22 March 2002 - Trust Records' NZ Festival recording of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra has jumped to No.3 in the Concert FM Classical Chart.

With Gordon Hawkins as Boccanegra, Vladimir Vaneev as Fiesco and Nuccia Focile as Amelia, the recording features the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Italian Marco Guidarini.

"The NZ Festival 2000 production was hailed by almost everyone - it made a considerable impact both musically and theatrically - but would a recording made from two of the performances stand up to the cold light of day two years on?

"It is, I discover slightly to my surprise, most compelling and certainly fit to be set against any of the commercial recordings – even the much-vaunted Abbado recording."