Maria Callas - At Covent Garden 1962 and 1964

Starring:Maria Callas, Renato Cioni, Tito Gobbi, Robert Bowman (IV), Dennis Wicks, Nicola Rescigno, Georges PrÃªtre
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Studio: Angel Records
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The second half of this recording is an important item in the too-scanty video discography of Maria Callas. Matched with another great singing actor, Tito Gobbi as the lecherous, hypocritical Scarpia, she participates in a textbook demonstration of how Act II of Tosca should be performed. There is a subtlety and nuance in their interactions that one seeks in vain in later, technologically more advanced videos. With a murder onstage, torture offstage, sexual harassment, and deep anguish (beautifully expressed in "Vissi d'arte"), this act provides rich opportunities for these performers, and they take full advantage. You may hear it better sung; you are not likely to see it better acted. The first half, a 1964 recital, offers less scope for acting, and Callas's voice is slightly past its prime, but she performs impressively in the mezzo range in two arias from Carmen. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

As rare and priceless as an ancient treasure.......2007-04-23

EMI released a real treasure with this DVD. You can read a lot about it, but go straight to Tosca's Act II track and you will feel the same excitement, I wonder, Ludwig Borchardt when unearthed Nefertiti's bust in 1912.
A priceless moment among the most famous performances in opera history, here preserved complete. If I were an opera singer or student, this DVD will be among my essentials: just look at Callas and Gobbi's faces, gestures (the slight and perverted touch of the feather in Callas hand, by Gobbi) and movements (both circling around Scarpia's table, like predator and victim). That's what opera is meant to be!

only a few arias.......2006-08-23

Callas only sings 4 arias on this dvd. This is the reason I gave only 3 stars. But sung of the finest possible voice, better than on other dvds availlable. The rest of it is Tosca complete act 2 and other orchestral pieces. She sings "Vissi d'arte", "Tu che le vanita" superbly, "Habanera" from Carmen and "Seguedille" of the same.

Next best thing to being there.......2006-08-01

The 1962 appearance is more like the best of. We hear:
Verdi: Don Carlo (Atto IV) Tu che le vanita
Bizet: Carman
Prelude
Jabanera (Acte I)
Entr'acte (Acte III)
Séguedille (Acte I)

Watching Maria adds a detention missed in

Puccini's Tosca (alto II), 1964 will hold your attention; however I am glad that there are subtitles as I only knew the story form secondary sources. Dennis Wicks as Sciarrone looks like Arty Johnson. This is a long scene however it is not the complete story. So as with the 1962 section this is the best of.

The advantage to this recording is that there are no commercials it gets down to business. The disadvantage is the recording is not well focused.

Be sure to obtain the RMI classics CD's of Callas so you can carry her with you.

Invaluable document.......2005-12-12

This is a conflation of two rare televised appearances of Callas from Covent Garden. The first was filmed in 1962 and Callas is in surprisingly good voice, considering she had almost given up at this time (her only other appearances that year were a series of concerts - no stage appearances at all). The Verdi is sung with a wealth of detail and expression and she acts out all Elisabetta'a emotions vividly, while hardly moving a muscle. Indeed she is so immersed in her singing that when a large brooch she is wearing dislodges and drops to the floor, she barely notices. She then changes completely into a playful, sexy and dangerous Carmen. What a pity she never wanted to sing the role on stage.
The second part of the DVD is a fully staged performance of Act2 of Tosca with Tito Gobbi and Renato Cioni. Why oh why didn't they have the forseight to film the whole thing? Still I guess we should be grateful for what we have. There are faults - the camera work isn't all it should be - but this is surely the most riveting perofrmance of this act ever committed to film.True, Callas was in better voice when she filmed this same Act in Paris a few years previously (some of the top notes are little better than screams), but I have rarely, if ever, seen opera singers act with such naturalness and abandon. Both Callas and Gobbi are superb. You really forget they are singing and end up being totally drawn in to the performance of two actors. In fact I remember that on the days I worked at the English National Opera shop, whenever we played this video when the audience were gathering for that evening's performance, the tiny little shop would quickly fill up with people who couldn't take their eyes off the television screens. Enough said!

Maria Callas - At Covent Garden 1962 and 1964.......2005-10-23

The Act Two of Tosca is a very rare and treasured live performance being to my knowledge the only one of Callas live on stage in an opera. Brava! I was very lucky to attend many of her opera performances at the old Met and her Medea at La Scala in 1961. JamesEiler@Prodigy.net

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