I have to hand it to Birgit Nilsson: at 55 she doesn't sound all that different than she did 14 years earlier when she recorded her first studio performance of the title role. The voice takes a little longer to come into focus, but everything is there by the first laser-like high B. She has also deepened her characterization or at least added some new colors to her favorite vacation role. Rolf Bjoerling doesn't have his father's sheer beauty of tone, his own vibrato a little noisy. He does one-up his famous father by singing an excellent top C at "No, no, principessa altera", a note his dad left out in the aforementioned 1959 studio recording. Helena Dose has the right ideas for Liu, but she isn't really a Puccini singer. Her top notes tend to sag in pitch.The other singers (unidentified) are all very good, the Emperor Altuom especially so. This part usually goes for very little, yet here the singer makes some specific choices that add tension to the riddle scene. Ehrling makes all the traditional cuts.The sound is excellent broadcast stereo, a few moments of static aside. I think this was a concert performance; there is very little stage noise.The filler is nice, but could have included the entire riddle scene as there was certainly enough time left on the disc. Nilsson remains a marvel, Di Stefano should not have been singing Calaf.

I think this is very good recording of Turandot. Nilsson is amazing, her high notes are very powerful, breathtaking. Rolf Bjoerling has sometimes a bit narrow, limited voice, however he is still very good Calaf with good high notes. Other singers, chorus and orchestra are excellent. Highly recommendable.

Superb.