Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Live at the Royal Festival Hall, 06/02/1961)

This release has been sourced from the Richard Itter archive of ‘live’ BBC recordings. The collection is very important for collectors because it has never been on the market before. Following the archive’s launch in October 2017 with successive releases featuring Beecham, Bohm, Cantelli, Casadesus, Karajan, Menuhin, Monteux, du Pre, Klemperer, Rostropovich and Walter, it has received universal praise from both the classical media and record collectors for the excellent sound and performances. Carlo Maria Giulini’s celebrated studio recording of Le nozze di Figaro was recorded in September 1959 following a live performance at the Royal Festival Hall a few days earlier. Nearly 18 months later there was another performance but with a substantially diferent cast. Harold Rosenthal in Opera magazine wrote of the concert performance: “Giulini’s reading of this miraculous score has deepened since the studio recording… the spark that was suddenly kindled between conductor and Teresa Berganza in ‘Voi che sapete’ was a moment to treasure. Indeed all Miss Berganza’s singing was outstanding.”