Building a Library Robert Levine

Puccini's

hen Iwas an opera-learning any Prince who wishes to marry her, on become the national anthem of tenors— pup back in the '60s, Iwas the condition that he will be beheaded if require great lyricism and beauty of tone. W cruising the now-defunct Kor- he fails to answer correctly. The singer Liu adores Calaf from afar and even- vette's record department in New York must go from damaged, psychotic, man- tually commits suicide rather than betray when Isaw the RCA recording of Tur- hating ice-princess to a mere mortal him. She is the last in Puccini's line of andot starring Birgit Nilsson, Jussi Bjtir- who feels love. This isn't vocally easy — suffering heroines — a lyric-soprano- ling, and Renata Tebaldi. A sticker on the role is one of the most demanding par-excellence role with two beautiful the shrinkwrap declared it to be the soprano roles in the operatic repertoire, scenes and aneed for high pianissimo "Dream C,astr —perhaps one of the ear- requiring superhuman (read: Wagner- singing. The bass role of Timur is abore, liest attempts at the pop market- with one solo that everyone ing of opera. Ihad never heard wishes were shorter. The three the opera —all Iknew of Puccini î "masques," Ping, Pang, and Pong, were &Wine and Butterfly. are more than wmprimarios but Well, Ibought it and had less than individually interesting. trouble warming to it: too much Orchestrally, this is one of chorus, melodies not as catchy Puccini's most colorful, shiny as Bohème's, the pathos of Liu scores, and his writing for the untouching compared to poor chorus (a great rarity in his Butterfly's (still the saddest her- oeuvre) is splendid and exciting. oine in all of opera), and alead There's no dearth of Tur- soprano who showed up late, andot recordings. Half are wor- went on atear, and then melted. thy and give the listener at least And, to boot, oriental exoticism some of the thrills, and there are not as good as Buttees. afew real gems. I'll limit my A week later Isaw Turandot commentary to performances at the Met, with Nilsson and by the three leading roles — Franco Corelli, and have been Turandot, Calaf, Liu — and the hooked ever since. Although it's conductors and their orchestras; thrilling in away that nothing few people will buy arecording else in opera is, Idon't think it's of this opera for Timur or the one of opera's top three. Still, other characters. Turandot is the last great opera of Only two early recordings, the old Italian school. Puccini both from 1937, will strongly tax died before completing it — at audiophilic sensibilities. On Fonit the 1926 premiere at , C,etra (FCT CDO 28) and else- Toscanini put down his baton where (the copyrights have run at the point at which Puccini out), Gina Cigna and Francesco Got alight? With Turandot, Puccini illuminated new facets of his Merli as Turandot and Calaf are had laid down his pen. Though talent. Had he lived longer, there's no telling what directions he exciting enough in its own way, and his music might have explored. big in atake-no-prisoners way, as there's no denying that Franco is Franco Ghione's conducting; Alfano's completion of the final scene, ian) strength to ride over the orchestra, and Magda Oliver°, in her first role of worked up from Puccini's outlines, is strong mid- and low registers, and asoar- her career, is awonderfully moving Liu. stopgap, amere shadow of what Puccini ing, almost never-ending top. An abridged version, available periodi- might have composed. And though The one-dimensional Calaf is an cally on EMI (CDH7 61074-2), starring Turandot may never have plumbed the exiled prince who, after bumping into Eva Turner and emotional depths of La bohème or his blind father, Ttmur, and aslave girl, under Sir , should be even had Puccini lived Liu, right before abeheading, falls in heard — especially if one can tolerate to complete it, it's still a stunner in love with Turandot at first sight and Martinelli's weird if electrifying tonal ways that make the composer's death all throws his hat into the three-riddle, quality. Sonics on these two recordings the more tragic. He was in new territory head-removing ring. This tenor role lies are trouble: forewarned is forearmed. with Tura/dot, it's apity we'll never find high (a dozen A's and B-flats, an ex- The Cigna/Merli performance has been out where else he might have traveled. posed B-natural, apair of C's) and must cleaned up as well as a1937 studio per- Turandot, one of whose female ances- ring out over the large, aggressive or- formance could be. The EMI set is hazy tors was dragged screaming from the chestra, but both of Calaf's arias — the and lacks presence. palace by aman, asks three questions of second of which, "," has Modem recordings begin with a1955

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