Menotti’s powerful romantic opera Maria Golovin explores the issues of love and jealousy. It premiered in Brussels in 1958, transferring to Broadway toward the end of the year, but closed after only five performances. The composer himself described it as ‘his unlucky work’. Between these two dates RCA recorded the work in Rome with an outstanding cast of Menotti regulars, such as Patricia Neway, and brilliant newcomers like Richard Cross. The LP is rare and this is its first reissue in 50 years. Another rarity is Tossy Spivakovsky’s still-unequalled 1954 performance of the Violin Concerto, which is filled with memorable themes and is a superb vehicle for the solo violin.