Only 4 stars as the sound was not perfect but it was an in house recording and lovely to hear it again after so long. The highlights were the Luna and Leonore plus the conducting during a wonderful run of performances, so lovely to be able to re hear them and know they were as good as I recall. One small error, it was still SWO not ENO back in 72!!

I am so glad many of the ENO performances continue to be made available as they show the high standards that prevailed at the time. This recording was taped by someone probably in the middle stalls and captures the voices well, yet is not quite close enough so that the English translation is consistently comprehensible. Hunter is a magnificent Leonora and reveals again why she was so revered. Her effortless top, vocal flexibility, and ability to spin a gossamer piannissimo are a tremendous asset in Verdi. I hadn't heard of Jon Sydney before, but he proves to be a mellifluous Manrico with a beautiful tone. Bailey shows what a fine singer he was with this assertive and sensitive Di Luna. Most of us think of him in the Wagner repertoire; he was equally good in Verdi. Gabrielle Lavigne, a Canadian mezzo, is a formidable Azucena, possessing a lighter timbre than we normally hear in this role. She has an easy trill and a strong top, giving us the top C in the cadenza of her duet with Manrico and a thrilling B-flat to end the opera.I like Mackerras' conducting very much; he gives us much more of the score than we usually get, including some ballet music in Act Three and Leonora's "Tu vedrai" cabaletta in Act Four. He is inconsistent about interpolated high notes: almost every one of them is allowed except a high D-flat from Hunter at the end of Act One (and Hunter would have sung it so well!)The sound isn't great, but is certainly listenable.

The performance is excellent. Sound quality is poor though. But I bought this one as a document. Overall, I am very happy with it.

Despite the Wagnerian renown of some of the singers in this cast, this is very much a bel canto "Trovatore." Rita Hunter is resplendent and Verdi's writing holds no terrors. Canadian mezzo Gabrielle Lavigne makes an affecting Azucena and Norman Bailey is a dominating Count di Luna, also offering the best diction to be heard. (The recording is a little mushy.) Jon Sydney is rather bleaty but not so much so as to impede enjoyment of his Manrico. Only David Gwynne's blank Ferrando disappoints. Charles Mackerras presides with a firm but singer-friendly hand and not only opens several standard cuts (like Leonora's Act IV cabaletta, which Hunter aces) but also at least some of Verdi's ballet music.

The fact is , this happened twice to me at the Garden, Silja was ill for a Dutchman with Thomas Stewart and Hunter came in and sang the role having not sang it in years , and again for the Trovatore.

My copy arrived this am,FANTASTIC. Jon Sydney sings better than I remember,he must have had an off night when I went,or have my expectations lowered in these later years.Rita is of course fabulous,I preferred her in Italian Opera(I have about 5 or 6 performances of her Norma on CD,and a couple of Trovatores. Still looking for her Odabella in Verdis Atilla! She came to Bradford and sang this killer role with Smith I think as her tenor,cannot remember the Bass Atilla though,Rita totally obliterated all others in my mind. just imagine that Santo di Patria and cabaletta!)

I think you’ll find the Attila to Hunter’s wonderful Odabella was a certain Donald McIntyre! He was certainly paired with her at Sadler’s Wells that season and I saw several performances.The Trovatore ballet was only done in the first season and then abandoned. A later revival paired Hunter with Elizabeth Connell as Azucena, Neil Howlett as Di Luna and Kenneth Collins – they were performances to remember! And John Copley’s production was the best Trovatore I’ve ever seen.