# The perfect recording



## Diminuendo (May 5, 2015)

I have many recordings both live and studio that I like very much. But not even many of my favorites are perfect. Not even those that are my choice for an opera. Usually there is room to improve, but in some cases I'm completely satisfied. Like the Callas Tosca from 1953. Of course stereo sound would be nice, but in every other aspect I'm happy. Usually what makes a recording stand out for me is the cast. Of course the conductor is important, but singers are usually the ones that left me wanting more. Like Tucker in Aida and La Forza Del Destino. He is good and I have nothing against him, but Corelli or Di Stefano would be so much better. What are your "perfect" recordings? What do you usually find lacking, the conductor or the singers?


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I don't know what constitutes perfection but I would say that Giulini's Don Giovanni with a stella cast is as near perfect as you will get.


----------



## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

What's the opposite of a hater? I think I'm one, since I have lots--the Beecham Boheme, the Stokowski Turandot, the Perlea Aida, the Kubelik and Kna 1962 Parsifals, the Keilberth Hollander, the Furtwangler and Bohm Tritans, the Furtwangler/Scala Gotterdammerung, the Cellini Cav/Pag (there's a lot of Victoria DLA and Jussi in this list). Just off the top of my head, I'm sure I'm forgetting quite a few more. Plus there's dozens of recordings where my quibbles are pretty darn minor.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

You cannot have absolute perfection but Karajan always sought it. Of his opera recordings which reached a very high level I would suggest:

Tristan (1952) live with Modl and Vinay 
Hansel and Gretel
Trovatore and Butterfly with Callas
Cos fan Tutte
Falstaff with Gobbi
Aida (Decca) which set new standards in playing and engineering
Carmen with Price and Corelli
The 1966 Walkure
Salome 
Butterfly and Boheme with Freni and Pavarotti

And (less perfect) but high in my affection is the later Tristan with Denersch and Vickers


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Diminuendo:
First of all I am in complete disagreement with you about Richard Tucker in _La forza del destino_. I just heard him this morning with Merrill, Farrell and Hines (1961) on Sirius and the man is a giant!!!! On top of his form!!!

As far as the most satisfying opera, I won't name them all but for starters, the iconic _Adriana Lecouvreur_ with Olivero/Corelli/Bastianini/Simionato is known to be a rare classic and consistently gets high marks and praise.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

howlingfantods said:


> What's the opposite of a hater? I think I'm one, since I have lots--*the Beecham Boheme,* the Stokowski Turandot, the Perlea Aida, the Kubelik and Kna 1962 Parsifals, the Keilberth Hollander, the Furtwangler and *Bohm Tritans*, the Furtwangler/Scala Gotterdammerung, the Cellini Cav/Pag (there's a lot of Victoria DLA and Jussi in this list). Just off the top of my head, I'm sure I'm forgetting quite a few more. Plus there's dozens of recordings where my quibbles are pretty darn minor.


Of course the Beecham Boheme is marvellous but if you listen to the last sung high note of Act 1 it is out of tune. Does this make it less than perfect???

Cannot say I've ever had a great liking for the 1966 Tristan of Bohm. There is little light and shade in the orchestral playing and Windgassen's voice is threadbare especially by the side of Nilsson. Of course, it contains Nilsson's incredible Isolde, a performance one must hear but not one I warm to particularly. Technically it is a marvel but if Tristan is about love who could fall in love with her?


----------



## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Diminuendo:
> First of all I am in complete disagreement with you about Richard Tucker in _La forza del destino_. I just heard him this morning with Merrill, Farrell and Hines (1961) on Sirius and the man is a giant!!!! On top of his form!!!
> 
> As far as the most satisfying opera, I won't name them all but for starters, the iconic _Adriana Lecouvreur_ with Olivero/Corelli/Bastianini/Simionato is known to be a rare classic and consistently gets high marks and praise.


Hm, I understand Diminuendo's point. Tucker was a very fine artist but his instrument wasn't the absolute pinnacle of vocal beauty for me. I'm pretty unlikely to rate a recording with Tucker in the lead role at the top either.

