This preserves an excellent 1968 NYCO performance with good sound. One could wish for a more psychotic Canio, but Placido Domingo’s voice is golden with a good sense of drama, especially in the tense “onstage” dueling with Nedda/Columbine. Maralin Niska is also excellent as an abuse victim ready to call it quits and facing up to her husband in the face of death. The baritone roles are both strongly cast, with Marsh making a vocal treat out of the prologue and Cossa coming across as a genuinely attractive romantic rival, making credible Nedda’s brazen response to her husband’s questioning. The chorus is, as usual for the NYCO, full-voiced and dramatic, even getting an audience ovation for their difficult Act II piece. Rudel’s conducting keeps the pace tense and gives good readings to the preludes to both parts of the work. Like many private tapes from this venue, the recording favors the orchestra with performers slightly recessed, but in this recording this is rarely troublesome, and the singers’ big moments are all clear and impressive.