A wonderful Recording! A must own!!
11/25/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a recording that is sung very well, especially by Nicolai Gedda (the Duke of Mantua), and being a live recording has an added excitement/edge that is oft missing in studio recordings. Nicolai Gedda is at the middle of his career in his glorious prime. He was, I consider, the perfect voice for this role. His high notes here would rival anybody's, anytime (including a great High D flat at the end of the "Addio" duet with Gilda, at the end of Act 1). Hugo Hasslo is a very fine Rigoletto, pouring out his voice with magnificent high notes. The Gilda in this performance is a very fine coloratura soprano. Also look for a very young Ingvar Wixel in the minor role of Count Ceprano. The one down side of this recording is that there are the traditional cuts for that time ("Possente a'mor" is missing, a shame because Gedda would have sung it so magnificently, and there are cuts in the first act Rigoletto/Gilda duet). Also there is no libretto, only synopsis notes, but these are small prices to pay when you consider how well this performance is sung by everybody involved, plus the super bargain price of $15.49 is a steal. I just can't say enough about how really good this performance is. A great recording of Rigoletto and I would encourage everybody to get it."