A poorly paced libretto and unsatisfactory resolution make La vida breve an unconvincing piece in the theatre. On disc Falla’s atmospheric and exciting score has its head and has fared well over the years, most recently in an inexpensive Naxos recording (5/04).

In a work that depends so much on the central character of Salud, though, it’s recordings by Victoria de los Angeles and Teresa Berganza that stake a prime claim to attention. De los Angeles’s 1965 stereo remake under Frühbeck de Burgos outclasses this 1954 version in depth of characterisation and finely tuned nuance, just as it does more obviously in the extra magic created by stereo sound. Yet there’s still a great deal to make this earlier recording well worth hearing. De los Angeles’s voice is purer and more youthful, portraying a correspondingly greater vulnerability in her relationship with the man she worships. Her solos are sung with the utmost beauty and clarity, and she’s incomparably affecting in her second solo as she realises Paco’s treachery.

In conductor Ernesto Halffter, a pupil of Falla, this version also offers a direct link with the composer. In addition it provides the chance to hear distinguished Spanish singers under-appreciated outside Spain, for instance the stylish Catalan tenor Pablo Civil, agreeably fresh on the ear as Paco, and Rosario Gomez as Salud’s grandmother. It’s not just admirers of de los Angeles who would wish to have this expertly transferred reissue in their collection alongside the stereo remake.