Search - Giacomo Puccini, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leo Nucci :: Puccini: Tosca / Te Kanawa, Aragall, Nucci, Sir Georg Solti

Te Kanawa Tosca: What Next Renee Fleming as Tosca ?

Scott Jelsey | 01/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This early 90's recording of Puccini's Tosca is not so much a true Puccini operatic experience as it is a vehicle for conductor George Solti and soprano Kiri Te Kanawa. To many operaphiles, myself included, her Tosca is not the best and it is downright out of her league. Kiri's vocal category is purely lyric and as everyone knows her best repertoire was Mozart and Strauss. The role of Tosca calls for a bigger voice, a more dramatic and heavier voice, which Kiri does not possess. With her light instrument, however, she is able to portray Tosca as extremely sensitive and vulnerable. For the more stentorian and climatic portions, she forces her voice to sound bigger than it really is. She sticks to the text well and is focused and driven. Her "Vissi D'Arte" is beautiful but sounds too much like some kind of Italian Lieder. She does not excite the listener as Tosca and she is so lackluster when compared to the likes of everyone's favorite Toscas- Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price and for that matter she loses to the likes of Birgit Nilsson, Raina Kabaivanska, Renata Scotto, Galina Vishnevskaya, Katia Ricciarelli, Carol Vanness, Eva Marton, Mirella Freni or Catherine Malfitano. Sorry but for all the effort she put into this Tosca, she is nothing to rave about. The death of Scarpia scene is terribly weak! And the finale is not well-executed.



Giacomo Aragall as Cavaradossi: First off, I don't know this tenor any more than anyone else. He loses to the great Cavaradossis on record - Mario Del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Placido Domingo, Jose Carrerras, Not enough passion, nothing truly praiseworthy. Just a lyric, servicable tenor in a principal role. The same goes for Leo Nucci, who tries too hard too sound like Tito Gobbi or any other more interesting Scarpia. George Solti conducts well but there is no true Italian spirit in the music nor anything powerful enough to grab my attention. So, yes, this is not Tosca as it should be performed or recorded. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have cast Beverly Sills as Tosca, though she also sang it in her early career in the 50's. Also, what would it be like to hear Renee Fleming (whose own voice is like Te Kanawa) sing Tosca ? Light voices for Tosca simply does not work!"

Perhaps not the best but a pretty good one

Javieruli | 05/27/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this is the first Tosca I got after I fell in love with opera back in 1994 so I might be a little bit biased. I agree with one of the reviewers. Te Kanawa's voice is too lyric for Tosca. Tosca demands a true soprano spinto to do justice to the role. However, Te Kanawa's acknowledge of the part is pretty good, her musicianship saves the recording. Aragall's Cavaradossi is pretty good, though I'd like a more sustained Bb in Recondita Armonia. His "la vita mi costase" and "Vittoria!" are exciting and long and the color of his voice doesnt change between registers. That's what I like about this underrated spanish tenor. Tosca and Cavaradossi duets are exciting and nice, their voices blend very good. I think Nucci is electrifying and pretty good as Scarpia. I think is one of these Scarpias you don't want to mess with. Though I'd like more refinanment in some parts. Scarpia is a Baron after all, so...

I have several Toscas (Callas/Di Stefano/Gobbi, Freni/Domingo/Ramey, Nilsson/Corelli/Dieskau, Scotto/Domingo/Bruson, Caniglia/Gigli, Milanov/Bjoerling/Warren) and let me assure you that this Tosca is not as bad as you could think. Perhaps it won't be your first choice (I reccomend Callas or Nilsson) but if you buy it it's fine. Sound is digital. Something else: I don't understand why DECCA divides the second act in the 2 cds. Acts II and III fit perfectly in the second disc!!

Anyway, I'm sure you will enjoy it!"

Gorgeous Tosca Recording

Scott Jelsey | Houston, TX United States | 11/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kiri's Tosca is beautifully vocalized and exprssively sung - it is not the intense dramatic interpretation of a Callas or Scotto, but is highly enjoyable on its own terms. Aragall is in fine voice here - an impaassioned Cavaradossi. Nucci is quite insinuating as Scarpia - the voice is impressive and he puts across the evil of the character well. Solti conducts an exciting performance and the digital recording will blow your socks off. One of the best of the digital Tosca recordings."