This live recording of Il Trovatore was made on a tour by La Scala in Moscow in 1964, and it has the kind of old-fashioned, blood-red passion that was perhaps only possible with all-Italian casts. Its level of intensity, even wildness, accentuates the plot's melodramatic qualities and makes it hugely compelling. Of the principals, only Giulietta Simionato as Azucena is vocally inconsistent. Dramatically, its possible to forgive her since she is in...

Twenty years after it was first released by Archiv in 1987, Trevor Pinnock and the English Consort's coupling of Vivaldi's Gloria and Scarlatti's Dixit Dominus still sounds new, vital, and even contemporary in this 2007 reissue. Pinnock's tempos are lively, his lines clean, his textures clear, and his rhythms crisp. The English Consort's playing is light, tight, suave, supple, and, when the piece calls for it, powerful. The Choir of the English Consort's...

Contains the complete text of the libretto with annotations in both English and Italian and a critical historical commentary. The text also includes the background of the composer, biographies of the principal singers and conductor. The two accompanying CDs contain the complete opera sung in Italian.

Contains the complete text of the libretto with annotations in both English and German, and a critical historical commentary. The text also includes the background of the composer, biographies of the principal singers and conductor. The two accompanying CDs contain the complete opera sung in German.