As Janos has mentioned below the source of this performance is very likely not Mexico City, but let's move on.Milanov mostly has a glorious afternoon. As she herself has said she could be very uneven. The two big arias are sung as beautifully as I ever hope to hear them, especially the Act 4 aria where the soprano demonstrably shows why she was so loved. There are other moments that are less good. Milanov had a habit of singing sharp and one can hear that in the Miserere. On the other hand, she doesn't just "park-and-bark", but is also involved in the drama. Harshaw sings very reliably, if without the temperament of a Simionato or Barbieri. She gets off some great high B-flats, including the big one at the end (she ducks the written top C in the Act 2 duet with Manrico). Baum sounds a little scrappy; we'd be happy to have him today. He sings "Di quella pira" in key, showing off two spot-on top Cs.Warren never had an Italianate sound, but he sang with bel canto beauty. Moscona is an excellent Ferrando. Sodero's leadership is routine: he knew the opera and what the singers needed very well.The sound is pitched correctly and is always listenable. It gets rather tinny sounding in Act 2, probably due to the age of the original discs. It recovers by Act 3. It may not be ideal, but we've all heard worse and I for one am grateful Opera Depot issued this.For fans of the opera and the singers.

I'm a littele bit embarrassed because according to the Metropolitan Archive this performance took place in the Met with the following cast: Il TrovatoreMetropolitan Opera House, Sat, March 18, 1944 Matinee BroadcastIl Trovatore (221)Giuseppe Verdi | Salvatore CammaranoManrico Kurt BaumLeonora Zinka MilanovCount Di Luna Leonard WarrenAzucena Margaret HarshawFerrando Nicola MosconaInes Maxine StellmanRuiz Lodovico OlivieroGypsy John BakerConductor Cesare Sodero And beacuse it is a typical MET cast from that ages and the sound quality is also much better as with other performances from Mexico City I'm inclined to agree with the MET Archive. The performance itself is excellent with the greatest singers of that era. Zinka Milanov sings with amazing beauty and empathy, Margaret Harshaw's dramatic expressiveness and wonderful high voices, Kurt Baum's expressive tenor and Warren's radiant Luna give us a won derful experience. The choir is also strong and the performance is well-conducted (probably by Sodero). A performance which we are always happy to listen.