But the singing is ravishing. Nilsson is still the Turandot to equal (she recorded it three times and it almost never varied an iota), with blazing, secure high notes and an icy security that fairly knocks you for a loop. Her third-act transformation is not very moving (you must refer to Callas and somewhat less, Caballé for any character development), but who cares? All the current Turandots either miss notes or wobble all over them, so Nilsson remains irreplaceable. And Bjoerling! The beauty of the sound on this, his final recording, is almost too much: the plangency, the sweetness, the focus are simply stunning. "Non piangere Liu" is about as caring as possible, and if you ever hear a better balanced and phrased "Nessun dorma" let me know.

Tebaldi still had the high, floating pianissimos needed for Liu (although she's not ideal for the role--it really requires a true lyric, and by 1959 she was pretty "spinto"), and she treats the text sensitively. Giorgio Tozzi is thoroughly involved and gives a warm performance as Timur, and Erich Leinsdorf leads a thrilling, red-blooded account of the score. This set still is No. 2, after the glorious--and surprising--Sutherland/Pavarotti/Caballé set under Mehta on Decca from 1972. Own both and you can't go wrong.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.