Two items here require as of right a place in the collection, and two or perhaps three others might reasonably request it. The young Tebaldi was not one of those artists who find out the special individuality of everything they sing and present a special, individual part of themselves in response. She does catch Marguerite's excitement with the jewels, but Aida, Leonora and even Tosca are present only as general outlines in the mind that performs their arias here. The voice is indeed beautiful and the method sound, though the highest notes lack easy resonance and she has the common Italian habit of aspirating notes that share a syllable (La promessa suffers badly from this).
Of the arias, ''Un bel di'' has much beauty of tone and spirit, while ''In quelle trine morbide'' has a touch of greatness, with affectionate portamentos and a genuine exercise of the imagination. Among the songs, Dolente immagine has tenderness and Verdi's Stornello vivacity; but it is the canzone of Martucci, the great educator of Italian musical taste, that suit the singer best and earn most gratitude. For the recordings I found it necessary to spend time adjusting controls: the old 'hi-fi' sound nags like a loose piano string.
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