Search - Verdi, Puccini, Stella :: Operatic Arias

Her Great Expectations!!!

Seung-beom Ha | Seoul, Corea | 08/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Antonietta Stella was a lyric-soprano in the best days of Callas-Tebaldi and their rivalry, that is in the fifties and sixties. Although she got less popularity than the Two Divas did, hidden behind their shadow, she also was the first class opera singer as much as the Two were. Her voice is quite similar to that of Tebaldi, Milanov or Tucci, but more lyrical. The DG studio recording of "Trovatore" conducted by maestro Tullio Serafin with a fully luxurious casting -Bergonzi, Cossotto, Bastianini, La Scala Orchestra and chorus-is one of the greatest recordings of the work. Unfortunately, in her two "Don Carlo"(EMI, mono-DG, stereo) and "Un Ballo in Maschera"(DG), she didn't meet nice tenors. But these sets are worth being listened thanks to great opera stars such as Bastianini, Cossotto, Gobbi, Christoff etc. Here, this TESTAMENT compilation album, now ranked at amazon.com, is her only recital album despite her dazzling operatic carrier that becomes a nice stimulus because nowadays very famous and popular singer's albums are made several times from the previously recorded materials. Every arias in this disk gives us a perfect gratification through the well-balanced sound quality and a good recording state from the 1st track till the last. Particularly, "Ernani, involami", "Laggiu nel Soledad" and "Senza Mamma" are the best singing ever. As a whole, she makes high level characterizations and her diction is absolutely examplary. Due to the CD's time limit, I feel the lack of Elisabetta's "Tu che le vanita..." & Violetta's "Addio del passato". In addition, I want to recommend a live recording "Attila" with Ruggero Raimondi. .... This is a "REAL MUST BUY"."

Impressive singing by a wonderful spinto

V. Chau | San Diego, CA | 05/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Antonietta Stella was a wonderful soprano with a large, full spinto voice, a voice type that is quite rare on today's opera stages. During her short time with the Met, she was overshadowed by Tebaldi, Milanov, and Callas. In retrospect, her relative neglect was not deserved. She had a major voice. It was creamy, focused, and quite large. Her forte top register was excellent and she could hit a high D-flat securely. However, she lacked Tebaldi's and Milanov's ravishing pianissimos, and her tone when singing softly was not as ravishing as Tebaldi's. Her voice, while pleasant, is not strikingly beautiful, nor is it as distinctive as Tebaldi's, Milanov's, or Callas'. It was unfortunate that she started out very early in opera. This led to her having a short vocal prime and experiencing vocal decline by her mid-thirties. If she had made her Met d?but in the early 1960s, when Callas was in vocal decline, Milanov was winding down her career, and Tebaldi was experiencing major vocal difficulties, instead of the year 1956, she probably would have lengthened her vocal prime and become a major star at the Met.This CD consists of two recitals she recorded for EMI when she was at the height of her vocal prime, 1955. The Verdi selections were recorded in Italy in mono and the Puccini selections were recorded in London in stereo. Needless to say, the Puccini selections have better sound than the Verdi selections do. Stella sings exceptionally well on this CD. The listener immediately notices her full, round, steady spinto tone and crystal-clear Italian diction. She is expressive in all the arias on this CD. She has a strong chest register and uses it to nice effect on this CD. I will pick out a couple of arias on the CD to discuss.Stella sings "Tacea la notte" wonderfully. I immediately noticed a story-telling aspect in her singing of this aria that is not evident in many other versions of this aria. It's too bad that she did not record "D'amor sull'ali rosee" for this recital. In the cabaletta, she hits a forte high D-flat. Her agility is pretty good, but she lacks the trills that make "Di tale amor" so wonderful to listen to. She deals with all the vocal difficulties in "Ecco l'orrido campo" excellently, and manages the climatic high C beautifully. She has the flexibility to sing the Bolero from "I vespri siciliani". All the grace notes are clearly articulated and she sings the runs at the end cleanly. She even hits a staccato high D-flat in this aria. However, she does not have a trill to give in this aria. The same goes for the "Ernani" aria. Her sense of fun while singing the Bolero is wonderful. In "Pace, pace, mio Dio", she could be a bit more dramatic. At the end, she nails the high B-flat, actually singing it rather than screeching it as so many other sopranos do. The Puccini selections on this CD are just as good as the Verdi selections, maybe even better. Her "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" is heart-wrenching. I find it more intense, and therefore, more affecting than Renata Scotto's studio recording with Gavazzeni. Dramatically, her "Vissi d'arte" is not as good as Callas', but her high B-flat is rock solid and full. Stella sings a definitive version of "Laggi? nel Soledad". Both Dorothy Kirsten and Eleanor Steber come close in their live recordings of this aria, but Stella has a bigger voice than the both of them and she is a true spinto; the other two are lyric sopranos. Stella sings Minnie's aria with wonderful character and sincerity. The high C she nails at the climax is a gorgeous, full, absolutely steady note. In the three "Madama Butterfly" arias, she comes into her own. "Che tua madre" is sung with intense passion, "Un bel d?" with all the right dramatic shadings, and the Death Scene with intense, believable drama.This CD is a great memento of a neglected soprano. I highly recommend it."