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BELLINI - Norma

Norma - Joan Sutherland
Adalgisa - Tatiana Troyanos
Pollione - Francisco Ortiz
Oroveso - Justino Díaz
Clotilde - Frances Ginzer
Flavio - Michael Shust

Canadian Opera Company
Richard Bonynge

Toronto 1981

Registrazione dal vivo

150 minuti, colore, sottotitoli / subtitles: EN

CILEA - Adriana Lecouvreur • Masini

DONIZETTI - La Favorita • De Fabritiis

Cossotto, Kraus, Bruscantini, Raimondi; De Fabritiis

Donizetti - La Fille Du Regiment (The Daughter Of The Regiment) Sung In English

Marie - Beverly Sills
Tonio - William McDonald
Sulplice - Spiro Malas
La Maquise - Muriel Costa-Greenspon
Hortensius - Stanley Wexler
Caporale - Raeder Anderson
La Duchesse - Evelyn Freyman

Wolf Trap Festival 

Charles Wendelken Wilson

118 minutes, color

***

"At the center, of course, is Miss Sills, in supremely confident form, vocally and histrionically... (Her) zest and vivacity prove infectious with the other performers and the entire audience." (New York Times)

"In a brief interview, Sills describes Daughter of the Regiment as “a silly little story, one long episode of Lucille Ball. I play [Marie] as Lucille Ball with high notes.” That may tell you what to expect here. Except for one or two unavoidably poignant moments, the opera is milked for laughs. The characters ham it up shamelessly the acting is often cartoonish–an effect emphasized by the flat, painted sets and the colorful costumes. Sourpuss that I am, I would prefer the comedy to be less broad; but maybe it didn’t seem so overdone in the theater. The characters’ heavy makeup and exaggerated facial expressions need also to be seen at a greater distance.

The performance is in English, a great advantage in the spoken dialog, but the level of clarity is remarkable even in the sung passages. The supporting players act well, especially Costa-Greenspon, who has the vocal strength to back up her more frenzied effusions. Malas made something of a specialty of Sulpice (he recorded it for Decca with Sutherland and Pavarotti and sang a couple of performances at the Met), and he moves comfortably on stage. McDonald is a stiffer actor, though amiable enough. His voice is bright and keenly focussed, with the timbre we associate with the typical Irish tenor. He sings his high Cs without breaking a sweat, articulating the words cleanly even in the stratosphere. He lacks something in tonal variety and strength, sounding too feeble in the final scene when the regiment rushes in to rescue Mane.

The heroine herself is sometimes fluttery and pallid, but the trills are wonderful, the coloratura is dazzling, the high notes are in place, and the acting is enthusiastic. I can imagine better orchestral playing and more dynamic conducting, but you won’t notice all that much: it’s the singers’ show, and everyone is having a great time.

The sound is not perfect. The voices are recorded at too low a level; when you boost the volume to bring them closer, the thumping stage noises become deafening. No subtitles–you probably won’t miss them." (Ralph V. Lucano, American Record Guide)

RIGOLETTO
Tokyo 1961

Rigoletto - Aldo Protti
Gilda - Gabriella Tucci
The Duke - Gianni Poggi
Sparafucile - Paolo Washington
Countess Ceprano / Maddalena - Anna Di Stasio
Monterone - Silvano Pagliuca
Giovanna - Amalia Pini
Borsa - Athos Cesarini
Marullo - Arturo La Porta
Count Ceprano - Giorgio Onesti
A Page - Kazuko Matsuuchi
A Guard - Hiroshi Sakamoto

NHK Symphony Orchestra, Nikikai Chorus Group, Fujiwara Opera Chorus & Tokyo Choraliers
Arturo Basile

LEONCAVALLO - Pagliacci

Del Monaco

Tucci

Protti

D'orazi

Pirino

Morelli

PUCCINI - Tosca • 1961

Tosca - Renata Tebaldi
Cavaradossi - Gianni Poggi
Scarpia - Gian Giacomo Guelfi
Angelotti - Silvano Pagliuca
Spoletta - Antonio Pirino
Sacrestano - Giorgio Onesti
Sciarrone / Carceriere - Arturo La Porta
Shepherd - Takako Kurimoto

The NHK Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Broadcasting Chorus
NHK Italian Opera Chorus
Arturo Basile, direzione

