Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Tosca (1900)
Renata Tebaldi (soprano) - Floria Tosca
Giuseppe Campora (tenor) - Cavaradossi
Enzo Mascherini (baritone) - Scarpia
Dario Caselli (bass) - Angelotti
Piero de Palma (tenor) - Spoletta
Antonio Sacchetti (baritone) - Sciarrone & Un carciere
Fernando Corena (bass) – Sacristan
Gianfranco Volante (soprano) - Un pastore
Santa Cecilia Academy Chorus & Orchestra/Alberto Erede
rec. 1952, Santa Cecilia, Rome
Auditioned as download. Ambient Stereo XR remastering
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO192 [2 CDs: 106]
I am no fan of perpetuating the rivalry between Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas, given that both were such superb artists, but when it comes to ranking recordings of Tosca, I am firmly in the Callas camp and can only conclude Alec Robinson’s review in Gramophone - published on the appearance of this set and quoted in the notes here – got it wrong. Comparing this release to the now famous de Sabata recording, he opined that “Callas, strangely enough, shows little of the dramatic force of Tebaldi's vocal acting which made one’s blood run cold at the moment she stabbed Scarpia, and her ‘Vissi d'arte’ does not compare well with Tebaldi's for beauty of tone and perfection of control. At the same time she gives us some lovely singing in the first act and has her moments of drama in the other two, but it is not somehow the great performance I expected…It is more than possible that Madame Callas's Tosca is more effective on the stage than on discs, but whatever the reason her performance, recorded, does not equal to that of Tebaldi."
That judgement certainly does not reflect my own response to this recording, which, while it has many obvious merits, in certain key areas falls short compared with de Sabata’s classic account; furthermore, if I am to endorse a recording of Tosca starring Tebaldi, although I concede that she is in fuller vocal estate in the earlier assumption, I prefer her 1959 recording under Molinari-Pradelli, which is in better, stereo sound with a superior cast. Here in 1952, I am immediately irritated by Corena’s over-acting, with his falsetto piping and over-emphasis; I almost invariably find him to be a crude artist. However, as with Del Monaco in the later recording, Campora’s entrance brings immediate compensation with his strong, warm, slightly husky sound. Many collectors will be familiar with his voice from his contribution to the celebrated recording of Simon Boccanegra with de los Ángeles, Gobbi and Christoff. He sings his big moments very creditably including some fine, firm top notes as on “Vittoria!” and the top B of “la vita mi costasse” but without the visceral passion of Di Stefano or
- surprisingly - the restrained pathos of Del Monaco - until MDM cuts loose on “E muoio disperato” and the sustained top A on “E non ho amato-o-o- mai tanto la vita!” The clarinet solo in that aria emerges especially as atmospheric in Andrew Rose’s remastering which is in general a triumph: he manages to lift the mono sound, bringing the voices forward, eliminating distortion and conferring additional depth upon it without it becoming too boomy or mushy.
With Ambient Stereo, one scarcely notices that it is mono and as usual, with Pristine, the excellence of this refurbishment renders all other issues sonically redundant
(my comparison is the Decca set on CD).
Tebaldi makes an imperious Tosca and has many superb moments such as “e noi siam salvi” and the furious top A on “Solo! Solo!”, but apart from the sheer amplitude of her soprano, she is also capable of suggesting tenderness, even if she cannot rival Callas’ seductiveness or range of expression. One of the great strengths of her sound, however, is her developed lower register, even if her highest notes can be a touch raucous. She sings “Vissi d’arte” beautifully but it remains an “applied” experience for the listener, whereas Callas compels empathy.
Mascherini was an estimable Italian baritone who often partnered Callas on stage but he cannot match the incisive bite of Gobbi’s voice or the glorious blare of London’s and his characterisation is understated. He does not really suggest the malevolence of the character and in “Tre sbirri” you do not really believe in the manic cruelty of his obsession with Tosca. He is lean and precise but ultimately not frightening and cannot invest phrases such “Bel rispetto!” with the same searing memorability as Gobbi.
The supporting cast features some stalwarts of the era, such as Dario Caselli as a sonorous Angelotti and the ubiquitous Spoletta of the cognoscenti’s primo tenore comprimario Piero De Palma, in a role he sang dozens of times. I always have time for the under-rated Alberto Erede, who presided over a series of fine studio recordings for Decca in the 50s and here displays his complete empathy for the Puccinian idiom, generating plenty of tension and excitement.
In the end, this is a fine recording, especially now it has been so expertly revitalised, but it remains in the shade of the more famous de Sabata recording and Tebaldi’s later studio version.
Ralph Moore
