# What is the best Rossini's Armida with modern quality of sound ?



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I want to get familiar with Armida, but for the first hearings, I need a modern quality of recording. Screeching sounds just distract me too much when I am new to the opera. So no Callas. What is the next best option, for the full performance ?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

If you like Fleming you might enjoy her set. Hard to do as it calls for so many Rossini tenors. Wish they could clean up the Callas one.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

Claudio Scimone's brisk version with Cecilia Gasdia and three wonderful Rossini tenors is chock-full of vibrant character and style.


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## Aerobat (Dec 31, 2018)

I have the Fleming, was listening to it this afternoon. It’s definitely one of the better ones. 

The Callas recording has been mentioned, but in terms of sound quality it’s ear-bleedingly awful to the point that I’ve never managed to listen to the complete recording.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Aerobat said:


> I have the Fleming, was listening to it this afternoon. It’s definitely one of the better ones.
> 
> The Callas recording has been mentioned, but in terms of sound quality it’s ear-bleedingly awful to the point that I’ve never managed to listen to the complete recording.


A divine angel preserved her big theme and variations aria in acceptable sound. Good god, it is amazing. The rest is torture.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I haven't heard the Fleminv version, but the Gasdia one isn't bad. As an all round performance it's no doubt better than the Callas, but, sound issues aside, Callas is astonishing. Indeed if the performance hadn't been recorded for posterity, you wouldn't believe such singing was possible. However I do recognise that the sound is a huge stumbling block. It's hardly a library choice.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Actually I hoped I will be able to listen to Callas recording once I overcome the novelty of the music. I love her D'amor al dolce impero and wanted the whole thing. But my hopes are lower now :-(


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> Actually I hoped I will be able to listen to Callas recording once I overcome the novelty of the music. I love her D'amor al dolce impero and wanted the whole thing. But my hopes are lower now :-(


D'amor al dolce impero was one of the few parts that one could enjoy with acceptable sound.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Montserrat Caballe


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Montserrat Caballe


She did a wonderful job on the aria but I'm not so sure about the whole opera. It was from early in her career when many consider her to be at her best.


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## Dogville (Dec 28, 2021)

Armida to me is a Callas only role, but in lieu of the 1952 performance, I'd definitely go with Fleming's studio recording. Obviously it's in much better sound and it is far less cut than the butchered Callas version. The tenors are good and I really like Gregory Kunde as Rinaldo. IMO, It's Fleming's best bel canto effort and she handles the immense difficulties of the role well, even if she lacks the Wagnerian power and true virtuosity of Callas' Armida.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I haven't heard the Fleminv version, but the Gasdia one isn't bad. As an all round performance it's no doubt better than the Callas, but, sound issues aside, Callas is astonishing. Indeed if the performance hadn't been recorded for posterity, you wouldn't believe such singing was possible. However I do recognise that the sound is a huge stumbling block. It's hardly a library choice.


It’s the only one in _my library. _I thought the other ones unremittingly boring, tedious and wrongheaded. But the voices were beautiful - so what?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

BBSVK said:


> Screeching sounds just distract me too much when I am new to the opera. So no Callas.


there go all your potential dinner invites…😂😂


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> I want to get familiar with Armida, but for the first hearings, I need a modern quality of recording. Screeching sounds just distract me too much when I am new to the opera. So no Callas. What is the next best option, for the full performance ?


I don't think you have heard Callas before her weight loss. No shreiking sounds then.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

@MAS @Seattleoperafan , it is a misunderstanding this time. I am refering to the quality of the recording, the background noise, which is horrible. Callas is great in Armida. Even I, in my uneducated orriginality, cannot deny that. I became interrested in Armida solely because of her, because I have heard her D'amor al dolce impero. That part is good both on the screechy recording and she also sang it elsewhere, with a great sound.
I just thought I will get to know the opera in normal sound first, to overcame the unfamiliarity of the melodies, and afterwards switch to Callas. As it happens, I decided I have no patience for this roundabout. So, when I was driving a car alone on a highway, I played the recording with Callas. This time it came in handy that my car is not so quiet, one backgrround noise blended with another  . Unfortunately, that ride was not long enough, so I didn't finish the opera. There were other rides, but with the kids, and I don't dare to do this with them


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

MAS said:


> It’s the only one in _my library. _I thought the other ones unremittingly boring, tedious and wrongheaded. But the voices were beautiful - so what?



