The CDs listed below have been selected both for quality and availability; out-of-print LPs are also listed where appropriate.
Adams: Nixon in China. Original cast; Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Edo de Waart; Elektra/Nonesuch. A brilliant recording that captures all the score’s terror and wonder.
——: The Death of Klinghoffer. Sylvan, Maddalena; Lyon Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Kent Nagano; Elektra/Nonesuch. Better on records than in the opera house.
Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Sass, Kovats; London Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti; London. The best currently available, but try to find the old István Kertész version on LP.
Berg: Wozzeck. Silja, Waechter; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi; London. You’ll get an argument from discophiles, but the best version is still a toss-up between the old DG set led by Karl Böhm and Pierre Boulez’s version on CBS.
——: Lulu. Stratas, Mazura; Orchestre National de France conducted by Pierre Boulez; DG. The full three-act version, in a dazzling performance by Teresa Stratas.
Bizet: Carmen. Price, Corelli; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan; RCA Gold Seal. An electric recording of an electric opera. For more fun, try the old Callas recording led by Georges Prêtre on Angel.
Britten: Death in Venice. Pears, Shirley-Quirk; English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Steuart Bedford; London. Present at the creation, starring the tenor for whom the opera was conceived.
Glass: Satyagraha. Cummings, Perry; New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Christopher Keene; CBS. A less-than-ideal recording—terrific singing, indifferent conducting—of a magnificent work that deserves better.
Janáček: Jenůfa. Beňačková, others; Brno Janáček Opera Orchestra conducted by F. Jílek; Supraphon. The all-Czech cast, headed by the radiant Beňačková, makes this the one to have.
Joplin: Treemonisha. Soloists; Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Gunther Schuller; DG. The only recording, and a fine one.
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana. Obraztsova, Domingo; La Scala Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Georges Prêtre; Philips. And don’t forget Mascagni’s own recording with Gigli still available on Angel.
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci. Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; La Scala Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Tullio Serafin; Angel. The Big Three, and Cavalleria too.
Massenet: Werther. De Los Angeles, Gedda; Orchestre de Paris conducted by Georges Prêtre; Angel. The ideal Werther partnered with the ideal Charlotte. But be on the lookout for Alfredo Kraus with the late Tatiana Troyanos, on an Angel recording led by Michel Plasson.
Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise. Soloists; Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Seiji Ozawa; Cybelia. Another original-cast recording, masterfully led by Ozawa.
Monteverdi: The Coronation of Poppea. Auger, Jones; City of London Baroque Sinfonia conducted by Richard Hickox; Virgin Classics. As per current scholarly thinking, a stripped-down version of this lush masterpiece, performed on baroque instruments.
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro; Così fan tutte; Don Giovanni. Janowitz, Fischer-Dieskau; Deutsche Oper of Berlin Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Karl Böhm; DG (eight CDs). One-stop shopping, to be sure, but no one led Mozart’s Italian scores with more love and insight than Böhm in these sixties’ classics.
——: The Magic Flute. Lorengar, Prey; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti; London. In a crowded field, this has been the first choice for more than two decades.
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov. It’s out of print now, but the old Karajan recording of the Rimsky version is worth hunting down. As far as the original version is concerned, you may want to try Rostropovich’s Erato recording, an uncut performance featuring his wife, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya.
Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann. Gruberová, Domingo; Orchestre National de France conducted by Seiji Ozawa; DG. Domingo at the top of his form in one of his greatest roles.
Puccini: La bohème. Freni, Pavarotti; Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan; London. Far from perfect (the playing of the BPO is surprisingly sloppy), this remains the first choice for its leading man and lady.
——: Tosca. Price, Di Stefano, Taddei; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan; London. A dark, brooding performance of the “shabby little shocker.”
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Vishnevskaya; London Philharmonic and Ambrosian Opera Chorus conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich; DG. A fabulous, thrilling recording; it’s impossible to imagine the score being played or sung any better.
Strauss: Salome and Elektra. Nilsson; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti; London. Definitive.
——: Der Rosenkavalier. Crespin, Donath; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti; London. One of the finest recordings, of anything, ever.
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin. Hvorostovsky, Focile; Orchestre de Paris conducted by Semyon Bychkov; Philips. Starring the young Siberian bass matinee-idol Hvorostovsky in a role he has already made his own.
Verdi: Otello. Del Monaco, Tebaldi; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan; London. Yes, Domingo is the greatest modern Otello, but Del Monaco owned the role a generation before. Here he is at his virile best.
——: Don Carlos. Ricciarelli, Domingo; La Scala Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Claudio Abbado; DG. The five-act French version, the way it oughtta be.
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen. Nilsson, Windgassen; Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti; London. The first, and still the best.
——: Tristan und Isolde. Flagstad, Suthaus; Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler; Angel. The classic, still available and still worth hearing.
——: Die Meistersinger. Donath, Kollo; the Dresden State Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Herbert von Karajan; Angel. Right up in there on the all-time ten-best list with Solti’s Rosenkavalier. Hard to figure how it can be beat.