Riccardo Muti is caught here near the start of his international career in one of the operas he knows best, Il Trovatore. Few conductors can wield such specificity in Verdi's foreboding score, and the results are exhilarating. The cast is uniformly excellent, especially the under-rated Matteo Manuguerra as Di Luna. Gilda Cruz-Romo and Fiorenza Cossotto are both in top form, although I personally prefer the richness of a contralto voice as Azucena.