Bergonzi recorded a number of Verdi roles earlier in his career, and on some occasions, most notably Riccardo (Un ballo), Radames (Aida), and Alfredo (La Traviata), he must yield to the freewheeling agility of his younger self. (And Bergonzi, like most tenors after Björling, never had true squillo tones at the top of his range.) However, his late take on Otello (a role he never recorded or performed onstage, except for an abortive post-retirement attempt) reveals a depth of tone and simmering darkness not usually associated with this tenor.

Those wanting each and every tenor aria Verdi penned will only be satisfied with Domingo's very complete set, at the cost of a certain fatigue that sets in due to Domingo's limited upper range and generalized singing style. There's no such problem with Bergonzi: his beautiful tone and tactile emotional intensity consistently captivate, especially as documented by Philips' engineers in this very natural sounding recording. [8/27/2004]