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Afficianados the world over must surely be grateful for the release of this historic 1978 new production for Vienna. The superb cast is headed by a vocally strong Obraztsova and clarion Domingo, with special merit to the Micaela of Isobel Bchanan.

Kleiber (in one his rare forays into the opera pit) leads a brilliant reading, at times very fast, but thrilling always. Zefirelli's production is over-the-top, and he's adept at pulling both nuanced performances from his principles and expertly managing the large crowd scenes.

It's a minor pity, therefore, that the technical aspects of this DVD fall somewhat short. Yes, it's a soon-to-be 30 year-old recording, but audio remastering hasn't altogether corrected a somewhat dull and shrill (at times) soundtrack. It's not enough to get in the way, but does take away a star in my opinion.