"The Dutch audience at the Holland festival must have enjoyed this performance tremendously and so have I. It's a shame I couldn't see all the stage tricks that made the audience laugh but vocally at least I feel this is one of the most charming Barbiere performances.
Capecchi was a genuine Italian buffo baritone and even with all his buffo tricks he can't hide that he had a fantastic, stong voice. I wish he'd showed it off more but then he might not have been as fun as he is here. Alva is heard in one of his many Contes and if he's not the Rossini tenor we're used to today, he was possibly the best of his time. Corena easily matches these two in vocal beauty and stage fun while Trama and Tyler are perfectly acceptable as Don Basilio and Berta respectively. Finally, you don't get a more charming Rosina than Teresa Berganza. Captured here at the very first stages of her long career the voice is even, warm and simply adorable. I miss some of the soprano dazzle and crafts Callas taught me but with Berganza one quickly realises why the Count is so much in love with her.
Guilini starts in a rather dull spirit but the stage fun soon cheers him up and leads this splendid cast to great success."