For most of recorded history there was no complete recording of Massenet’s biblical opera‚ one of his earliest successes and prophetic of his mature works to come. Then‚ just six years ago‚ Richard Fairman reviewed two new sets committed to disc within days of each other – a live performance from San Francisco on Sony‚ and a studio version on EMI. The San Francisco performance occurred to allow Domingo to sing Jean (aka John the Baptist). Two months later he was undertaking the role in Vienna‚ a ‘first’ at the house‚ whence this recording derives. There is little difference in his impassioned but rather too muscular and non­Francophone singing. Renée Fleming was San Francisco’s Salomé‚ Gustafson took the part in Vienna. The comparison between the two is hardly in Gustafson’s favour. She sings in better French than any other singer in her cast and is obedient to most of Massenet’s copious markings‚ a key factor in tackling his operas‚ but Fleming has a far more sensuous tone‚ really an essential in this part. Pons is common to both sets as the unpleasant Herod: in each case he sings coarsely. Baltsa‚ with her unintegrated registers and blowsy tone‚ is a bit of a trial in the title part‚ and Furlanetto is rough and unidiomatic as the visionary Phanuel. Another disadvantage of this set is the quite unnecessary tampering with the score‚ cutting it into two acts from the original four. The Sony is also cut but not re­ordered. Compare all that with EMI’s fidelity to Massenet (the score given in its entirety). Its superb cast is headed by Cheryl Studer and Ben Heppner‚ as Salomé and Jean‚ both in unimpeachable form and impeccable in style‚ taking care over the refinements of the text and score. Thomas Hampson is a sensitive if slightly self­regarding Herod‚ José van Dam a sturdy‚ truly idiomatic Phanuel‚ Nadine Denize an experienced Hérodiade. Given that Plasson is a more knowledgeable Massenet conductor than either the erratic Gergiev or the over­heated Viotti‚ and there is no contest: the EMI version is worth every penny needed for three CDs at full price. Going for this new‚ midprice RCA would be a false economy. Absence of a libretto text and translation‚ essential for this work‚ is a further drawback. Even Domingo­lovers would be better off with the Sony.