Favourite opera recital records

[Barbirollians]

I wondered what were forumites favourite operatic recital records. I don't mean compilations like Incomparable Callas or Tutto Pavarotti but discs issued as an operatic aria recital whether of one composer or a mix.

I was prompted by managing to buy a cheap copy of a much praised disc from 1971 on RCA of duets with Caballe and Verrett entitled " Great Operatic Duets " and my does it contain some wonderful singing especially in the scene from Anna Bolena and the duet from Madam Butterfly .

What are your favourites ? - Callas's Lyric and Coloratura arias record , Puccini and Verdi recitals come to mind as does Caballe's lovely Puccini record with Mackerras.

[pastoralguy]

I'm not the greatest lover of singing but I have ALL of Cecilia Bartoli's recital discs. For me, she is the one singer who floats my boat every time!

[Richard Tarleton]

First discovered in the late 60's, first to be replaced on CD - Joan Sutherland's two double CDs, "The Art of the Prima Donna", and "The Age of Bel Canto" with Marilyn Horne and Richard Conrad.

[Rolmill]

My most frequently played recital disc is probably Jussi Bjorling's 'Pearl Fishers Duet' recital on RCA (including duets from Don Carlo, Otello, La Forza, Aida and La Boheme) - fabulous singing, especially in the duets with Robert Merrill.

Angelina Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna's 'Duets and Arias' recital on EMI is also pretty special in my opinion, as is Hvorostovsky's Verdi & Tchaikovsky Arias on Philips.

Lots more, but they are the ones that leap to mind.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I very rarely buy such discs. Bleeding chunks are for the remaining Breakfasters and CFM.
I do, however, have the complete Naxos Gigli Edition, if that counts.

[Richard Tarleton]

I very rarely buy such discs. Bleeding chunks are for the remaining Breakfasters and CFM.
I do, however, have the complete Naxos Gigli Edition, if that counts.

Oi, steady on, Alpie, that's a bit harsh. Joanie's 2 sets that I mentioned were made in 1960 and 1963, long before Breakfast and CFM, reflect the refined tastes of her other half, and include a lot of arias from obscure works which are extremely unlikely ever to be heard in full.....

[makropulos]

Nice topic. My favourite is probably Josephine Bartow's finales disc with John Mauceri and Scottish Opera forces, including the final scene of Salome, most of Act III of The Makropulos Affair, Cherubini's Médée and a blistering performance of the original (first) Alfano ending of Turandot, which has been done very occasionally live, but hardly ever on record. That's a wonderful disc (and a very good reason to acquire a recital disc without describing those of us who do so as "remaining breakfasters" –what a silly remark). There are some other good ones that come to mind. I like Kozena's Mozart arias disc with Rattle and the OAE (some very nice decorations), and I'd strongly agree about the Caballé/Mackerras Puccini disc mentioned by Barbirollians in the first post – a lovely record. Another is Christa Ludwig's 1964 recital disc on RCA which ends with a remarkable performance of the Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung (another reason why recital discs shouldn't be dismissed –Ludwig never sang the Götterdämmerung Brünnhilde on stage, but she's certainly worth hearing in it).

[teamsaint]

Cristina Deutekom
Verdi, Bellini Donizetti.

A really wonderful CD, seek it out.

[Barbirollians]

Nice topic. My favourite is probably Josephine Bartow's finales disc with John Mauceri and Scottish Opera forces, including the final scene of Salome, most of Act III of The Makropulos Affair, Cherubini's Médée and a blistering performance of the original (first) Alfano ending of Turandot, which has been done very occasionally live, but hardly ever on record. That's a wonderful disc (and a very good reason to acquire a recital disc without describing those of us who do so as "remaining breakfasters" –what a silly remark). There are some other good ones that come to mind. I like Kozena's Mozart arias disc with Rattle and the OAE (some very nice decorations), and I'd strongly agree about the Caballé/Mackerras Puccini disc mentioned by Barbirollians in the first post – a lovely record. Another is Christa Ludwig's 1964 recital disc on RCA which ends with a remarkable performance of the Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung (another reason why recital discs shouldn't be dismissed –Ludwig never sang the Götterdämmerung Brünnhilde on stage, but she's certainly worth hearing in it).

That Ludwig disc sounds well worth seeking out - cheers.

Many moons ago I saw Barstow sing Medea with Opera North - absolutely terrific so the other disc also sounds well worth finding.

