Two operas from the Verdi canon, making (not that it matters) an oddly assorted pair: Stiffelio (1850) from the early-middle period and something of a one-off, Falstaff (1893) the grand summation of the whole oeuvre. This production of Stiffelio at the Metropolitan, New York, was of historical importance, being the first since the year of the unsuccessful premiere at Trieste. The story of the score, rewritten as Aroldo, being then lost but found reposing in the keeping of the Verdi family, is a fascinating one and is outlined in the booklet. The other point made about the production is that it was mounted specifically for Domingo who enjoyed in it one of the most impressive triumphs of his career, happily preserved now in sight as well as sound.

And Domingo is certainly well worth watching, alert and responsive, holding the stage without being in the least stagey. This is not true of all. Vladimir Chernov’s beautifully vibrant and evenly produced voice is helped by his feeling for the Verdi style to make his performance as the old soldier proud of his family’s honour a delight for the ears; his acting, however, is formal and lacking in the mysterious quality of stage presence. Sharon Sweet has plenty of that but not of the right kind. Lina should have a certain fragility, physical as well as moral. At least she should look like the wife of a puritan minister, and we should warm to her for her modesty. It may be because of this that I found watching this DVD an unmoving experience. Nor, to tell the truth, did I feel convinced (as previously I have been) by the score – how, for a start, to account for that Overture, with its succession of light, rather skittish developments, so alien to the sober, serious drama about to unfold.

The Falstaff (it’s a pleasure to report) is a delight from start to finish. The box quotes the Sunday Times which proclaimed it “the operatic event of the year”. As I remember it, the enthusiasm was more qualified in some opinions, the main complaint being that Giulini’s tempi were too slow. In the theatre that is how it seemed to me too; on video it no longer seems so. This may be because the detail of action onstage can be observed so closely and with so much enjoyment in the rightness and liveliness which seem never to desert the producer and his company. Bruson is a magnificent Falstaff, whether from the twinkle in his eye or the radiant rotundity of his voice. He has a worthy Bardolph and Pistol too, both with an infallible feel for comedy. The wives are merry as it were from inner delight rather than as dutiful part of an evening’s work. Barbara Hendricks (a few low notes apart) makes an enchanting Nannetta, and Dalmacio Gonzales is a honey-toned Fenton. All do well, and although there must now be a whole gallery of Falstaffs on film (some of them admirable), this will do very well for me.