Verdi: Don Carlo
Politics, love, and family conflict make a heady brew in  Verdi's masterpiece, originally set to a French text for Paris in 1867.  In 1882, the composer made an Italian version with big cuts, lopping  off the entire first act, which here is restored by Giulini. His  pointed, nuanced conducting makes this recording the best available. An  idealDon Carlorequires the unattainable: five great singers  and an expert Verdi conductor. This 1970 set has glorious voices that  don't dig deep enough for this multilayered drama. The young Domingo  sounds fresh, but lacks the free top that the part needs. Milnes has  the voice for Rodrigo but, like Domingo and Caballé, is too  generalized. Raimondi is too light-voiced for Philip, and the  confrontation scene consequently lacks the chilling tension that Tito  Gobbi and Boris Christoff bring to it on an earlier EMI cut led by  Gabriele Santini. Rival recordings have bigger flaws and few of the  virtues that are displayed here, such as Caballé's  extraordinarily beautiful if detached singing. True Verdians also will  wantPappano's French  version, also on EMI, which features Alagna as the hapless prince.--Dan Davis