One of Decca's great opera recordings with an outstanding international cast under the direction of Sir Georg Solti is now available as a limited-edition hardback book and marks the 40th anniversary of Kiri Te Kanawa's first portrayal of the Countess at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 1 December 1971.

The recording was made in 1981 and quickly won enthusiastic praise from the critics:
"Solti's effervescent new version of Figaro ... crowning all is the Countess of Kiri Te Kanawa, producing ravishing tone, flawless phrasing and elegant ornamentation throughout. With superb, vivid recording this now makes an excellent first choice." - The Penguin Guide

The full libretto is included in Italian, English, French and German. A new article entitled "Kiri and the Countess" by opera writer and critic George Hall reassesses Kiri Te Kanawa as an outstanding Mozartian and charts her early career.

Recording session pictures are included in the book, as well as a synopsis.

Cast:
- Count Almaviva: Thomas Allen
- Countess Almaviva: Kiri Te Kanawa
- Susanna: Lucia Popp
- Figaro: Samuel Ramey
- Cherubino: Frederica von Stade
- Marcellina: Jane Berbié
- Doctor Bartolo: Kurt Moll
- Don Basilio: Robert Tear
- Don Curzio: Philip Langridge
- Barbarina: Yvonne Kenny
- Antonio: Giorgio Tadeo
- Two girls: Lynda Russell, Anne Mason