Bellini: I Puritani - Caballe, Kraus, Muti (3 CDs)

Bellini: I Puritani
Montserrat Caballé (Elvira), Alfredo Kraus (Arturo), Matteo Manuguerra (Riccardo), Julia Hamari (Enrichetta), Agostino Ferrin (Giorgio), Stefan Elenkov (Gualtiero) & Dennis O'Neill (Bruno)
Ambrosian Opera Chorus & Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti

Bellini’s final opera, one of the peaks of the bel canto repertoire, is handled by Riccardo Muti with characteristic sensitivity and integrity. His concern for dramatic truth, and for fidelity to the score, is shared by the cast, led by Montserrat Caballé as Elvira, the emotionally fragile heroine, and Alfredo Kraus as her lover Arturo. Fulfilling the music’s virtuoso demands with beauty and elegance, the singers offer interpretations of extraordinary sympathy and insight.