Maria Callas, Orch del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin – Verdi: Rigoletto (1955/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Maria Callas, Orch del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin – Verdi: Rigoletto (1955/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:58:03 minutes | 1,17 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

When she sang the role of Gilda in Rigoletto on stage in Mexico in 1952, Maria Callas was unhappy at her reception, especially as she had been reluctant to undertake the role in the first place, and after just two performances she never returned to it again, until this studio recording in September 1955. For the project, producer Walter Legge brought together what had already become a hugely successful ‘house’ team consisting of the tenor Giuseppe di Stefano, the baritone Tito Gobbi, the conductor Tullio Serafin and the forces of La Scala, Milan. Together, or in various combinations, these artists were to record some 17 complete operas, and this Rigoletto is one of the pivotal titles in the series. As in La sonnambula, Callas was able to lighten her voice to suggest the virginal simplicity of Gilda at her first appearance, while still portraying warm-hearted sincerity in her love for her father. And this is the one opera that affords Callas and Gobbi three major duets that are central to the structure of the work. Both artists were consummate actors as well as singers, and nowhere else do they have as much scope for delving so deeply into the characterisation of their roles, which change drastically during the course of the drama. They had first sung together in São Paulo in La traviata in 1951, and Gobbi was with Callas in the final Tosca at Covent Garden in July 1965 that marked the end of her stage career. And that same Traviata in São Paulo in 1951 also marked the first encounter between Callas and Di Stefano. They went on to appear together a number of times on stage as well as on record and it was Di Stefano who partnered Callas on her final international recital tour in 1973/34. This mono recording from 1955 was recently selected by Gramophone magazine as the best of all available versions of Rigoletto. –TONY LOCANTRO, 2014

Tracklist:
Giuseppe Verdi 1813–1901
Rigoletto
Opera in three acts · Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave after Victor Hugo: Le Roi s’amuse
1 Preludio (Orchestra) 2.22

ACT ONE
Scene One
2 Della mia bella incognita borghese (Duca/Borsa) 1.42
3 Questa o quella (Duca) 1.52
4 Partite? crudele! (Duca/Contessa/Ceprano) 1.35
5 In testa che avete (Rigoletto/Borsa/Coro) 0.53
6 Gran nuova! Gran nuova! (Marullo/Borsa/Coro/Duca/Ceprano/Rigoletto) 2.31
7 Ch’io gli parli (Monterone/Duca/Borsa/Rigoletto/Marullo/Ceprano/Coro) 3.11
8 O tu che la festa audace (Duca/Borsa/Rigoletto/Marullo/Ceprano/Coro) 1.16
Scene Two
9 Quel vecchio maledivami! (Rigoletto/Sparafucile) 4.30
10 Pari siamo! (Rigoletto) 3.46
11 Figlia!… Mio padre!… (Rigoletto/Gilda/Giovanna) 6.39
12 Ah, veglia, o donna (Rigoletto/Gilda/Giovanna/Duca) 5.07
13 Giovanna, ho dei rimorsi (Gilda/Giovanna/Duca) 3.10
14 È il sol dell’anima (Duca/Gilda/Ceprano/Borsa/Giovanna) 4.18
15 Addio! speranza ed anima (Duca/Gilda) 0.48
16 Gualtier Maldè!…Caro nome (Gilda/Borsa/Ceprano/Marullo) 7.26
17 Riedo!…perché?…Silenzio! (Rigoletto/Borsa/Ceprano/Marullo) 2.08
18 Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta (Borsa/Marullo/Ceprano/Coro) 1.27
19 Soccorso, padre mio! (Gilda/Borsa/Marullo/Ceprano/Coro/Rigoletto) 1.22

ACT TWO
20 Ella mi fu rapita! 2.42
21 Parmi veder le lagrime (Duca) 2.43
22 Duca, Duca!…Ebben? 2.25
23 Povero Rigoletto! (Marullo/Rigoletto/Coro/Borsa/Ceprano/Paggio) 3.59
24 Cortigiani, vil razza dannata (Rigoletto) 4.25
25 Mio padre!…Dio! mia Gilda! 1.50
26 Tutte le feste al tempio (Gilda/Rigoletto) 7.00
27 Compiuto pur quanto (Rigoletto/Gilda/Usciere/Monterone) 1.08
28 Sì, vendetta, tremenda vendetta (Rigoletto/Gilda) 2.09

ACT THREE
29 E l’ami? (Rigoletto/Gilda/Duca/Sparafucile) 2.02
30 La donna è mobile (Duca/Sparafucile/Rigoletto) 3.12
31 Un dì, se ben rammentomi 1.35
32 Bella figlia dell’amore (Duca/Maddalena/Gilda/Rigoletto) 4.59
33 Venti scudi hai tu detto? (Rigoletto/Sparafucile/Duca/Maddalena/Coro) 4.01
34 È amabile invero (Maddalena/Sparafucile/Gilda/Coro) 6.00
35 Della vendetta alfin giunge l’istante! (Rigoletto/Sparafucile/Duca) 4.52
36 Chi è mai, chi è qui in sua vece? (Rigoletto/Gilda) 6.37

Personnel:
Maria Callas, soprano (Gilda)
Tito Gobbi, baritone (Rigoletto)
Giuseppe di Stefano, tenor (Il Duca)
Nicola Zaccaria, bass (Sparafucile)
Adriana Lazzarini, alto (Maddalena)
Plinio Clabassi, bass (Monterone)
William Dickie, bartione (Marullo)
Renato Ercolani, tenor (Borsa)
Giuse Gerbino, soprano (Giovanna)
Carlo Forti (Il Conte di Ceprano)
Elvira Galassi (La Contessa di Ceprano)
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan
Tullio Serafin, conductor

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