This looked like a compromising set; a cheap recording of Tosca featuring Monsterrat Caballe and Jose Carreras together. I had never heard of Ingvar Wixell before. Anyway, I was deeply moved when I played this recording. And here's why:

First of all, this went on my list as the best orchestral version of this opera ever recorded. The Scarpia chords, played at the beginning and at Scarpia's entrance, were fantastic. The beauty of the piece and the grandness of the Te Deum were also captured wonderfully. The singers couldn't have asked for better support.

This may also go down as one of Jose Carreras's best recordings. This was captured in the 70's, when his voice was in its peak, and before it started to decline from heavier roles and a near-fatal bout of leukemia. He is a great Cavaradossi, even better than Pavarotti at times.

Montserrat Caballe sings beautifully; she never was my favorite singer of all time, but she still delivers Tosca's feelings in a way that brings back memories of Callas. She is no Callas herself, but she is definately a singer who can easily stride up towards her potential.

Ingvar Wixell is one of the only reasons I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. His voice is incredibly weak, and his intonation is constantly flat. His high notes are strained, his lower notes almost innaudible. If we could transfer someone like Milnes, Taddei, Gobbi or Raimondi to this recording, this would really be something to own.

We also get a surprise here: Samuel Ramey as Angelotti. This was taken just at the sunrise of his career. I only wish his part were larger (he did record Scarpia on DG with Freni and Domingo, and it is excellent) .
Domenico Trimarchi is extremely witty as the Sacristan. The chorus sings very well also.

Don't worry about Ingvar Wixell as Scarpia. If you are a Caballe or Carreras fan, then this is the recording to own. Buy it.

On the most part, this is a pretty good CD. I am surprised how Bocelli managed to communicate so wonderfully with Mehta and the orchestra, despite his blindness. Considering that he is a pop singer, this is not so bad. But not all recordings are perfect, and this is definately a prime example. First of all, why switch around Di Quella Pira and Ah Si Ben Mio? And why not put the dialogue between Manrico, Leonora and Ruiz in? And why not identify the soprano singing in Di Quella Pira? this is quite puzzling that Phillips would release this recording without thinking straight. But despite this confusion, Bocelli still manages to produce a beautiful, if extremely light, sound. His diction is flawless. The color and beauty in his voice are also obvious, but he only lacks the ability to phrase, and his voice also has limited support and power. In both Di Quella Pira and Oh Mio Rimorso, he holds possibly the longest high C's ever recorded. Even Pavarotti hasn't held them for that long! He sounds extremely confident in the Celeste Aida, and his diminuendo at the end is amazing. The Luisa Miller, Il Trovatore and Forza del Destino arias are probably the best ones on the disc. Unfortunately, the Rigoletto arias are not so good. Possente Amore is barked, and a completely unnecessary high D at the end is screamed. In Questa o Quella and La Donna e Mobile, he sounds like he just woke up from a nap. In the Ernani selection, he sounds exhausted, and as if he were to fall asleep any second. The Lombardi selection is ok, but somewhat on the routine side. For the most part, this is an excellent disc, but to buy this CD only for half of the selections is a waste. You may be better off buying a CD of either Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti, Bergonzi, Corelli, or Kraus, and that will prove to you what a Verdi singer really is.

Sutherland has never appealed to my taste; her diction is mushy, and she sometimes sounded nasal, as if she were about to sneeze any second. But here, she is very good; there is a shade more diction, and her middle and lower registers are extremely impressive. Her high notes are good, but they tend to waver sometimes (her high E in the Lucia/Enrico almost sounds like an F). Overall, she's a fine Lucia.

Those who are awaiting Pavarotti's soon-to-be retirement should really buy this recording. He is in his prime here, with crystal high notes, flawless diction and intonation, and a golden color. His performance is definately worth buying, even if Madonna were singing Lucia.

Milnes is very good as the evil Enrico, portraying him in a sneering, angry manner. Sure, he goes flat on top, and he cracks a few times, but so what? nobody's perfect. He matches Pavarotti note for note in the Edgardo/Enrico duet, which is the highlight of the whole recording.

