Product Description (Parma, Jan. 21, 1967, live). Corelli, Gordoni, D'Orazi, Carbonari, Maionica; Morelli; Chor. and Orch. of the Teatro Regio di Parma. This "E lucevan le stelle" is the most sensual of all live tenor recordings of the 20th century.--Stefan Zucker Review "Corelli is once more in prime form in the Parma Tosca ... indeed a superior version ... well worth having." -- Alan Blyth, Gramophone`E lucevan le stelle' is spun on an elongated, elegant line. Narcissistic? Possibly. Self-indulgent? Certainly. Impressive? Oh, definitely. -- John T. Hughes, writing in Classic Record Collector: P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); About the Artist Kenneth Meltzer, writing in Classical CD Review: "If you love Franco Corelli, and don't already own this set, you will definitely want to acquire it at once. For those who have yet to become acquainted with the magic of this great, if controversial, tenor, I truly cannot think of a better place to start. "During the course of a long and brilliant career, Corelli sent audiences into frenzies with his matinee-idol looks, golden tenor voice, and atomic high notes, often held for what seemed an eternity. Many critics found Corelli's style extraordinarily self-indulgent, but few denied his unique magnetism. "Perhaps the most spectacular moment occurs in Act II, when Cavaradossi leaps to his feet and sings 'Vittoria!' The second 'Vittoria' is sung on an A-sharp that Puccini directs be delivered allargando molto (very broadly). But even Puccini could not have dreamed of the twelve(!)-second elongation Corelli accords this high note, driving the Parma audience into an absolute frenzy. "The love affair between Corelli and the Parma audience continues into the final act. As in his first-act aria, Corelli takes 'E lucevan le stelle' at a markedly slow tempo. The opening is notable for its hushed beauty. And then, Corelli arrives at the sequence beginning 'O dolci baci, o languide carezze' (Oh sweet kisses, languorous caresses). At the high A on 'disciogliea,' Corelli sings a protracted and beautiful diminuendo, continuing on the same breath to the conclusion of the phrase. The stunned audience responds with a collective, audible gasp. Corelli then delivers the final climax with almost superhuman strength. "The Parma audience breaks into sustained cheers, applause, and finally, rhythmic clapping, as they beg for an encore. It is not forthcoming--at least not immediately. But after the conclusion of the opera, an upright piano is wheeled on stage to accompany Corelli in a stunning rendition of the Neapolitan song 'Core 'ngrato.' "I doubt that we will ever again hear a performance like this. First, it is unlikely that a tenor with Corelli's remarkable gifts will come this way again. Second, even if he did, I can't imagine any of today's conductors allowing the kinds of freedoms Corelli takes with the score. Many will view that as a positive development--I do not. "The remainder of the cast is fine, although certainly not on Corelli's level. Gordoni is a vibrant, fiery Tosca who has occasional difficulty with her upper register. D'Orazi is a firm-voiced and malevolent Scarpia. Through all of Corelli's liberties and audience participation, conductor Morelli does an admirable job of holding the performance together. "The CDs contain more index numbers than typical for issues of this opera, with many Corelli highlight moments isolated for easy access and repeated pleasure." See more
R**Y
Beautiful opera
Wonderful music, but too many interruptions due to the live performance.
P**L
Corelli..Bravo!!!!!!!!
If you love opera you must have this set. Corelli is stupendous..the greatest tenor shows what that is all about here.
A**R
Five Stars
Corelli at his thrilling best!!
M**K
Corelli is intoxicating.....and that's Good!
It's tough to review such a performance. On the one hand we have Corelli at his best, and then... some other singers. I say it this way because this Tosca is all about Corelli. The fact that it's a live recording makes it even more obvious. The Parma crowd kind of applauds "Vissi d'Arte", but goes into a frenzi after "E Lucevan le stelle"....a frenzi that lasts a good five minutes. In summary all Corelli's high notes are cheered loudly and not just after arias.To a tenor buff, such as myself, this recording is perfection. After a while, I found myself timing his high notes (yes you do that after listening to this recording more than I care to count). Something like 12 seconds on "Vittoria", and over 20 seconds on "discoglia" in E lucevan le stelle. But all in all, every word uttered by Corelli that night was exciting (to say the least).It's not easy to remember who else sang what. I guess that's a good definition of stealing the show. Gordoni and D'Orazi do an ok job (it's all relative, you know), but nothing to be remembered. Who can judge the conductor for letting Corelli fly off tempi, and off anything else "decent"(?). If it wasn't for the tenor, that night would be long forgotten. In summary the "supporting" cast (yes, by that I mean Tosca, Scarpia, and the conductor) does nothing to make the night more special, but does not ruin it either. Also, audio quality cannot be rated above acceptable, but ok for a live recording in the 60's.All in all, Highly recommended recording. Yes, buy it just for Corelli but beware. Corelli is great, but Corelli is addictive. Corelli raises your expectations way too high, and there are no Corelli's out there. You can't but be disappointed after that.
H**L
14 Toscas for sale.
I have 14 Toscas, both commercial and "private", and they are all wonderful. Of course they are, why else would I own them??Yesterday I bought this, my 15th Tosca, on a whim.I now have 14 Toscas for sale. Name your price.
