A great Rigoletto - Live 1973 SF

I found myself longing for a really well sung Rigoletto after listening to some postings on YouTube, so I looked through my collection and pulled up this. It is a great Rigoletto which took place in San Francisco in 1973. Here are a few excerpts. I will upload some more upon request. I love this Rigoletto because it is felt, and not just sung. Milnes is a far more thrilling Rigoletto than many of those of greater voice and technique (Warren, Merrill, even Cappuccilli) because of the fury he exudes at appropriate moments, and the passion and tenderness he exerts at others. Nave's voice is not the most attractive ever, but she presents a perfectly innocent and naive Gilda. Aragall is a fantastic Duke, one of my favourites. His technique is perfect, the sound and legato are gorgeous; I'm not crazy about his phrasing, but he's certainly my favourite Duke, after Pavarotti, and he presents the Duke differently from Pavarotti, Kraus and many others. The whole performance is thrilling, and capped by a magnificent high C flat by Milnes: a truly impressive feat which, I believe, even the great Leonard Warren, and the greater Piero Cappuccilli never attempted. The conducting has direction and is of a consistently good standard, very attentative to the singers' needs. The cast was as follows: Rigoletto: Sherrill MILNES (SFO Debut) Gilda: Isabella NAVE Duca di Mantova: Jaime ARAGALL (SFO Debut) Sparafucile: Clifford Grant Maddalena: Silvana Mazzieri Conte di Monterone: Harry Dworchak Borsa: James Atherton Marullo: Timothy Nolan Conte di Ceprano: Daniel Sullivan Contessa di Ceprano: Gwendolyn Jones Giovanna: Donna Peterson Paggio: Richard Morrison San Francisco Opera Orchestra & Chorus Conductor: Kasimierz KORD San Francico Opera, 1973