This is the last in Opera Rara's Verdi Originals series, presenting the first versions of operas the composer later subjected to drastic revision. It's a hugely important issue, since it allows us to hear the score of Don Carlos as Verdi submitted it to the Paris Opéra in 1867, before the theatre's management imposed extensive cuts, paving the way for the editorial mayhem that has dogged the work ever since.

The performance, taken from a 1973 BBC broadcast, is uneven. On the plus side are Edith Tremblay's vulnerable Elisabeth and Robert Savoie's suave, idealistic Rodrigue. The main drawback is Michelle Vilma's indifferent Eboli. You marvel at both the grandeur of Verdi's original concept and the psychological range and depth of the complete score.