A nice performance with Domingo very good in one of his best roles, Dame Gwyneth still superlative in Amelia despite her first Brünnhilde in Bayreuth, and a revelation : the mexicain Roberto Banuelas somptuous voice and incarnation. Of course, Nello Santi, favourite conductor of many great singers, at home in this opera.

Here we have Dame Gwyneth Jones in another of her all too few Verdi roles. Amelia poses no problems for her vocally. The climaxes of the arias all soar the way one wants them to and she keenly transmits Amelia's anguish. For those who may think that 1975 was late for her, listen to the sample that Andy has provided. The vibrato is under control and there is little of the ungainliness that could affect her singing once she began to do the big Wagner roles regularly.It is so easy to take Domingo for granted. In 1975 he was still thinking about what he was singing and his Riccardo is splendidly sung to boot. He joins Jones on a great top C and the end of their duet and sings a slightly different cadenza at the conclusion of his Third Act aria. Manual Banuelas is excellent as Renato: a strong, mahogany-colored baritone of just the right size and color for this repertoire. Jeanette Scovotti is listed as Oscar yet I'm not sure it is she who is singing. Whoever it is is very good: a sweet, lyrical voice that easily reaches the top notes and still contrasts well with Jones, Stella Silva's voice may not be world-class, but she knows what she's supposed to do and makes a strong contribution.The orchestra and chorus perform well for Santi who clearly knows his way about this score. This is taken from an in-house source, but the voices are heard clearly for the most part (Domingo is off-mic in the Act One trio). We've all heard much worse!

What could have been an ordinary repertory evening is greatly lifted by the presences of Placido Domingo and Gwyneth Jones. Both are almost obscenely gifted in vocal resource, whether it is his golden coloration of tone or the unfailing spin of her legato. The production reverts to the Boston setting, so Domingo is a playboy governor, not king, but one who seems to take things lightly until Act 3, when Ma se forza perderti stuns with its emotional force. (Ironically, the generous bonus tracks feature him as the Duke in Rigoletto. [Jones is heard in Trovatore]) The stakes are always high for Jones, as convincing in her seminal Verdi role as in Wagner, although some evenness of emission seems to have been lost in the movement toward German repertory. Unfortunately, although Roberto Bañuelas has a lean baritone with an easy upward reach, he doesn't say anything interesting about Renato with it. Stella Silva is frankly a second-rate Ulrica, heavy-voiced and lurching along, but she holds her own in the trio with Domingo and Jones. Happy to report, Jeanette Scovotti is a charming Oscar. The Munich comprimarios are a heavy-footed bunch but they don't impede the exciting cut and thrust of Nello Santi's reading.