Ed Boxer's Guide to Opera on CD: Recitals & Collections

A Guide to Opera on Compact Disc
Vocal Recitals and Collections

Revised - October 22, 1998

Listed below are vocal recitals that not only represent the best of each individual artist but also some of the finest singing ever recorded.

Fast Access to Selected Artists:
Callas Horne Norman Price Sutherland Collections


VOCAL RECITALS

Jussi Bjoerling

  • Arias (Angel 61053 ADD M $) Not only better performances than RCA's similar collection, but less expensive.
  • The Pearl Fishers (RCA 7799 ADD $) Duets with Robert Merrill, Renata Tebaldi, Zinka Milanov & Licia Albanese. The Turandot Act 1 finale displays the distortion that affects the complete recording. The sound on the rest is fine.

Monserrat Caballé

  • Bel Canto Arias (RCA 5757 ADD $$) The purest Casta Diva ever recorded with more to match that performance.
  • Puccini Arias (Angel 47841 ADD $$) Unbelievable breath control with the most beautiful pianissimo I have ever heard.
  • Opera Arias (LaserLight 14 261 ADD ¢) A live recital from 1974, only 45 minutes but worth every penny of its $3.99 price.
  • Caballé & Carreras - Live in Paris (LaserLight 14 264 ADD ¢) worth $3.99 for the live Depuis le Jour alone.

Maria Callas

  • Mad Scenes and other arias (Angel 47283 ADD $$) Extraordinary performances that have never been bettered by anyone including Ms. Callas herself.
  • Puccini and Bellini Arias (Angel 47966 ADD $$) The most dramatically moving Puccini recital ever recorded.
  • Arias (Angel 47282 ADD M $$) Her Lyric Coloratura Recital with additional arias.
  • Verdi Arias Vol. 1 (Angel 47730 ADD $$) As only Callas could do them.

Enrico Caruso

  • 21 Arias (RCA 5911 ADD H $$). Legendary performances, wonderfully remastered.

Franco Corelli

  • Arias (Angel 47851 ADD $$) Culled from his Angel opera recordings, displays why he was the king of "belt" canto.
  • Songs & Arias (EMI 69530 ADD ¢) Arias from religious works and Italian Songs. This Double Forte set is worth it just for the Granada (The 3 Tenors pale in comparison).

Régine Crespin

  • Grandi Voci (Decca 440416 ADD $) French Arias. The Offenbach and French Operetta Arias are incredible.

Mario del Monaco

  • Pick up one of the Live Aria recitals that includes the Ernani and La Forza del Destino arias. This is what he was all about.

Eileen Farell

  • Eileen Farrell Sings Verdi (Sony Masterworks Heritage 62358 ADD $) Farrell's 1960 Verdi Aria recital plus Verdi duets with Tucker.

Marilyn Horne

  • Rossini Arias (London 421306 ADD $) Awe inspiring vocalization.

Laurentz Melchoir

  • Wagner Arias (Angel 69789 ADD M $) Definitive performances.

Sherrill Milnes

  • Grandi Voci (Decca 443 929 ADD $) His 1973 aria recital for Decca plus Verdi and Puccini arias from complete sets.

Anna Moffo

  • Canteloube, Rachmaninoff & Villa-Lobos in glorious performances lushly conducted by Stokowski (RCA 7831 ADD $).

Jessye Norman

  • Strauss Four Last Songs (Philips 411502 DDD $$) Absolutely beautiful singing.

Luciano Pavarotti

  • Primo Tenore (London 417713 ADD $) One of his first recitals with his voice at its freshest.
  • Donizetti Arias (London 417638 ADD/DDD $$) Music he could sing like no one else.

Lily Pons

  • Coloratura Assoluta (Sony Masterworks Heritage 60655 M ADD $) A wonderful collection of arias and songs delightfully performed.

Rosa Ponselle

  • Recital (RCA ADD M $) Glorious.

Leontyne Price

  • Verdi Heroines (RCA 7016 ADD $$) Culled from her complete Verdi recordings, displays why she was the Queen of Verdi for nearly three decades.

Mado Robin

  • A little know French Coloratura with the most amazing range ( Accord 200022 $$).
  • Ses Plus Grands Rôles (LaserLight 14 265 ADD ¢) Unbelievable live performances for $3.99.

