A review from The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera

The attraction of this set is likely to be the young Tebaldi, and she does stand out, especially in contrast to the other provincial-sounding singers. The intensity and spectacular vocal control of her sentimental aria "La mamma morta", is certainly finer than any of the singing in her later studio recordings. But little dramatic chemistry is possible when the Gérard of Savarese is revealed in a scooping and tremulous baritone, while Soler offers little of vocal merit in his competent but hardly stirring account of the title role. The smaller parts stand out not at all. And yet this is a performance with at least a modicum of vitality, sounding as if it has come from performers well used to performing onstage, and the whole, remarkably, seems more satisfying than any of its individual parts. Part of that comes from the absolute naturalness and lack of pretension found in Basile's conducting. But even that is undercut by the recorded sound that, at least on the Everest reissue, is hollow, constricted, and full of echoes.

Maddalena: Renata Tebaldi
Andrea Chénier: Jose Soler
Gérard: Ugo Savarese
Bersi: Ines Marietti
Contessa/Madelon: Irma Colasanti
Tinville/Roucher: Giuliano Ferrein
Fleville: Alberto Albertini
Mathieu: Pier Luigi Latinucci
L'abate: Tommaso Soley
Un Incredible: Armando Benzi
Schmidt: Ernesto Panizza

RAI Chorus and Symphony
Orchestra, Turin
Arturo Basile

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