Excellent. Carreras before he ruined his voice was wonderful and Ghiaurov was in his prime. Excellent cast snd performancr

Of the dozen or so live performance recordings from Opera Depot, I believe this is the best!! For the most part, stereo sound quality rivals the best of the era's commercial releases. And the performance!!! Oh, my! Carreras is at his considerable best, gloriously singing a role that, unfortunately, was just one of those that shortened the peak of his career. Mirella Freni couldn't ever have been better than here; the same is true of Cappuccilli's Rodrigo. I only stop naming the cast because they are all tops! I can't recommend this recording too highly. Andy has produced a real winner here. All Verdi fans and fans of these great singers should avail themselves of this one asap.

Most of the leads sang these roles at the Salzburg Festival the previous summer. Freni, Ghiaurov, and Cappuccilli are all just as good here vocally and perhaps even more involved in the proceedings. Carreras sounds terrific. The top rings out heroically and he makes one care about this rather aloof young man. I would say he's better here than he was in the studio recording made a few years later when the effects of singing such roles were already wearing down the enamel on his gorgeous voice. Cossotto is very good, rhythmically alert as always. The wear and tear on her top notes is in evidence here though she has no disasters. Bastin is a good Inquisitor, if not as menacing as some others. Karajan makes the same maddening cuts he always did in this opera, especially distressing in the final Elisabetta/Carlo duet. Yet one can understand why these singers rejoined him for a second summer. The sound is superb. A Dutch radio announcer is heard after most scenes, giving the cast or a brief synopsis of the next scene.Recommended to all Don Carlo lovers and fans of these singers!

all star cast exuberant orchestral playing!

As in the 1975 a very grate performance.

Awesome performance

A superb document.

Which version of Don Carlos is this? No Fontenbleu scene. I'm confused.

As stated in the product description, the sound of this Don Carlo is indeed spectacular: clear, clean, with great balance between orchestra and the singers, and good depth. Compared to the 1978 studio recording (virtually with the same cast), which displays the customary 1970s EMI recessed voices and overpowering orchestra, this honestly reproduces the live experience.What a cast! All the singers except perhaps Cossotto are at the very top of their game, and Cappuccilli’s dramatic command of his role is even on better display here, together with his uncanny breath control. Ghiaurov is more dramatic and heartfelt here than in the studio, and his sonorous voice is just breathtaking. Carreras is heavenly, and Freni is her usual brilliant, charming self.About Cossotto: I don’t mean to say that she doesn’t sing well: just her top notes (lethal in Eboli’s part) are not as secure and daring as Baltza’s. But, she was indeed born to play Eboli, and it’s great to hear her in the part, and under Karajan.Karajan’s tempi are occasionally even broader here than in the studio recording, but I don’t think that hurts the opera at all: Rodrigo’s farewell tunes are just heartbreaking at that speed and with Cappuccilli’s sensitivity.As usual in the theater, Karajan makes some cuts: e.g., the second stanza of Eboli’s veil song in act I, and one of the most beautiful transitions that Verdi wrote, between the two parts of the duet between Carlo and Elisabetta, always in act I. Both are reinstated in the studio recording. Saving five minutes doesn’t seem so important with hindsight, but I guess the timing of festival evenings had its requirements.