Opera

One of the greatest works of art ever conceived, Wagner's +Ring+ has been well served on disc, but this features Daniel Barenboim's theatrically astute conducting and a magnificent cast including John Tomlinson and Anne Evans.

The richly detailed orchestration of Verdi's final opera blazes out under Herbert von Karajan's baton, and Tito Gobbi's multifaceted Fat Knight leads a cast of singers that strike sparks off each other.

The most epic yet most human of Verdi's operas, +Don Carlos+ exists in multiple versions, but this (in its original French) is one of the best representations and features Placido [A ACUTE] Domingo in the title role.

Russia's greatest opera amid strong competition, Tchaikovsky's 'lyric scenes' have not been better served on disc than by the idiomatic conducting of Semyon Bychkov and a cast including Dmitri Hvorostovsky's fresh-voiced Onegin.

Witty yet wistful, Erich Kleiber's interpretation with the Vienna Philharmonic of Richard Strauss's masterpiece is a classic, and it boasts a dream cast.

From high spirits to deep pathos, +La Cenerentola+ ('Cinderella') holds in perfect balance everything we love most about Rossini, and this cast is led by an ebullient Cecilia Bartoli on her best form.

The greatest of all Toscas, Maria Callas is captured at her legendary best, urged on by a distinguished cast and conducting of dramatic sweep.

The dialogue may be cut, but no CD collection should be without Mozart's 'opera for everybody' or a cast that includes Lucia Popp's Queen of the Night and Nicolai Gedda's Tamino.

Beneath its unruffled, Mediterranean surface, Mozart's sublime yet cruel comedy comes to life in Bernard Haitink's interpretation from Glyndebourne, with a cast including Carol Vaness and Claudio Desderi.

Towering in its idealism over most of the operatic repertory, Beethoven's opera is heart-stopping in the theatre but also a sublime, uplifting musical experience without that staging: not many operas convey as much of a message in 'tone' alone. Though the +Fidelio+ discography is now large, few recordings stand out as this one continues to do, nearly half a century after it was first captured in stereo. Otto Klemperer's lofty conducting evokes the transcendental spirit, and Jon Vickers's anguished Florestan is all suffering strength. With a great line-up also including Christa Ludwig and Gottlob Frick, this +Fidelio is timeless.