This set has been a crucial part of opera lovers’ collections for more than 40 years, and it’s still a necessity. The LPs distorted badly at the end of the second act–and with Nilsson and everyone else screaming their heads off, you can hardly blame the engineers. But it did sound as if the cast were throwing trash can lids at one another, and so when the CD era came and the set was re-released in 1988 hopes were high. They were dashed quickly however when it was discovered that the re-mastering included removing most of the bass, presumably to give Bjoerling’s bright but certainly smaller sound parity with Nilsson’s almost overwhelming presence. And it still distorted. This go-round it’s much better, although even at that the high-C Nilsson and Bjoerling take together at the close of “In questa reggia” tends to blare, and the end of Act 2 is far from spotless. But it won’t bother you unless you’re looking for trouble.
But the singing is ravishing. Nilsson is still the Turandot to equal (she recorded it three times and it almost never varied an iota), with blazing, secure high notes and an icy security that fairly knocks you for a loop. Her third-act transformation is not very moving (you must refer to Callas and somewhat less, Caballé for any character development), but who cares? All the current Turandots either miss notes or wobble all over them, so Nilsson remains irreplaceable. And Bjoerling! The beauty of the sound on this, his final recording, is almost too much: the plangency, the sweetness, the focus are simply stunning. “Non piangere Liu” is about as caring as possible, and if you ever hear a better balanced and phrased “Nessun dorma” let me know.
Tebaldi still had the high, floating pianissimos needed for Liu (although she’s not ideal for the role–it really requires a true lyric, and by 1959 she was pretty “spinto”), and she treats the text sensitively. Giorgio Tozzi is thoroughly involved and gives a warm performance as Timur, and Erich Leinsdorf leads a thrilling, red-blooded account of the score. This set still is No. 2, after the glorious–and surprising–Sutherland/Pavarotti/Caballé set under Mehta on Decca from 1972. Own both and you can’t go wrong. [9/19/2006]
