Whoever said "The great is the enemy of the good." could have been thinking of this recording. One could hear this performance at any major opera house and not feel cheated. However, there are at least three truly great performances of this opera (v. Karajan Verdi: Falstaff, Serafin Verdi: Falstaff--2 Historic Performances and de Sabata Verdi: Falstaff), any one of which makes this one seem very pedestrian.
Davis is "the Buick" of conductors. He will get you from the beginning to the end smoothly and efficiently; the notes are all correct and the tempi satisfactory. There are no mis-steps, no cringes, no raised eyebrows. Unfortunately, neither are there any revelations, any really exciting moments, or any insights below the surface of the music.
Rolando Panerai was a wonderful Ford for v. Karajan in 1956 (when he was 32) and for Bernstein in 1965 (when he was 41); but, I am not sure he had the vocal heft for a successful Falstaff even then. By the time this recording was made in 1991 (when he was 67), it was far too late. He manages to puff up his old, modestly sized voice to give a facsimile rendition, and he doesn't embarrass himself musically; however he doesn't point up the character or bring out any of the humor or irony inherent in the role.
Panerai is at least idiomatic in his performance; most of the other singers (Marilyn Horne as Quickly, Alan Titus as Ford, Sharon Sweet as Mistress Ford, and Julie Kaufmann as Nannetta) are all adequate, but seem as un-Italian as their names. The Dr. Cajus of veteran comprimario Piero de Palma (one year younger than Panerai at 66, and also on the Bernstein recording) is very good.
The Symphony and Choir of the Bavarian Radio are competent and unobtrusive.
I regret having to say that this recording is useful primarily to show how much more there is to a performance than can be indicated on the printed score.