Oralia Domínguez, Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti sing Verdi and Puccini

Between 1963 and 1971, the program Prestige de la musique celebrated classical music on French television. The greatest performers took to the Salle Pleyel alongside the ORTF Orchestra, now known as the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. This 1965 archive highlights three major figures in opera: Oralia Domínguez, Mirella Freni, and Luciano Pavarotti in a program dedicated to the works of Verdi and Puccini. 

Witness maestro Nello Santi, a true master of Italian opera, as he leads the orchestra in the powerful overture to La Forza del Destino—a composition imbued with the dark dramatic tension that defines the entire work. Mexican mezzo-soprano Oralia Domínguez follows with two iconic arias from Verdi’s repertoire: “Condotta ell'era in ceppi” by Azucena (Il Trovatore) and “O don fatale” by Princess Eboli (Don Carlos), in which she brings her rich and resonant timbre to these tragic and tormented female roles. The program continues with Puccini: a poised and gentle Liu played by Mirella Freni in the aria “Tu che di gel sei cinta” (Turandot). Concluding the concert are star-crossed lovers Mimi and Rodolfo from La Bohème, with Freni performing alongside her close friend, the young but already famous Luciano Pavarotti, in two arias (“Mi chiamano Mimi” and “Che gelida manina”) and a duet (“O soave fanciulla”).