Les Huguenots is a marvelous opera with its terrific arias and ensembles and dramatic plot, but it also must be given the full star treatment for it to work. Seven star singers are needed plus a host of good comprimarios, an excellent chorus and orchestra, and a conductor who understands the style and the give-and-take of rubato. It is long opera and requires an opulent production. This production is good, but not great. The leading singers perform creditably, but not memorably. Eda-Pierre and Diaz are probably the best known of the lot. Both display their abilities well. Lo Forese manages Raoul's notes, but with little finesse in music that demands it. Tarrés sang Valentine a number of times successfully, showing that it must be sung by a soprano with a solid top. The other singers are all capable as is Savini on the podium. The entire performance though sounds rather catch-as-catch-can and that won't do for this massive work.Act 5 is completely cut (not uncommon back then), but there are also bits and pieces missing from the master tape that make for a frustrating listening experience. The actual sound isn't bad, if obviously cobbled together from several sources.

What there is (and what can be heard) isn't all that bad -- but it's only half of the opera (well, maybe it's 60%). The whole of Act 5 is missing. At times it is hard to make any sense of it. I bought it for Eda-Pierre, who is a nice Marguerite (but doesn't come anywhere near Sutherland). Lo Forese (or Loforese, but not, I think, LoForese) has some excellent high notes at his disposal and doesn't mind showing them off. Diaz is an interesting choice for Marcel: he sounds young and healthy and gorgeous (alright, there are a few low notes that he doesn't really have). Sonically, something odd is going on: the first track on CD1 sounds unbelievably good for a 1971 live taping -- like a modern digital studio recording. From track 2 onwards, we ARE suddenly listening to a 1971 live taping. Presentation could be better as well. There's not even a track list (perhaps to disguise the fact that there is no Act 5?). Spelling of names is inconsistent: is it Schenk or Schenck? Savini or Savarini? Easy to look up, I know, so why not get it right in the first place? And why isn't Tarrés even mentioned on the front? Anyway, the set does whet your appetite for a good, modern, COMPLETE recording. There is a 2011 one on Youtube (cond. Minkowski) which lasts almost 4 hours. Hopefully that will come out on CD some time.

Lo Forese in mémoriam fantastic

This is obviously an historic performance which sometimes means sound quality is lacking. There are a few spots of questionable moments where perhaps some of the recording was dropped or just distant, but overall it holds up well.

Many cuts in this recording

this was much more enjoyale than I expected,the sensation is Angelo lo Forese as Raoul an unbelievable and ideal mixture of Gedda and Corelli noth of whom I know from recordings of live performances of this opera Diaz is excellent and so is the Urbain of Chamorro a name new to me and a first class singer. Tarres is very hit and miss at th etop but still exciting,the cuts are many and large including all of act 5,but under the more than competent Savini this was a really unexpected Christmas treat