Verdi: Ernani

Ideally, a more heroic voice than Carlo Bergonzi's is best for the title role in this complex melodrama about a noble rebel and outlaw in Renaissance Spain--so noble that he accepts death rather than break his word of honor and live happily ever after. However, Bergonzi makes up in technique and stylistic awareness for what he may lack in muscle. Leontyne Price's voice was at its peak in the late 1960s when this was recorded, but in style she is not comparable to Bergonzi. Neither is the supporting cast, Thomas Schippers, or, in the best competing version, Placido Domingo on EMI. This is not a perfect Ernani but, at its reduced price, it's a good buy. --Joe McLellan