Samuel Ramey is another one of those singers easy to take for granted because he was always good. Handsome, hairy-chested, and sexy with an exciting bass voice to match it's no wonder he finally became a big star. Here he is before stardom arrived, recreating one of Norman Treigle's greatest roles. The comparison is apt because he performs many moments exactly the way Treigle did live and in his famous studio recording. Ramey sings superbly with exciting squillo on the high notes (listen to the end of "Ecco il mondo"). A recording obviously deprives us of his physical presence, but even without it one gets a real sense of what he was like onstage.Mauro shows why he had such a busy, long career. His top rings out impressively (the high B in the scene is thrilling); he interpolates a top C in his duet with Mefistofele at the end of Act One. He partners Johanna Meier very well. The soprano displays why she was so well-regarded at NYCO and elsewhere. Her mad scene as Margarita (complete with the written trills) is heartbreaking, her Elena voluptuous. She caps the big ensemble in Act Four with a terrific top C.Rudel leads an exciting performance with an excellent chorus and orchestra (so important in this opera). The sound is very good. Whoever recorded this sat in a seat that allowed the voices to be heard clearly over the orchestra. Only very occasionally are they off-mic and then not for long.Highly recommended to lovers of this opera or these singers!

This is a fine performance of this opera. The cast is wonderful and the conducting strong. Nice choral singing and Ramey is great as the devil. The sound is excellent, which is a must in this opera. A nice find.