Callas and Tebaldi: the beauty and drama of the human voice

In the last post, we looked a little at Maria Callas and her unique gift that she brought to the world of opera. I also mentioned Renata Tebaldi (1922-2004), a celebrated Italian soprano of the 50s and 60s, and the "rivalry" between these singers. There may well have been a personal animosity between the two, but it was fuelled as much by the fans of each diva and the management of the opera houses as by the singers themselves. 

Both singers had enviable recording contracts. Callas was exclusive to EMI/Columbia, where she recorded much of her repertoire with the La Scala company, partnered by tenor Giuseppe di Stefano and baritone Tito Gobbi; Tebaldi on the other hand, was recorded by Decca/ London, often with the orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and partnered by tenor Mario del Monaco. On the whole, there is more subtlety and finesse to be found on the EMI recordings: does that make them better, or make Callas the greater artist? Not necessarily. It's all a matter of personal taste.

There were several roles that both singers had in common, either on stage or on record. Let's hear them and listen to the differences. The aria is Pace mio Dio from Verdi's La forza del destino. Callas first:

And here is Tebaldi live on stage in Naples in 1958:

Madam Butterfly was one of Tebaldi's major roles: she recorded it twice. Callas only sang it three times on stage but made a recording of it. Here they are singing Un bel di, Tebaldi first:

Tebaldi, it's clear, had the creamier voice: in some ways it was richer and more beautiful. It's also cleaner: the vibrato (the distinct "wobble/ vibration" in the sound) is more pronounced in Callas's voice, the crescendos (getting louder) and piani (quiet singing) sound less effortful with Tebaldi. But in both arias, Tebaldi sounds like Tebaldi while Callas was blessed with a multi-coloured voice: her Leonora in La forza del destino sounds different to the young Butterfly. Note too how, although not a native Italian speaker, Callas seems to make more of the word. Her cries of Maledizione! Curse him! at the end of the Pace mio dio are more emphatic; her repeated question Chi sara? Who is it?  at 2.20 in Un bel di is playful, spontaneous: Tebaldi makes it more dreamy and sighing. Is one better than the other? The pleasure for me comes from being able to enjoy and learn from both. 

To illustrate the same idea in a different style, here are two more divas, here singing I love you, Porgy: Ella Fitzgerald being the beautiful and clear Tebaldi to Nina Simone's rather more edgy Callas. Both are artists of great stature, unique and cherishable:

For those interested, here are the two tenors mentioned above, again singing the same aria. This time it's La vita e inferno all'infelice also from Verdi's La forza del destino. Giuseppe di Stefano first, followed by Mario del Monaco:

Finally, and for no real reason whatsoever, here are two of my favourite recordings made by Ella and Nina. Ella Fitzgerald sings Cole Porter's Night and day in the most glorious, witty arrangement by Nelson Riddle:

and Nina Simone pours out her heart in Wild is the wind (while playing the piano beautifully. You can hear how she uses and exaggerates her natural vibrato in phrases such as Say you do... Give me more than one caress... Satisfy this hungriness; the vibrato giving it a purring, yearning quality):

The argument of beauty vs drama in the voice has been played out in many different singers. Each recorded aria is, in effect, a cover version and we look for each artist to stamp their individuality on the music. With a more "dramatic" interpretation, this is sometimes easier to notice. But there's no reason why one should not complement the other in revealing what the composer was expressing. It is the very rare and magical artist indeed who manages to combine both qualities.