Ghiaurov has an excellent lower register, and has the remarkable ability to "act" with the voice. It's too bad his part isn't bigger.

The supporting roles are very well sung, chorus is excellent, although more male singers would have been good, and this may be the best orchestral version of this opera I've ever heard (with the exception of Schipper's performance of the Sills/Bergonzi recording). Also, there are many sound effects, such as Edgardo's "letter" being taken out of Enrico's desk, and being handed to Lucia, swords being shed, and thunder (!).

don't even think of throwing away the Callas or Sills recordings, but you should really go for this album. It's a must-have.

I was shocked to read these reviews! there are so many other recordings that are much worse than this one!

Studer sings wonderfully in Acts 2 and 3 with plenty of beauty and sadness, but she has MAJOR problems in Act 1. Her singing is just dreadful, esp. in her Sempre Libera aria. Her performance in Acts 2 and 3 make up for this, which is why I gave this 5 stars instead of 4. perhaps in the future, we could transfer Callas's performance to this recording, and make it 10 stars.

Pavarotti's voice is heavier, making his performance much more dramatic and darker instead of the light, colorful sound that he had in the Sutherland version. He still sounds fantastic here, in my opinion, even better than on the Sutherland version. The color in his voice, his expression, diction and support remain marvelous as always.

Pons is the best singer of the three. his duet with Studer in Act 2 is one of the many highlights here, and his Di Provenza aria is heartbreaking, perhaps the best one I've heard.

Levine and the Met orchestra are simply the best, esp. in the string section. Def. one of the best U.S. orchestras.

supporting roles and chorus are excellent, esp. in the Gypsy theme in Act 2.

so please ignore the other reviews, and get this recording. it's everything one could ask for.

what more could anyone ask for? Pavarotti is brilliant as Ernani, no doubt this is one of his best roles. But he stares mostly at the prompter, and remains pretty much glued to this one spot on the stage. It would have been great if he had acted some more. oh well.

Raimondi is one of the best singers I've ever heard - his Act One aria and cabaletta are one of the highlights of this performance. His acting is fine also.

Levine and the orchestra once again prove that they're the best in the U.S.

Mitchell is completely miscast here. this role is not for her. she gasps for breath like a fish out of water. when she does this (quite often), her breasts puff up and down in such a distracting way that ruins her performance. try not to look when this happens.

Milnes has his vocal problems much in evident here, but he still brings down the house, esp. in Act Three during his aria, where he finally hits his stride.

Production, supporting roles, chorus are all very good.

so except for Mitchell, this is highly reccomended. I hope someday modern technology can provide Mirella Freni's Elvira from the La Scala version. that would definately be the cherry on the sundae! buy this for sure, though. this one's as best as they come.

I couldn't believe it; this looked so promising, and I was so shocked when I watched this. Only the bare minimum was delivered. Let me start off positively (which is rather hard to do here). let's see... sound quality was good. As for Levine and the orchestra - this is all you need to realize that it's the best orchestra in the U.S. (although in the 1983 Ernani, they are also fantastic). Dolora Zaijk is fabulous in this performance; her terror, her obession for revenge were brilliant here. Jeffery Wells is an excellent Ferrando, perhaps the best one I've ever heard. unfortunately, that's about it. these two singers are the only reasons I added an extra star.

entering the negatives now: Pavarotti sounds just like Pavarotti; flawless intonation and diction, and he still sounds much in his prime. but for heaven's sake, his acting (if you can call it acting) ! I've seen children express more sadness over fallen ice cream than Pavarotti does when his mother is captured! His eyes are dead frozen on the prompter (didn't he learn the part beforehand?), and it looks like he's going to trip and fall down the stairs any second. The terror on his face, and his immobility overshadow the beauty in his singing. This is terribly distracting, unless you just close your eyes and listen (or get the Decca recording with Sutherland, which was recorded in the peak of his career).

