CALLAS in Rossini's Il Turco in Italia

"[Callas is] in great voice in this 1954 recording, absolutely secure throughout her range, and her impeccable rhythmic sense makes her work in the tricky, sometimes off-the-beat ensembles ideal. She turns out to be a team player par excellence. The role is of a headstrong, sassy woman who loves the attention men give her, and she loves playing one off against the other. Callas uses a girlish tone when being seductive but puts some iron into it when she has to make a point. Bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni plays the Turk Callas plays games with, and he’s as expressive and fluid as she is. The rest of the cast is equally good. There have been better (and more complete) recordings since, but Callas is in a class by herself, and this is utterly charming." - Classic Today

Maria Callas's 1954 recording of Rossini's Il Turco in Italia from La Scala, conducted by Gianandrea Gavanezzi, gets a similar XR sonic makeover to our release of Il Forza del Destino, recorded at the same location a week earlier. That remaster had the critics in raptures, and we have high hopes for this issue too!