IMG Artists, jedna z największych agencji artystycznych świata, impresariat, organizator koncertów, producent, dysponent zasobów archiwalnych rozpoczyna tym właśnie nagraniem prezentację najsłynniejszych nagrań zrealizowanych podczas spektakli w londyńskim Royal Opera House. Rzecz dzieje się 19 października 1955 roku. Pierwszy spektakl pod muzycznym kierownictwem osławionego za oceanem Rafaela Kubelika, który objął wolną od wielu lat szefa artystycznego opery. Dzieło Szekspira i Verdiego, wystawione w obsadzie o światowej sławie musiało okazać się wielkim sukcesem i wróżbą na kolejne lata. Nowa seria, wydana niezwykle starannie i - jak przystalo na królewski dom Opery - dystyngowanie, jest po prostu elegancka, ładna, po angielsku - skończona. Na kartach 112. stronicowej książeczki - pełne libretto oraz esej i wiele fotografii, dokumentujących ten pamiętny wieczór operowy. ------------------------------------ This production of the first night of Verdi’s Otello marked the debut of Rafael Kubelik as Music Director of the Royal Opera House and the start of Covent Garden’s transition to a major international opera house. The outstanding cast includes Ramón Vinay, who had been singing the part since being invited by Toscanini for the famous 1947 broadcast and recording, and had been the Otello of the 1950 La Scala performance at Covent Garden. Otakar Kraus as Iago is totally suited to playing off Vinay, whilst the celebrated Dutch Soprano Gré Brouwenstijn is a sympathetic and womanly Desdemona as the role demands. Reviews were universally excellent: Andrew Porter (Financial Times) commented: “The Royal Opera season, the new era with Rafael Kubelik as Music Director, opened most brilliantly last night with a superlative performance of Verdi’s Otello....Mr. Vinay is an outstanding actor not only by operatic but by any standards…Mr. Vinay’s voice is a tellingly expressive instrument, well able to answer the sustained demands made on it, and his use of it is deeply poetical…Miss Brouwenstijn gave to Desdemona a stature to match Otello’s own; dignity, tenderness and sweet womanliness were combined, realised with beautiful demeanour and a stream of exquisitely controlled lovely tone…Otakar Kraus brought his subtle intelligence to bear on the part of Iago, and gave a powerful, convincing performance, also distinguished by some fine singing…Kubelik fused all these elements into one memorable experience…here was deep, vital understanding of the genre, at once ardent and controlled.” Lord Harewood wrote: “The quality of performance is what the public and indeed the critics must judge an ensemble by. Rafael Kubelik was responsible for an Otello during Autumn 1955 which caused virtually a change of mind in public and critics about the possibilities of the young company. Admittedly we had Ramón Vinay and Gré Brouwenstijn as guests, but the remainder of the cast was from an ensemble, and the results were very good indeed. Gré was really magnificent and Vinay’s Otello…was an incorporable assumption of one of the greatest roles.” This recording did not exist in the ROH archive or with the BBC. It was sourced from Lord Harewood’s private collection and is sonically far superior to the various pirate issues which have been issued on occasion.