Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Maria Callas (La Gioconda), Gianni Poggi (Enzo), Paolo Silveri (Barnaba), Fedora Barbieri (Laura), Giulio Neri (Alvise), Maria Amadini (La Cieca), Piero Poldi (Zuàne), Armando Benzi (Isèpo), Piero Poldi (Un Pilota)
RAI Chorus & Orchestra Turin, Antonino Votto
Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Maria Callas (La Gioconda), Gianni Poggi (Enzo), Paolo Silveri (Barnaba), Fedora Barbieri (Laura), Giulio Neri (Alvise), Maria Amadini (La Cieca), Piero Poldi (Zuàne), Armando Benzi (Isèpo), Piero Poldi (Un Pilota)
RAI Chorus & Orchestra Turin, Antonino Votto
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About
It was as Ponchielli’s long-suffering ballad singer, La Gioconda, that Callas made her Italian debut, in 1947 at the Arena di Verona, and it proved crucial to her career. Five years later, La Gioconda became her first studio recording of a complete opera. It showcases both the dark-hued splendour of her voice at this period – she was still in her twenties – and her inimitable intensity and insight.
Contents and tracklist
- Paolo Silveri (baritone), Maria Callas (soprano), Maria Amadini (contralto), Armando Benzi (tenor), Piero Poldi (tenor), Fedora Barbieri (mezzo-soprano), Gianni Poggi (tenor), Giulio Neri (bass), Bonaldo Giaiotti (bass), Carlo Forti (bass), Aldo Biffi (baritone), Renato Ercolani (tenor)
- Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Coro di Torino della RAI
- Antonino Votto