{"product_id":"puccini-tosca-price-labo-taddei-kunz-zaccaria-karajan","title":"Puccini: Tosca - Price, Labò, Taddei, Kunz, Zaccaria; Karajan. Wien, 1964","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"two-column-grid\"\u003e\n  \u003c!-- Left Column: Title, Composer, Description --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u003ch1 class=\"title-header\" style=\"font-size: 18px; font-family: Baskerville; font-style: italic; color: #330065; font-weight: normal; text-transform: none;\"\u003eTosca\u003c\/h1\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGiacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003chr\u003e\n    \u003ch3 class=\"section-heading\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #330065; font-size: 21px;\"\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eOver the years, people have often asked me how I judge whether a recording is worth adding to the catalogue when weighing flaws in the sound quality against the strengths of the performance. The answer is ultimately a personal one: whether I am able to enjoy the performance in spite of those flaws. I mention this because I found this \u003ci\u003eTosca\u003c\/i\u003e challenging to enjoy at times, given the distant miking and the generally tinny character of the sound. Yet the cast is undeniably legendary, and the musical direction of \u003cstrong\u003eHerbert von Karajan\u003c\/strong\u003e elevates an already formidable ensemble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eKarajan commanded sufficient authority to impose a unified musical philosophy on a work in which such cohesion can be difficult to achieve, particularly when dealing with singers who arrive feeling that they have already mastered their parts and require little additional coaching. One hears the results, for example, in the delicacy with which \u003cstrong\u003eGiuseppe Taddei\u003c\/strong\u003e caresses the lines at the beginning of Scarpia's Act I duet with Tosca. Moments such as this elucidate the score in remarkable ways, making so familiar a work feel surprisingly new.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeontyne Price\u003c\/strong\u003e is at her absolute best, shining from her entrance through the final moments of the opera. One curious aspect of the recording is that the top of her voice can sometimes seem to disappear rather than bloom, though this may well be a consequence of the miking rather than the singing itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFlaviano Labò\u003c\/strong\u003e steps into the role of Cavaradossi. I say “steps in” because this performance was clearly a dry-run for the Decca recording with the same principal cast, but with \u003cstrong\u003eGiuseppe Di Stefano\u003c\/strong\u003e as Cavaradossi. If Labò felt somewhat slighted at being denied the opportunity to record the role with them, he would have had reason: he gives a performance of exceptional sweetness and virility that, in my opinion, surpasses Di Stefano's.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003chr class=\"mobile-only-hr\"\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c!-- Right Column: Cast and Details --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u003ch3 class=\"section-heading\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #330065; font-size: 21px;\"\u003eCAST\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\n      Floria Tosca – \u003cstrong\u003eLeontyne Price\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Mario Cavaradossi – \u003cstrong\u003eFlaviano Labò\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Barone Scarpia – \u003cstrong\u003eGiuseppe Taddei\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Cesare Angelotti – \u003cstrong\u003eNicola Zaccaria\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Il Sagrestano – \u003cstrong\u003eErich Kunz\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Spoletta – \u003cstrong\u003eErich Majkut\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Sciarrone – \u003cstrong\u003eHarald Pröglhöf\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Roberti – \u003cstrong\u003eLudwig Mikura\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Il Carceriere – \u003cstrong\u003eLjubomir Pantscheff\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003chr\u003e\n    \u003ch3 class=\"section-heading\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #330065; font-size: 21px;\"\u003eDETAILS\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\n      Location: \u003cstrong\u003eWien\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Date: \u003cstrong\u003eJune 10, 1964\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Conductor: \u003cstrong\u003eHerbert von Karajan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Catalogue Number: \u003cstrong\u003eOD 12421-2\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Label: \u003cstrong\u003eOpera Depot\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      Number of Discs: \u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n      \u003cstrong\u003eIn Mono\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003chr\u003e\n    \u003ch3 class=\"section-heading\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #330065; font-size: 21px;\"\u003eNOTE\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eThe sound of this recording is greatly lacking, and the end of Act I and beginning of Act II are missing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Opera Depot","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":67873236484417,"sku":"12421-2","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3","offer_id":67873236517185,"sku":"MP3 12421-2","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC","offer_id":67873236549953,"sku":"FLAC 12421-2","price":11.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0238\/9583\/files\/12421-2front.jpg?v=1791908687","url":"https:\/\/operadepot.com\/products\/puccini-tosca-price-labo-taddei-kunz-zaccaria-karajan","provider":"Opera Depot","version":"1.0","type":"link"}