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Puccini: Tosca / Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra And Chorus Of La Scala, Milan / Chorus master: Vittore Veneziani, Conductor: Victor De Sabata / EMI Records 2x LP Stereo / SLS 825

EMI Group Limited

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$189.99
SKU:
SLS 825
UPC:
SLS 825
Weight:
6.00 Ounces
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Product Overview

Puccini: Tosca / Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra And Chorus Of La Scala, Milan / Chorus master: Vittore Veneziani, Conductor: Victor De Sabata / EMI Records 2x LP Stereo

SLS 825

The 1953 EMI recording of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca conducted by Victor de Sabata, with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano and Tito Gobbi, is considered by many opera critics to be one of the most notable opera recordings of the 1950s. It was recorded in August 1953 by the EMI subsidiary Columbia Records and released to critical acclaim. It was a commercial success from the start and continues to be one of the best-selling opera recordings.

An anecdote regarding the recording sessions relates that de Sabata, who was generally pleased with Callas's performance, was not satisfied with her reading of the line "E avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma". Producer Walter Legge wrote that de Sabata put Callas through the "grinding mill" for half an hour to get it just right, though in Legge's view it was time well spent.

The work of all three lead singers, Callas as Tosca, Tito Gobbi as Scarpia and Giuseppe Di Stefano as Cavaradossi has been nearly universally praised, as has the "spaciously lyrical" conducting of de Sabata. Walter Legge's production and "superbly balanced" mono recording have also been noted as aspects that have made this Tosca one of the most celebrated of classical recordings. Soprano Leontyne Price and justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg named Callas' Tosca as their favourite recording. When Herbert von Karajan was making his own recording of Tosca in 1962, he would often ask his producer John Culshaw to play selections from the de Sabata/Callas recording to him. Culshaw reports that "One exceptionally tricky passage for the conductor is the entry of Tosca in act 3, where Puccini's tempo directions can best be described as elastic. Karajan listened to de Sabata several times over during that passage and then said, 'No, he's right but I can't do that. That's his secret.'"

In 2020, the recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

 

Label: EMI Records – SLS 825
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Stereo, Box Set
Country: UK
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera
 
 
 

Tracklist:

A   Act 1 Part 1
B1   Act 1 Conclusion
B2  
  Act 2 Part 1
C   Act 2 Conclusion
D   Act 3

 

 

  • Baritone Vocals [Scarpia]Tito Gobbi
  • Bass Vocals [A Sacristan]Melchiorre Luise
  • Bass Vocals [Cesare Angelotti]Franco Calabrese
  • Bass Vocals [Sciarrone, A Gaoler]Dario Caselli
  • ChorusChorus Of La Scala Opera House, Milan
  • Chorus MasterVittore Veneziani
  • ConductorVictor De Sabata
  • Libretto ByGiacosa, Illica
  • OrchestraOrchestra Of La Scala Opera House, Milan
  • Remastered ByA.C. Griffith
  • Soprano Vocals [Floria Tosca]Maria Callas
  • Tenor Vocals [Mario Cavaradossi]Giuseppe di Stefano
  • Tenor Vocals [Shepherd Boy]Alvaro Cordova
  • Tenor Vocals [Spoletta]Angelo Mercuriali

 

 

Re-mastered from the original tapes.
These LPs consist of mono recordings electronically reprocessed to give a stereo effect on stereo equipment.

Box contains a 40-page b/w-brochure 21 x 28,5 cm with libretto and credits.

The catalog# is printed as "SLS 825" and "1E 191 ○ 00410-1" on the spine, as "SLS.825" on the front cover of the booklet and as "ASD 2797-8" and "1E 191 ○ 00410-1" in the booklet (page 4).

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