Exquisite. Remarkable singing, in particular, from the male principals.Thought Plishka was outstanding in a very strong cast.

This performance was Sills' first Elvira, at least according to the website dedicated to tracing all of her performances. She is in very fine form, the high notes beautiful, the coloratura fleet and brilliant. She actually makes something specific of the character too - not easy considering Elvira is one Bellini's loonier heroines. It's interesting to compare her work here with her studio recording made the following summer; many of the ornaments are different.Pavarotti sings gloriously. One might quibble and insist that he sings too loudly - whatever. He and Sills work together very well; their duet in the last act is as thrilling as any I've ever heard. One listens to it thinking "This is why people go to the opera!"Quilico shows again what a beautiful voice he had and is a worthy rival to Pavarotti's Arturo. He crowns the end of the second act with a ringing top A-flat. On the studio recording Plishka joins him, but here he is more modest. No matter: he sings Giorgio's music extremely well. The rest of the cast is very good and Guadagno conducts with spirit, opening up a number of standard cuts. Sills also gets to sing the final showpiece for Elvira ("Ah! sento mio bell'angelo") only recently unearthed at the time of this performance. I don't know where the tapist was sitting, but the voices are right on mic and are never recessed. Sometimes it takes the audience a moment to settle down as the acts begin.Fans of Sills or Pavarotti must acquire this!

Amazing to hear Pavarotti in his early prime and Sills in great form in this lovely Bel Canto masterpiece.

Sills, Pavarotti, L. Quilico, Plisha are all very good. Guadagno's conducting is nice. There is some music and singing missing in Credeasi misera.

Louis Quilico had one of the most sheerly beautiful baritones voices of all time, most evident in bel canto opera. Bellini wrote the most Romantic melody ever for baritone in “Ah, per sempre io ti perdei”, and Louis gives it all the dark, melancholy beauty at his considerable disposal. I used to study with him, and during lessons he would regularly overwhelm his students by demonstrating a technical point with phrases from Verdi. What a treat! If you could manage to find some of his performance in other bel canto operas, ie. Lucia di Lammermoor, and his magnificent Macbeth, as well as Falstaff, I would be in opera ecstasy.This Puritani vies with the Callas/Di Stefano as my favourite bel canto recording of all time.