Bellini: I Puritani
Sutherland's second recording ofI Puritaniis a  substantial step beyond her first, thanks largely to the  excellent cast assembled around her and to Richard Bonynge's  growth in power and subtlety as a conductor. Her voice was still  at or near its peak when she made this recording, and her verbal  (as contrasted with purely vocal) skills had grown. Still, her  mad scene, heard immediately after Callas's, comes cross as more  pretty than dramatic. On the other hand, the ensemble singing in  this performance is superb.--Joe McLellan