Conductor: István Kertész; Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Cast: Werner Krenn (Tito), Teresa Berganza (Sesto), Maria Casula (Vitellia), Lucia Popp (Servilia), Brigitte Fassbänder (Annio), Tugomir Franc (Publio)
Got the Sesto I wanted with Teresa Berganza . . . and now the Vitellia is a bit of a problem!Maria Casula is by no means a poor singer, but she is a mezzo rather than a soprano, with a voice that’s bigger and darker than that of both Berganza’s Sesto and Brigitte Fassbänder’s Annio. A rather strange situation when the lady’s voice is deeper than the two gents’. Mozart’s writing for the character does dip down quite low, but it isn’t lacking in high notes, either. Casula manages the latter without problems, yet one can hear she’s at the limits of her voice. When this recording was made in 1967, there was no lack of sopranos who could have sung this role – Sena Jurinac, Gundula Janowitz, Lisa Della Casa, Claire Watson, and Evelyn Lear all come to mind. The first three ladies were even ensemble members at the Vienna State Opera. What the folks at Decca were thinking in casting Casula in this part is anyone’s guess. I definitely prefer Zürich’s Eva Mei. But all of the other principals are superb, and I’m still happy to have this recording.
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