Maria Callas in Lucia
John Ardoin wrote in The Callas Legacy about the 1955 Berlin Lucia led by Herbert von Karajan, “If I could own but a single Callas set, it would be this one.”
There was a bis of the sextet, and I offer you this bit today. Along with Callas (listen for the amazing diminuendo), you hear Giuseppe di Stefano, Rolando Panerai, Nicola Zaccaria, Giuseppe Zampieri, Luisa Villa, and Mario Carlin.
(Io son vin-to-ho so-hon co-hom-mosso: Forgive me. I have no love for di Stefano. I know that the sound was glorious, but who cares?)
Hear Callas here and in the blog archives in other music led by Herbert von Karajan.
Why anyone with Di Stefano’s instrument so often felt the need to shout is beyond me. Lucia’s not a role that flattered Callas’ voice, I think, with all those glacial high notes (I don’t mean the interpolations) but she and Karajan certainly knew how to make a psychodrama out of it: the mad scene in this set is utterly convincing.
I agree with you about di Stefano! What a waste of an amazing talent.