From Amazon.com
When it works properly, verismo opera has an impact something like a punch in the stomach. This, one of the archetypal verismo operas (the other is its Siamese twin,
Cavalleria Rusticana) delivers a particularly hard and accurate punch from Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin, and--oh, all right--Giuseppe Di Stefano. The tenor is in great voice and impassioned, which will do well enough for Canio, the wronged, inconsolable, and murderously vengeful husband in this opera about show-biz and backstage heartbreak. Callas and Gobbi are subtle, protean; her voice is in good shape by Callas standards, and his is used so artfully that its tonal qualities don't matter much. Rolando Panerai's sterling performance as Silvio, the third side of a triangle with Di Stefano and Callas, is a bonus. Serafin and the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus are excellent.
--Joe McLellan
Amazon.com essential recording
The singing is very good in this performance, and the acting (particularly by Maria Callas) is even better. Tullio Serafin, who has evidently studied Mascagni's own performances, knows how to get maximum impact without pushing the tempo or overstating the dynamics. It is particularly interesting to observe Callas bringing her dramatic skills into verismo operas. The gritty realism of these performances makes one regret that Callas didn't spend more time performing verismo opera. She is totally immersed in the characters, and intensely aware of the importance of the words in this kind of opera (though she also habitually gave a verismo intensity and nuance to the less compelling texts of bel canto). Giuseppe Di Stefano and Herbert von Karajan are outstanding in both of these short operas; Tito Gobbi has only the supporting role of Tonio in
I Pagliacci, but he plays it for all it's worth and gives a classic performance of the great prologue.
--Joe McLellan
