Puccini: Turandot - Caballe, Carreras, Freni (2 CDs)

Puccini: Turandot
Montserrat Caballé (Turandot ), José Carreras (Calaf), Mirella Freni (Liù), Michel Sénéchal (Altoum), Paul Plishka (Timur), Vicente Sardinero (Ping), Remy Corazza (Pang), Ricardo Cassinelli (Pong)
Maîtrise de la Cathédrale, Choeurs de l’Opéra du Rhin & Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Alain Lombard

Central to this performance is Montserrat Caballé’s Turandot, a characterisation of striking subtlety and beauty. As the icy, but alluring princess she confronts the Calaf of José Carreras – heroic, seductive and irresistibly appealing to the slave girl Liù, sung here by Mirella Freni, a supreme interpreter of Puccini’s tragic heroines. Alain Lombard conducts the spectacular score to mesmerising effect.