Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. La forza del destino, opera: Sinfonia
2. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. Buona notte, mia figlia
3. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. Temea restasse qui fino a domani!
4. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. Me pellgrina ed orfana
5. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. M'aiuti, signorina, pi� presto andrem
6. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. Ah, per sempre, o mio bell'angiol
7. La forza del destino, opera: Act 1. Vil seduttor! Infame figlia!
8. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Hol�, hol�, hol�! Ben giungi, o mulattier
9. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. La cena � pronta
10. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Che vedo! Mio fratello!
11. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Viva la guerra!
12. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Al suon del tamburo
13. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Padre Eterno Signor
14. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Viva la buona compagnia!
15. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Poich'� imberbe l'incognito
16. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Son Pereda, son ricco d'onore
17. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Sta bene
18. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Sono giunta! Grazie, o Dio!
19. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Madre, pietosa Vergine
20. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Chi siete?
21. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Chi mi cerca?
22. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Infelice, delusa, rejetta
23. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Il santo nome di Dio Signore sia benedetto
24. La forza del destino, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. La Vergine degli Angeli

Disc 2:

1. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. Attenti al gioco, attenti, attenti al gioco
2. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. La vita � inferno all'infelice
3. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. O tu che in seno agli angeli
4. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. Al tradimento!
5. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. All'armi! / Scene 2. Arde la mischia!
6. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 2. Piano... qui posi... approntisi il mio letto
7. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 2. Solenne in quest'ora
8. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 2. Morir! Tremenda cosa!
9. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 2. Urna fatale del mio destino
10. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 2. E s'altra prova rinvenir potessi?
11. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Compagni, sostiamo
12. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. N� gustare m'� dato un'ora di quiete
13. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Lorch� pifferi e tamburi par che assordino la terra
14. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Qua, vivandiere, un sorso
15. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Pane, pan per carit�!
16. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Nella guerra � la follia
17. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Toh! Toh! Poffare il mondo! Che tempone!
18. La forza del destino, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Rataplan, rataplan, della gloria

Disc 3:

1. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 1. Fate la carit�, � un'ora che aspettiamo!
2. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 1. Giunge qualcuno, aprite
3. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 1. Invano Alvaro ti celasti al mondo
4. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 1. Le minaccie, i fieri accenti
5. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 2. Pace, pace mio Dio!
6. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 2. Io muoio! Confessione!
7. La forza del destino, opera: Act 4. Scene 2. Non imprecare, umiliati a Lui ch'� giusto e santo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51730 in Music
• Released on: 1997-08-19
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .55 pounds

Amazon.com
If it were not for Maria Callas, we would all think that La Forza del Destino is essentially a prime exercise and showcase for great soprano voices, with a few goodies thrown in for the rest of the cast and the chorus. In this recording, Callas's voice is not technically great, though it is usually good.She makes most of her points by other means: close attention to the value of words, subtle nuances of tone and phrasing, an uncompromising determination to confront the emotions in the text and convey them honestly and strongly, even when they reach a terrifying intensity. We have here, under the absurdities of plot, a compelling psychological portrait of a woman driven beyond her limits--a woman whose brother wants to kill her lover, who has killed her father. The supporting cast is skilled and Serafin shapes a powerful interpretation. -- Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews

A satisfying Forza
La forza del destino has fallen somewhat out of favor among the works of the Verdi canon, but it remains one of my favorites of that composer's operas. Its sprawling plot is reminiscent of many Russian operas (it's probably not a coincidence that it was premiered in St. Petersburg) and I have always found appealing its mixture of the serious and the comic.

This recording of Forza from 1954 is one of the earlier complete versions. While it has been surpassed in many aspects, it's still a very good recording that is well worth hearing and acquiring.

