Opera CDs and MP3s of live performances

Brian Morgan

“It was Giuditta Pasta who, in 1830, created the rôle of the ill-fated queen in Donizetti's masterpiece, "Anna Bolena," the character of whom bears little resemblance to the treacherous historical figure. In 1957, Maria Callas scored one of her greatest triumphs with the rôle at the Teatro alla Scala, in Luchino Visconti's production. Leyla Gencer, Beverly Sills, and Renata Scotto followed as important interpreters of Bolena.In November of 1975, Mme Scotto assumed the part for the Dallas Civic Opera. The following month, James DeBlasis staged the work for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, with Scotto, Susanne Marsee, and Samuel Ramey in the leading rôles, with the late Julius Rudel conducting; the recording under review emanates from the electrifying performance of December 16th. The soprano presents a gripping account of the eponymous part. She was entering the phase of her really great career as one of the important singing-actresses of the era. She was to have sung the opera again, in 1979, for the San Francisco Opera, but the management rather infamously changed it to "La Gioconda." By then, we would have probably experienced a "come scritto" traversal, since that had happily become her wont. Here, we have the usual cuts and interpolations of the time.Miss Marsee's interpretation of Giovanna (Jane) Seymour is thrilling. The greatest singing-actress among mezzo-sopranos, she is heard here in extremis, and is heart-rending in her unfortunate predicament as one of the countless victims of Enrico (Henry) VIII. Having sung the rôle opposite Miss Sills, she is a suitable rival for La Scotto, as well. In fact, though her répertoire extended from the Baroque to dodecaphony, she considered this (in 2012) to be "the most difficult opera I sang because of the length of the rôle and the tessitura."As the cruel Enrico, Samuel Ramey makes a towering impression, heard here only two years after his New York City Opera début, and in his only appearances opposite Mme Scotto. The voice seems limitless in size and force. The remainder of the cast is excellent, and Rudel conducts with his accustomed distinction.”

Beautiful Missa Solemnis

“This performance is wonderful. A radio broadcast with very good sound. Horenstein broadly paces the Mass to excellent effect. The chorus is a tad muddy but that is to be expected from a 1958 radio broadcast. Soloists are also excellent with my favorite Stich Randall heavenly in her solos. Thank you for making this available.”

Beautiful Performance, Beautiful Sound!

“Many people find Karajan's studio Walkure the best part of his studio Ring cycles, and this broadcast performance with almost exactly the same cast is very fine.Vickers is less self-indulgent under Karajan's eye and is a tremendously good Siegmund. Janowitz is a very vulnerable, almost fragile Sieglinde who finds her strength in the third act. Crespin is simply marvelous as Brunnhilde, meltingly beautiful in the "Der diese Liebe" and in the Todesverkundigung scene. Her war cry is also a thrill. She was wise not to do the other two Brunnhildes, yet I'll bet she would have been great (if overtaxed). Ludwig is a splendidly regal Fricka and Talvela a noble Hunding. The Valkyries are a strong lot.Stewart has said how closely Karajan coached him in these operas and one can hear the attention to detail in his performance. I listened to his Act Two monologue twice because Stewart sings it as if it were an extended Schubert song. His Farewell is very touching. Karajan behaves very well towards his singers (not always the case with him) and the orchestra plays like gods.The sound is excellent, if not stereo. As this is a live performance, there are a few fluffs here and there, but nothing serious. A supplement to the studio performance, but a valuable and beautiful one.”

Thrilling

“A very exciting performance, with the voices of Tomowa-Sintow and Kollo in the freshness of their youthful beauty. She leaves nothing to be desired as Elsa. Kollo is marvelous through the tender section of the bridal chamber scene, then encounters some vocal rough patches through the end. I was at his Met debut in this role around the same year as this performance, and he sounded much more secure there (it was a beautiful performance). Schroder-Feinen (an amazing Elektra at the Met the prior year) characterizes well as Ortrud and has a very fine instrument but seems to come up short at the top of the range. Nimsgern is certainly an impassioned, even frenzied, Telramund, given to shouting, as is Karl Ridderbusch, with his beautiful voice. The chorus is magnificent, so is the orchestra (other than a few flubs in the horns), and Karajan creates a sound picture and dramatic picture that conjure the whole fairy-tale world of the piece. NB: the intertwining phrases of Kollo and Tomowa-Sintow in the bridal chamber duet are alone worth the price--they manage, miraculously, to be at once erotic and chaste, and define the characters' relationship as never before. The sound is excellent.”

