I had long heard of this recording but had never experienced it myself. From various accounts, I was led to believe that Giuseppe Di Stefano's involvement was ill-advised due to the decline in his vocal abilities. While it is true that his once-beautiful instrument shows considerable wear, this remains a strikingly effective interpretation of one of the repertoire's greatest tenor roles. Though his top notes sound strained and effortful, he manages them all—and more importantly, he brings unwavering commitment to the role.

Marcella Pobbe is near ideal as Desdemona, her voice pure yet touched with a hint of slancio, lending thrilling urgency to her outbursts in the Act III duet with Otello. Tito Gobbi may also have been past his prime, but he meets the high dramatic standard set by Di Stefano, the two playing off one another like the great actors they were.

The sound is good, though there are some caveats. This recording captures the dress rehearsal, and Pobbe takes sections of the concertante down an octave (whereas Di Stefano holds nothing back). There is a brief break in the music at the beginning of Act III, scene ii, and the entirety of Act IV, scene i, is missing. To compensate, I have substituted another recording featuring Pobbe.