"In her first and better Puritani, Sutherland is phenomenal. No one can touch Sutherland when she was in her vocal prime as she is here. Fioritura, trills, staccati all done to perfection as always. But her high notes have to be heard to believe. Unlike Callas, who was terrified of the extreme high notes of "D" and "E", Sutherland is at most glorious there. A must have for the bel canto lover."
Great, but what about the Pavorotti/Sutherland effort?
08/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The cd here is the masterpiece of our time... the tour de force of bel canto...but what happened to the Sutherland/Pavorotti Puritani they did in 1976??? That was one of the great bel canto recording of the 20th century. Why is Decca not releasing it???????? Granted, the cd here is a force to reckoned with, but we still need to have the 1976 recording."
Gorgeous
02/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the 1962 version of Puritani that shows the young Australian diva at her most spectacular voice. Back in the early 1960's, she can do no wrong. All of the diva's later droopiness are non existent here, and the voice is so gorgeous that it leaves you breathless. Equally good is the Sonnambula of the same period."
Best Sutherland recording
06/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sutherland will never sing this beautiful in her career again. This is even better than the 1960 Lucia.
The voice is girlish, clear as a bell. The coloratura completely effortless. And oh! What a gorgeoue mightly sound she produces. And the high notes Wagnerian in size.
I think this ranks only with "Art of the Prima donna". And certainly beats the formidable 1973 remake of Puritani with Pavarotti.
Hear Sutherland before her husband started to conduct for her and turn her sublime voice into a moaning old maid.(Luckily that was a slow process, the diva remain supreme in the 60's and only sounds old in the 70's)
This shows Sutherland in her full potential. No one in history can compare. Callas also sang a fine Puritani, but it is still far away second best. That's how good this one is."
This is the best Il Puritani out there
06/30/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I must comment on this Puritani. It is on a higher level as both Sill's and Callas's efforts. And it's on a higher level than the later 1973 Pavarotti edition. The reason is Puritani is the epitomy of a bel canto opera, and opulence of tone and impeccable technique is a must. With the drama being of less importance since the plot is so silly.
Because of this, Sutherland's earlier Elvira with its radiant tone and classic coloratura is my favorite. But I can see how others would consider the Callas, Sills, or even the later Sutherland Elvira as being the best. It's all a matter of taste. And all of these puritani is delightfully delicious to me.
Elvira aside, I will have to say that Pavarotti in Sutherland's later set is the classic Elvino. With his sweet tenor, he handles the fiendishly high tessitura effortlessly, edging out Gedda.
So this makes a difficult decision. Which Puritani is the best overall. I still say the Sutherland's first one because Sutherland's then clear silvery tone is just too beautiful to be true. But I also have Sutherland's second Puritani, Callas's, and Beverly Sills, and enjoy all of them immensely."