Marmez1@aol.com | Los Angeles, CA USA | 03/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an excellent Rigoletto. Guilini's conducting is superb, if a bit on the serious side. Domingo is great as the Duke, and Cappuccilli's Rigoletto and Cotrubas' Gilda are also outstanding. The sound is wonderful. Anyone who needs a version with outstanding sound and excellent performance can buy this disc with confidence. For myself, the first choice is the version with Callas and Gobbi. Perhaps Domingo is a better Duke, but Gobbi's sensitive musicianship makes him a fantastic Rigoletto, and Callas an outstanding Gilda. That version crackles with more excitement, though the sound per se is not as exciting as this one.Eventually you will probably buy both versions if you love this opera as much as I do."