"Well used as I am to the positive advantages of CD over LP equivalents, the gains here more than usual have me revelling in the extra vividness, immediacy and sense of presence. The sweetness, charm and sparkle of a piece still underestimated come over in a way that positively make me want to go on listening. The absence of background here allows the precise placing of voices to be appreciated the more—important when the opening scene and the whole of Act 2 involve potentially confusing groups of soloists — and Puccini's use of special effects, off-stage voices, voices going into the distance, spoken lines, the piano for "11 sogno di Doretta" in Act 1, all come over with extraordinary precision and realism. The subtlety of Puccini's orchestration too is beautifully caught, and the voices — placed on a stage slightly in front of the orchestra — all have a bright face-to-face quality with even Mariana Nicolescu's vibrato less obtrusive than on LP. As for Dame Kiri, her voice has rarely sounded so ravishing. The casting of the second pair may not be ideal — David Rendall too young - sounding for Prunier and Nicolescu not sweet enough — but this certainly stands as one of Lorin Maazel's finest Puccini recordings."

-- Gramophone [10/1985]