[Stanfordian]

Leontyne Price - ‘The Blue Album’ - Arias: Gounod, Meyerbeer, Puccini, Rossini, Bizet - RCA
Anna Moffo - ‘The Beige Album’ - Arias: Verdi, Puccini - RCA
Anna Netrebko - ‘Russian Album’ Arias: Glinka, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky - Deutsche Grammophon
Dmitri Hvorostovsky - ‘Tchaikovsky and Verdi Arias’ - Philips
Roberto Alagna & Angela Gheorghiu – ‘Duets and Arias’ - EMI
Angela Gheorghiu & Roberto Alagna ‘Verdi per due’ - EMI
Angela Gheorghiu - ‘Verdi Heroines’ - Arias: Massenet, Catalani, Bellini , Donizetti, Gounod, Boito, Puccini, Verdi - Decca
Véronique Gens - ‘Visions’ - Arias: Saint-Saëns, Niedermeyer, Halévy, Godard, Février, David, Franck, Massenet, Bizet, Bruneau - Alpha Classics
Magdalena Kožená - ‘Handel – Arias’ - Archiv Produktion
Jonas Kaufmann – ‘L'Opéra’ - Arias: Gounod, Massenet, Thomas, Bizet, Lalo, Offenbach, Meyerbeer, Berlioz - Sony
‘Erwin Schrott - Arias’: Bizet, Boito, Gomes, Gounod, Massenet, Offenbach, Puccini, Sorozabal, Verdi - Sony Classical
Angela Gheorghiu – ‘Homage to Maria Callas - Arias: Puccini, Gounod, Bellini, Leoncavalio, Saint-Saëns, Giordano, Cherubini, Massenet, Cilea, Verdi, Catalani, Bizet - EMI
Renato Scotto and Placido Domingo - ‘Romantic Opera Duets’ - Arias: Massenet, Gounod, Giordano, Mascagni - Sony Classical (originally Columbia Masterworks)
Magdalena Kožená - ‘Love and Longing’ - Dvorak, Ravel, Mahler - Deutsche Grammophon
René Pape - ‘Gods, Kings & Demons’ - Arias: Gounod, Boito, Berlioz, Verdi, Offenbach, Wagner, Anton Rubinstein, Dvorak, Mussorgsky - Deutsche Grammophon
Roberto Alagna - ‘French Opera Arias’ - Arias: Bazin, Massenet, Cherubini, Gounod, Gretry, Halévy, Thomas, Meyerbeer, Berloiz, Berlioz, Gluck, Bizet, Lalo, Mehul, Bruneau, Saint-Saëns - Deutsche Grammophon
Piotr Beczala - ‘The French Collection’ - Arias: Massenet, Berlioz, Verdi, Boieldieu, Donizetti, Gounod, Bizet - Deutsche Grammophon
Renata Scotto - ‘Arias’: Rossini, Bellini, Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, Boito - EMI
Andreas Scholl - ‘Handel: Ombra mai fu’ - Harmonia Mundi
Sabine Devieilhe - 'Mirages' - Erato
Magdalena Kožená - French Arias' - Deutsche Grammophon
Anna Netrebko - 'Opera Arias' - Deutsche Grammophon
Elsa Dreisig - 'Miroir(s) Opera Arias' - Erato

[Rolmill]

A few more of my favourites:

Susan Graham - French operetta arias (deliciously stylish)
Kozena - French arias (ravishingly sung and wonderfully accompanied by Minkowski and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra)
Sumi Jo - Carnaval! (great fun, more French arias, many little known)
Kasarova - Rossini arias and duets (with a young Florez as the junior partner)

[gradus]

Stan's list is pretty impressive but could I add a couple from a few years back:
Alexander Kipnis's recordings issued on RCA Victor inc wonderful Sarastro and Osmin performances
Marilyn Horne in the Decca Art of Belcanto.

[HighlandDougie]

To all the already mentioned - and all pretty special - recitals, I would add Sabine Devieilhe’s 2017 “Mirages”. A delight, with some of the best singing of parts of the French repertoire one has heard in years.

[verismissimo]

So many outstanding 'albums' (I think that's what they were called in the 1960s when The Beatles etc started making them on LP) already mentioned - particular favourites including the two early Sutherlands an, more recently those from Bartoli, especially her Gluck set, and the exciting singing of Porpora arias by counter-tenor Franco Fagioli.

And one from the early 1980s: Gabriela Benackova singing Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Superb!

Shortage of blokes thus far?

[Zucchini]

Shortage of blokes thus far?

Carlo Bergonzi: Italian arias, possibly his first recording; the supreme stylist, voice like honey
Pavarotti/Chailly: Perfect diction, just so easy for him

And Callas: French operatic arias (first of 2 recitals). A treasure. Could anyone project characters like her?

I got rid of them all years ago