The sound here is much more confined than on the Karajan set, though more immediate. Serafin conducts swifter-moving performances, yet ones quite as notable as Karajan's for pointing up relevant detail. All four interpretations carry with them a real sense of the theatre and are quite free from studio routine. It's difficult to choose between the casts on these two sets. Callas lives the characters more vividly than anyone.
The sadness and anguish she brings to Santuzza's unhappy plight are at their most compelling at 'io piango' in 'Voi lo sapete' and at 'Turiddu mi tolse' in her encounter with Alfio, where the pain in Santuzza's heart is expressed in almost unbearable terms. As Nedda, she differentiates marvellously between the pensiveness of her aria, the passion of her duet with Silvio, and the playfulness of her commedia dell'arte acting.
Her partner in both operas is di Stefano They work up a huge lather of passion in the big Cavalleria duet, and the tenor is wholly believable as the caddish Turiddu. In the immediacy of emotion of his Canio, it's the tenor's turn to evoke pity. Di Stefano does it as well as any Canio on record without quite having the heroic tone for the latter part of the opera. Panerai is a strong Alfio on the Serafin set, but Guelfi, with his huge voice, is possibly better suited to this macho part. It's impossible to choose between the two Tonios, both pertinently cast. Taddei plays the part a little more comically, Gobbi more menacingly. Callas or Karajan enthusiasts will have no difficulty making their choice. Others may be guided by quality of sound. With either you'll be ensured hours of memorable listening.