CD-Charts Position 1
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The Most Famous Opera Arias

from: EMI Classics

Release Date July 19, 1994
The conductor and the singers can make a beautiful song the opera that everyone jeers and hates. To have a Russian singer doing o mio babbino caro is just plain silly...give the woman a break and play something from Russian opera...give a beautiful melodic aria to a lyrical singer like Caballe...boo hiss. Try Opera's Greatest Moments where they give Hvorostvsky an aria from Pique Dame and leave the bel canto to bel canto singers.

CD-Charts Position 2
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The Most Famous Opera Duets

from: EMI Classics

Release Date April 12, 1994
Maybe these don't represent absolutely the greatest duets in all opera. But they represent some awfully good ones! The CD begins with a duet from "Les Pecheurs des Perles" (Puccini) and ends with the gloomy Miserere (from "Il Trovatore," by Verdi). In between are many more operas, from Donizetti and Mozart to Strauss and Wagner. Some of the finer singers of the past half century appear in various of these duets.

A bit more detail on a handful of these to illustrate.

"Sull'aria" from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." Heather Harper and Judith Blegen sing the parts here. This is a sweet duet from the opera. The singer's voices meld well together and this represents a poignantly sung piece.

"Ah! Verrana a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

from: EMI Classics

Release Date August 19, 1997
While working on the PARALLEL PERSPECTIVES Archives page, I started thinking about Maria Callas & her rather bizarre, non-singing role in the equally bizarre 1970's Pier Passolini film MEDEA--and noticed this CD of Puccini's MADAMA BUTTERFLY. I must admit that I was kind of turned-off to see that the CD was remastered from the original non-sterophonic LP (there's just so much even digital technology can do in salvaging pre-stereo operatic recordings) and I really only purchased it because I was curious hear Callas in one of her less notable roles (unbelievably there were only 3 performances).

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying the entire production.

Of course director Herbert Von Karajan is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra

by: Georges Bizet, Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Prêtre, Orchestre de Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Choeurs René Duclos, Robert Massard, Jane Berbié, Andrea Guiot, Claude Cales

Release Date August 19, 1997
I was looking for this play quite long ago, and finally I found it right at Amazon.

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Best Opera Album in the World...Ever!

from: Angel Records

Release Date July 27, 1999
I'm not opera literate, so I was looking for some kind of introduction that had some familiar arias and that would connect me to others that I had not heard. I liked that the notes with the cd indicated where a new listener may have heard some of the music (in a commercial, during an important scene in a movie, etc). This was the source of a lot of 'Ah ha!' moments. It even inspired me to rent a dvd of a live version of Turandot and to put others on my Netflix queue. I owe my newly aroused curiosity about opera, believe it or not, to Il Divo. I had to know what these guys sing when they're not reinterpreting pop songs. I'm glad I started this journey and this cd was a good start.

CD-Charts Position 6
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The Best of Italian Opera

from: EMI Classics

Release Date January 21, 1997
This is an excellent CD of singers from the past century, origonally recorded in analog and very well remastered.

CD-Charts Position 7
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Mendelssohn: Elijah

from: EMI Classics

Release Date February 15, 2005
I was so pleased to come across the CD release of this old recording. I have a CD of a cassette tape of a reel-to-reel tape from the 60s and it's my standard. This recording finds all of these magnificent singers at their best, and Mme. Jones is here sans wobble which accompanies her later in her career. My only regret is M. Fischer-Dieskau. His singing is lovely as ever, if a bit too lovely for the music, but one misses a real bass (or bass/baritone) in this role. The chorus and conducting are fine. What I love about this recording is the straight-forward playing and singing which this chestnut needs. A more recent Elijah with Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming is unfortunately marred by someone's idea of "drama" (I guess the conductor, Paul Daniel). ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Beethoven: Les 9 Symphonies

from: EMI Classics France

Release Date September 07, 2006
It is enjoyably performed and first rate sounding set! I much prefer it over Karajan any time. The music is respectfully treated and gratefully performed. EMI's quality shines as always. You also may like this Beethoven Symphonies 1,2,3,4,5,6 and Art Galleries of the Time, 2DVDs+3CDs Ultimate MosaicDVD Collection
I also have Toscanini's classical rendition of the same symphonies which are superb but unfortunately the CDs that I received have audible hiss.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Essential Leonard Bernstein

from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date September 18, 2001
I bought this specifically for Slava as it is the audition piece chosen for this fall's band semester, but let's face it Bernstein's music is brilliant and a lot of fun to listen to. This collection has an excellent mix of his familiar and not so familiar works.

CD-Charts Position 10
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Massenet: Manon

from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date May 11, 2004
Until I heard Sills sing Manon in the 1970's I have to admit that it was not one of my favorite operas. This recording certainly does her justice, capturing the complexities of this role. It is an outstanding recording! (as an aside, if you have not seen it, go to youtube's recording of her farewell recital, where, as in all of her recitals, she closes with a Portugese folk song taught to her by her famous teacher Estelle Liebling. If this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, nothing will!).