Twenty years have hardly lessened the excitement of listening to this vigorous, closely-knit performance. One realizes why we were all amazed by Suliotis's account of the role of Abigaille. Her singing seizes you by the throat through its raw depiction of malice and through its youthful, uninhibited power. With the benefit of hindsight one can hear how a voice treated so carelessly and unstintingly could not last long, and so it was to be; but I suppose we should be glad for the brightness of the meteor while it flashed all too briefly through the operatic firmament. As an interpretation, her Abigaille seems a little coarse set beside the refinements shown by Scotto for Muti on EMI, a set that must surely soon appear on CD. However, Suliotis can manage by nature what Scotto has to conjure up by art, and she is certainly a subtler artist than Dimitrova on the wayward Sinopoli/DG version now on CD.
Gobbi, nearing the end of his illustrious career in 1965, remains the most convincing interpreter on record of the crazed king. The voice may have become a shade hard and uningratiating, but his use of Italian and his colouring of his tone, finally his pathos, are certainly not rivalled by Cappuccilli (Sinopoli). Carlo Cava exudes impacable fury as old Zaccaria, but he is inclined to go through his tone at forte. Prevedi is more than adequate as Ismaele, Carral less than adequate as Fenena (here DG score with Valentini Terrani).
One of the main assets of the Decca remains Gardelli's prompt, unfussy, yet thrillingly delivered interpretation, clearly conveyed to his excellent Viennese forces. It is much more steadily and convincingly paced than Sinopoli's reading. The recording is forward and has plenty of presence, but now sounds a little boxy beside the greater spaciousness of the DG. But the panache of the Decca enterprise silences criticism (except when the minute cuts in Nabucco's part are conceived). It is a pleasure to hear the bold inspiration of Verdi's first triumph conveyed with such conviction. Listen to the First Act finale and I think you will be won over to the set as an entity.'