Great Moments in Opera from The Ed Sullivan Show

Starring:Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Beverly Sills, Leontyne Price, Birgit Nilsson
Studio: Kultur Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The most remarkable thing about this extraordinary collection is how well it lives up to its ambitious title. It is, in fact, full of great moments, and even when it falls short of greatness (for example, in Birgit Nilsson's note-perfect but too tranquil "Pace, pace" from La forza del destino), the standard is high. A list of the participants' names is almost a who's who of the international opera elite in the 1950s and '60s--or, more specifically, of those who were singing at the Metropolitan Opera and thereby available in New York for Ed Sullivan's "Show of Shows." Intellectuals tended to look down on this show, but it did book the best talent available and it let them do what they did best--essentially, the most familiar highlights from the standard repertoire.

In the (unspecified) years that supplied these performances, the show's style changed: color replaced black and white; scenery and costumes gave way to formal evening wear and concert interpretations (though Richard Tucker was allowed to keep a clown suit and makeup mirror for his intense "Vesti la giubba"). On one occasion, Franco Corelli wore a business suit--but he was singing a Neapolitan song, not an aria. Highlights are too numerous to be detailed, but they include a very young Leontyne Price singing "Vissi d'arte," Joan Sutherland in music from Lucia and Daughter of the Regiment (the only number that includes a chorus), and Eileen Farrell's strange "Pace, pace," staged in a Greco-Roman amphitheatre with only a piano accompaniment.

Amazon.com

The most remarkable thing about this extraordinary collection is how well it lives up to its ambitious title. It is, in fact, full of great moments, and even when it falls short of greatness (for example, in Birgit Nilsson's note-perfect but too tranquil "Pace, pace" from La forza del destino), the standard is high. A list of the participants' names is almost a who's who of the international opera elite in the 1950s and '60s--or, more specifically, of those who were singing at the Metropolitan Opera and thereby available in New York for Ed Sullivan's "Show of Shows." Intellectuals tended to look down on this show, but it did book the best talent available and it let them do what they did best--essentially, the most familiar highlights from the standard repertoire.

In the (unspecified) years that supplied these performances, the show's style changed: color replaced black and white; scenery and costumes gave way to formal evening wear and concert interpretations (though Richard Tucker was allowed to keep a clown suit and makeup mirror for his intense "Vesti la giubba"). On one occasion, Franco Corelli wore a business suit--but he was singing a Neapolitan song, not an aria. Highlights are too numerous to be detailed, but they include a very young Leontyne Price singing "Vissi d'arte," Joan Sutherland in music from Lucia and Daughter of the Regiment (the only number that includes a chorus), and Eileen Farrell's strange "Pace, pace," staged in a Greco-Roman amphitheatre with only a piano accompaniment.

Customer Reviews:

Please..........2006-10-05

Roberta Peter's may have been sharp on that note, but, technically, it is an f natural - only logical, as the aria was sung in F major (not the original key of E major)! This is Rossini, NOT Schoenberg! Also, the Amazon details, and several reviews (along with the actual slipcase/"jewel" case) show that Sutherland sings "Quando Rapito" - NOPE! It is indeed the "mad scene" from Lucia! A very good performance of it :)

Be knowledgeable about opera before you write a review about opera!.......2006-02-09

The two reviewers who commented in reponse to the reviewer from Baltimore do not really demonstrate much knowledge about opera. That's great that Eileen Farrell has such a notable career outside of opera, but that says nothing for her actual operatic ability. I, too, find her singing lackluster and her appearance and acting ability unsatisfying. It makes me wonder what made the reviewer from Indiana think that he knew so much about opera when the only thing he can write about is POP MUSIC! Please learn more about Maria Callas's contribution to opera before you make naive comments such as that she only mastered one area. You are doing yourself a disservice by not even attempting to appreciate how she single-handedly revived Bel Canto in the 50's and completely changed the way we listen to opera until today. You would, on the other hand, be pressed to find a single recording of any opera with Eileen Farrell on the shelves today, even at larger specialty classical music stores. It is also worth noting that the orchestra is tuned sharp on this recording of Rossini with Roberta Peters. I don't know which piano this review was plucking on, but it must be flat. Peters's high note is closer to an F# than an F.

