One of Rossini’s most attractive scores, La donna del lago is both bold and delicate, at one moment looking ahead to Verdi, at several others suggesting a Mozartian affinity. Perhaps, unwittingly, it reflects an anomaly in Scott’s poem – romantic in feeling and classical (octosyllabic couplets) in form. Occasionally plebeian gusto takes over from an almost aristocratic refinement. The orchestral writing offers colour, adornment and a steady supply of additional interest. For the voice, opportunities for brilliance are matched by passages of sustained lyrical elegance. Dramatically, the construction is effective, the tension well contrived, with characters and situations that can touch the heart. The booklet describes the performance as live but what we hear doesn’t always accord with what I noted at the time. On the night Gregory Kunde, in the fearsome role of Rodrigo, sounded at times foggy, almost as though singing through a cold, his tone breaking free with startling clarity on the high notes. The recording is more evenly voiced, the low notes clearer, the top not quite so exciting. And whereas the memory of Carmen Giannattasio as Elena is of something very special, the recorded sound seems not quite to catch the distinctive beauty of her tone throughout the range. Also the recording is without applause: and there was much.

It was an evening of general rejoicing in the singers’ art. Perhaps the greatest enthusiasm of all greeted Kenneth Tarver, especially after his solo at the beginning of Act 2: and that comes out on record exactly as remembered, a model of legato singing from the start and blissfully even and precise in florid work later on. Though this was a concert performance, all was fully expressive and, if one couldn’t claim a high degree of dramatic involvement, at least as a member of the audience one felt interest and sympathy.

The issue competes with two earlier available sets, Muti’s from La Scala (Decca, 2/95) and Pollini’s from Pesaro (CBS, 7/85). Of these, Pollini’s is probably most successful in drawing the listener in to the drama, largely through its closer recording of the soloists. In the new version the orchestra is well to the fore, and their playing is certainly a main strength, Maurizio Benini conducting with spirit and finesse. Offstage band and chorus are also more effectively recorded here, and a better version of the text is presented. Opera Rara also bring their habitual generosity and scholarship to the accompanying booklet, with a handsome box and stylish packaging.