This is a fine performance, particularly from Luxon and Burrows, with real pathos in their falling out and the duel.Kord's tempi aren't excessive and keep the action moving.The sound is a bit muddy but the verve of the performance makes up for it.A reminder of Benjamin Luxon's strength outside his usual repertoire.

The performance here is excellent. All the singers perform their roles with skill and involvement. Te Kanawa sings like a dream, Luxon gives us an aloof, sexy Onegin, Burrows is a heartbreaking Lenski, Howell sounds beautiful in Gremin's aria, etc. And look at that supporting cast! Kord leads a spirited performance.I just wish this had been from a broadcast tape. It's listenable and pitched correctly, but the singers are a little recessed. You can hear them, but the distance makes the English translation muddy. There are a few crackles here and there as well. All the same fans of the singers and of this opera should get this.

...Nurse: Patricia PayneCaptain: William ElvinZaretsky: Paul HudsonPeasant: Ignatius McFadyenI was present at this performance (or during this run) so I have happy memories - and Luxon and Burrows are my favourites in their roles. However, I had and still have a problem with Kord's conducting; he often seems to want to get the opera finished in double-quick time and appears to want to steer away from any accusations of romanticism! A pity, as Onegin needs to be savoured -not indulgently- but with sensible tempi which allow the singers to express their characters as if they are living them...which is part of the genius of this work! Fortunately, the singers are a top-class British troup (we were so lucky with "house" singers in those days!) and mostly surmount the speed-problem. The excellent English translation, despite sometimes being obscured by sometimes-cloudy sound, allows us to immerse ourselves in the drama. So, despite reservations, this is still an essential listen.

Kiri te Kanawa is -of course- from New Zealand but at the time was considered part of the "British" troupe of house/guest singers, which obviously included Irish, Welsh and Scottish. As at English National Opera, singers who were actually from abroad but at the time performed regularly in the main houses, were considered to be "honorary British" by their adoring audiences (including me)! To start one of Ko-Ko's "little lists", we should consider CANADA: e.g. Don Garrard, Joseph Rouleau; AUSTRALIA: June Bronhill, Geoffrey Chard, Clifford Grant, John Shaw, Jonathan Summers, Donald Smith; NEW ZEALAND: Donald McIntyre, Heather Begg, Patricia Payne, Inia te Wiata. Anyone want to contribute [the parameters are (say) 1950-1980...what fun!]

I do have a problem with one of my purchases.I had ordered 2 different Puccini operas:1) Tosca Nov 22,1978 Caballe, DiStefano, Herles2) Turandot 1973 Nilsson, Bjorling, Dose I has played other items I had purchased recently from Opera Depot. Last evening I started to play Turandot. It didn't take long to realize that it was Tosca.It seems I have received TWO c/d's of Tosca and no Turandot.Please advise,Thomas E. Geraghtytomgeraty@aol.com

I saw every one of these performances, the best singer on the stage was Howell, ever word heard and superbly sung. Luxon was always a singer of great note but, for me certainly at the Garden and the Coliseum never came over like he did in the smaller houses, it was really a pity that he went deaf. Kiri is very good but Cotrubas even in English got to the heart of the role.