It is only a few months since Naxos issued the historic first recording of Turandot, made originally by Cetra in 1938, and full-bodied as this modern live recording is, there is much to be said for remaining faithful to that earlier set; it not only brings far better singing but the two discs offer as a substantial bonus a fascinating collection of early recordings of individual numbers from the opera.

The central problem here lies with the casting of Giovanna Casolla in the title-role. It must have seemed ideal to Naxos to sign up the same dramatic soprano who appeared as the Icy Princess in the 1998 RCA set of Turandot, recorded live in Beijing with Zubin Mehta as conductor. Sadly, the marked judder that Casolla kept more or less under control in 1998 has developed alarmingly, and the start of Turandot’s big opening aria, ‘In questa reggia’, starts with such squally singing – loud, gusty and uneven – that I cannot imagine it giving pleasure to anyone. It is true that when she is singing softly, the production is far firmer and even beautiful. That is so in Turandot’s principal solo in the Alfano completion, ‘Dal primo pianto’, the most moving moment in her performance, a passage inexplicably omitted from the Mehta set. Yet this is a role demanding power above all, and there, I fear, Casolla’s singing is not something one wants to endure for long, particularly when the recording balances the voices close, well in front of the orchestra.

The singing of Lando Bartolini as Calaf is seriously flawed, too. There are signs that his was once a ringingly heroic tenor, yet he belts everything out lustily with unremitting coarseness, often sliding up to notes whether out of strain or just carelessness. The Japanese soprano Masako Deguci is far finer as Liù, for hers is a sweet, pure voice, and even if in her relative restraint she could be more characterful, her finely controlled singing makes a striking contrast with that of the other two principals. Though the baritone taking the role of Ping is gritty and ill-focused, there is little to complain of among the others, with Pang and Pong typical comprimario tenors, and the Mandarin of José García-Quijada makes a most promising impression at the start.

The opening scene is impressive, too, for the singing of the Bilbao Choral Society, so important when at that point the chorus is protagonist. Both men and women are fresh and bright, responding well to the vigorous conducting of Alexander Rahbari, who tends to favour speeds on the brisk side. The result is generally dramatic, but such a reflective passage as Ping, Pang and Pong’s ‘Ho una casa’ loses its magic, and Rahbari starts the final ensemble of Act 1 so fast that there is hardly room for the accelerando to make for a thrilling close. ‘In questa reggia’ fails to build as powerfully as it should at Rahbari’s speed, whatever the quality of singing. Though the forward balance of voices detracts from the impact of the orchestra, the sound is satisfyingly full-bodied.