Crespin in her prime - great singing

“Beautiful & very moving performances - the Iphigenia en Tauride arias are particularly ravishing - almost on a level with her magnificent performance of the Berlioz Troyens heroines”

An immense performance

“I was present at this performance. It took place as part of the Opera Proms in 1977 and was at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and not at the Albert Hall Proms which take place later in the year. I had a ticket which cost me 50p! We went to hear not just the great Pavarotti, who sang magnificently, but also the great British baritone Peter Glossop, who gave an immense performance as Scarpia. Raina Kabaivanska sings beautifully as Tosca. The smaller parts were all taken by established singers at the time, for example Derek Hammond Stroud as the sacristan, and Michael Langdon as Angelotti. It was a stupendous night at the theatre, well captured on this recording which is of remarkably good quality. Great to find a recording of this performance after all these years - and this was the only performance with this particular cast. A treasure.”

Excellent service!!!

“I am completely satisfied with my first experience with Opera Depot. Everything was perfect!!! The design of the CDs and their sound quality were excellent. Only one recommendation. You should include some of the recent artists' live performances (Michael Spyres, Elina Garanca, etc) in your catalogue.”

Fabulous Tristan buy

“My favourite Wagner opera and I wasn’t disappointed with this 76 Bayreuth performance under Kleiber. He gets everything right and the lead performers are on top form. Wenkoff is outstanding especially in Act 3. You won’t be disappointed. Great purchase.”

Only Frau in English

“I saw this production in Coventry when WNO toured it across the UK and still have strong visual memories of a basic, but very effective staging. WNO managed to assemble a stellar cast from (with the exception of Katsu) home grown talent, showing what a depth of resource opera had in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. All the performances are committed, strong and vocally persuasive: Tinsley is as characterful and tireless as ever as the Dyer's Wife, and Bailey is a warmly communicative Barak, both singing with great insight and strength. Anne Evans, then on her way to Brunnhilde, is a silvery Empress with deep reserves of power for the awakening scene. Patricia Payne really makes her mark as the Nurse and commands the huge range of the part with ease and if Katsu is a little wooden vocally, maybe that suits the part! All the minor parts are well filled (with a gourgeous tenor for the Apparition) and the orchestra plays superbly well under Richard Armstrong. Reservations? Well, the words do not always come across as clearly as you would like (Tinsley sadly at fault here) but maybe the blame lies with Strauss, rather than the singers. Having said that, it is a good translation, of which I have a copy and this is the only Frau in English ever likely to be available. I think it is wonderful, and well worth exploring. Sound is excellent.”

Excellent Chenier

“The performance was, of course, magnificent. It’s fun to hear one from The Old Days, when they used to take bows after the big arias and, the claques keeping the applause going on and on. All ‘round, sound is perfect considering the time period. Being a true fan of the greatest performers of “ago,” I’m truly blessed to have found Opera Depot.”

Wonderful

“One more of the fantastic interpretations of Montserrat Caballé in Il Trovatore !!!!! She is wonderful, so young with such a maturity, such an art of singing !!!!And a beautiful casting with her !!!Thank you so much.”

A treasure trove

“These are three invaluable CDs. The first is largely occupied with excerpts of a 1954 German-language Macbeth. If you don't think of Astrid Varnay as a Verdian, listen to her shimmy up and down the runs of Or tutti sorgete. (The Macbeth is anonymous and deserves to remain so.) The bronzen *tinta* of Varnay's instrument was perfect for Verdi's Lady and would remain so for much of her career. Studio sessions under husband Hermann Weigert find Varnay assaying Italian dramatic standards, as well as pleasant offbeat surprises like Eboli and Thais, as well as a very composed Salome final scene with an unusual concert ending. A series of EMI sessions, also under Weigert, are devoted to Wagner but hint at why major record companies did not pick up on Varnay's services: Before the studio mike there is an air of circumspection to her performances. (Although she threw caution to the wind in some memorable DG recordings.) Entweihte Goetter from Bayreuth in 1962 is a real ear-opener: This is Varnay in her element. The same could be said for a 1966 Ewig war ich but especially of a rip-roaring (albeit fragmentary) Immolation Scene from Bayreuth in 1951, with Herbert von Karajan at the helm. If you have the Knappertsbusch '51 Gotterdammerung (Testament) this is an invaluable supplement. Varnay lovers will definitely want Opera Depot's new set.”

