Donizetti - Anna Bolena - Al Dolce Guidami (1959 Studio)

[georgerannie]

Maria at her very best.

[georgerannie]

Bel Canto as it should be sung.

[franciscobarn]

Anna:

Llévame a mi agradable castillo natal,

a los verdes prados, al plácido río

que aún murmura nuestros suspiros.

¡Ah! Y allí olvidaré las penas pasadas.

¡Devuélveme un solo día de mi juventud;

devuélveme un solo día de nuestro amor!

¡ah! Un sólo día de nuestro amor.

[opera75frfr]

En cette année 58 on sent peut-être les premières petites blessures de cette voix, enregistrée de trop près, comme souvent, mais c'est absolument SUBLIME DECHIRANT, d'une sorte de tristesse noble et simple- un air de solitude, comme l'était la sienne. Quelle artiste!

[nagash73]

La Callas è sempre LA CALLAS !!!!

[distefano13069609]

btw its 1958, BRAVA CALLAS

[distefano13069609]

its actually 58, recording seesion of the mad scenes...

[LazarNewDeal]

These recordings marked her best reproductions in Studio, Just like she had been doing ON STAGE those years (1956 and 1957) and IL PIRATA by that time (both on stage and studio)

[hayyu2008]

A masterclass in bel canto perfection. This is why she was called La Divina

[primohomme]

Perfection!

[JoanNilson]

One of the most mesmerizing examples of bel canto EVER! She truly sounds as if she is totally mad - but the hurt she expresses at the end of the aria - that it seemed as if their love only lasted one day - is truly palpable and heart-wrenching.

In the 1957 recording of the actual performance at La Scala - the audience went BALLISTIC at the end of the aria - even cutting her off.

God bless her!

[odios19]

I regard her thrills as the most beautiful notes she gave to the world.

[Frufrucucu]

She sounds beautiful, if not as 'fresh' as in the Verdi recital album recorded before. Still the best rendition...

[Kurkino2007]

Matchless...

...may she rest in peace...

[SweetFiness]

Wow, I love the ending... note feels like floating air!!

[Frufrucucu]

We should we grateful she recorded the entire last scene from "Anna Bolena" in the studio, but EMI really missed the boat when they didn't record her in the entire opera. But still, her 'Mad Scenes' recital is still on of (if not the) most recommended recital albums, after some 50 years after being made

[CONTESTAR]

Buy the better sound and google for the libretto!

It's there alright.

Anna+Bolena+libretto

[Rossalita]

STIL THE BEST!!

[fantasual]

Who would think listening to her for the very first time in her drammatic natured roles and vocal delivery,that she could come down to earth with such a relaxed and delicate delivery of vocal expressions here. Deep emotionally moving renditions where definately her real inner vocal beauty.

[lohengrinteo]

I do my best to enjoy Maria singing, she is a dear of me but she dissapoints me.Her voice is poor, bad awful high notes but my problem is her renditions seem to me artificial and sometimes anemic, bland, her voice is weak, using always the head voice, the voice is not well breath supported.Can you help me to enjoy Maria artistry ?I can't

[fantasual]

Ha Ha real cute; And if youre serious i suggest seeing phsychiatrist.

[fantasual]

Joan Sutherland in all honesty was the one who sounded like she sang from her head and it's a known fact that she had surgery for a bad nasal condition. You can hear it in her voice when she sings,it sounds as if she has a cold.

[sevoflurane]

Yes one can hear from Joan's interpretation that Bolena did not interest her very much. Maybe Italian opera did not interest her very much... after singing for 30 years she still had not mastered the language lol!

[fantasual]

Oh really she is dear to you? poor Maria? you are real funny with youre sarcastic indirect comments making her sound like she's a 90 year old woman. You sily bitch that's why this is one of her best performances wich required not only fine belcanto singing but excellent characterization and acting wich big dumb dodo bird Sutherland knew nothing about but just how to sing the way she was tought.

[jessyquedens]

You could have put that more diplomatically. But I just went and listened to the Sutherland Anna Bolena again and I too cannot see how one could prefer her to Callas.

[fantasual]

Youre right i could have been a little more tactful with the one word there but maybe that's just my direct forward nature getting the best of me sometime + that was pretty mild i've seen worse here on you tube.

[subtlegarden]

Can't stop listening to her. Beautiful!

[LazarNewDeal]

This recording registrs yhe great success she had had at La Scalla's production in 1957/58. Some deem it "ANTHOLOGIC". The IL PIRATA from 58 and 59 follows

[AristonMenHudor]

Cimarosa: Maestro del Buffo

Rossini: The revolutionary, the great Comedian

Donizetti: The ultimate Tragedian

It is for the latter two that Callas was born into the world. That was her lovely purpose on earth,and now she is gone forever.

[Shahrdad]

Whenever anyone asks me what bel-canto is, I play this for them. Perfect legato, beautiful portamenti, long expressive lines, flawless trills perfectly bound to the flow of the melody, and the incredible expressivity without ever betraying to musical line. I think Donizetti himself would have fallen on his knees and kissed the hem of her skirt.

[Rossalita]

THE BEST!!

[saverioorlando]

great legato,moving poetry

[billyguns2]

Just perfect bel canto style, following the natural inflection of the beautiful Italian language and spinning out the long phrases. Her exemplary musicianship and perfect understanding of l'accento drammatico has never been surpassed. One agonizes with Anna Bolena as she longs to go to her childhood home. Brava!

[DanBarthy]

Brava!!!! I Love her Anna Bolena!!!

Maria Callas is perfect!!!

[zehnthaus]

The scene was recorded 24. and 25. of September 1958 at Kingsway Hall, London