Registrazione dal vivo, 22 Ottobre 1961 // Live Recording, 22th October 1961

Joan Sutherland • The complete Bell Telephone Hour performances

1. HAMLET A vos jeux, mes amis
2. OTELLO Mia madre aveva...Piangea cantando...Ave Maria
3. ERNANI Surta è la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami
4. LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Il dolce suono mi colpì di sua voce! … Spargi d'amaro pianto
5. LA SONNAMBULA Ah, non credea mirarti
6. I PURITANI O rendetemi la speme...Qui la voce sua soave...Vien, diletto
7. I PURITANI Ah sento, o mio bel angelo
8. NORMA Casta Diva
9. LA TRAVIATA Ah, fors'è lui che l'anima
10. LA TRAVIATA È strano! è strano!...Ah! fors è lui...Sempre libera
11. LAKMÉ Où va la jeune Indoue?
12. RIGOLETTO Un di, se ben rammentomi... Bella figlia dell'amore
13. LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Chi mi frena in tal momento?
14. TOSCA Vissi d'arte

Nicolai Gedda, Tito Gobbi, Mildred Miller, Jerome Hines

The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra & Chorus
Donald Voorhees

102 minuti; colori / bianco e nero

Joan Sutherland • Live CBC telecasts 1963 & 1969

LA SONNAMBULA, I PURITANI, LA TRAVIATA, SEMIRAMIDE, DON PASQUALE etc. SONGS

"This disc presents Dame Joan Sutherland in two historic telecasts from the archives of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In the first program, originally telecast in 1963, Dame Joan pays tribute to some of her illustrious predecessors, performing arias from La Traviata, Semiramide, I Puritani, and more. In duets from La Sonnambula and Don Pasquale she is joined by tenor Richard Conrad.
The second program is a recital, taped live in Toronto in 1969, with Dame Joan performing songs and arias by Bononcini, Handel, Bellini, Rossini, Gretchaninoff, Alabiev, Abt, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Delibes, and Balfe. Sir Richard Bonynge conducts the CBC Symphony Orchestra in the operatic program, and accompanies on piano for the recital."

Optional English subtitles; Color/B&W, 110 minutes, 4:3, All regions

From the archives of Japanese Television (NHK) comes this magnificent document of tenor Mario Del Monaco and soprano Renata Tebaldi in a live 1961 performance of Giordano's verismo classic. The supporting cast includes baritone Aldo Protti, and the performance is conducted by Franco Capuana. 

GIORDANO - ANDREA CHÉNIER

Tokyo 1961

Andrea Chénier - Mario Del Monaco
Carlo Gérard - Aldo Protti
Madeleine di Coigny - Renata Tebaldi
La mulatta Bersi - Anna Di Stasio
La Contessa di Coigny - Amalia Pini
Madelon - Amalia Pini
Roucher - Silvano Pagliuca

NHK Symphony Orchestra, NHK Italian Opera Chorus - Fujiwara Opera Chorus - Tokyo Choraliers

Franco Capuana

Optional subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Black & White, mono, 132 minutes.

GIUSEPPE VERDI - Aida

"This 1973 Aida stars two of the most celebrated singers of their time, tenor Carlo Bergonzi and Fiorenza Cossotto, both in prime form here. In true Italian tradition, their voices are as affective in the lyrical passages calling for velvety beauty of tone as in the fiery dramatic sections of the opera. The title role is sung by Orianna Santunione, a dramatic soprano of remarkable power, evenness, and intensity.
The other principal singers in this performance are Giampiero Mastromei, a commanding Amonasro, and Ivo Vinco, an imposing and dignified Ramfis, The forces of the NHK Symphony Orchestra are under the direction of conductor Oliviero De Fabritiis, who backs up the singers with an emotionally charged account of the masterful score. The beautiful and lavish sets and costumes are by the renowned designer Pier Luigi Pizzi." (VAI)

VERDI - La Traviata

Anna Moffo

Franco Bonisolli

Gino Bechi

Dir. Giuseppe Patanè

Coro e Orchestra dell'Opera di Roma

1968

VERDI - Otello • Del Monao

Otello - Mario Del Monaco
Desdemona - Gabriella Tucci
Iago - Tito Gobbi
Emilia - Anna Di Stasio
Cassio - Mariano Caruso
Roderigo - Gabriele De Julis
Lodovico - Plinio Clabassi
Montano - Takao Okamura
A Herald - Giorgio Onesti

Alberto Erede, direzione

4 Febbraio 1959, Tokyo Takarazuka Hall

VERDI - Simon Boccanegra

Cappuccilli

Ricciarelli

Merighi

Ghiaurov

De Fabritiis