Eva Marton - oh, dear. 0 stars for her. She screams, barks, shouts... you get the picture. she also goes terribly flat on high notes, esp. at the end of her duet with Di Luna in Act 4. she looks hideous in her wig also.

Sherrill Milnes is the best actor, no doubt, but the vocal difficulties that occurred in the 80's are clearly visible here; strained, flat high notes, and some cracks. Sure, the audience goes crazy for him, but here, he is a complete shadow of his former self. what a shame.

also, Di Quella Pira is transposed down a half-step. If you want a Golden-Age high C, then get the Pavarotti/Sutherland recording I mentioned above.

as for the production - dark, dreadful, insipid, whatmore.

that's all (thank goodness!) . you're better off getting either the Pavarotti/Sutherland version, or just any of the dozen better versions that are available. It is easier that way.

as soon as I played this DVD, I knew something was terribly wrong. after comparing it to a few other recordings, I found out what: this film has been set at the wrong transfer speed, and sounds either a half-tone, or even a whole-tone, lower than it should be. so Domingo sounds like a baritone, Diaz like a bass, and Ricciarelli like a mezzo.

visually, however, it is pure Zefferelli; absolutely amazing. the camera work is letter-perfect. And despite the transfer speed, the musical performance is still wonderful, with Domingo sounding at his best. Diaz is a fantastic singer and actor, much more convincing than Milnes ever was (sorry, Milnes fans); Ricciarelli sings beautifully and looks stunning. The supporting roles, chorus, and orchestra are excellent.

If MGM hadn't made this error, I would have given this 5 stars. The wisest choice is to get the soundtrack, which has the right transfer speed, and also has everything this film cut (the Willow Song is, unfortunately, not here, and the list of other cuts is as long as my arm). so definately get this film, but better to get the soundtrack.

Sure this is a great recording... mainly because of Milnes and Pavarotti in the peak of their careers. Pavarotti sounds wonderful here, with fantastic high notes (although his high D in Possente Amor has somewhat of a female quality to it), and rich color, which is a marvel. He also sounds very seductive here, therefore making this one of his best roles. His La donna e mobile is the best one I've ever hear. Milnes is no Gobbi when it comes to Rigoletto, but he is terribly heart-breaking here, and his voice is in very good shape. Bonynge's conducting may be a little slack for this opera, but he still gives a well-shaped performance with a lot of portent and beauty.

Now, the last question... how does SHE do? unfortunately, I can only say this in one word: terrible. she sounds way too old for Gilda, and her diction is so mushy, it makes a bowl of porridge feel like a brick wall. it sounds as if she's singing with hair in her mouth! her intonation is not as good, and she sounds like she's wimpering during the Act 3 quartet. her trills are terribly done, and her caro nome is awful. I'm sorry, but she really is unacceptable here.

Perhaps if June Anderson can be crafted from Pavarotti's second recording on Decca, then we REALLY would have something. But overall, this is a great recording. Don't hesitate, just buy it .

Well, here it is; yet another Tosca on DVD. nothing special, just a live, taped performance at La Scala from March 2000. with Salvatore Licitra, Maria Guleghina, Leo Nucci, and Riccardo Muti conducting. what made me the most curious was Licitra's name, after hearing about his Met debut last year replacing Luciano Pavarotti in, ironically, this very opera. Guleghina also played Tosca to Licitra's Cavaradossi in his "surprise" Met debut. so I decided to give it a try.

First of all, Licitra gives a wonderful performance here. His diction is beautiful, and his acting is very good. There is some strain on the higher notes, but other than that, he does a great job here. we will certainly be hearing more of him soon; he shows a lot of promise in this performance. he even gives the best and most complete performance of the evening.

Guleghina sings very well in Act One, and looks beautiful here (although somewhat on the chubby side), but she screams out most of her voice in Act Two, and therefore, her aria "visse d'arte", is sung with many signs of strain and well below pitch. Act Three is somewhat better. overall, she is no Callas, but she burns a lot of paint off the walls, and does a fine job here. hopefully, her interpretation will improve as the years go by.

