CALLAS Rossini: Il Turco in Italia (1954) - PACO175

"Il Turco in Italia was the sixth opera recorded by Callas under her contract with Columbia/Angel. For other works either side of it Walter Legge seemed more concerned with his diva filling holes in his company’s catalogue. It was, after all, being eclipsed by Decca with their diva Renata Tebaldi, recording her in roles of which she had stage experience. This recording was the exception. It was also unusual in that Rossini operas on record were few and far between. Apart from the Il Barbiere, EMI’s Il Comte d’Ory under Gui, and a 1958 recording by Philips of Mosé, with Nicola Rossi-Lemeni in the title role, the catalogue lacked recordings by the composer well into the LP era. Even the present one is a very abbreviated version at around 113 minutes compared with the 146 minutes on the CBS recording with Montserrat Caballé as Fiorilla."
 
Robert J Farr, MusicWeb International, 2006


"Fiorilla was one of two comic roles in Maria Callas’ repertoire, the other being Rossini’s Rosina. Il Turco is a strange work, witty and wry rather than zany, and very literary. Most of the score’s highlights are ensembles, and you might imagine that Callas could overpower her co-stars in such a situation. But the opposite is true despite her unique timbre that always shines through. She’s 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."

Robert Levine, Classics Today, undated

"Calabrese is, in fact, at his best when he is joined by Callas in the duet "Per piacere alia signora”. The husband and wife exchanging “Perdonate” and “Mi lasciate” is quintessential Rossini and grand vocal acting. All through, Mme. Callas acts vividly, chiding, boasting, melting; one can “see” the performance, and when in typical Rossinian style she is given a “key” figure, each repetition of it carries, so one thinks, a slightly different meaning. I found myself teased by memories of these little phrases for hours afterwards, though neither of her big arias contains anything quite up to the best in the Barber. On her own and when in lighter voice, Mme. Callas is admirably the Rossinian heroine, and she has such go and gusto in the ensembles, one forgives the crowing and the occasional bagpipe skirl. Spontaneous? Never—in the Galli-Gurci blythe, canary style. But an artist! She reminds me very much of Columbia’s Mercedes Capsir, a singer too easily written off in the old days."
 
P.H.-W., The Gramophone, October 1955