{"product_id":"callas-leoncavallo-pagliacci-1954-paco097","title":"CALLAS Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (1954) - PACO097","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLEONCAVALLO \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePagliacci\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded in Milan, 1954\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 73:12\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eMaria Callas\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eGiuseppe di Stefano\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eTito Gobbi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eNicola Monti\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRolando Panerai\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eOrchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eConductor:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e Tullio Serafin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThe fact is that she has the personality to have an affair virtually under the nose of her husband, and it is this tigress that Callas brings to life vividly578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eAs with the Furtwängler \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFidelio \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ereviewed\nelsewhere in this issue, I listed this as mono in the headnote because\nthe original recording is monaural, but I heard it in Pristine’s Ambient\nXR stereo remastering. One should never confuse this with the old\n“electronically reprocessed stereo” that the major labels inflicted on\nmonaural recordings for many years. Pristine’s “ambient stereo” is a\nprocess that creates a stereophonic ambience in the space around the\nrecording. There is nothing artificial or phony sounding about it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI compared this to my favorite earlier\nreissue of this 1954 EMI studio recording, that by Mark Obert-Thorn on\nNaxos (8.111024). While that was a wonderfully clean and vivid transfer,\nthis surpasses it. Andrew Rose of Pristine claims that “ambient stereo\nprocessing add[s] a great sense of space and air around the performers,”\nand that is exactly what happens. The EMI original, and the Naxos\ntransfer, sounded a bit fierce and close-in. Those who love this\nperformance should explore this edition. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI was surprised that I was unable to find a review of this recording in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eArchive,\nbecause it is surely one of the finest recordings of this opera ever\nmade. There have been a number of very good ones, and singer preference\nwill rule most purchase decisions. Bjoerling, Gigli, Tucker, Del Monaco,\nand Corelli all have their fans (I happen to love them all). As for di\nStefano, we know intellectually that he probably shortened his career by\ntaking on roles like this, and one can at times hear the strain, but my\ngoodness this is a performance as good as any. The natural beauty of\nhis sound was still intact in 1954, and he throws himself into the role\nwith complete abandon. “Un tal gioco” is menacing, and “Vesti la giubba”\nis clearly the statement of a man on the edge of sanity. Some may find\nit over the top, but I find it utterly convincing and moving. His fury\nwhen he comes upon Nedda and Silvio is blood-curdling. He always had an\ninnate feel for the shape of Italian operatic music, and he carries you\nalong with him from beginning to end. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eCallas is not a complete success here.\nTop notes are afflicted with a wobble and a distressing thinness of\ntone, and one cannot avoid that reality. However, she is so convincing\nin the role, and so imaginative in ways beyond virtually all other\nrecorded Neddas, that one looks past the problem. Nedda is often\npresented as a simpering and weak character. The fact is that she has\nthe personality to have an affair virtually under the nose of her\nhusband, and it is this tigress that Callas brings to life vividly. Her\nscene with Gobbi, as she rejects and mocks Tonio, is astonishing in its\ndramatic intensity. She is a mistress of vocal color and inflection, and\nI will put up with a few squally high notes in order to hear Nedda made\nsomething other than the cardboard character we usually get. She and di\nStefano are particularly convincing in the second act. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eCredit must also go to Gobbi as well,\nalways a singer with a brilliant sense of creating a character, never\ncontent to just sing the notes. He is in fabulous voice here throughout.\nSilveri is a fine Silvio, though without the tonal splendor of Robert\nMerrill, who graces the Bjoerling recording with perhaps the finest\nrecorded Silvio ever. Even the role of Beppe is superbly taken here by\nNicola Monti. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eFinally, there is the idiomatic and\ntrenchant conducting of Serafin. He was an acknowledged master of the\nidiom, and manages to find the perfect balance of drama and lyricism,\ntenderness and fury, throughout. He turns the Intermezzo into a\nmini-masterpiece. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eAs is usual, Pristine provides minimal\nnotes and no libretto. But they deserve our gratitude for restoring,\nwith love and skill, a classic recording of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ePagliacci \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ethat will provide great listening pleasure. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Fogel\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 37:4 (Mar\/Apr 2014) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO097.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaria Callas with Giuseppe Di Stefano and Tito Gobbi in Leoncavallo's classic Pagliacci\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eFabulous sound from 32-bit XR remastering for this 1954 recording\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003eHaving cast around for recording venues,\nhere we find Callas and EMI at La Scala, which would be the favoured\nstage from then on for her studio operatic recordings. Many of the sonic\nproblems that had plagued earlier studio recordings had by now been\novercome, and thus in remastering this recording my main aims in using\n32-bit XR remastering to inject life, clarity and depth into the overall\nsound was considerably less tricky than previously with Callas. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003eHappily the results do indeed bring\nsignificant improvements over the original sound, with Ambient Stereo\nprocessing adding a great sense of space and air around the performers -\nthis is my recommended format. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Cast Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLEONCAVALLO Pagliacci \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded 12 -17 June 1954, Teatro alla Scala, Milan\u003cbr\u003eProducer: Walter Legge\u003cbr\u003eEngineer: Robert Beckett\u003cbr\u003eFirst issued as UK Columbia 33.CXS.1211 and 33.CX.1212\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eNedda\u003cb\u003e - Maria Callas\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eCanio\u003cb\u003e - Giuseppe di Stefano\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eTonio\u003cb\u003e - Tito Gobbi\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eBeppe\u003cb\u003e - Nicola Monti\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eSilvio\u003cb\u003e - Rolando Panerai\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChorus \u0026amp; Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, Milan\u003cbr\u003eChorus Master - Vittore Veneziani\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConductor - Tullio Serafin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO097.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO097.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064778158170,"sku":"rqi1789304756361","price":12.62,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064778190938,"sku":"rzo1789304756362","price":8.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064778223706,"sku":"rha1789304756363","price":7.78,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":44064778256474,"sku":"cwk1789304756364","price":7.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/3807\/0874\/files\/callas-leoncavallo-pagliacci-1954---paco097_1.jpg?v=1789304764","url":"https:\/\/vestorawear.shop\/products\/callas-leoncavallo-pagliacci-1954-paco097","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}