Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Norma
Norma – Maria Callas (soprano)
Adalgisa – Ebe Stignani (mezzo-soprano)
Pollione – Mario Filippeschi (tenor)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, Milan/Tullio Serafin
rec. 23 April – 3 May 1954, Milan
Reviewed as 24 bit FLAC download. Ambient Stereo
Libretto, score etc. available with download purchase
Pristine Audio PACO 219 [3 CDs: 160]

I gave this short shrift in my survey of recordings of Norma:

“I cannot give this recording an unqualified recommendation when there is competition of far greater quality provided by Callas herself in her other recordings. No other artist, including Sutherland or Caballé, can touch her from an interpretative point of view, but if you want to hear her worthily partnered, too, you need to go elsewhere.

In truth, that great artist Ebe Stignani was sounding too mature for Adalgisa by this stage of her career, Filippeschi is very ordinary and blaring as Pollione and Rossi-Lemeni is gruff, gritty and unsteady of line compared with the smooth production of Zaccaria. I readily admit that if no other recordings with Callas were available, I’d probably be happy with it. I keep the highlights disc, just to hear Callas in best, youthful voice, but there are better options for a complete recording.”

I might add that, as the notes point out, Rossi-Lemeni is often out of tune, too. However, what Andrew Rose rightly calls the “stodgy mono recording with a cast which often leaves plenty to be desired” never did it any favours or helped anyone appreciate this, so an enhancement of the sound in Ambient Stereo must be welcomed. Nothing will change the deficiencies of the cast, but good sound is always an asset and frequently permits an upward reassessment – however, as I shall try to explain, that is not invariably the case here. In brief, improved sound makes the good even better and the bad worse.

There is certainly a big improvement sonically; we now have some “width” in the sound, individual instrumental lines stand out more clearly, and the bass is more solid and present. There is still an element of fuzzy congestion in forte passages, some residual hiss, and the chorus remains distant and reverberant, but listening is now much less of a trial. Voices are now more forward in the sound picture, but their balance with the orchestra is good. That unfortunately allows us to hear more distinctly, right from his first entrance, just how bad the intonation of the woolly and tremolo-ridden Rossi-Lemeni’s bass is; in fact, that last undesirable vocal flaw was probably at the root of his tuning issues. He really is poor and painful to listen to, not a patch on Zaccaria or Vinco as Oroveso and Pristine’s sonic refurbishment just confirms in my mind that he was a very over-rated artist. Next we hear Filippeschi’s hard-toned tenor. At least he sings in tune, but he barrels his way through his music unfeelingly. He was exciting in some heroic roles and has secure top notes, but bel canto was not his forte; he makes Del Monaco sound super-subtle. However, the trumpets and gong announcing Norma’s arrival come over really well and prepare us to sit up and beg when Callas begins to sing – but not before Filippeschi has murdered “Me protegge, me difende”, ending with a piercing B-flat.

But ah, when Callas intones “Sediziose voci”, instantly demonstrating the development of her two vocal registers by dropping into the “chest” for “voci di guerra” and again for “morrà” in the recitativo preceding the most famous aria, we can forgive everything … almost. The sheer amplitude of her voice compared with the bass is so apparent. “Casta diva” is a miracle of flexibility, legato, definition and tonal beauty; no sliding, fudging, screaming, or slurring: every note is like a pearl strung in a necklace, individually defined but part of an integrated whole.

Stignani is grave and sonorous, and her singing is lovely as singing per se – but too mature and stately for the young, naïve and beleaguered Adalgisa. I have read complaints regarding Serafin’s conducting – that he is dull and pedestrian. I do not share them; for me, he simply does what is required.

Otherwise, I see little reason to change the opinion I gave in my survey, and to continue, I should simply have to repeat myself: this recording is of great worth for Callas alone and not much else. Besides, there is also the excellent live recording from the following year conducted by Votto which Pristine has already remastered into Ambient Stereo, in which Callas is much better partnered; that remains a prime recommendation alongside the later studio recording.

I am pleased to observe that Pristine have got the cover photo of Callas right this time, with a fine, photo of her as Norma which I have not seen before and which is properly contemporaneous with the recording.

Ralph Moore

Other cast members:
Oroveso – Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (bass)
Clotilde – Rina Cavallari (mezzo-soprano)
Flavio – Paolo Caroli (tenor)