ARIAS BY GLUCK, WEBER, VERDI, PONCHIELLI, TCHAIKOVSKY,...

ARIAS BY GLUCK, WEBER, VERDI, PONCHIELLI, TCHAIKOVSKY, MASSENET, DEBUSSY, MENOTTI. Eileen Farrell, soprano; Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Thomas Schippers. Seraphim 60383 (mono). This indispensable and still healthy sounding budget reissue spotlights one of America’s great post-World War II dramatic sopranos in peak form. Farrell’s disinclination to lend herself to the jet-setting existence of other divas may have limited her international appearances, but while she blazed she illuminated the operatic firmament with a clear, white flame. Idiomatic subtlety and interpretive finesse may not have been her strong points, even when she recorded this recital in the mid-’50s, yet Farrell’s authority is undeniable, and, by today’s standards, even a bit frightening. Highlight: a definitive reading of the “Consul” scena , “To this we’ve come.”