VERDI - FALSTAFF

Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera (26 February, 1949)

Warren, Resnik, Elmo, Valdengo, Albanese, Di Stefano, Others / Reiner

At last! An acceptable full-sounding recording of a remarkable revival at the Met: the 1949 Falstaff directed with great brilliance by Fritz Reiner. This album offers the only preservation of these singers in Verdi's rollicking, effervescent comedy, with the exception of Cloe Elmo's famed Dame Quickly who was also heard in Toscanini's performance of this opera the following year. This broadcast, together with the same conductor's direction of Salome with Wellitsch, were the sensation of the season and now you can hear why. The booklet provides notes on the singers and performance together with rare photos of these vocal artists in their roles and on stage. This, together with the broadcast commentary and curtain calls, achieves another triumph for Guild's many releases of important Met broadcasts.