the role not Wagner's way but her way. Her Kundry isn't merely in character. She's deep under the skin of the character. Her Kundry isn't simply a seducer. She's a woman with yearning and burning inside of her. Her Kundry isn't just a femme fatale. She's the kind of woman for whom a fool would sacrifice everything, including the Holy Grail, for the sake of having her near. Even with all its adjustments, this Parsifal is well worth hearing -- not necessarily by everyone who loves the work but certainly by everyone who loves Callas.© TiVo

This is a reissue of Maria Callas' first Norma at Covent Garden. In fact, it was her first production of any opera there, one that marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. As you would expect from a live recording made in 1952, the sound is not spectacular, but it is better than many from that era, and the performance is worth putting up with the noise. Norma was a signature role for Callas, and for good reason. She knew how to make bel canto work, how to find the essential and elusive balance between music and drama; every phrase is filled with pathos, but that pathos is communicated primarily through line and color -- very rarely through obvious emoting. Since she was still near the beginning of her international career, the freshness of her voice is still intact. This performance also features the legendary Ebe Stignani in the role of Adalgisa (one of her best), and the lesser-known but terrific Mirto Picchi and Giacomo Vaghi as Pollione and Oroveso, respectively. And, for the "before they were famous" file, listeners can find a young Joan Sutherland singing Clotilde -- ably, but not yet with the vocal presence that would mark her mature career. The package comes with a complete libretto and excellent notes.© TiVo