Musically, this performance of La Fille du régiment is near perfect. Unfortunately, sonically it is quite far from perfection. That disclosed, if you can forgive the muffled quality and the faint "ghost" of another performance during Act II, you will be treated to what must be one of the greatest performances of this opera out there. The remarkable combination of agility and power that both Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti brought to the stage made them a formidable combination, each pushing the other to greater heights. Pavarotti's career was more or less made on this opera with its show-stopping sequence of high Cs, but his performance is so much more than vocal acrobatics and some of his best singing comes in the Act II aria "Pour me rapprocher de Marie." Joan Sutherland is stupendous as Marie bringing her legendary vocal control as well as a sense of fun which helps to make this opera burst with energy.