Jim Johnson

“I have this performance from another source. I agree after several minutes the Italian language is no longer an issue. Kraus is a wonderful Nadir. I prefer Leopold Simoneau, but Kraus is right up there.”

Great!

“Good stereo sound and dont mind the few dropouts, you should buy this! I have details of this production...Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera)Conducted by Karl BohmProduction - Palais GarnierMise en scene - August EverdingScénographie/Costumes - Andrzei MajewskiDates: 11-25 April 1975(4 performances)Birgit Nilsson (Elektra)Leonie Rysanek (Chrysothemis)Astrid Varnay (Klytemnestra)Richard Lewis (Aegisth)Hans Sotin (Orest)Jean-Louis Soumagnas (Tutor of Orest)Robert Dumé (A Young Servant)Fernand Dumont (An Old Servant)Hélia T'Hézan (Overseer)Jocelyne Taillon (First Maid)Anna Ringart (Second Maid)Francine Arrauzau (Third Maid)Hélène Garetti (Fouth Maid)Éliane Lublin (Fifth Maid)Maryse Acerra (Trainbearer of Klytemnestra)”

Martin Ramor

“I liked all the singers. I loved young, powerful and dramatic Suliotis (she was not even 26 years old on this recording), elegant phrasing of Cossotto, powerful and heroic Limarilli, reliable Vinco. Bartoletti and orchestra good.”

This is a really excellent

“This is a really excellent performance of this work. Everyone is in top form. Ghiaurov and Cossotto are well known in these roles and are excellent here. Gencer, Prevedi and Bruscantini never got to record these roles and how wonderful it is to have them here. Gencer always amazes me. She is so unique and marvelous with stupendous pianissimos. Sound is very good.”

John Stanton

“The immediate attraction here of course is the three great voices of Carrerras, Cappuccilli and Dimitrova. Carrerras early in his career is in glorious sappy voice, showing no signs of the strain that afflicted it less than ten years later. Dimitrova's enormous voice is impressive although she is probably not the most vulnerable or affecting Amelia. Cappuccilli was still in 1971 the best Verdi baritone in the world and his distinctly Italianate sound gives great presence to his Renato. The audience requests and gets an encore to "Eri tu ".The supporting cast is very good, with notably a smoky voiced Ulrica.The sound is very good, clean and voices in happy balance with the orchestra.”

Powerful Requiem

“We found this a very involving performance by all concerned. The microphones favour Jessye Norman’s lovely voice, making the other soloists sound a little distant. Still, all sing well in a work suited to their talents. There are many recordings available of Verdi’s Requiem but this full-blooded performance is one I shall return to more often than some of the more recent commercial offerings.”

Suzanne Stultz

“You’ve probably received umpteen replies to your query about whether Nilsson’s 1958 La Scala Turandot was her first ever performance in the role, but just in case: According to her memoirs, La Nilsson: My Life in Opera, she first performed Turandot in Stockholm in 1957. God bless whoever thought of dusting off this opera for her!Cheers, and thanks for your wonderful web site!”

Wonderful recording

“Klemperer was critical about most of Mahler's music. But he "believed"in his Second Symphony. We have 3 recordings of this symphony under Klemperer, one with Ferrier, one with Schwarzy, but this one is the best. To my opinion, no other Urlicht can match the Baker/Klemperer one.”

John Querns

“Lovely performance of this wonderful work. Beautiful orchestral colours. Lilian Sukis sings beautifully with youthful tone and attention to the text and also sustains very successfully a very slow "Song to the Moon".Peter Hofmann, Theo Adam and Rose Wagemann also deliver fine performances. The only thing I am unsure about is the role of the Kitchen Boy - I thought at first it was a boy but now feel it must be a mezzo, though trying to sound too young and boyish for my taste. But this is a minor role in this opera so it's hardly a deal-breaker.”

Fine cast. Gedda is a revelation as Lohengrin.

