00:00 Adriana Lecouvreur, Act I_ Io son l'umile ancella
03:32 Andrea Chenier, Act III_ La mamma morta
09:29 Mefistofele, Act III_ L'altra notte in fondo al mare
15:12 Otello, Act IV_ Canzone del salice
Gaetano Merola Conductor, Renata Tebaldi Soprano
Renata Tebaldi was a legend in her own time as one of the most highly sought after sopranos in history. Although she had the qualities of a true dramatic spinto soprano in the sheer size and weight of her voice, she herself rightly felt she was a lirico-spinto singer in her stylistic approach. Her opulent tone was supported by a magnificent technique including remarkable breath-control with which she delivered outstanding legato phrasing, special subtlety of musical phrasing, and powerful vocal characterization.
From the time of her professional stage debut in 1944 singing Elena in Boito’s Mefistofele in Rovigo, Tebaldi was immediately recognized as an exceptional talent, and when two years later the fearsomely demanding Arturo Toscanini chose her to participate in his gala concert for the re-opening of La Scala opera, he made a play on words about her voice, exclaiming “Ah - la voce d’angelo” (Ah - the voice of an angel) as it floated down from a high balcony near the end of Verdi’s Te Deum. This is how Tebaldi was thereafter often referred to by her legion admirers, who included some of the most highly distinguished opera celebrities of her day.