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This was Joan Sutherland's second recording of Lucia, made with an all-star cast in prime vocal condition, and it is a must for those who believe that bel canto opera should live up to its descriptive title: "beautiful singing." In the 10 years since her first Lucia recording, she had settled more comfortably into the character and become even more expert in the music. Her costars are among the greatest singers of our time, a point that is particularly important in the ensemble singing. Maria Callas is more dramatic, and her Lucia is a must for Callas fans, but this set is a joyful celebration of the glory of the human voice. In purely musical terms it is the best-sung Lucia on record. --Joe McLellan

History's first great opera--the story of Orpheus descending to Hades to retrieve his bride Eurydice from the dead, only to lose her again--gets a fine performance (the best overall version currently available) from John Eliot Gardiner and his musicians. Anthony Rolfe Johnson performs the title role with all the beautiful sound you'd expect from an Orfeo; he negotiates virtuoso passages flawlessly and sings passionately without overwhelming Monteverdi's music with too much voice. Julianne Baird as Eurydice and Anne Sofie Von Otter in a gripping appearance as the Messenger are the standouts in a cast without a weak link. Everyone involved, including the chorus and orchestra, performs with such energy, beauty, and precision that even long stretches of recitative never pall. --Matthew Westphal

A strong cast--with Lucia Popp a radiant Susanna and Frederica Von Stade deliciously precocious as Cherubino--makes this Figaro a delight from start to finish. Georg Solti presides masterfully, uncorking a propulsive reading with all the fizz of vintage champagne. --Ted Libbey

Release Date: 2001-09-11, Audio CD, London

This 1988 Vienna State Opera production of Wozzeck is, to my ears, vastly superior to the 1979 performance by Christoph von Dohn?nyi with the same orchestra. The entire emotional and dynamic range of the music is here, projected in striking relief. The anxieties of the tale are unflinchingly portrayed, but so, too, are the many moments of tenderness and rapturous beauty. The cast--Franz Grundheber plays the title role and Hildegard Behrens portrays Marie--are skilled dramatists as well as voices, even on record. The disc commemorates one of the rare instances when a company has done justice to the dazzling splendor of Berg's conception. --Joshua CodyThis 1988 Vienna State Opera production of Wozzeck is, to my ears, vastly superior to the 1979 performance by Christoph von Dohn?nyi with the same orchestra. The entire emotional and dynamic range of the music is here, projected in striking relief. The anxieties of the tale are unflinchingly portrayed, but so, too, are the many moments of tenderness and rapturous beauty. The cast--Franz Grundheber plays the title role and Hildegard Behrens portrays Marie--are skilled dramatists as well as voices, even on record. The disc commemorates one of the rare instances when a company has done justice to the dazzling splendor of Berg's conception. --Joshua Cody

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These mono recordings from the early fifties (No. 8 is in stereo) testify to Herbert von Karajan's instinct for Beethoven's confrontational idiom, particularly in the 1st, 2nd, and 6th through 8th symphonies. The "Eroica" is weighty to the point of heavy-handed compared to the conductor's fleeter, more transparent Berlin remakes. Conversely, the London 5th and 9ths sport a blended proficiency far removed from the conductor's earlier, more inflected and involving Vienna versions. On balance, Karajan's 1963 Berlin cycle on DG remains first choice for its superior sound, more alluring orchestra, and cheaper price. --Jed Distler

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Release Date: 2002-08-05, Audio CD, Angel Records