“What delighted me the most is the fine sound. I wish the Elektra from 1964 was in good sound, sadly it is not. That is a very important performance (Nilsson, Lindholm and Ericson) and deserves special treatment. This Lohengrin is excellent in every way. Gedda is superb, but he is set back on stage quite a bit and is not as present. It doesn't hurt anything. The beauty of his voice is fully present. What a Parsifal and Walther von Stolzing he would have been!Barbro Ericsson's Obtrude is superb. She as a beautiful, dark voice and cuts through the orchestra with ease. Nordmo-Løvberg had one of those stealy Scandinavian sopranos that she was very good at toning down for Elsa's quieter moments. Ingvar Wixell is a treat as the Heerrufer. The Telramund is quite good but I couldn't help wishing he and Wixell had exchanged roles. The orchestra is and chorus are excellent. Varviso was a very good conductor, a little perfunctory but that is fine in the opera house. He keeps things in order and moving along and never bogs down.A great addition to my Lohengrin stable.”

Les Troyens à Glasgow!

“What a shock! What a wonderful surprise! I always thought this production had not been recorded in full, and I'm sure I have read commentators bemoaning the fact that all there remained of this was the studio recording of a few excerpts. But here we have a wonderful recording of what was clearly a brilliant performance and memorable occasion. Don't be put off by it being in mono sound. Yes, the opening with orchestra and chorus is very mono! But as soon as Janet Baker enters - and she is on stage most of the time - you soon forget about the mono. The recording is very clear, and there are none of the usual bubble and squeaks of old mono recordings, neither are there the usual distortions at peaks and high notes. Janet Baker is on magnificent top form, with a brilliant cast with crystal-clear diction.Thank you, Opera Depot!”

Brilliant

“A polished, scintillating performance, with Caballé’s brilliance matched by Tucker’s dramatic verve. As compelling a rendition of this work as I can imagine. Very good sound. One product defect: all tracks are mislabeled “Shuard Taddei,” apparently referring to the 1964 Teatro Colon “Macbeth” also in the Opera Depot catalog.”

Wonderful

“Since I have heard Gilda Cruz Romo as Aida in the Arena di Verona in August 1974 (with Plácido Domingo as Radames!) I always hoped to get a recording of her wonderful Aida.This is a recording to love because of the great singers and the conducting of Charles Mackerras, made one year before my Arena experience.The sound is very good!Bergonzi is in perfect shape, I admire this excellent tenor and especially in the role of Radames!Mignon Dunn and Gian Piero Mastromei give strong performances as well do all the rest of the cast.”

Amazing sound!

“Wonderful recording of the first Maria Stuarda of Caballé.The sound is incredible clear!Cillario´s direction is not so special, too slow and sometimes slapdash, but the voices of Verret and Caballé are simply beautiful!The preghiera in the last act is really touching...”

Brian Crim

“This is a fantastic recording overall. Sound quality is excellent for a live recording, the singers are in great voice, and though there are a couple of noticeable track cuts, the rest of the recording is seamless. This is a great opera, and a welcome addition to my collection!”

Richard

“Jurinac is the star of this otherwise native ROH ensemble but she doesn't stand out, as the overall vocal quality is very high. Her soprano is in rich late-career shape, bringing a wealth of Viennese and Rosenkavalier experience to the role. Classic. Solti live is more nuanced and lighter in texture than on the Decca recording. A really enjoyable live performance.”

Wonderful Gluck

“I love this recording. I was expecting something rather old-fashioned and perhaps rather heavy, but in fact Kleiber conducts with great pace and energy, and the dances go at an incredible lick! For a performance given over 80 years ago it sounds remarkably up-to-date to me. Konetzni is great in the title role, passionate and moving with some glorious top notes. The rest of the cast does a good job too, and I think the quality of the recording is good for 1937.”

Amazing Bailey

“It is a great thing to have Norman Bailey singing Hans Sachs, probably his greatest role, at Bayreuth, the Mecca of Wagnerian singing. I remember seeing him in this role at ENO back in the early seventies alongside Thomas Hemsley as Beckmesser. They were particularly great in their scene together in Act two. Bailey can be a little gruff in his delivery but he always had just the right voice for this role. His performance in the Solti Meistersinger remains my all time favourite. I remember hearing Dernesch at the Scottish Opera singing the role of the Marschellin in Der Rosenkavalier and it is hard to come by performances from except for Karajan, for whom she was a favourite soprano. It's great to have another recording to add to her discography and I think she is wonderful in the part of Eva. Overall a great cast well led by Klobucar. I would recommend this performance to anyone interested in performances from Bayreuth well recorded by Bavarian radio or just performances of Meistersinger, one of my all time favourite operas. I never tire of it and nor will you.”

