Leinsdorf: Puccini – Turandot (2 CD, APE)

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Performer: Jussi Bjorling, Piero de Palma, Alessio De Paolis, Anna di Stasio, Tommaso Frascati, Myriam Funari, Leonardo Monreale, Birgit Nilsson, Nelly Pucci, Mario Sereni, Renata Tebaldi, Giorgio Tozzi, Adelio Zagonara
Orchestra: Rome Opera House Orchestra
Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: RCA
Size: 567 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 1
01. Act I – Popolo di Pekino!
02. Gira la Cote, Gira, Gira!
03. Perche’ Tarda la Luna?
04. O Giovinotto (Funeral March)
05. O Divina Bellezza!
06. Non Indugiare!
07. Signore, ascolta!
08. Non Piangere, Liщ!
09. Ah! Per l’Ultima Volta!
10. Act II: Scene 1 – Olа, Pang! Olа, Pong!
11. Ho una Casa Nell’Honan
12. Act II: Scene 2 – Gravi, Enormi ed Imponenti
13. Un Giuramento Atroce mi Costringe
14. Popolo di Pekino!

CD 2
01. Act II: Scene 2 – In Questa Reggia
02. Straniero, Ascolta
03. ‘Giuzza al pari di fiamma’
04. ‘Gelo che ti da foco’
05. Figlio del Cielo!
06. No, principessa altera
07. Ai Tuoi Piedi ci Postriam
08. Act III: Scene 1 – Cosi’ Comanda Turandot
09. Nessun Dorma!
10. Tu che Guardi le Stelle
11. Straniero, tu non sai
12. Principessa!.. Divina!
13. Chi Pose Tanta Forza
14. Tu che Di Gel sei Cinta (Death Of Liu)
15. Ah! Tu sei Morta
16. Principessa di Morte!
17. Che и Mai di Me?
18. Del Primo Pianto
19. Act III: Scene 2 – Diecimila Anni

Best Ever Met Turandot Broadcast

This 1966 Met Turandot surpasses the more famous 1961 Stokowski broadcast, also with Nilsson and Corelli. As is well-known, the singers and chorus in 1961 had a great deal of trouble following Stokowski’s batonless and vague cues. Both the legendary Turandot and Calaf, still unrivalled, offer surer and clearly better performances under Mehta, particularly Corelli, who here gives easily the best of his various available performances of his signature role, his constant artistic progress in the part in the 5 years since the ’61 effort clearly evident here, while the voice, of course, is still in pristine form. Freni is ideal, barring some excessive “crying” after her Act One aria. This is THE Turandot to own. Why, oh why, did the Met choose the 1961 performance over this one for their own official release? Obviously because of Stokowski’s great fame. Incidentally, this 1966 broadcast was the first ever Saturday matinee broadcast from the “new” Met at Lincoln Center, the 1st this writer, then age 19, ever heard, and on rehearing it often beginning 45 years later, I was better able to evaluate its excellence. Once heard, this will inevitably be the Turandot of choice, despite the audio superiority of Nilsson’s 2 studio recordings, the 1st with Bjorling, the 2nd with Corelli. Buy it and find out what you’ve been missing when any other team has subsequently performed it. Incidentally, if you are dubious about the variable Mehta, don’t be. Mehta excels here too, keeping his enormous forces under firm control while allowing the singers room to breathe and phrase. He keeps the whole performance under firm control without strait-jacketing his formidable leading duo.