MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi - Aida

This 1985 production of Verdi's operatic masterpiece as marked the Pavarotti's (long-awaited) first Italian performance in the role of Ramades. Staged in the magnificently opulent setting of La Scala, this AIDA gets the lush treatment it deserves. The story of a pharaoh's love for a slave in the exotic and Biblical setting of Ancient Egypt, AIDA is arguably one of the most adored operas ever written.

Luciano Pavarotti heads an exceptional cast in this spectacular live recording from La Scala, Milan, with Ghena Dimitrova, Maria Chiara, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Juan Pons, all in peak form. Luca Ronconi's magnificent production of Verdi's much-loved masterpiece was a triumphant success, with Mauro Pagano's monumental settings capturing perfectly the imposing grandeur of the land of the Pharaohs and the ochre hues of the desert. Lorin Maazel conducts.