Verdi: Aida

Aida was a role Callas sang early in her career. Perhaps she dropped it early because others sang it either as well or with more interest; perhaps it reflected her desire to sing less standard repertoire. Regardless, she of course makes her mark on the role, and this recording is quite good, if not exactly the standard by which other recordings are measured (which might be true of Callas's Lucia, Norma, Violetta, and Tosca). To be sure, the voice is a bit squally on exposed high notes, but Callas offers us a very complex, worthy Aida nonetheless. She's proud--a princess by birth and a slave only by circumstance--and loyal and loving to both her father and her lover. It's a portrait of a character truly torn. Her duets with Barbierei as an exciting, cruel Amneris and Gobbi as her half-crazed father are high points, and if Richard Tucker is not the most engaging Radames, he's certainly rock-steady. This is a good show, well worth your attention. --Robert Levine