Sylvia Sass / Andras Schiff
Sylvia Sass - The Decca Recitals (2CD)
While still in Budapest, she performed such dramatic roles as Freia in Das Rheingold, Violetta in La traviata and Mimi in La bohème. International stardom came with a composer with whom she is most associated and in a role represented on her Decca recitals – Giselda in Verdi’s I Lombardi at Covent Garden in London, 1976. The next year she made both her Italian debut in Turin as Lady Macbeth, and her Metropolitan Opera debut as Tosca alongside José Carreras. La Scala followed the year after, in 1978, where she sang Puccini’s tragic heroine, Manon Lescaut, alongside Plácido Domingo. Soon, Sass was being heralded as ‘the new Callas’, and she did meet Callas in person, thanks to a meeting set up by Leonard Bernstein. True, the voice had a similar dramatic colour, but Sass quickly rebuffed the comparison, saying, ‘Callas was so great and so unique. I just don’t think it’s fair to compare somebody with such a great artist.’ Her three recital records for Decca include two discs of operatic arias, including all her most celebrated roles, both conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, and a disc of songs by Liszt and Bartók with her compatriot, pianist András Schiff. All of these are issued collectively as a 2CD set for the first time. In recent years, Sass has settled in France, where she keeps busy painting and giving masterclasses.
CD 1 PUCCINI 1 Turandot: In questa reggia 2 Tosca: Vissi d’arte 3 Manon Lescaut: In quelle trine morbide 4 Manon Lescaut: Sola, perduta, abbandonata 5 Madama Butterfly: Un bel dì vedremo VERDI 6 Aida: Ritorna vincitor! 7 Macbeth: Una macchia è qui tutt’ora 8 I Lombardi: Oh madre, dal cielo … Se vano, se vano è il pregare 9 La traviata: È strano … Ah, fors’è lui … Sempre libera 10 Il trovatore: Vanne, lasciami … D’amor sull’ali rose 11 Macbeth: Vieni t’affreta! 12 Macbeth: La luce langue CD 2 VINCENZO BELLINI 1 Norma: Sediziose voci … Casta Diva … Ah! bello a me AMILCARE PONCHIELLI 2 La Gioconda: Suicidio! London Symphony Orchestra [CD1: 1–8] National Philharmonic Orchestra [CD1: 9–12, CD2: 1–2] Lamberto Gardelli LISZT 3-10 Eight Songs BARTÓK 11-15 Five Songs, Op. 16 András Schiff, piano Sylvia Sass, soprano SYLVIA SASS’S THREE DECCA RECITAL RECORDINGS, TOGETHER ON CD FOR THE FIRST TIME