By the early 1970s, Greek soprano Elena Souliotis was facing the challenges of a career that had accelerated too quickly. The punishing roles she took on in her twenties had begun to wear on her once-pristine soprano. Fortunately, this performance of Macbeth captures her on a good day, when she was still firmly in command of her formidable vocal resources. Her Lady Macbeth is strikingly youthful—less a calculating villainess and more an amoral figure with a chilling innocence, closer in spirit to Berg's Lulu than to Shakespeare's hardened antiheroine.

Mario Zanasi brings elegant phrasing and vocal strength to the title role, matching Souliotis' energy with a Macbeth that unravels with dignity and pathos. Giorgio Merighi contributes a strong Macduff, singing his aria with clarity and emotional weight. While the sound quality leaves something to be desired, the power and character of the voices still shine through.