Luciano Pavarotti and Fiorenza Cossotto recorded this opera commercially four years after this 1974 La Scala taping, but on the whole, this performance rings truer and is more exciting. Not only are the two principals in marginally fresher voice here, but the theatre atmosphere really brings out their competitive spirit–and they thrill, scene after scene. Piero Cappuccilli as Alfonso is properly nasty and sings rings around the almost too classy Gabriel Bacquier on Decca, while Ivo Vinco is good in the dreary role of Baldassare. The otherwise unknown Nino Verchi leads a taut performance–but how could he fail with a cast like this, in this form? A very exciting release.
