Pietro Mascagni’s one-act opera Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry), the 19th century equivalent of today’s soap opera, has remained one of the most popular of all stage works. With its scrupulous observation of Mascagni’s markings, this New York-made recording captures the prevailing standards of half a century ago. It features a stellar cast led by Jussi Björling, widely regarded as the foremost ‘Italian’ tenor of his day in the spinto rôles of Puccini and Verdi, Zinka Milanov, who possessed one of the most beautifully translucent and powerful voices of her time, and one of the giants of the MET, Robert Merrill. The 1955 edition of The Record Guide commented at the time: “It is hard to imagine a more enjoyable Cavalleria today. It is very stylishly conducted by Renato Cellini, who never for a moment lets the score sound vulgar.”