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Title: A Worthy Entry to the Field
Review: I'll make this short & sweet. My introduction to Gioconda was the Cerquetti/Del Monaco studio performance on Decca way back in 1960. I loved the opera. Then I heard the Callas/Barbieri/Poggi/Silveri/Neri recording a few months later which turned me into Maria's most devoted fan on my campus. The present Urmana/Domingo issue does not disappoint, but overall I would recommend the Cerquetti as the "best" all around performance ... although I would not be without both Callas performances, the Milanov and Tebaldi studio recordings, and the Caballe for sheer b eauty of the pianissimos. Also, if yu want a blood-and-thunder Gioconda, the Arangi-Lombardi vintage issue is quite thrilling. But, heck, the Urmana is worth a hearing. This is an opera which has not received a bad studio recording to date, so if your finances are limited, this new EMI release is not a poor choice ... it's just surpassed by earlier recordings.
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