This epic opera inspired by Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece was written in 1847, but did not receive its British premiere until 1938 when it was presented for the first time at Glyndebourne. The tragedy is a penetrating, concentrated, and harrowing study of the ambition of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the end both seem to verge on hallucination and madness as they recoil from the mayhem they have created around them. The production features an outstanding international cast, with the Greek baritone Kostas Paskalis in the title role and British star Josephine Barstow making an exciting debut as Lady Macbeth. Proceedings are conducted by the sympathetic baton of John Prithard.

Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart's timeless opera buffa, is one of the greatest of all operatic masterpieces. It is based on Beaumarchai's comedy Le Marriage de Figaro and tells the tale of the servant Figaro, who is about to marry the maid Susanna. Count Almaviva, keeping an eye on Susanna himself, tries to prevent this marriage with the help of Bortolo, the doctor, but is continually thwarted.

Joan Sutherland who, three years earlier had wowed the world with her Lucia, easily accomplishes the act 1 coloratura… She does manage to inflect emotion into Violetta’s solos in act 3 with a particularly poignant rendering of the letter scene. Bergonzi’s Alfredo in this recording is one of his best assumptions on record. His voice is at its lightest with near perfect legato and with phrasing that other tenors can only aspire to.

This performance from the 1950s sounds surprising after decades of authentic performance. The instruments are modern, the forces large and the style of singing rich, full and almost romantic. Yet the effect is electrifying. All the performers sing with such conviction that this Poppea moved me and it makes some authentic performances sound thin and academic by comparison.