With the Pari final it's so exinting specially whhen Azucena is the great SHIRLEY VERETT

What a pity Scotto didn't get to record her Leonora in the studio! Here she is perhaps even finer than she was a year earlier. She is at one with Verdi in all of her singing and, as always, makes interesting interpretive choices. She includes a verse of "Tu vedrai" as she did in all of her performances of this role.Cortez justifies her reputation as a fine singer and has a ringing B-flat (she ducks the C in the duet wirh Manrico). Because Lopez-Cobos chooses the vapid Paris ending she is cheated out of a final B-flat. The audience adores her and gives her long ovations. Milnes is an excellent, sexy Di Luna in very good voice. He joins Cortez on the final high note, whatever it is. Cossutta gives us a beautiful Manrico, sung with style and sensitivity. He even indicates the trills in "Ah, si ben mio" with skill - an underrated singer! Vinco begins the opera with a well-sung narrative. Lopez-Cobos leads an exciting performance, recorded in listenable sound. The voices are slightly recessed, but can be clearly heard.There was a weird moment of very brief file corruption in the first track of disc one on my copy. Otherwise no other problems.

What a pity for a conductor not to get carried away by the melodies and dramatic opportunities. Lopez-Cobos put its questionable stamp on the performance despite a magnificent Scotto - Leonora (even the unknown Inez was very good) and Cossutta - Manrico. Milnes could have been more sublime but he was a good Luna. Cortez's Azucena, many could have killed for. Remarkable performance. However, one would be out of luck to get acquainted with this opera through this recording. Other than that, I'm glad you made it available. The performance has its merits.

Excellent performance with Scotto not sounding as 'wiry' as she was to become, Cortez clearly an audience favourite and the men keeping up their high reputation. Paris ending (with reprise of the Miserere) is used.

This most exciting performance (which even includes one verse of Leonora’s ‘Tu vedrai’, the Act 4 cabaletta) has a bonus in using the alternative 1857 Paris version of the finale. When Manrico is taken off to execution, the usually swift conclusion is replaced by a reprise of the Miserere, with monks offstage, and led by Azucena in a kind of lament for her son (lots of “Oh mio figlio”s etc.!) Then we are taken back to (a slightly different) version of the familiar ending. It’s most interesting, and worth hearing, even if (as with, say, the Paris version of the Otello Act 3 ensemble) it’s not for everyday consumption. See Julian Budden’s summary in his marvellous 3-vol. Verdi book (by the way, he doesn’t like it!)