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Title: The ONLY 'Carmen'....
Review: But not for the reasons you might think. Ms. Callas actually has very little to do with why I like this particular 'Carmen'. I have never been a Callas fan, nor do I particularly care for her singing. Carmen is no exception. Callas' voice was on the downward spiral when this recording was made and it shows. She seems to strain noticeably at various points throughout. Where this performance DOES excel, is in all other aspects; the orchestration, pacing and choral work is top notch. Maestro Pretre turns in a find reading here and I particularly like Robert Massard. I always thought he was sadly underrated. The remastering of this recording helped it considerably, bringing out highlights unclear in the original issue. This is a fine performance and works very well for an introduction to opera and to 'Carmen'.
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