PUCCINI: “TURANDOT.� Maria Callas, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Eugenio...

PUCCINI: “TURANDOT.� Maria Callas, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Eugenio Fernandi, Nicola Zaccaria; Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, conducted by Tullio Serafin. Angel CDCB-47971 (two mono compact discs). Recorded (alas, not stereophonically) in 1958, this “Turandot� offers a measure of revelation in Callas’ tender phrasing of “In questa reggia,� despite the impossibly curdled top notes (the late diva dropped the part from her repertory as early as 1949). But Fernandi’s brazen Calaf and Schwarzkopf’s polished, unidiomatic, incredibly self-possessed Liu haven’t acquired any more stature with the passing years. Serafin hits his stride in the insinuating second-act Ping-Pang-Pong trio, but barely communicates the complex orchestral textures. Despite digital remastering, the sonics haven’t noticeably improved in this reissue.