Kraus and Ferrin are predictably excellent, both singing with ringing tone and excellent diction. Antonietta Cannarile-Berdini is not a singer most opera lovers here in the US will be familiar with, but she holds up her end of performance very well, contributing a flirtatious, heartbreaking Margherita. Franca Como handles Elena's brief, important role with flair and a good top C. Wolf-Ferrari leads an exciting account of Boito's guilty pleasure opera.The sound is very listenable and is now pitched correctly throughout the performance. Thank you, Andy!

In his comments below Robert H. wonders whether or not the tenor here is actually Alfredo Kraus. It is, but disc 1 is mastered a half-tone flat, making Kraus sound like a baritone! Oddly, and for whatever reason, all the music on disc 2 is at the correct pitch so Kraus and Ferrin sound like themselves (I double-checked with a pitch pipe too).I wish Andy would fix this severe flaw because this is otherwise a good performance.

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

Undoubtedly, the tenor is Alfredo Kraus. I have a compilation of all the performances that Kraus sang and in 1969 he participated in the Mefistofele of Piacenza, with that cast. Alfredo Kraus had a repertoire for a few years the opera Mefistofele de Boito, there is another function that he sang with Tebaldi and Ghiaurov in Chicago in 1965. Afterwards, he retired from his repertoire.

I do not think the tenor is Alfred Kraus but have no idea who it is.