Tito Gobbi

Recorded in 1965

Recorded in 1969

This June 1955 performance of Puccini’s Tosca marked Renata Tebaldi’s first appearance with the Covent Garden Company. The roles of Cavaradossi and Scarpia were filled by two of Italy’s finest singers, Ferruccio Tagliavini (Cavaradossi) and Tito Gobbi (Scarpia). All three went on to make memorable studio recordings for Decca, Cetra and EMI.

The Times wrote on 29 June 1955, the day after the first performance of the revival, ‘The performance was tremendous, not only in the singing, which was up to the heroic standards of the past, but in dramatic tension’. The conductor came in for particular praise, ‘Mr Molinari-Pradelli gave no quarter to his singers and extracted every ounce of power out of the orchestra’.

Of Tebaldi’s Tosca, The Times wrote, ‘With an imposing presence, a fine voice, and a sure judgement of dramatic gesture she made Tosca credible and sympathetic in phrases that were moulded to exploit every intonation of her voice’.

The same critic praised Ferruccio Tagliavini, ‘his voice is generous. his mezza voice is pleasing and his tone does not harden in forte passages’ while Tito Gobbi’s Scarpia was described as ‘an aristocrat corrupted by power’.

One of the best-loved of all operas, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was given its premiere at La Scala Milan in 1904, where it received a terrible reception. The chemistry of the collaborators should have ensured success - the librettists Luigi Illica and Guiseppe Giacosa had worked with the composer on La bohème and Tosca. Puccini withdrew the work and revised it thoroughly. When this version was presented to the public the adulation was extraordinary, and the work has been a central part of the operatic repertoire ever since. The story is a highly emotional one - of cynical colonial exploitation, blind love and infidelity, a potent mix fuelled by Puccini’s high-octane score.

The aria ‘Un bel di’ (One fine day) is the high point of the work where Butterfly, living in poverty with Pinkerton’s child and her maid Suzuki sings of her confidence that her handsome US Navy captain will return to her. He does eventually return, but not for Butterfly, with tragic consequences.

Recording Country: United Kingdom

Recording Location: 21-23, 25-29 June & 24 July 1956 / Kingsway Hall, London

Mix Date: 24 Jul 1956

Producer: Walter Legge. Engineer: Christopher Parker

Digitally remastered to 24-bit standard at Abbey Road Studios by Allan Ramsay

Source matrix nos.: YAX 16-21 (Columbia SAX 2254-56)

Studio recording, 1956

Recorded in studio in 1955