Various Orchestras Conductors Decca Limited Edition 478 2200*****

These two discs are a record and testament of another time in opera. After the horrors of the second World War, a new era of operatic high glamour emerged, with the restoration of opera houses bombed in the war and gala reopenings with established and new singers. Principal among the new voices were Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi. Callas brought a new dramatic intensity to singing and acting, while Tebaldi was of the old school, content to pour out a flood of glorious sound without significant attention to the dramatic content of the role. But the sound was, indeed, glorious, as can be heard on these discs. The reference to the “voice of an angel” in the title originated in a comment made by Toscanini when he first heard the young Tebaldi sing. Anyone wanting to hear beautiful singing with superb phrasing from a wonderful voice should sample these discs. See deccaclassics.com