M**R
A shameful but delicious pleasure
An extreme example of throwing away the score, indulgent tempi and holding onto to notes for what Callas called "easy applause" But Franco how the Parma audience loves you! I have to admit I do to and I forgive you everything.Perhaps this is not a landmark performance of Tosca but it must be the most exciting and thrilling reading of Cavaradossi ever. Corelli's star is absolutely ascendant. Other reviewers might go into more detail about the pros and cons of the whole performance and the other leads but I was just so exhilarated by Corelli that I must give it 5 stars.I actually bought my copy as a download directly from the Bel Canto Society website. Buy it here, buy it there but buy it somewhere.
K**G
Corelli at his Greatest
A recording of a live performance in Parma, January 1967. The sound, while not up to a studio recording standard (either then or now) is still acceptable. No stage noises but a lot of coughs, applause, cheers & calls for "bis" (encore) from the audience. What makes this worth hearing is the incredible performance of Franco Corelli. It is so powerful & emotional that it will both give you shivers & bring you to tears. Forget the three tenors & Caruso, Corelli's was the tenor voice of the century.
M**D
Tosca Parma 1967 on Bel Canto Society
Virginia Gordoni has an attractive fullsome voice and turns in a good strong performance in the title role. Atillio D'Orazi is rich voiced and sounds appropriately thuggish and menacing as Scarpia. With due respect to the other principals the main interest in this recording is Franco Corelli - as announced on the cover artwork 'Cavaradossi? This one's my best!' His voice is as always hot-blooded, virile and ardent, the audience clearly adore his showmanship, some may consider the way he hangs onto notes for effect to be showing off. On the back cover is a review by Kenneth Meltzer, Classical CD Review. 'Corelli is in absolutely spectacular voice... (his) performance is brimming with such moments. The second 'Vittoria' is sung... 12(!) second elongation Corelli affords this high note, driving the Parma audience into an absolute frenzy. (In 'E lucevan le stelle') At the high A on the word 'disciogliea' he sings a protracted and beautiful diminuendo, continuing on the same breath to the conclusion of the phrase. The stunned audience (gasps).' Couldn't have put it better myself.Giuseppe Morelli's conducting in the very early stages of Act One is adequate, at times dragging, but things improve substantially as the performance gets well under way. By the end of Act One, Morelli leads a blazing, intense, high-octane performance, it continues at this sort of level to the end of the opera.Sound quality is basically good for a live 1967 taping and Bel Canto Society describe in great detail the amount of work undertaken in their remastering. Balance favours the orchestra, although the singers are clearly audible (but see below). There is a slight annoying hum, and traces of overload distortion. There is at times continual audience coughing in the background which can become annoying. The audience applaud with great enthusiasm at every chance, sometimes this makes the singers inaudible. There is plenty of shouting and cheering, the audience is especially rowdy during Act Three, one may as well give up trying to listen at times.As an encore, Corelli sings 'Core 'ngrato' by Cardillo. There is no libretto, but there are some b/w photos of Corelli. On the CDs Act Two is split just before 'Vissi d'arte' - it would have been better to put the disc change after the aria where there is a natural break following the applause.Recommended for Corelli fans, but he is in other live Toscas with less audience intrusion, and a studio recording. London 1957 with Zinka Milanov and New York 1970 with Birgit Nilsson finds similar vocal effects in 'E lucevan le stelle' - his voice lets him down attempting the diminuendo in New York 1962 however. In all three, the 'Vittoria' is held for 9 or 10 seconds. Just so you know.Disclaimer: Please note this review is for Tosca, Gordoni, Corelli and D'Orazi, Parma 1967, Morelli, Bel Canto Society 2CDs. If it appears with another recording, Amazon's sytems have incorrectly linked it.
F**D
Five Stars
Magnificent singing from corelli, just listen to the audience!
M**H
What a Night!
It is worth putting up with the suboptimal recording to listen to this live performance of Tosca. There is a real sense of the occasion, capped by Franco Corelli's exciting, full throated and risk taking singing of the role of Cavaradossi. The applause of the audience sounds more like a riot following Corelli's singing of 'El Lucevan le Stelle" , leading to a piano being wheeled onto the stage and Corelli singing an encore, again to rapturous applause. As on occasions such as this, one senses that the other cast members lift their performances to add to the occasion - so no weaknesses there either.Unfortunately, the relatively poor quality of the recording means that this performance can't be considered as a first choice when buying a recording of Tosca. However, it really deserves to be heard and pulled from the shelves on those occasions where you want to revisit a night when the stars aligned.
S**O
Hors des sentiers battus.
une VOIX,un CHANT...,beaucoup trop méconnu,!!!DOMMAGE , mais à découvrir!"A T" a raison :"il se permet tout "et avec quelle facilité....certaines écoutes comparées avec "avant"et "après"et non des moindres, laissent pantois !Pour les amateurs,ne pas se priver.C A
ニ**コ
不世出のテノール、コレルリの貴重な記録
1967年、パルマ王立劇場でのライヴ。不世出のテノール、フランコ・コレルリのとてつもない声がライヴで収録されています。後々語り草になった「vittoria!」の超人的な声や「星は光りぬ」での悲しみを振り絞るような絶唱は、他にたとえようもありません。こんなにもスゴイ歌手がいたという貴重な記録として、価値の高いCDです。録音の古さは否めませんが、歌手の声はもちろん、オケや合唱もよく録れています。
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