On the strength of this performance, i am prepared to call Régine Crespin the definitive Marschallin, The silken legato, exquisite femininity and perfect feel for text are all the hallmarks of a great artist at her zenith. Unfortunately, this 24-carat diamond does not receive the setting she deserves. Kerstin Meyer's Octavian is dark and heavy of voice, hardly the aural image of an ardent young lover (Crespin sounds younger) and Fritz Wunderlich's Italian Singer is a better idea on paper than in actuality; he finds the tessitura of Di rigori armato heavy going. Most damangingly, Heinz Wallberg barges clumsily through the score, lurching from page to page. But the fatal flaw is heavy file corruption that makes the most exalated pages of Act III torture to listen. Anneliese Rothenberger's Sophie, happy to report, is to the manner born. Kurt Bohme is an old ruffian of a Baron Ochs, never to be mistaken for a member of the aristocracy but charming in his own way. If Opera Depot were to remaster the third act, this could be bumped up to a four-star recommendation.