Caballe's Tosca is one of the most ravishingly sung on record, with scarcely a less than beautiful note from one end of the role to the other, save where an occasional phrase lies a touch low for her. She doesn't quite have the 'prima donna' (in quotes, mind) temperament for the part (the coquettish malice of ''but make her eyes black!'', as Tosca forgives Cavaradossi for using a blonde stranger as model for his altarpiece of the Magdalen, is not in Caballe's armoury; either that or she knows that her voice would sound arch attempting it), but her portrayal is much more than a display of lovely sounds. She is precise with words, takes minute care over phrasing, and although some may not care for her characteristic scoops at the outset of ''Vissi d'arte'', she knows to a split second where dead-centre precise pitching becomes crucial. Carreras's Cavaradossi is one of his best recorded performances: the voice untarnished, the line ample, and if he's tempted at times to over-sing (he quite drowns the Sacristan's interjections in ''Recondita armonia'') one forgives the fault for the sake of his poetic ardour (a very good ''E lucevan le stelle''). Wixell is the fly in the ointment: a capable actor and an intelligent artist, but his gritty timbre lacks centre and thus the necessary dangerous suavity.
Davis's direction is considerately flexible but dramatic and finely detailed; the secondary singers (Murray a convincingly boy-like Shepherd, Trimarchi an uncaricatured Sacristan, Ramey an aristocratic Angelotti) are all very good indeed. The recording, despite some rather unconvincing sound effects, still sounds very well, with space around the voices and a natural balance between them and the orchestra. Still a very competitive recording, in short; a pity that Philips, in their otherwise praiseworthy decision to pack two CDs into a jewel-case no thicker than those normally holding just one, should have saved space by omitting the libretto.'