I was present for this performance. Vickers turned in a powerful amd very nuanced performance. His and Tebaldi's voices presented with tremendous presence which seemed to threaten the physical integrity of the opera house itself! Tebaldi's Desdemona is a beautifully voiced and exhibits a gentle woman as was always her strength. But, her vehement answer to Otello's unfounded accusations is truly terrifying. The audience around me was shaken. The in-house sound is vibrant. This is a singular experience.

Have not listen to this performance yet. Did listen to the highlights performance of otello with regine crespin as Desdemona and del Monaco as otello 4 stars

I don't know how many times the great Otello of Jon Vickers was paired with the great Desdemona of Renata Tebaldi, but it was too few times in any case, and this is the only performance of that pairing that I have heard. Vickers was the great Otello of his generation, competing with the legacy of Del Monaco and the promise of Domingo, and holding his own against both. In this recording, his white-hot intensity elicits an equally fiery performance from Tebaldi, who was supreme in the role of Desdemona for a generation, but could sometimes be rather placid in her characterization. On this evening in Philadelphia, however, she caught fire from Vickers's own intensity and delivered an overwhelming performance. You will never hear a more riveting Handkerchief scene.

This is an exciting performance given by a cast of Metropolitan Opera regulars who probably came down to Philadelphia just for this performance. Vickers is in terrific voice and is both heroic and terrifying. This was one of Tebaldi's most famous roles and she gives a good account of herself. This is late middle career Tebaldi so some of the sheen for which she was so well-known is absent. She has no trouble with high notes (Desdemona doesn't lie very high) and portrays this loving, tormented woman with great dignity. Quilico is an excellent Iago, the voice caught before a certain wooliness took over a decade later. A pity the Emilia and Cassio are not listed as they are also excellent. Guadagno seems to be in a hurry to get through the evening. His tempi are quite swift and he cuts most of the Act Three ensemble as well as the children's chorus in Act Two (possibly because a children's chorus wasn't available and there was little, if any, rehearsal time).The voices are clearly captured, but I wish Andy had edited out some of the frustratingly random pauses from the original source. Track 13, disc 2 should be skipped altogether as it is only a long pause followed by applause.Any admirers of these singers should get this.

Great voices!

Louis Quilico was a great baritone, a native to North America, and a great Canadian.