Callas only gave a limited number of performances of the complete opera during her career, in 1948 and again in 1954, but she had performed "Pace, pace, mio Dio" in public in Greece as early as 1941, and the last surviving fragment of her singing is a short excerpt of "Madre pietosa vergine" recorded privately with piano in 1977. She coached various sections of the opera in different Juilliard master classes in 1972 and 1973 and recorded the first-act duet with di Stefano around the same time, and performed it with him in 1973-74 as part of their recital tour. When attempting to jump-start her career later in life, Forza is one of several operas that she worked completely through. So it's safe to say that La forza del destino is an opera that was near and dear to her heart, especially in later life. She may have identified with Leonora's predicament of being separated for such a long period of time from the man she loved.

This Forza is the legendary recording where producer Walter Legge told Callas during the sessions that if she didn't get the wobble on her high notes under control, he would have to give away a seasick pill with every recording. Be that as it may, at this remove the wobble is little in evidence, if at all, and it certainly doesn't detract from one's enjoyment of another intense Callas performance. As usual, Callas pays close attention to the meaning of the text, so when she is telling Alvaro in Act I how happy she is to be eloping with him, her underlying fear and misery are well in evidence. This Forza is certainly another Callas performance to treasure.

But La forza del destino is far from being just the soprano's show. She is offstage during Act III and the first scene of Act IV, so it is essential to have a strong cast in the other roles, and this performance more than supplies such a cast.

It's a special joy to have Richard Tucker here. Don Alvaro was a regular Tucker role, as he sang it 33 times at the Metropolitan Opera alone between 1952 and 1972 and would record the role again a few years later with Leontyne Price for RCA Victor. Tucker is one of those singers that the public may have taken a bit for granted when he was active, but to go back and listen to him is to remember what a splendid instrument he possessed. And he is in top form here, producing a wonderful "O tu che in seno agli angeli."

Certainly Carlo Tagliabue, the Don Carlo, was getting up in years at the time he made the recording (he had previously recorded the opera for Cetra). But recently I have found his advanced years much less noticeable or troublesome than I have when playing the recording in the past. He gives a solid, dignified performance and has no trouble holding his own with Tucker in their several scenes together.

Nicola Rossi-Lemeni may not be one's ideal of a smooth rolling bass. He's rather craggy-sounding, but his sound serves him perfectly to characterize the more mature characters that he often portrayed. (He is still unsurpassed as Moses in the old Philips recording of Rossini's opera.) So Rossi-Lemeni provides an ideal energy for the role of Padre Guardiano here. He is old but authoritative, and it's easy to understand the respect he receives from Fra Melitone and the rest of the monks.

Elena Nicolai is good as Preziosilla. She's a bit heavy-handed perhaps, and not perfect in the florid singing, but then again, singers generally have a fair amount of difficulty with this role.

Renato Capecchi is in good form as Melitone, without overplaying the comedy. So it's a special treat to have restored on this CD edition his scene at the beginning of Act IV with the beggars which had been omitted on the LP edition, presumably for reasons of space. (The Guardiano/Melitone duet immediately following this scene is still unfortunately omitted; given that there is plenty of room on the CD for this music, it was probably not recorded in the first place.)

Serafin is of course one of the deans of conductors of Italian opera and he leads a strong performance here. There are a number of small cuts in the score, mostly in the two comic relief scenes, but the central tenor-baritone "Sleale" duet, often omitted to save time in performance and missing from the Cetra performance as well, is included. The sound is of course not up to more recent standards, but it is more than adequate.

So, because of the cuts and the recorded sound, I probably couldn't recommend this performance as one's only Forza. But for some collectors, it probably could be, especially fans of Callas, Tucker, Rossi-Lemeni or Serafin, and for others it could make a very good supplemental performance indeed. Recommended.

SUPERB! Only Ponselle can rival her!
I'm still in tears after her HAUNTING "MALEDIZIONE!" and "In ciel t'attendo!" Her, Ponselle and young Tebaldi, the trinity of essential Leonoras!

Powerful
Yet another wonderful performance for Callas. She is a little darker in voice here. But she can certainly turn on the tears.