La Gioconda (Complete Opera recorded in 1959)
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PONCHIELLI
La Gioconda (Complete Opera recorded in 1959)
Maria Callas, Pier Miranda Ferraro, Piero Cappuccilli, Fiorenza Cossotto / Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Antonino Votto
[ Warner Classics Maria Callas Remastered / 3 CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Monday 10 November 2014
Callas's second studio recording of La Gioconda was made in 1959, six years after her last stage performances of the role, which in 1947 has been the vehicle for her Italian debut (at the Arena di Verona). The recording came at a turning point in Callas's life -
when her relationship with Aristotle Onassis led to her separation from her husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini. Writing in Gramophone in 1960, Philip Hope-Wallace said: 'I simply cannot imagine anyone getting more out of the role than she does this time … the total effect is riveting.' Joining Callas were two young Italian singers destined for great careers: the mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto as her rival, Laura, and, as the sinister Barnaba, baritone Piero Cappuccilli.
"Maria Callas gave one of her most vibrant, most compelling, most totally inspired performances on record in the title role." Penguin Stereo Guide
"With the exception of Callas, all the singers in the 1959 recording were around thirty, and the impression is that Legge may have been using an opera on the fringe of the repertoire as a test-bed for new singers. He got gold in Cossotto and Cappuccilli, and up to a point in Vinco. But he didn't quite get a great opera recording."
(MusicWeb Oct 2007)
