EMI's 1955 recording of Madama Butterfly features three of the brightest stars of the era, Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, and Herbert von Karajan. Callas hadn't yet sung Cio-Cio-San on-stage when she made this recording, but she fully inhabits the role and brings penetrating insight to it. She's completely convincing as an adolescent, a remarkable feat in this role, which requires a voice of considerable heft. Callas beautifully captures Butterfly's vulnerability and sensitivity with an astonishingly youthful-sounding vocal ...
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EMI's 1955 recording of Madama Butterfly features three of the brightest stars of the era, Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, and Herbert von Karajan. Callas hadn't yet sung Cio-Cio-San on-stage when she made this recording, but she fully inhabits the role and brings penetrating insight to it. She's completely convincing as an adolescent, a remarkable feat in this role, which requires a voice of considerable heft. Callas beautifully captures Butterfly's vulnerability and sensitivity with an astonishingly youthful-sounding vocal freshness, and she's compellingly poignant as Butterfly's dilemma becomes clear to her. The only caveat about her performance is the intonation and purity of her sustained notes above the staff; several of them are painfully strident. Gedda is thoroughly caddish as Pinkerton, and he sings with passion, but his voice shows some strain in the upper register.Mario Borriello is a resonant, compassionate Sharpless, and Lucia Danieli sings with warmth and security as Suzuki. Karajan,...
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Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!