Search - Richard [Classical] Wagner, Georges Bizet, Camille Saint-Saens :: Renata Tebaldi: A Tebaldi Festival

Gorgeous.

primo_divo_assoluto | Middlesex, NJ, USA | 03/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is nothing on this collection of arias/songs that I dislike. All are sung beautifully, with utmost artistry and dramatic emotion.

Tebaldi never had the severe vocal crisis of Maria Callas, so even in these last years there isn't even a semblance of a wobble. That is not an attack on La Callas it is simply the truth. Throughout her life, Tebaldi had a good, solid technique and a lush velvety tone only exemplified by the acquisition of full, chest tones towards the end of her career.

There are, of course, some things that Tebaldi should not have sung. The scenes before and after Casta Diva (including the aria) are very good, with the exception of the little bits of coloratura between verses. She should not have ventured into "Ah! bello a me ritorna" because she could not handle the coloratura. Not because of poor training, but her voice was not one that could move as easily as others. It was a huge instrument. Her scena ed aria from "Puritani" while lacking, once again, in the coloratura passages, can still be appreciated for it's warmth and innocence. The scene from Nabucco, I believe, is immaculate. I cannot help but listen to it. It's full of the fiery passion of Abigaille, the deceit, the anguish, the angry, the loneliness. It's also there. We can certainly forgive the lacking florid passages. Her O don fatale is my favorite. Even the aria from La Sonnambula is amazing. I don't care if it's bel canto. This is something that Tebaldi could've sung at any time in her career. That is not to say that she could've handled Amina. Certainly not. "Ah! non giunge!" would've been suicide for Tebaldi.



Yes, there are better recordings of nearly everything on this disc, whether by Tebaldi, or by another artist. But the title of the album is correct...it's a Tebaldi Festival! It's comparable to a carnival. You can listen and just have fun with Mme. Tebaldi.



I won't ignore, of course, the first disc. Some stuck up opera whores will say that Tebaldi singing Wagner/Massenet/Saint-Saens in Italian is heinous. Have we forgotten that until recently most operas were sung in the language of the audience or in the language of the interpreter? I would rather here an emotionally present "liebestod" in Italian than a weak, distracted, stumbling one in German.



It's good stuff, people!"

Tebaldi's swan song?

Armando Garcia | 11/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It wasn't without some reservation that I purchased this recording, which I later came to cherish dearly. I was intrigued by the fact that Tebaldi wanted to give a try to a Fach that did not suit her otherwise manifolded talent. I am referring to the bel canto heroines such as Norma and Elvira, along with the veristic Carmen and sensous Dalila. While Carmen and Dalila fare much better, given Tebaldi's stunning arsenal of dark chest notes, the dramatic coloratura parts of Norma and Elvira are below par, as Tebaldi never was a coloratura soprano (she was a spinto soprano) and must therefore negotiate the difficult fioriture with evident great effort. Nevertheless, it is a pleasure to listen to her in these pieces. The first part of Norma's grande entrée showstopper, "Sediziose voci..", and the ensuing recitative are sung with rich detail and plenty of bravura.

This recording however is a well of surprises. I was totally swept off my feet by Tebaldi's rendition of Wagner's Liebestod. I remember saying to myself: "brava, Renata!", when I first listened to this piece. Later, I read in the liner notes that the members of the orchestra had stood up for an improvised ovation of the diva after the recording of Liebestod. I can now understand why. My surprise continued for the whole of the German repertoire on this recording (albeit in Italian) and for the velvety excerpts from Sonnambula and Manon, where Tebaldi brings a lovely touch of melancholic vulnerabiltiy."