Conductor: Giuseppe Morelli

One can imagine the anticipation that must have surrounded the two performances of Tosca billed for that January in Parma. Corelli had not sung there since January 1961 and in the meantime had become a world star and the king of the Metropolitan while his appearances in Italy were becoming less frequent.

The first thing that indicates that this is a special evening for the audience is that Corelli's entrance is applauded. While at the Met applauding entrances had been common practice for years, it was unusual in Parma. Corelli delivers a fine "Recondita armonia." The tempo is slow and Corelli prolongs the final "Tosca." It is clear that he is in extremely fine voice this evening and the aria is greeted with rapturous applause, many "bravos" and a few calls of "bis." As the applause is dying down someone calls out "e' troppo" and "lasciateli finire" (too much – let them finish). There is a little mumbling in reply as the performance continues.

There is little audience intervention from this point until the end of the act. There is a ripple of applause at the end of the first part of the Cavaradossi/Tosca duet and and after Cavaradossi's "La vita mi costasse" along with some "shh" to keep the applause down.

When it comes to Cavaradossi's "Vittoria, vittoria" in the second act the audience goes justifiably wild. The second, brilliant, ringing "vittoria" is held for no less than twelve seconds and there is a spontaneous eruption that drowns the music that follows. This subsides in time to hear the end of Cavaradossi's outburst "Il tuo cor trema, o Scarpia, carnefice!" Applause breaks out again as Cavaradossi is dragged out by Scarpia's henchmen. After such excitement it would be understandable if the rest of the act were to become something of an anti-climax and to some extent it is. The Scarpia of D'Orazi is a solid rather than enlightening performance and the Tosca of Gordoni is good without being extraordinary. Her "Vissi d'arte" is well sung and is applauded but the temperature has definitely dropped.

As wonderful as Corelli had been in the previous acts, nothing had prepared the audience for the "E lucevan le stelle" that was to follow. Yes, his famous diminuendo on "disciogliea" from the phrase "le belle forme disciogliea dai veli" was well known by now but nowhere before had it been so beautifully, so delicately and so heavenly spun out as on that evening. As his desperate cry of "E non ho amato mai tanto la vita" ends the aria all hell breaks loose in the theatre. The frantic applause and pleas for a bis, not granted, last almost exactly as long as the aria itself. This is a genuine, uncontrollable and unanimous reaction from an audience that has been so utterly overwhelmed that it is lost to all else. They would never hear the like of this again, and they knew it. At the third attempt the performance continues and the audience probably feels it is floating in some otherworldly place. In "O dolci mani" on the "e" of "giunte" in the phrase "a pregar, giunte, per le sventure" we are treated to another trademark diminuendo, with the whole phrase sung from forte to almost nothing, on the diminuendo, to mezza voce in a single, even, unbroken line. The shading, dynamics and mezza voce in the whole piece are just a joy.

At the end of the performance, and after it had become clear that nothing was going to get this audience to leave, Corelli rewards them with an encore. He sings "Core 'ngrato" with piano accompaniment to the utter delight of this most discerning and knowledgeable pubblico. They had taken Corelli to their hearts from his first appearance and, for a tenor, to be adored by this particular audience carries a very special significance.

01 · Floria… amore - Vittoria
This first extract, from Act II, is the point in the evening where the already enthusiastic audience can no longer contain itself. The unconscious Cavaradossi is dragged into the room and as he regains consciousness he sees Tosca and utters a tender "Floria" and "sei tu?" - Floria…is it you? Then, listen to the inflection Corelli gives to "Tosca, hai parlato?" – Tosca, did you talk? i.e. "spill the beans." There is a little diminuendo on the second "a" of "parlato" which subtly adds importance to the question. His tone turns to indignation on "M'hai tradito" – You have betrayed me – when he realises that Tosca has indeed given the game away. As the news is broken that Melas has been defeated, we are treated to a "Vittoria, vittoria" that will live in your memory for ever. This is the famous twelve second "vittoria" but it's not simply about the length of the note. The joy that Cavaradossi feels on hearing this news fills him with such strength as to overcome the torture he has suffered. The power and tone in this note are sensational. As the note is finishing Corelli even increases the power and sharpens it momentarily. The torture has been gift wrapped and thrown straight back at Scarpia. The joy has become a symbolic revenge. Is it any wonder that the audience goes berserk?

02 · E lucevan le stelle
So much has already been written about Corelli's remarkable technique that allowed such a large, heroic voice to sing with such a range of shading, dynamics and lyricism. It was all of this that made him such a powerful interpreter. Just with the pure sound of his voice he could express Joy, indignation, authority, despair. In fact, no other tenor, in my opinion, has ever expressed desperation more convincingly than Corelli. In this rendition much of this is evident. I've already mentioned the wonderful diminuendo but also note the measured opening, the tender nostalgia in "mi cadea fra le braccia" – she fell into my arms - and the extended "i" in "baci" from "Oh! dolci baci, o languide carezze" – sweet kisses, lingering caresses. The audience reaction has been left in its entirety to fully appreciate what it must have been like to have been there that evening.

03 · Bis – Core 'ngrato
I love to ponder on what the backstage discussions must have been like as it was agreed to roll an upright piano onto the stage so that Corelli could sing an encore. "No, Franco, really, you have to. They won't leave. There will be a riot" or "I have to sing something, they deserve it. Is there a piano we can bring onto the stage?" I'd love to know.

Corelli had sung a full performance and had given 200% and yet he manages a "Core 'ngrato" with the freshness of an opening item in a recital. This was one of the great evenings in opera history and we are so fortunate that somebody recorded it. The audience played their part, too, in a genuine and spontaneous manner. No hype required.

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