But then again, how a particular voice strikes a listener for vocal beauty is definitely one of those very subjective things it's very difficult to argue about in any intelligent or productive way. It can change quite a lot over time too; the first time I encountered Birgit Nilsson's voice, for instance, I thought it too cold and steely to be enjoyable. But now, she is my favorite Brunnhilde, Isolde and Turandot by a large margin, and I could (and do!) listen to her for many hours in a row many days in a row with a great deal of pleasure.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I don't know what a "perfect recording" means. One of the reasons why art has limitless appeal is because perfection is almost never attained, and when it is, there is an impression as if the performance or work has somehow surpassed perfection.

N.


----------



## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

The Conte said:


> I don't know what a "perfect recording" means. One of the reasons why art has limitless appeal is because perfection is almost never attained, and when it is, there is an impression as if the performance or work has somehow surpassed perfection.
> 
> N.


I understand Diminuendo's question to mean a recording that you can listen to without any significant complaints. For instance, I love the lead singers on the Solti Rigoletto but find his conducting at times lacks sensitivity, and I can't listen to the recording without periodically being annoyed by that fact (that's the example I'm picking because I'm listening to it now).

The recordings I listed above aren't literally perfect--many of them are live recordings with occasional flubs, indifferent to poor recording quality and many in mono. But I never find myself thinking, "boy, I wish someone else conducted this same cast" or "if only this important role could have been cast by this other singer..."


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Another recording that could be claimed to be perfect is Karajan's Cosi fan Tutti


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Personally, I couldn't imagine a better recorded RIGOLETTO than the 1971 Richard Bonynge version with Milnes, Sutherland, and Pavarotti. I don't say it's "the best" RIGOLETTO in any objective sense, but it is the best as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Bellinilover said:


> Personally, I couldn't imagine a better recorded RIGOLETTO than the 1971 Richard Bonynge version with Milnes, Sutherland, and Pavarotti. I don't say it's "the best" RIGOLETTO in any objective sense, but it is the best as far as I'm concerned.


It's only eclipsed by the Gobbi/Di Stefano/Callas/Serafin one in my opinion. I believe that the Bonynge version is complete, whereas Serafin takes a few sensible cuts.

N.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The Conte said:


> It's only eclipsed by the Gobbi/Di Stefano/Callas/Serafin one in my opinion. I believe that the Bonynge version is complete, whereas Serafin takes a few sensible cuts.
> 
> N.


Agree about the Gobbi / Callas Rigoletto. That the heinous cuts are 'sensible' (especially on disc) is ridiculous!


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Yes, the Bonynge is complete. I think when you don't include the Duke's cabaletta, for example, a lot of excitement is lost.


----------



## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Bellinilover said:


> Yes, the Bonynge is complete. I think when you don't include the Duke's cabaletta, for example, a lot of excitement is lost.


A lot of otherwise classic recordings cut Rigoletto's duet with Gilda in act 1 too, I can't imagine watching this in the theater and wanting that cut--like, how busy are you that you'd want a truncated version of one of the most beautiful duets Verdi ever wrote?

I've been listening to the Gavazzeni with Bastianini, Kraus, and Scotto lately. I'm not sure the part of Rigoletto has ever been sung more beautifully, although at times a little less dramatically than usual. I like the restraint though--sometimes I do tire of the normal histrionics.


----------



## Braddan (Aug 23, 2015)

Bellinilover said:


> Personally, I couldn't imagine a better recorded RIGOLETTO than the 1971 Richard Bonynge version with Milnes, Sutherland, and Pavarotti. I don't say it's "the best" RIGOLETTO in any objective sense, but it is the best as far as I'm concerned.


I agree. This was one of the very first complete recordings I bought and in doing so I think I set my standards very high. I never tire of listening to it.


----------



## Admiral (Dec 27, 2014)

The 1962 Parsifal under Knappertsbusch would be up there as a perfect recording for me.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Braddan said:


> I agree. This was one of the very first complete recordings I bought and in doing so I think I set my standards very high. I never tire of listening to it.


It was the second complete opera recording I ever bought (the first being the version of Rossini's LA CENERENTOLA with Jennifer Larmore in the title role -- which, come to think of it, is also just about perfect IMO). It was my first encounter with both Milnes and Sutherland, and my first real, serious encounter with Pavarotti, and it made me a fan of all three.


----------

