The three excerpts sung here by Callas are from Puritani, Tristano e Isotta, and Norma, all recorded in the studio in 1949, and all the same as appear on FONO 1067, “A Voice from Heaven”. They are all worth hearing, with Callas in her finest voice. The rest of the CD is devoted to Callas’ teacher, and indeed Elvira de Hidalgo is terrific. She made her debut at 16 in 1908 and retired in 1932 when she was 40. The recordings probably date from between 1910 and 1920 (no dates are given); they are primitive but well cleaned up and entirely listenable. They give a picture of a superb coloratura soprano who embellishes the vocal line wildly with staccatos, trills, extra runs, etc. She also sings off the text and is no mere songbird; her “Ah, forse’ lui” is moving and lovely.
The fact that Hidalgo is somewhat of a show-off shouldn’t be held against her. She schooled Callas in the bel canto tradition and she is an example of it–but Callas’ interpretive gifts and unique colorings and phrasings were clearly her own. In all, this is a worthwhile CD, especially if there’s no Hidalgo in your collection.