Prior reviewer hasn't a clue.......2005-12-03

The extremely verbose reviewer previously attempted to show a great deal of knowledge, but really didn't know much - It has already been noted that Peters' high note is truly F natural - while the aria is historically written in E Major (which would have an F# on the 2nd tone of the scale, which still wouldn't be the tonic of the piece), almost all coloratura sopranos who attempt the role transpose it to F major - and the high F natural is then standard in that case.

As for his comments on Eileen Farrell - he's truly completely off track. Not only was Farrell's one of the finest American soprano instruments ever, people still DO listen to her - her career spanned from the early 1940s until the middle 1990s (when she released several pop/jazz recordings). She's known as the Queen of Crossover, having had her own radio show on CBS in the 1940s and a HUGE concert career. She came to opera late (in her 40s) and still was a huge success. While Callas' name may be more "well-known" in the opera world, Farrell had, and continues to have her beat in concert, symphonic, popular, television, showtunes, etc. Farrell did it all - Callas did one thing, and certainly made the best of a mediocre instrument, and was probably a better actress than Farrell, but she was a joke comparatively in terms of natural ability. This recording of Pace Pace in this video is VERY odd, indeed, but only because it was recorded in Italy for the Spoleto Festival, in the 1950s - on the same trip, she took over for an ill Louis Armstrong, singing swing standards with his band! It was played on the Sullivan show, but wasn't filmed in the studio - hence the odd background. Farrell wasn't a supermodel, and truly didn't care what others thought of her - but it's best for those who don't know what they're talking about to not talk. I purchased this video years ago ONLY BECAUSE it DID have excerpts featuring Farrell. Many of the other excerpts are quite enjoyable - but must be taken for what they are and the time in which they were filmed.

An operatic party!.......2005-09-22

I urge anyone who has an opinion to go ahead and DO pay attention to some of the other reviews written about this compilation of operatic excerpts. They can be helpful! The enjoyment of music, and hence the determination of good and entertaining music, is HIGHLY subjective. The previous reviewer thus really got a lot of nerves to tout himself as an all-knowing opera expert, dismissing other people's reviews just because they are not as knowledgeable. In fact this reviewer himself spouts some "blatantly false" information. For one, Roberta Peter's high note ending "Una Voce Poco Fa" IS INDEED a high F, NOT F#. You need to be quite tone-deaf to designate that note as an F#. Pluck out the note on a piano, my friend. He also says that Joan Sutherland's high E-flat in "Sempre Libera" is squeezed out! It's the biggest sounding high note (above high C) tossed off in the whole of this DVD compilation (however there's a younger Joan in the Lucia piece, with freer high notes)! He praises Roberta Peters through the roof (and justly so, because she IS good), yet Roberta's high notes are positively puny compared to Dame Joan's. Joan's got a naturally bigger voice and hence bigger high notes than Roberta. And you CAN hear the difference.

What got to me was NOT that the previous reviewer had strong opinions; he's completely entitled to them. What got to me was him saying everyone else's reviews are worthless because they are not the self-proclaimed opera expert as he is! So I urge all you folks to form your own opinions, even post them, only respect others as well!

Compelling Collection of Rarely Filmed Opera Greats.......2005-09-14

This DVD is certainly a gem since it contains so many filmed performances of many opera's greats from the 50's and 60's. Although it may have been mere coincidence that Ed Sullivan's show aired at the same time the world was experiencing a height of opera performance, we are lucky in this day in age to be able to cherish these great moments in opera forever and ever.

However, please be careful about believing most of the reviewers' comments about the performances on this DVD because their reviews contain many blatant factual inaccuracies and naive assumptions. Birgit Nilsson is by no means a bel canto singer since she is without a doubt a dramatic soprano who sings primarily late Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, and Wagner roles accustomed to the richer, more powerful dramatic soprano voice; the final high note that Roberta Peters hits at the end of "Una Voce Poco Fa" is not an F, but rather an F#; and Marilyn Horne is clearly a mezzo-soprano and definitely not a soprano. These obvious factual errors regarding simple opera aspects in so many of these reviews cast doubt upon the reviewer's ability to make more advanced critical judgments upon the works about which they wrote. The only reviewer is who entirely factual correct is the one from San Francisco, although he is remains too wary to make any potent comments about the performances.