Anna Russell

  • The Anna Russell Album (Sony 47252 AAD $) Okay, so its not great singing - that's the whole point - its a wonderful parody of bad singing! One of the funniest recordings of anything ever made. Worth the price just for the Ring Cycle analysis.

Bidú Sayão

  • Bachiana Brasileira No. 5 (Sony Masterworks Heritage 62355 ADD M $) Finally, her definitive Bachiana Brasileira plus French arias and Brazilian folksongs. Neat packaging too!!!
  • Opera Arias(Sony Masterworks Heritage 63221 ADD M $) Debussy's La Damoiselle élue plus Italian arias recorded in her prime.

Renata Scotto

  • Italian Opera Arias (Sony SMK 60524 ADD $) Scotto's Verismo Arias recital plus arias from complete recordings. Worth the price of the disc for the Suor Angelica alone, truly heartwrenching.

Rita Streich

  • Walzer und Arien (DG Originals 457 729 ADD $) In a word - WOW! Glorious vocalization.

Joan Sutherland

  • Donizetti, Verdi & Bellini (London 421305 ADD $$) Her first recital was in many ways her best. Includes the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor and Casta Diva from Norma.
  • The Joy of Christmas (London 421095 $) Superb arrangements of sacred and secular seasonal favorites.

Richard Tucker

  • Sings Verdi (Sony Masterworks Heritage 62357 ADD $) Finally, Sony opens the vaults! Wonderful perfomances of Verdi Arias and Duets with Eileen Farrell.

Frederica von Stade

  • French Opera Arias (Sony SMK 60527 ADD $) Flicka's debut recital including a simply glorious performance of the Cendrillon aria.

Ljuba Welitsch

  • The Complete Columbia Recordings (Sony Masterworks Heritage 62866 ADD $) A 2 disc set including arias and leider. Worth the price just for the Final scene of Salome conducted by Reiner in 1949.

Fritz Wunderlich

  • Der Grosse Deutsche Tenor (EMI 62993 ADD) A 3 disc budget set displaying him at his finest.

WISH LIST

  • The CBS recitals of Steber & Tucker.
  • The Decca/London recitals of Bastianini, Merrill, Robin, Siepi.
  • The EMI/Angel recitals of Gobbi, di Stefano, Sills, Gorr, Bechi, and Freni.
  • The RCA recitals of Albanese, Warren, Milanov, Milnes, Moffo, Pinza, and Verrett.


MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS

Arias, duets and ensembles. A great way to sample various artists work.

Essential Classics Take 2 (Sony Budget)

  • Puccini Opera Arias and Love Scenes (SB2K 63278 ¢) Over 2 hours of wonderful Puccini performances by Domingo, Marton, Scotto, te Kanawa, Tucker, Sayão and others.

OPERA WEEKEND SERIES (London Budget)

  • Famous Arias (421018 ¢) 16 arias by 15 artists from the 60's. Includes classic performances by Sutherland, Horne, Di Stefano, Tebaldi, del Monaco and others.

OPERA GALA SERIES (London Midprice)

  • Great Love Duets (421308 $) 7 duets from 6 operas with Sutherland, Freni and Pavarotti among others. Includes the Act 1 arias and duet from Boheme with Freni & Pavarotti.
  • Great Operatic Duets (421314 $) 8 duets including Sutherland & Horne's Mira, o Norma and Sutherland & Pavarotti's duet from Lucia.
  • Puccini Arias (417686 $) with Freni, Pavarotti, Caballé, Sutherland, Corelli, Milnes et al is wonderful.

OPERA RARA

  • The Opera Rara Collection (ORR 205 $) A wonderful collection of 20 arias duets and ensemble from operas by Mercadante, Meyerbeer, Nicolini, Pacini and Mayr among others performed by the likes of Renee Fleming, Della Jones and Jane Eaglen. A great Opera Rara sampler!

ANGEL LASER SERIES (Budget)

  • Puccini Arias And Duets with Corelli, Domingo, Caballé and others is a steal.

NIMBUS PRIMA VOCE SERIES (midprice)

  • Divas, Volume 1 (1906 to 1938) Tetrazzini, Lehman, Hempel, Muzio, Ponselle, Galli-Curci, et al. dream come true (7802 ADD H $).
  • Great Artists (1902 to 1935) Caruso, Tetrazini, Gigli, Turner, Lehman, Schipa, Scotti, Supervia, Schuman-Heink, et al (7801 ADD H $).


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