Callas fans may be familiar with these performances from the diva’s December 19, 1958 Gala Concert held at the Palais Garnier, via their VHS edition. Roger Bernamou, the original director of this television production, re-edited the material for DVD partly to take advantage of the medium’s capacity for individual tracks. A slightly clearer picture ensues, plus cleaner, more present sound. Don’t be concerned that the orchestra plays only adequately. Try to ignore the ever-present prompter. Forget the clumpy-looking chorus members holding their sheet music. Focus on Callas.
She needs time to warm up in the Norma selections (including, of course, her Act 1 calling card “Casta Diva”) and her high notes fall short of their mark. Yes, she heard them too: you see how her eyes register momentary annoyance; otherwise, she never breaks character. What truly matters is the singer’s incredible melding of words and music into a concentrated, profoundly detailed entity.
In addition to her riveting Leonore excerpts, we get a glimpse of Callas’ seldom-discussed humor, as she tosses off Rosina’s “Una voce poco fa” from The Barber of Seville with all the sparkle and minutely detailed coloratura she can muster. Those who think that Callas was a first rate actor with less than a great voice will be startled here.
Following intermission, we have a simple and effective staging of Tosca Act 2, not as elaborate as the 1964 Covent Garden Zeffirelli production, also with Callas and preserved on film. The soprano is in far better voice here, and so is her Scarpia, Tito Gobbi. Their two commercial studio recordings of Tosca may offer more polished singing all around, but to observe their intense stage rapport and the expressive economy of their acting is a gift. By contrast, Albert Lance, who plays both Cavaradossi and Manrico, is a rather wooden actor, but his firm, secure, well-rounded tenor needs no apology. Every Callas performance video is essential, and none more so than this one. [9/25/2001]
