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This is a unique recording. It offers a rather specialized view of Turandot which, despite some vocal compromises, is the most emotionally involving performance on disc. To my mind, opera is first and foremost about drama, and this reading has that in spades. I think it deserves a place in every Puccinian's CD library, alongside the equally effective, but very different, Nilsson/Corelli/Scotto set under Molinari-Pradelli.
Serafin offers a slower, weightier and far more detailed account of this work's extraordinary orchestral part, whereas Molinari-Pradelli is faster and more straightforward. For me, this dichotomy is a bit like comparing Furtwangler and Weingartner in Beethoven's 9th: two very different but equally valid approaches that are both true to the work's spirit. Serafin is entirely in sync with the more humanistic view of the characters given by his vocalists. Callas is not, to my ears, the ultimate "ice princess" but rather a deeply conflicted, lonely and repressed young woman caught in a role that was defined for her rather than by her. The Liu of Schwarzkopf is, for me, far more touchingly pathetic than the norm (Serafin gives her tremendous support), and Fernandi, despite limited vocal resources, is an unusually lyrical and ardent Everyman: his Calaf is presented on a more human level than the Olympic-sized hero we usually hear.
Just as Serafin is ideal for a more probing and intimate view of this opera's characters, Molinari-Pradelli's brisker, more exuberant portrayal is perfectly in accord with the grander, more broadly brushed canvas provided by his stars. Nilsson's may be a blander characterization than that of Callas - but she is surely more of an "ice princess," with vocal stamina and range to match. Likewise Corelli's stentorian - and breathtaking - Calaf is a larger than life figure of super-hero proportions. So, in a nutshell, each conductor provides a well-nigh ideal backdrop for their respectively very different conceptions.
Callas valiantly hurdles many of the imposing vocal challenges of her role - and on those terms is not entirely successful. But what is it about that slightly tremulous and edgy voice that elicits such immediate sympathy? I can only say that she has this listener by the throat all the way - following her with a libretto, I am continually astonished at her ability to color words and whole phrases with a plaintive nobility and barely concealed anguish that are utterly gripping. She is, for me, one of those rare and supreme artists who somehow manage to make technical limitations more of an asset than a liability. It makes perfect sense therefore that she would be paired with a Fernandi, who in his own way is truly excellent (despite some near-shouting up top) - he simply isn't a Bjorling or a Corelli (but who else was?). Schwarzkopf is an artist about whom I am very ambivalent - I can remember too many occasions where her fluttery, self-conscious coquetry really drove me up the wall (e.g., much of her Mozart). But for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, here she is the only Liu who brings tears to my eyes every time I hear her (unlike Caballe and Tebaldi).
By contrast, Nilsson and Corelli succeed in terms of sheer physical prowess - egad, what a larger than life Riddle Scene! I am generally far more of an admirer of Bjorling than I am of Corelli - but, unfortunately Bjorling's Calaf (with Leinsdorf) was caught at the very end of his career, whereas Corelli here was at the very peak of his (his constant scooping into high notes CAN be annoying - but when he does get there it's invariably dead center and VERY exciting).
At the risk of sounding totally equivocal, I would have to say that owning BOTH sets, which are mutually complementary and both very satisfying in their very different ways, is the best way to go.
Still, if the desert island beckoned and I could have just one recording of this Puccini masterpiece, then Callas & Co. would have to go there with me.
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