It was only a few months ago that I was reviewing a recording of Dona Francisquita, which with three versions now current (and another six no longer available) must make it the most recorded of all zarzuelas. Well, it deserves to be: its qualities of atmosphere, musical invention and construction place it head and shoulders above the great majority of works of this kind; and it includes catchy popular dances too. The attraction of this issue is, of course, Domingo in the role of the hero, who, at first besotted by an actress, finally succumbs to the pretty young girl who is not above exercising her wiles to capture him. Sounding younger and more ardent than Kraus (for Ros-Marba), he is in splendid and seductive voice (with exemplary enunciation), and those who wish to luxuriate in its opulence will be well satisfied. His most famous aria in this piece, ''Por el humo'', is a high spot in this performance (which, like the previous versions, omits all the dialogue—leaving huge hiatuses in Act 3 which, however, is summarized in the booklet).
The other outstanding artist is Linda Mirabal who gets well inside her part of the haughty actress: she and Domingo flare up brilliantly in their passionate argument in Act 2. Rather like Maria Bayo in the previous recording, the present Francisquita has a pretty voice but tends to become shrill and hard in her upper register (as in her celebrated nightingale song). Of the others, Carlos Alvarez once again is impressive in a small part: the Cardona (the hero's friend) hasn't much of a voice. The chorus is admirable, bringing sensitivity to the romantic interlude at the start of Act 3 the orchestra is efficient though not always satisfactorily balanced against the voices (it often drowns them in the wedding scene).
The weakness of this latest issue, rather as in the Ros-Marba set, is the production. Levels between the voices are conspicuously ill-matched: for most of the time Domingo is much louder than anyone else. and in the first scene not only are minor characters left mumbling in the distance but Aurora's opening speech, so important in establishing her character, is absurdly faint. And positioning in the stereo image is casual. At the end of scene 3 Fernando is supposed to be ''at a distance'' but is heard in the foreground; and when, in scene 8, he should be addressing confidences to Cardona he appears to be some distance from him. Such things are not unimportant if scenic situations are to be convincing.'