Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2
On Cantus Classics 501088; 2 CD’s; This widely known and esteemed studio recording of three of the biggest singers of the ’50′s is here reissued in splendid sound on two compact discs (a percentage of “The Dance of the Hours” is omitted in order to fit the performance on two CD’s rather than three). The remainder of the cast, including Rosalind Elias, Belen Amparan, and Plinio Clabassi is excellent!! This is a long unavailable recording whose reappearance is principally welcome. Here is a fine probability to listen the famous Zinka Milanov, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Leonard Warren together!!
- Amazon Sales Rank: #228214 in Music
- Published on: 2008
- Number of discs: 2
- Format: Import
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Image
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Image
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Pic
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Pic
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Pic
Portrait Of Zinka Milanov 2 Picture
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
 NICE TO SEE THIS ‘GIOCONDA’ AVAILABLE AGAIN
By L. Mitnick
This recording is a valuable operatic document. This opera has all but vanished from the repertoire largely because you just don’t have singers like this anymore. To begin with, Zinka Milanov may have been past her prime when this recording was made in 1957, but not by very much — in fact, that famous B flat piano tone in Act I is far better here than it was on Met broadcasts years earlier. She has an old fashioned temperment that is totally appropriate for this role, and the voice still has plenty of brightnesss and color. Could anyone today sing this opera this well? I sincerely doubt it. Giuseppe di Stefano probably had no business singing such a heavy role as Enzo, and his singing occasionally sounds pushed and labored, but the beauty of his tenor was still evident (though not for much longer!) Rosalind Elias is absolutely superb as Laura; probably her best recording of a complete role. The Enzo-Laura duet in Act II is thrilling with both she and di Stefano singing for all they’re worth. Leonard Warren, again like Milanov, may have been a shade past his best singing days, but his Barnaba is second to none. What this recording reflects is pretty much what one would have heard at the Met during this period. Milanov and Warren reigned over “Gioconda” at the Met for so many years and both were heard on live Met broadcasts of this opera in 1946, 1953, and 1957. What they accomplish on this studio recording is a great representation of their work. The sound is early stereo, and actually quite listenable. This recording is a must for anyone who wants to hear “Gioconda” in an old fashioned style that one no longer encounters. This Cantus version is probably the only available version of it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
An important document of one of Milanov’s greatest roles with a great Laura from Elias
By Janet Buyers
A critic wrote:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Like re-visiting an old friend
By AFK
As stated by another reviewer, some of the principal singers were beyond their prime when this recording was made back in ’57.
Not having heard it since I purchased the RCA Victrola vinyl release, I was surprised at how familiar this version sounded.
Its audio range from the highest to lowest frequencies mirrors the Decca/Rome Opera recordings of the time, i.e., superior to many domestically engineered recordings.
RCA’s vinyl surfaces left a lot to be desired back then: snaps, crackles, pops galore.
They’re absent, of course, from this CD release while deep bass-drum thwacks and a sheen on the strings have been retained.
When comparing this performance to a later Decca release, one cannot overlook a typical Tebaldi performance of the time: creamy tone in her mid-range that turns harsh and audibly flat in her upper registers.
One can find some fault in nearly every other available Gioconda recording, of course; but…given its shortcomings…this latest re-release is still welcome.
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