Nucci certainly shows lots of experience in this role. He is so loathsome, cruel, and nasty here, and could give Bella Lugosi lessons in sneering. (just listen to his "eh bene?" in Act Two, and that will send shivers down your spine). However, his voice has dried up, and his intonation is, at times, terrible. Two acts of yelling do not compensate for his portrayal of a one-demensional Scarpia. Also unconvincing is his physical appearance; when he sings, he looks like an old version of George Bush. But no matter. He still gives a frightening performance here, although not the last word.

Riccardo Muti gives a well-shaped performance here, but most of the time, his conducting is unimaginative, dull, heavy and lacks climaxes. Sometimes, the musicians, especially the strings, aren't in tune! Too bad we couldn't have Levine, Sinopoli or Mehta conduct instead.

All the supporting roles are good, especially Alfredo Mariotti as the Sacristan.

this production, however, is awful. It puts the singers in akward positions. To get an image of the first scene: imagine being in a church and a museum at the same time while dead drunk. As for the other two acts, the less said, the better. What was the set designer thinking? seeing the sets tilted over the way they are, they might make you dizzy or confused (sometimes both).

Also annoying is some of the acting. The interactions between our Tosca and our Scarpia may go on record as some of the funniest moments ever on the La Scala stage. Finally, there are the subtitles. They should have been better proof-read. I laughed out loud when Scarpia pleaded for Tosca to "spill the beans", and gave commands to "silence his [Cavaradossi's] tounge" .

so that's why I gave this three stars. the best thing to do is buy this, and close your eyes when you listen to it. or simply buy the CD, if it''s available. An even better idea would be to just get the Domingo Met version with Sinopoli conducting, which is, visually, amazing. But if you are curious about Licitra, and want to hear a chilling Scarpia (which the Met version unfortunately doesn't have), here's the right place.

First of all, Pavarotti is fantastic here, much better than on the Decca Sutherland/Bonyage recording. Although a lot of the color has been drained from his voice (he was in his mid-to-late fifties during this recording), he still sounds wonderful, and the famous Pavarotti sound with all its beauty, ping, humor and charm are still there. And he still hits the high C at the end of the Belcore/Nemorino duet! Second, Battle is also wonderful, and her high notes are fantastic (although, towards the end of her big duet with Nemorino, she barely hits the high C). Her diction is also a little rusty (hearing her next to Pavarotti is one extra contribution to what makes him such a wonderful singer), but she still sounds great in this recording. Finally, Levine and the Metropolitan orchestra and chorus are great, and offer lots of humor and excitement as well as a well - shaped performance. All the supporting roles (including Dawn Upshaw as Gianetta) are very well done. DG's recorded sound is excellent.

So - why is this a 3 star recording and not 5 stars? two reasons: Leo Nucci as Belcore and Enzo Dara as Duclamara. Nucci barks and shouts all his voice out, his performance is driven and humorless, and his intonation is just horrible. For those of you with perfect pitch (like myself), you will be very unhappy with his performance. Enzo Dara is really a bad singer. Why is he in this recording? His intonation is also bad (but not as bad as Nucci's), and he cracks on almost every high note he sings (including the "Excellente!" in the Nemorino/Duclamara duet, plus more). His singing is boring also, including in the Barcarolle duet with Adina ("Io son ricco e tu sai bella), and the other duet with Adina ("Quanto amore!"), and the way he presents the elixir to the village people is pathetic.

but if you ignore Nucci and Dara, skip their solo scenes and duets, or simply don't listen to them, then this is really a fantastic recording, and you SHOULD buy it. however, it's really a shame that they couldn't get better singers to play Belcore and Duclamara, perhaps Juan Pons as Belcore and Bryn Terfel as Duclamara. then this would be a 5-star recording, not a 3-star recording as it is now with Nucci and Dara doing their parts.

overall, get this recording for Battle, Dawn Upshaw (as Gianetta) Levine and the Met orchestra and chorus, but mostly for Pavarotti himself. this is one of his best recordings.