Decca Opera Verdi: Il Trovatore (2cd)

Luciano Pavarotti (Manrico), Shirley Verrett (Azucena), Antonella Banaudi (Leonora), Leo Nucci (Il Conte di Luna), Francesco Ellero d'Artegna (Ferrando), Barbara Frittoli (Ines), Piero de Palma (Ruiz), Roberto Scaltriti (Un vecchio zingaro), Enrico Facini (Un messo) Orchestra e Coro di Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Zubin Mehta Studio recording, 1990

“Verrett's portrayal, always one of her best roles, is given here with more feeling and involvement than anyone else in the cast...Vocally speaking, the two veteran singers are well attuned to each other, attempting the familiar with nicely varied accents and dynamics...[Pavarotti] sings [Manrico] with such unfailing musicality and sense of line (listen to the recitative before "Ali si, ben mio", indeed the aria itself) that the missing decibels are hardly missed” Gramophone Magazine, July 1995

Price: $21.98