The musical sound is vivid and detailed - remarkably so for an outdoor concert to an audience of 10,000. Filming on June 19, 2013 was also well done, even if panoramic visits to sights around Red Square were repetitive and flights of a camera flying around the top of the wide stage distracting.
This concert (to mark the Verdi centenary) opens with the dramatic overture from Verdi's La Forza del Destino and the orchestra also features later with a passionate Polonaise from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.
From the first arias by Netrebko and Hvorostovsky it is evident this will be a wonderful spectacle and musical treat. The soprano thrills with some heavily dramatic arias from I Vespri Siciliani and Il Trovatore that she had not performed before, showing that she is ready for much heavier roles on stage.
But later in the concert she sings La Mamma Morta (from Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier) with mesmerising depths of pathos and tragic emotion.
The baritone is always impressive in his powerful presence and their duets, particularly in duets from Verdi's Il Trovatore and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, are entrancing.
After the Tchaikovsky items one could switch off the disc well satisfied but the stars do return (third change of dress for Anna, evening falling in Red Square) with crowd-pleasing pop encores including Dark Eyes and Moscow Nights, all sung in the original Russian.
Highlight: 101 minutes of entertaining, world-class artistry.
