TOSCA

TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/17/1965
Cleva; Crespin, Kónya, Merrill
SID.19380427
Crespin the first singer to repeat Tosca in more than a decade before the Met broadcast microphones. if you savor the Gallic tang with a dollop of Roman pepper, she is a fine Tosca. This performance has been on before, but they don’t overuse it. She was the first Tosca to repeat her Floria on the airwaves. Bing had 9 different Toscas from 1952 until 1968 when Crespin repeated with a slightly better cast. Both have been on Sirius. This broadcast finds her in marginally better voice, and is Merrill’s only Scarpia broadcast (he only has 12) and while no match dramatically for Warren or early MacNeil (Gobbi never broadcast the role from the Met), Merrill certainly has some vocal artillery to display. Arguably the most beautiful baritone voice and right up there at the very top in any vocal category.