Although we are quite fortunate that many audio recordings of Maria Callas in so many of her roles still exist and are available, very little video has survived of her. This is indeed a shame because her true genius lay in how she combined her looks, acting prowess, absorption into the role, and artistically crafted voice into her live performances. Callas really came alive in this medium. In response to the hatred expressed about her performance of "Vissi D'arte" here, I have one response. No opera singer, or maybe even artist in general, has ever evoked so much emotion from an audience...ever. And this obviously goes for the reviewers here, despite their novice critiques.

Other reviews with which I outright disagree include the one of Eileen Farrell. Her physical appearance is outright unattractive, which greatly detracts from her performance because she does not just sing but also needs to please the eye. Her voice is indistinctive and completely lackluster. Let it be testimony to her singing ability, as well, that no one really listens to her anymore today, unlike Callas, Sills, Moffo, and Sutherland, for instance, all of whose recordings still are cherished. Although Leontyne Price is, on the other hand, young and beautiful on this DVD, she just stands there like a statue and is completely emotionless. Listen to her audio recording of Tosca, and you will be much more impressed with her tenderness and power that she expresses just at the right moments. On this DVD, she cracks many of her notes on her initial breath attacks. I have to disagree that her high B-flat was pinched, though. Her upper register is indeed brilliant, although her tone in general is rich, dark, and deep. Renée Fleming even comments on this subject at length in her latest autobiography, The Inner Voice. It is also worth mentioning that Richard Tucker's portrayal on this DVD is indeed silly with the clown costume, his forced glance into the mirror, and his weird laugh at the end of the aria. I was surprised after savoring so many of his audio recordings at how awkward he stands on stage.

Highlights on this DVD are as follows: Roberta Peters and Robert Merrill pleasantly surprised me with how much finesse they have on stage. Their acting not only matches the quality of their voices, but they are very entertaining in general and demonstrate a sound feel for the roles they are singing. Their duet from La Traviata jumps out at me so much, it feels as if I would have known them personally as individuals. The greatness of Peters's voice lay not necessarily just in her very secure high notes, as the other reviewers wrote, but in her characteristic tone, perfect vocal technique, and varied expressiveness, among many other aspects. Merrill's clip, which concludes the DVD, includes a brief duet from each Aida, La Traviata, and Carmen, followed by a transition into the Toreador Song with each of the women with whom he just sang, joining in on the different tones of "L'Amore." He is the only baritone I have heard whose voice is dark enough to sing Rigoletto compellingly but also is flexible enough to master practically the entire basso-buffo repertoire, of which he performs many selections here. His last scene is very creative and completely worth viewing for any opera enthusiast. Franco Corelli and Renata Tebaldi's duet from Andrea Chenier is absolutely spectacular. Watching it dispelled many myths for me that I have heard about her. Even though she appears about 50 on this recording, she is thin, attractive, and her acting demonstrates an intimacy with the role. Her abilities in this respect were probably downplayed in her all-too-oft comparison with Callas. Tebaldi's voice is in great shape for this point in her career. The way she colors her normally dramatic tone with flattered sensitivity is breathtaking. Corelli's voice has all the richness of a dramatic tenor combined with the sensitivity and flexibility of a lyric. It is also worth mentioning that Sutherland really shines on all of her performances on this DVD. Her diction on "Sempre Libera" is quite clear here, despite the muddled tone for which she has been often criticized on many of her other recordings. The only thing that disappointed me somewhat is the thinness of her top notes. The final E-Flat on "Sempre Libera" is just squeaked out, despite the orchestra even holding out for it. Her and Horne's "Mira, o Norma" inspired me to purchase their CD version of the whole opera, which is even greater. Everything the other viewers wrote about Anna Moffo and Lily Pons is correct. Moffo is hands-down the most attractive woman in opera history, and her performance from La Fille du Regiment is testimony to that notion. It is only a shame that we do not have video recordings of Pons when she was younger either.

It is deserves mentioning that the orchestra accompanying the performers here in no way matches their abilities. I assume that the Ed Sullivan orchestra was more attuned to accompanying rock stars and therefore lacks the sophistication for opera. This is noticeable throughout the DVD but especially during the Peters-Merrill duet, although they keenly keep the momentum going and do not lose the beat.

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