by Steven Ang

Where rarities of Callas' recordings are concerned, this recently unearthed curiosity has to be one of the most unusual, being the only document so far to showcase La Divina’s till now completely unknown forays in musical theatre and American music. The essay in the inner sleeve informs us of the odd circumstances that led to the performance where this unauthorized recording was made: While rehearsing for Medea at La Scala, the homesick Bernstein, conducting this difficult work for the first time, was inspired to perform his hit musical with the real-life Bronx girl that he only gotten acquainted with in Italy (Callas was born and raised in New York and only moved to Greece in her early teens). The fact that Callas shared the same name with West Side Story’s lead character, Maria, was undoubtedly part of the inspiration as well. The young Callas, flattered by the handsome and charismatic though secretly homosexual conductor's attention, conceded on the condition that the work be presented in Italian to suit the local vernacular as well as her own personal tastes.

The event took place shortly after the run of Medea performances, hastily prepared with most of the Medea cast taking part (except for di Stefano’s engagement who was invited specially on Callas’ insistence), which may explain its relative obscurity even among Callas scholars. Her mentor, the august Tulio Serafin, was said to have pulled strings with the La Scala administration to stage this performance. Billed as Storia Laterale Ovest, it was apparently not successful, given the heavy booing from the audience whom just a few weeks earlier had cheered so jubilantly in Medea. The reason for their displeasure was unexplained, although one may speculate that they were unhappy with the ‘travesty’ of performing popular music in an opera house, or they simply felt that Callas was being disrespectful to Natalie Wood’s famous (but mimed) movie portrayal. As such, it was not surprising that the La Scala administration found the need to suppress public knowledge of this concert in the aftermath of the event due to the heavy booing that accompanied. Thankfully then, we still have this record of what was probably Callas' only professional performance in an American musical.

Be warned though that listening to this recording is at best a trying affair. Heavy distortion from the master tape mars the sound quality, while the recorder that is situated among the audience captured much the atmospheric noise all too clearly; clapping, cheering, coughing and lots of booing, most of which occur towards the end of songs, drowning out the musical climaxes. This recording is therefore strictly one for the connoisseurs.

What we can hear though, is Callas in typical top form, approaching this character with the same fervor that she brought to her many mainstream operatic roles. The soprano tones down her huge voice in the same manner when portraying Lucia and La Sonnambula’s Amina, reflecting a young woman in the first throes of prepubescent love. The care she took in shaping each phrase in I Have a Love underlined the character’s heartbreak, yet shows strong determination in standing by her man, while the ornamented trills in I Feel Pretty fit perfectly into the music while expressing the heroine’s short-term bliss. Elsewhere, the spoken dialogue showed her versatility as a ‘straight’ actress although one finds listening to speech in a foreign tongue a tad trying. The simply delivered Somewhere, sung with a pure, unmannered vocal line, is simply sublime (although one should note that the middle verse was cut).

Not to be upstaged by his leading lady, Giuseppe di Stefano brings ardent urgency to his role with his ringing voice. His Tony (or Tonio) is a headstrong lover, Arrogantly brushing off confrontations with his peers, yet meltingly tender in the love scenes. With the comprimarios, Gino Penno and Giuseppe Modesti did their parts well given the context of this performance, although one wishes for more rhythmic bounce in the upbeat scenes where dances are involved. However, it was Fedora Barbieri as Anita who took the limelight, displaying her flirty, infectious laugh in the upbeat America and translating her booming chest voice into rage in A Man like That.

If one is to compared Bernstein’s conducting here to his much later studio recording with DG, featuring Kiri te Kanawa and Jose Carreras in the leads, the latter is much preferable simply due to its technical superiority in sound quality. However if your taste for this music includes performances by bona fide opera singers, this recording is worth taking a peek at; as its definitely a better fit with the Italian translation bringing out the more ‘classical’ qualities in the music. Additionally, Kiri’s voice, however beautiful, is no match for Callas’ interpretive intelligence and unwavering dedication to the music and the role. Now who know’s just what other Callas rarities will surface next? Maria in The Sound of Music perhaps?

 

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