Ronald F. Payne | Alexandria, VA United States | 09/16/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"With so many good recordings of "Falstaff" it's hard to recommend this as anything higher than a 4th or 5th choice. But it does have virtues. Juan Pons' thick rich baritone sounds pleasingly fat like "Old John" should sound. The precision produced by Muti's leadership is astounding(especially for a live performance)! The final comic fugue shows the ensemble at it's virtuosic best. In fact there are no weak links in the performance. What's missing? Heart, warmth effervescence...Still, if you love this opera as much as I, and you feel the need to have 6 or 7 recordings of it, this will be a rewarding listening experience."