This performance, a TV production of 47 years ago, offers a charming reminder of how well an ingenuous style of production can serve this particular work. Lanfranchi, responsible for other productions emanating from Italian TV in the 1950s now available on DVD, treats Bellini’s country romance with an easy lightness that fits it so much more naturally than modern efforts at updating. And it precisely suits a young cast with three Italian-speaking principals ideal for their parts.

Moffo, at 24, was at the dawn of her career when invited to take part in this production. With her faultess legato and fioriture and her good looks she is a most appealing Amina, one who conveys perfectly the innocence and vulnerability of Bellini’s heroine, culminating in a deeply eloquent ‘Ah, non credea mirarti’. Thereafter she did nothing better than this. She is finely partnered by a virtually unknown tenor in Danilo Vega (can any reader tell us more about him?), who has all the qualities needed in a Bellinian tenor – sweet, flexible tone, fluent technique and above all an ability to inflect Elvino’s music with care over nuance and dynamics. As such he is as accomplished as his noted coevals, Tagliavini and Valetti, in this kind of work. Clabassi sings his opening cavatina in a quiet, introverted way that exactly fits Rodolfo’s inner musings. He then manages to combine sympathy for Amina with his obvious erotic feelings towards to her. Add a sympathetic Teresa from Anelli and sensitive conducting from the youthful Bartoletti and you have a wonderfully apt ensemble to interpret this piece.

The lip-synch is often indifferent and there is now and again some distortion; otherwise the sound is quite good. I was delighted by the whole thing, but younger and/or more sophisticated collectors may find it too dated in its looks.