In this performance, Tito Gobbi chose to cut his last act aria due to vocal indisposition, but he recorded it commercially (it's on YouTube). He still provides a fascinating characterization of one of Shakespeare's more tormented characters.Amy Shuard is a terrific Lady Macbeth, singing with intensity and skill. She handles the coloratura well and has no trouble soaring on top. She even manages a good D-flat for the end of the Sleepwalking Scene, a note she would leave out in later performances. Robinson sings a powerful Banquo and Turp a mellifluous Macduff. Molinari-Pradelli makes very few cuts (no ballet in Act Three). The sound is excellent and is pitched correctly. Despite the omission of Macbeth's aria, all fans of the opera and/or the singers should hear this.

Wegen der schlechten Tonqualität kommen die guten Sänger nicht zur Geltung.

Aria Macbeth : “Pieta rispetto amore” from this Performance missing ! (Gobbi was indisposed or no more into ‘BELCANTO’,- the reason that he never sang Count Luna in Il Trovatore ). I was very interested how he would interpret the Macbeth Aria, and was disapointed that he left the Aria out (onle the Rezitativ is here).Anybody knows more about that ?Dieskau (NOT an ‘Italian Voice’) on the other hand performs an very interessting MACBETH, together with the excellent Grace Bumbry (Salzburg), but my favorite Macbeth is from the Colon Radio, with Astrid Varnay and Josef Metternich ! “She really makes her Husband doing it !!! with the same magic and personality as she did as Ortrud to Telramund (again with Metternich, Radio), but on stage: with Varnay I experienced the same influence on Telramund and Elsa !

I still have the original BBC broadcast,which announces after the interval,thatGobbi had been taken ill,but would continue as there was no cover for him,for thisreason,the aria was cut.