Those brought up on the 1950 RCA Toscanini broadcast of this opera (11/59) often have – pace that set’s harsh recording and casting irregularities – problems finding elsewhere the coiled-spring energy of the opening, the well-judged bravado (never mere brashness or volume) of the accompaniments to Falstaff’s outbursts of manic optimism and the sheer beauty of Windsor Forest at night, evoked without dropping into a romantic languor false to the spirit of the work. The discovery of Toscanini’s pre-war (despite the political circumstances, a creative period for him and the Vienna Philharmonic) Salzburg performance (Bongiovanni) raised the bar even higher, again despite sonic limitations.

Neither of these two sets new to the market has quite that controlling musical dynamism. ICA’s rediscovered Giulini – with Beecham’s RPO in the pit of the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh – is the earliest in what has now become a trilogy of releases of 1950s Glyndebourne performances. The Falstaff (Corena, a first ‘official’ complete performance from him in the role on disc) and Quickly (the ubiquitous Dominguez) are superb, the Nannetta good, the Fords less so. There are two Fentons because Oncina had to be substituted at half-time. The 1950s sound is OK. You can hear the audience are loving the singers’ interplay in the Carl Ebert/Osbert Lancaster stage production, but – and here’s the rub – it’s that that they’re laughing at, not Giulini’s music-making. Although the Edinburgh playing and ensemble are good, and Giulini brought more energy and fizz than in his ultra studio-bound 1982 Los Angeles DG version (12/83), this serious maestro really didn’t ‘do’ comedy on stage. A better period Glyndebourne set is their own recently issued 1960 performance conducted by Gui (see review 11/11, where I omitted to praise Bruscantini’s Ford).

In Zurich the conductor starts apparently quite steadily. But this lack of a certain flick and bounce is compensated for by the focus Daniele Gatti – who had led many late-19th/early-20th-century scores – places on Verdi’s radically forward-looking orchestration. At these tempi almost the whole of future verismo passes before your ears. The cast, led by a secure Maestri, can boast a lovable Nannetta in Liebau and further clever variations on Quickly’s eccentricity from Naef. The Glittenberg design team delivers buildings seen before cladding has taken place – literal deconstruction – and boutique-colourful, contemporary-inclined costumes. There’s a lot of sitting down in this high-energy opera, but for those who like their productions ‘straight’ without interpretation, Bechtolf’s work may give pleasure. Excellent sound and picture. Meanwhile, the hunt for a really searching small-screen Falstaff continues.