Maria Callas broke
through to international recognition
singing Norma in South America in 1949.
In September of that year Cetra issued
her first recordings. Derived from radio
broadcasts they included the aria Casta
Diva from Norma. Whilst Norma
was to be her calling card at Covent
Garden, La Scala and the Met, it was
her portrayal of Lucia that caused waves
round the operatic establishments in
the early 1950s. Callas’s burgeoning
reputation induced Walter Legge, head
of Artist and Repertoire at the London-based
Columbia label (Angel in the USA) to
sign her to an exclusive contract in
July 1952. However, Callas was already
contracted to record three operas for
Cetra. Only two, La Traviata and
La
Gioconda were ever made, both
in September 1952. Violetta in La
Traviata was one of Callas’s defining
roles, even before the renowned Visconti
production conducted by Giulini at La
Scala of 1955. Deprived of her Violetta,
Legge hurried Callas into the studios
for her other crucial roles: Lucia,
Tosca and Norma. All were recorded in
little over a year together with Elvira
in I
Puritani and Santuzza from
Cavalleria Rusticana.
The Columbia contract
was intended to combine the use of La
Scala together with its august orchestra
and chorus. This did not prove possible
for three of the first five operas because
the recording sessions were scheduled
during the theatre season. This Lucia,
the very first in the series, was recorded
in the Teatro Communale in Florence,
a friendlier recording acoustic than
the ever-problematic La Scala. The orchestral
and choral forces are under the eloquent
baton of Callas’s guide and mentor Tullio
Serafin. He had prepared Rosa Ponselle
in 1927 as well as Callas for their
debuts in the role, and in 1959 he did
likewise for Joan Sutherland for her
memorable performances at Covent Garden.
It was Serafin who persuaded Callas
to encompass the bel canto repertoire
into her own. He did this at a time
when she seemed to be heading towards
Wagner (Kundry, Isolde and Brünnhilde)
and the heavier Italian roles (Turandot),
all of which she had sung in the theatre.
Although much is made of Callas’s contribution
to the so-called bel canto revival,
it owes as much to Serafin’s work with
her and others. He had the idiom in
his bones as is well illustrated in
this recording, and elsewhere on disc.
It is evidenced in many ways including
his pacing and support for the singers
and the moving forward of the drama.
In this recording the Florentine chorus
may lack the ultimate vibrancy of their
La Scala counterparts but they are not
far short.
Legge signed Giuseppe
Di Stefano and Tito Gobbi as a core
triumvirate with Callas for many of
the recordings that Columbia were to
set down over the next seven or so years.
Both make outstanding contributions
to the success of this issue. Gobbi
with his incisive biting tone is a suitably
bullying Edgardo. The listener can easily
imagine his young sister, still grieving
for her mother, being cowed and browbeaten
by him as he seeks to have her marry
a rich nobleman and thus stabilise his
precarious finances (CD 1 trs. 15-20).
As Lucia’s lover, Enrico, Di Stefano
gives one of his best performances in
the series of Callas collaborations.
Not a natural in the bel canto repertoire
he subjugates his own inclinations and
sings with well-supported tone and elegant
phrasing. He is ardent in his declaration
of love (CD 1 trs. 13-14) and both agonising
and tragic in the final scene as he
hears of Lucia’s death and then stabs
himself (CD 2 trs. 10-12). Throughout
his diction is good, he never forces
his tone and his voice is free and ringing
in climaxes.
Callas’s performances
of Lucia in Italy in 1952 were described
as revelatory. Donizetti wrote the part
specifically for the role’s creator
Fanny Tacchardi, the wife of a rival
composer Giuseppe Persiani. Tacchardi’s
flexible voice and capacity in florid
singing was renowned. Callas’s interpretation
is utterly different from Sutherland’s
who glories in full-toned flexible singing,
with emotions and words coming second.
Callas concentrates on the words and
the evolution of the unfolding drama.
She uses a great variety of colour and
tone to portray Lucia’s various situations,
emotions and ultimate madness. In the
Mad Scene (CD 2 trs. 6-9) she goes through
her full repertoire starting with covered,
even occluded, half-voice and then moving,
via a high girlish tone, into full spinto
richness and then clear-toned coloratura
with pin-point accuracy and a pure concluding
high E flat that runs down my spine.
In the totality of her interpretation
there are times when a slight tonal
unevenness between the registers is
evident, but unlike in the 1959 stereo
remake Callas’s voice does her bidding
here.
The Raimondo of Raffaele
Arie is a serious weakness. He has neither
the sonority, weight of tone nor range
of expression that the part requires.
Pinza, in the extensive appendices (tr.
13) is an exemplar of how the part should
be sung. These appendices are wholly
enjoyable although the sextet (tr. 15)
has no great distinction. I suspect
this version was included because other
more glamorously cast versions involving
Caruso and Gigli have appeared on complete
collections of their 78s. The appendices
are extensive because of the cuts made
in the score. At 110 minutes this performance
is 30 minutes less than Sutherland’s
second version (Decca), which is similar
in timing to the version with Cheryl
Studer in the title role, and Placido
Domingo as Edgardo (DG).
Whilst Mark Obert-Thorn
has worked his usual miracles to give
a well-balanced and easy-on-the ear
sound, even he cannot obviate some overload
distortion present on the master tapes.
The booklet has a brief essay and artist
biographies by Michael Scott. There
is also an excellent track-related synopsis
as well as a detailed track listing.
Although this was Callas’s first recording
under her new Columbia contract it was
not issued until a year later and after
I Puritani (No. 2 in the sequence)
in November 1953, and Tosca
(No. 4) the following month. In
contemporaneous correspondence Walter
Legge stated that he wanted to rush
out the Tosca for the Christmas
market, as it was such a dynamic performance.
Yet, in an obituary notice for Callas
he claimed this Lucia to be her outstanding
studio recording! Maybe the fact that
it was not recorded with the La Scala
forces, and therefore did not carry
that imprimatur, was an influence.
Today, for a very modest
price, all lovers of bel canto operas
and their performance on record can
listen and make their own judgement
on what was, without doubt, a seminal
recording of the genre. For me this
is Callas’s finest recording in terms
of interpretation allied to security
of singing and this re-mastering accords
it full justice.
Robert J Farr
Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Tullio
Serafin 
