Nicolai Ghiaurov had one of the most successful careers of the post war period, made many complete recordings and a left a number of recitals, but perhaps because he sang so long and the voice inevitably aged, he may not be as appreciated as he deserves. This recital, taken from Bavarian Radio broadcasts of 1966 and 1969, capture him at his absolute peak. The instrument is huge, completely individual, and very beautiful. We tend to think of his fellow Bulgarian Boris Christoff as a more profound interpreter (although Christoff's voice was not comparably large), but here Ghiauorv offers thrilling characterizations, exciting phrasing, in short, everything. The German audience is absolutely silent until the last track, a beautifully performed novelty by "Chrennikow", after which they erupt. The thrill of live performance is present in every track, it crackles with excitement (but not with the slightest distortion of sound). This is a really fine disc in great sound at a bargain price. Grab it. If only Decca would release the fabulous "Mefistofele" highlights album Ghiaurov made under Varviso, recorded a little before these concerts, with Frano Tagliavini as Faust. That continues to be one of the elusive treasures that have never been issued on CD. Meanwhile, this disc will keep this great singer's admirers happy for a little longer.
