Compact Disc, as ever, is the most revealing of all 'carriers', and I have to report that my initial enthusiasm was somewhat modified here in finding the voices a little too backward in relation to the orchestra, which itself doesn't always have quite the clear focus I expected. I suspect the malaise of multi-miking is to blame, as I seldom found the balance quite satisfactory. However, none of these technical shortcomings detracted from my renewed enjoyment at the excitement and eloquence of the performance itself. Domingo seems to me, if anything, more noble and tragic in his utterance than before (for Levine on RCA), Ricciarelli the more tender. Diaz may at times be penny-plain as Iago, but he makes a very credible Ancient. The choral singing and orchestral playing seem all that much more blazing on CD, Maazel obviously obtaining the most enthusiastic responses from all concerned. And—please note—this recording is not the film soundtrack (which makes substantial cuts), and the score is presented, ballet apart, in its entirety. In practically every respect, possibly Scotto's Desdemona apart, this is the preferred Otello on Compact Disc.'