Description: In case there was a moment in your life when your suspected that Maria Callas was not a driving force in opera in the last half of this century, pick up this set. Apparently unable to give a dull performance, here we get Callas in La Divina as Rossini's flirty Rosina; Verdi's emotion-torn Aida; Catalani's unbelievably sad Wally (a classic performance, by which all others are measured); Bellini's Norma (ditto); Puccini's lovely, youthful Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi; the same composer's frigid, furious Turandot as well as his confused, desparate Manon Lescaut; Verdi's Loenoras--each noble; Meyerbeer's ditzy Dinorah and Delibes's loco Lakme (in some fabulous, high-flying coloratura singing); and at least a dozen more roles. While it's true that her control over her voice varies--the French coloratura arias, from Gounod and Thomas operas, can be pretty acidic--there's never an uninterested reading, never a once-over read-through. You'll get to know the characters as well as their music by hearing Callas as each heroine--indeed, this collection is like a who's who in opera. No music lover should be without it. --Robert Levine
Description: This is the debut recital of Calleja, a 26-year-old Maltese tenor. His voice is as bright as a new penny, with a quick vibrato and a sweetness---plangent at times---which is very appealing. He sings favorites here but imbues each of them with a really individual stamp: Alfredo's Act II aria from Traviata has rarely sounded so urgently youthful (here, and throughout, the leadership of Riccardo Chailly is wonderfully sensitive and alert); Macduff's aria is filled with sadness and sung with a long, heartfelt line; "Questo e quella" has swagger and so does "La donna è mobile," but neither is marred by giggles or outbursts of any kind, and the latter's cadenza encompasses every note, clearly articulated. His high notes tend to be a bit wiry (a D flat at the end of "Possente amor" is a dud) but they're still exciting. Edgardo's big scene from the end of Lucia rarely works on CD; here Calleja gives us the desperation, the shock and the tragedy in a vivid portr! ayal. All through the recital he's musically and textually attentive; he's scrupulous about the composer's markings and has thought about each character's situation. This is a very impressive introduction to a fine young tenor, and the presentation, with chorus where required and second verses included, is equally good. Bravo! --Robert Levine
![Callas: La Divina [Limited Edition] under The Classical Store](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/315R%2BD8w7aL.jpg)
![SACD: The Classics Sampler [Hybrid SACD] under The Classical Store](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DZ4FVGSJL.jpg)
