This important historical document comes from live performances at La Scala in 1955 when the diva was at the height of her powers.
Callas gives a more vital performance here than on the set recorded in the studio. The only drawback is the intrusive distortion at climactic moments.
It was Callas's particular genius to find exactly the appropriate mode of expression for every role she tackled. Here Callas gives us Amina, the shy, vulnerable sleepwalker. Bernstein and Callas join forces (having performed Médée together the previous year) for an utterly charming account of Sonnambula. The conductor's feeling for rhythm and colour and Callas's subtle responses to her fragile role are everywhere felt. And it isn't only Callas and Bernstein who make this set so unmissable. Cesare Valletti – a still underrated artist – is as sensitive and involved an Elvino as any on disc and he duets to perfection with Callas, Bernstein giving them the space to phrase as only they can phrase. And Giuseppe Modesti is a warm Rodolfo. Not to be missed.