Verdi: Un Ballo en Maschera

Spain’s famous opera stars Carreras and Caballé, who are professional colleagues and friends in real life, are an irresistible pairing at the head of a wonderful cast in this La Scala production, recorded live in Milan in 1975. Renato Bruson, considered by many to be the best Italian baritone of recent years, is another major bonus for this set. Includes complete Italian-English libretto and historical notes. Opera d’Oro presents Grand Tier, a deluxe edition of the most beloved Opera d’Oro performances, with original artwork by Rafal Olbinski and Opera d’Oro’s best remastered sound! Including a 64-page booklet with historic photos, a complete Italian libretto and new original English translation, and an essay on the performance by Ira Siff, this unforgettable, passionate performance captures its three principals at exactly the right moment in their vocal development. “Francesco Molinari-Pradelli leads a searing performance with the Scala forces responding beautifully to his exciting shaping of the score. Carreras recalled later that these performances were the greatest of his career to that point. We can only be grateful for their documentation and continue to yearn for a Verdi renaissance that gives us this kind of unbridled passion, first-rate singing and innate understanding of style in the opera house again. In the meanwhile, we have this amazing Ballo.” — Ira Siff