John O'Brien

“It's good to hear other than the "usual suspect"in a Ring of this era. Shuard, Ward and Stolze, because they are so good and so under recorded, steal the show, so to speak. Solti is marvelous.”

FrankItaly

“Dear Jim Martin i couldn’t agree more. This is a fantastic performance. It might be something for Olivero and Siepi’s fans that comment is acceptable, because the acustics, place, orchestra, chorus etc. are all but perfect…however, as for for Magda Olivero, she is the best in this role nothing possible to say agaist it I’m sorry. Pronunciation is perfect, technic is perfect, a memorable actress and well her sense of style is superb. As for the words “spoken”…they are not really spoken but produced with incredible artistry because this is verismo and it MUST pay tributo to the thatre also…but she had the luck of studying with the men that possessed all the original music sheets of these operas, where all variations accepter by composers are preserved, where everything is written. Don’t be fooled, she takes no liberty. And it should be time that we aks ourselves why verismo operas now are never emotional when so called singers who would better stick to “elisir d’amore” try to sing them…so this permormance is very precious. DRAMA is there, complitely. This is the way these operas must be sung. Olivero’s timbre might be a bit too mature for the role (previous recordings in Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro show a complitely differen approach), but this is still coherent to the maximum degree.”

Beau comme l'Antique

“Crespin atteint ici la hauteur de la grande tragédie classique (comme il convient) avec sa superbe diction . Massard somptueusement tourmenté, Chauvet un poil moins en règle avec le style gluckiste mais très (trop?) vaillant . Sebastian toujours admirable chef de théâtre malgré certains tempi pour nous aujourd'hui trop lents .”

Mefistofele with Alfredo Kraus

“All of the CDs I ordered were absolutely perfect. Of course a tape of 1969 has not the same quality as on of 1999. So I was and am very happy to posses this recording. As a personal friend of the late Alfredo Kraus I love his singing in an opera he did only a few times. Also Agostino Ferrin is wonderfull as Mefistofele - a much underestimated bass. Kind regardsMarkus Roth”

Donald Honan

“hehe! Since I don’t speak German and don’t understand more than a few words when I hear them, I won’t mind a bit! Besides, when SHE’s singing it’s like Sutherland or Horne – It’s the telephone book?? So what???”

Rheingold at Covent Garden 1949-1951

“Just some precisions : RHEINGOLD has been played 4 times at Covent Garden from 1949 to 1951 : 12/05/1949, 8/06/1950, 4/5/1951 and 7/5/1951. Wotan was sung 3 times by Hans Hotter and just 1 by Andreas Boehm on the 8th of june 1950.. Fricka was only played by Edith Coates (from archives of CG), never by Constance Schacklock. At last, Mime was sung 3 times by Peter Klein in 1949 and 1951, but in june 1950 (this recording), Mime was The well-known Erich Zimmermann who played in Bayreuth before the war. All these Information come from the archives of the Royal House Covent Garden.”

Karl Heinz Konrad

“Es ist eine gelungen Ring-Aufnahme mit den damaligen besten Sängern. Hervorzuheben sind Birgit Nilsson und Hans Hopf. Hans Hopf zeigt eine beeindruckende Leistung als Siegfried. Er ist wohl der letzte Heldentenor mit baritonaler Stimmfärbung. Birgit Nilsson brilliert durch ihre schöne durchschlagskräftige Sopranstimme. Die Sänger klingen nie angestrengt sonder sind bis zum Ende voll da.”

Great early 1950's Parsifal

“This is a very good sound and worth the purchase since Vinay takes on the title role. He is particularly good in the Act Ii confrontation with Modl and carries on the strong performance into Act IiI. Modl is superb throughout and the orchestra also under the solid control of Knappersbusch. No weak soloists in the cast.”

Extraordinary: contrast of Heldentenor and baritone highlists

“Ramón Vinay became famous as a heroic tenor, for many years he impersonated Wagner's heroes in Bayreuth, and was also Verdi's Otello. Toscanini chose him for his recording of Otello, it is the only recording of a complete opera in a studio with Vinay. Opera Depot's CD combines recordings from the 1950s, when Vinay was Heldentenor, with recordings from the 1960s, when he had switched to baritone. The arias and duets are not arranged chronologically, but according to the operas' country of origin - from France (Bizet, Saint-Saëns) to Germany (Wagner) to Italy (Puccini, Verdi). Thus, the recordings jump back and forth between tenor and baritone several times.The recordings from the 1950s are of the highest quality, both in terms of Vinay's vocal artistry and the technical side. As a baritone, he can certainly hold his own with the best singers in the field: His Holländer (the recording is unfortunately technically not good) and his Scarpia (both duets with Birgit Nilsson) are powerful. Vinay was a voluminous baritone - in contrast to Placido Domingo, for example, who in his recordings as a baritone presented a rather lamentable picture.”

