# Round Three: La Mamma Morta. Cigna vs. Tebaldi



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Andrea ChÃ©nier: “La mamma morta“ (Reg. 1931) 

Gina Cigna Casa Musicale Sonzogno - Le grandi voci




*Renata Tebaldi "La Mamma morta" 1950 Studio recording*


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Such different types of sounds and yet both are wonderful singers. I must vote for the one who has the steelier sound and that slight tremor that I so appreciate, rather than the one who has the more beautiful smooth sound, because Cigna's chest tones are nothing short of superb.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Both are fantastic, but I most enjoyed Cigna here without really being able to specify why.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Good to have voices that are the real thing! I don't really have a preference on purely vocal grounds - though I do find Cigna's fast vibrato exciting - but I'm more taken with the spontaneity of Cigna than with Tebaldi's efforts at interpretation. I find some of the latter's effects getting in the way of the music's natural desire to move and build. Cigna is not unsubtle, but things happen on the wing as she lets go and gets on with business. Tebaldi is too deliberate.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I thought Cigna was holding back when she gets into the melody (_Fu in quel dolore… voce piena d’armonia..etc) _towards the end of the aria, doesn’t let her voice out, whereas Tebaldi is radiant.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> I thought Cigna was holding back when she gets into the melody (_Fu in quel dolore… voce piena d’armonia..etc) towards the end of the aria, doesn’t let her voice out properly, whereas Tebaldi is radiant. _


Tebaldi does sound better than Cigna in the final phrases. She's also helped by a better recording.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Both singers have superb instruments, but Tebaldi oversings a bit for my taste, even if, unlike Hernandez, her voice remains rich and beautiful, firm and with no excessive vibrato. Somehow, though I think I preferred Cigna's slightly more thoughtful rendering. Let's say it excited me more.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Both singers have superb instruments, but Tebaldi oversings a bit for my taste, even if, unlike Hernandez, her voice remains rich and beautiful, firm and with no excessive vibrato. Somehow, though I think I preferred Cigna's slightly more thoughtful rendering. Let's say it excited me more.


Why can't we have either of these today! The next round will likely be a tough call as well.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I never heard much Tebaldi before, at least not that I know of. I just kept reading about how she was a competition to Callas, beautiful voice, but weaker on acting. I expected she would be boring. But the Gioconda that Nina shared with her was great, and this Maddalena was fabulous as well. If I thought very hard, I could probably explain, why I liked Gina Cigna less than her. But I am not in a mood. Tebaldi is great and has my vote !


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> I never heard much Tebaldi before, at least not that I know of. I just kept reading about how she was a competition to Callas, beautiful voice, but weaker on acting. I expected she would be boring. But the Gioconda that Nina shared with her was great, and this Maddalena was fabulous as well. If I thought very hard, I could probably explain, why I liked Gina Cigna less than her. But I am not in a mood. Tebaldi is great and has my vote !


In general Tebaldi was better in the early 50's. She retrained her voice later on and it became more steely and powerful and became a great Gioconda. I think it is possible to love both Tebaldi and Callas ( I do) because they were very different singers. Tebaldi has such a gloriously beautiful voice ( except for her tendency to go flat on high notes), although she sang very lyrically she had enormous reserves of volume to call on, her legato is truly superlative, and she often has such incredible warmth to her tone as well as a truly one of a kind sound. Callas has an edge on emotional interpretation though Tebaldi was no slouch. I love beautiful voices and Tebaldi's is phenomenally beautiful and even later on she never developed a wobble to her voice... it was always rock solid. On top of all that she was a commandingly beautiful woman on stage.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Whilst listening to Cigna I was reminded of how much I LOVE this aria. Hers is a larger than life portrayal that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would have liked more variation when it came to dynamics (such as we had with Muzio), but this was very fine.

Now Tebaldi. Mmmm, this is one role that I quite like her in (I have a live recording with her and Corelli as I can't STAND Stella who is in his studio set). I like her here, although, as with Cigna and Pacetti, she is somewhat too grand for the broken Maddalena (I find myself wanting Callas or Muzio who make Maddalena as tender as she is noble).

This is quite a difficult one. However, Tebaldi doesn't strike me as natural as Cigna. It's very close, but I connect more with Cigna's singing.

N.


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