It's the only one in my library too. I listened to the Gasdia version only once to get a better idea of the opera itself. The title role will never be as brilliantly sung as it was by Callas in 1952 but the sound of the Florence recording _is _a massive stumbling block. How I wish it was as good as, say, the Covent Garden *Norma *from the same year! The tenors on the Callas recording are pretty awful too and a lot of their music is cut because they simply can't cope with it. That said, it's the only recording of the opera I keep going back to.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> @MAS @Seattleoperafan , it is a misunderstanding this time. I am refering to the quality of the recording, the background noise, which is horrible. Callas is great in Armida. Even I, in my uneducated orriginality, cannot deny that. I became interrested in Armida solely because of her, because I have heard her D'amor al dolce impero. That part is good both on the screechy recording and she also sang it elsewhere, with a great sound.
> I just thought I will get to know the opera in normal sound first, to overcame the unfamiliarity of the melodies, and afterwards switch to Callas. As it happens, I decided I have no patience for this roundabout. So, when I was driving a car alone on a highway, I played the recording with Callas. This time it came in handy that my car is not so quiet, one backgrround noise blended with another  . Unfortunately, that ride was not long enough, so I didn't finish the opera. There were other rides, but with the kids, and I don't dare to do this with them


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> It's the only one in my library too. I listened to the Gasdia version only once to get a better idea of the opera itself. The title role will never be as brilliantly sung as it was by Callas in 1952 but the sound of teh Florence recording _is _a massive stumbling block. How I wish it was as good as, say, the Covent Garden *Norma *from the same year! The tenors on the Callas recording are pretty awful too and a lot of their music is cut because they simply can't cope with it. That said, it's the only recording of the opera I keep going back to.


I listen to the finale some but I am just happy that we have D'amor al dolce impero in much better sound as that is my favorite recording!


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> It's the only one in my library too. I listened to the Gasdia version only once to get a better idea of the opera itself. The title role will never be as brilliantly sung as it was by Callas in 1952 but the sound of the Florence recording _is _a massive stumbling block. How I wish it was as good as, say, the Covent Garden *Norma *from the same year! The tenors on the Callas recording are pretty awful too and a lot of their music is cut because they simply can't cope with it. That said, it's the only recording of the opera I keep going back to.


Ditto. The opera itself is not very interesting to me as well as to some others - one of the English critics, I think, says that Callas sings “magnificent roulade after roulade in search of music.” It’s paraphrased as I don’t remember the exact words. The English at the time didn’t think Rossini’s music was worth the bother.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

As I said, I don't know the opera, because one car-ride and listening to half of the badly recorded performance does not count as knowing the work. But I know "D'amor al dolce impero" well, and that short orchestral introduction before the aria starts is delightful.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

BBSVK said:


> @MAS @Seattleoperafan , it is a misunderstanding this time. I am refering to the quality of the recording, the background noise, which is horrible. Callas is great in Armida. Even I, in my uneducated orriginality, cannot deny that. I became interrested in Armida solely because of her, because I have heard her D'amor al dolce impero. That part is good both on the screechy recording and she also sang it elsewhere, with a great sound.
> I just thought I will get to know the opera in normal sound first, to overcame the unfamiliarity of the melodies, and afterwards switch to Callas. As it happens, I decided I have no patience for this roundabout. So, when I was driving a car alone on a highway, I played the recording with Callas. This time it came in handy that my car is not so quiet, one backgrround noise blended with another  . Unfortunately, that ride was not long enough, so I didn't finish the opera. There were other rides, but with the kids, and I don't dare to do this with them


I don’t listen to opera in the car, which I gave up years ago (the car, not opera), because I found it distracted me from driving! I had the early Fleming recording and listened to others but can’t find a worthy performance to put on my shelf.


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