An first-rate Elektra

“There is a more well-known version of this recording from Vienna with almost the same cast. This performance, however was from a tour to Montreal. Nilsson, Rysanek and Resnik prove to be the definitive (dysfunctional) family, each bringing a unique approach to these three very different roles. Great recording”

Wonderful

“This is a superb performance in excellent sound. I tend to agree that Windgassen sounds rather narrow of tone next to Nilsson but he's honest and often moving. Kerstin Meyer, of whom I had no clear impression before, sings most beautifully as Brangäne and Nilsson is extraordinary. We think of her as shining steel but as her auto-biography proudly states, Wieland Wagner thought that she was "the loving Isolde" and that is what we have here: yes, there is fury in Act One but also an underlying tenderness and pain and the final note of the Liebestod (approached without a breath) has to be heard to be believe. Compulsive conducting from Böhm that sweeps you through an epic journey. Wonderful.”

A later Requiem

“I was lucky enough to hear Jessye Norman many times at the Edinburgh International Festival. A majorly highlight was the Requiem by Verdi. The cast was led by Abbado and included Margaret Price in the soprano role, Jessye Norman on the mezzo role and we also had Carreras and Raimondi! Now, please find that recording!”

long awaited on CD

“Back in the stone ages I purchased this recording on VHS. Back then VHS recordings of live performances were just getting started. Needless to say the video quality was dreadful. The sound quality however was not. I am delighted to now have this performance on CD in excellent sound quality. Granted Tebaldi and Corelli were nearing the end of their prime but hey! They are who they are! One big reason I was glad to have a CD of this was I adored the way Corelli sang "O BEL OCCHI DI FATA!" by Denza. This is NOT available on any CD of his whether studio or live until now. Thanks Opera Depot for making an old lady very happy.”

Rock

“Great: sound, cast, opera. Deutekom could even handle dramatic roles likeAttila. Carreras had a voice of stunning beauty. Like so many tenors hedamaged it by singing heavy roles ala Pavarotti. Fioravanti was a fine baritonewho never became very famous. He sang Enrico on a filmed Lucia w/ Anna Moffo.”

FIDELIO IN ITALIANO? SI!

“This is likely a RAI Roma broadcast, with actors (uncredited) doubling the singers in dialogue, which is kept to a sensible measure. Gui leads a briskly paced reading, placing the score firmly in the classical school. None of the melodrama is lost. If anything, the precision of singers and orchestra adds immediacy to the action. The cast is uniformly superb. Dow is lyric and brilliant with a gleaming top. Gasperoni rivals any other “Marcellina”, blending beautifully with Dow in ensemble. Berdini blends lyricism and heroic ring. Christoff is father and confessor, soulful and intimate. Taddei is a terrific blackguard of a villain. Monti personifies humility and charm. Calabrese is excellent. Sound very good.”

Great that you share this recording

“Wonderful! Especially as I created editions of Kozub and Watson with the Hamberger Archiv für Gesangskunst in the past. At this time this great recording that was completely missing. Best greetings! T.”

MOZART in ENGLISH SPARKLES

“Fantastic performance! Deutekom, Price, Burrows, Bryn-Jones & Ward are incomparable. No HIP psycho-babble here. Just great singing & playing of Mozart's masterpiece. It is without hesitation that I recommend this performance to anyone who loves Mozart & Golden Age singing.”

A Defining Festival Performance--- As Good As It Gets!

“Of the dozen or so live performance recordings from Opera Depot, I believe this is the best!! For the most part, stereo sound quality rivals the best of the era's commercial releases. And the performance!!! Oh, my! Carreras is at his considerable best, gloriously singing a role that, unfortunately, was just one of those that shortened the peak of his career. Mirella Freni couldn't ever have been better than here; the same is true of Cappuccilli's Rodrigo. I only stop naming the cast because they are all tops! I can't recommend this recording too highly. Andy has produced a real winner here. All Verdi fans and fans of these great singers should avail themselves of this one asap.”