Turandot
1957 Recording

Maria Callas, Eugenio Fernandi, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicola Zaccaria,
Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Tullio Serafin, dir.

Puccini’s Turandot, first performed in 1926, was the only work in which Callas sang that was younger than herself and is a perfect vehicle for a dramatic soprano with a steady, steely and brilliant voice capable of rising to top C. Although she had last sung the strenuously demanding title rôle on stage in 1949, her subtlety in is apparent in this dramatically and musically effective 1957 recording.

Schwarzkopf (Liu) and Fernandi (Calaf) perfectly complement Callas as the legendary Chinese princess whose icy heart is melted by the power of love.

“Callas had not performed the role of the formidable princess for eight years, but her first entrance in ‘In questa reggia’ is commanding… the taxing high tessitura seems to pose her relatively few problems…Not a role that was central to Callas’s repertoire but a good example of her ability to breathe new life into an old warhorse.” MusicWeb International