Giuseppe Verdi, advise needed.

[val]

In order to understand the evolution of Verdi's style, I suggest:

Macbeth  (Milnes, Cossotto, Muti)

Rigoletto  (Fischer-Dieskau, Bergonzi, Kubelik)

Un Ballo in Maschera, with Serafin, Gigli, Caniglia (if you are not afraid of a 1940 recording, in order to listen some of the most beautiful voices of the century and a direction even superior to Toscanini)

Don Carlo  (Ghiaurov, Fischer-Dieskau, Bergonzi, Solti)

Aida  (Vickers, Gorr, Price, Solti)

Otello  (Vickers, Gobbi, Serafin)

Falstaff  (Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Karajan)

[Harry]

In order to understand the evolution of Verdi's style, I suggest:

Macbeth  (Milnes, Cossotto, Muti)

Rigoletto  (Fischer-Dieskau, Bergonzi, Kubelik)

Un Ballo in Maschera, with Serafin, Gigli, Caniglia (if you are not afraid of a 1940 recording, in order to listen some of the most beautiful voices of the century and a direction even superior to Toscanini)

I am not afraid of older recordings. I found out, that I love the voices from that time, and sound is a secondary issue.

Don Carlo  (Ghiaurov, Fischer-Dieskau, Bergonzi, Solti)

Aida  (Vickers, Gorr, Price, Solti)

Otello  (Vickers, Gobbi, Serafin)

Falstaff  (Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Karajan)

Some excellent recommendations.
In a short while my ordering list will be ready.

[Lethevich]

On my list Sarah, thank you!

The best comparison for Marschner's style is Weber, if it helps - he is in that tradition, but a later generation. It's a shame that his music is so obscure now, as there isn't much choice for 19th century German opera nowadays... Plus operas with baritone leads are great A wonderful sounding range.

[Harry]

Dear friends, could I have some opinions about this box, link provided, a all Tebaldi box.

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3261416?rk=classic&rsk=novelties

[Tsaraslondon]

Thank you for this well considered list. Paul send me a few discs with the voice of Callas, so I am working on this, and like some things, so may I suggest to include your recommendations, even if that involves Maria Callas!

In that case, Harry, my recommendations would be as follows:

Aida. Safest bet is probably Muti (Caballe, Domingo, Milnes, Cossotto), though I prefer Karajan II (Freni, Carreras, Baltsa, Cappuccilli). The Solti has a splendid cast, but, personally, I cannot bear Solti's conducting - over emphatic and too hard driven. It totally lacks lyricism and song. Though Callas and Gobbi give us the best Nile Scene on disc, I have never thought Callas's voice was particularly suited to the role; even in her heyday when she could hurl out a mighty Eb in alt in the finale of Act II, though that in itself is a feat worth hearing.
Un Ballo in Machera. Votto (Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi, Barbieri), though Callas and Di Stefano are even better caught live with Gavazzeni conducting (and also on EMI)
Simon Boccanegra. Abbado (Cappucilli, Freni, Ghiaurov, Carreras)
La Forza del Destino. Serafin (Callas, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi- Lemeni) or the absolutely complete Levine (Leontyne Price, Domingo, Milnes)

La Traviata. There is no doubt that Callas is the most complete Violetta on disc. Unfortunately her only studio recording was made for Cetra in 1951, has a mediocre supporting cast and is dully conducted. The best of her many live recordings (both sonically and as to performance) is from Covent Garden in 1958, but it is also the hardest to find. The Lisbon Traviata, which also features Alfredo Kraus apparently sounds better on Pearl than on EMI. My studio recommendation would be for the Kleiber with Cotrubas, Domingo and Milnes. Gheorghiu is very fine, but I again have a problem with Solti's conducting. Scotto was also an excellent Violetta, in fresher voice on the old DG recording conducted by Votto.
Rigoletto. Serafin (Gobbi, Callas, Di Stefano) - some, and I wouldn't contradict them, rate this set as highly as the De Sabata Tosca. Giulini would be my alternative (Cappuccilli, Cotrubas, Domingo)
Il Trovatore. Karajan I (Callas, Di Stefano, Barbieri, Panerai), as much for the conducting as the singing, Mehta (Leontyne Price, Domingo, Cossotto, Milnes), or, a very interesting performance from Giulini with Rosalind Plowright, Domingo, Brigitte Fassbaender and Zancanaro

Falstaff. Karajan I (Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Barbieri, Panerai, Moffo, Alva).

Macbeth. Abbado (Cappuccilli, Verrett). Callas is a superb Lady Macbeth, but the live performance from La Scala, excellently conducted by Victor De Sabata is in distinctly lo-fi sound. Her three main arias are on the Verdi recital, now available on EMI GROC, but I have to warn you that this issue also contains arias recorded in 1965, when Callas's voice had deteriorated quite substantially.
Nabucco. Gardelli (Gobbi, Souliotis, Cava), probably Souliotis's only really satisfactory recording, dangerously sung but absolutely thrilling.
Ernani. Schippers (Leontyne Price, Bergonzi, Sereni, Flagello)
Luisa Miller. Cleva (Moffo, Bergonzi, MacNeil) or Maag (Caballe, Pavarotti, Milnes), both excellent, though I have a personal preference for Moffo in what I think was her finest recorded performance.

Incidentally, I would also recommend the Serafin Otello. Vickers and Gobbi both bring something unique to their roles and Serafin's conducting is so unobtrusively right, it seems to me. It is the performance of Otello, I return to more than any other.

If you want to explore further, many of the Philips versions of the early operas, conducted by Gardelli, are now available at mid price and all are uniformly excellent.

[Tsaraslondon]

Dear friends, could I have some opinions about this box, link provided, a all Tebaldi box.

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3261416?rk=classic&rsk=novelties

It's quite a bargain. You won't be hearing the best version available of each opera, but La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West are certainly amongst the best available, and none of the others is bad.

[Harry]

In that case, Harry, my recommendations would be as follows:

Aida. Safest bet is probably Muti (Caballe, Domingo, Milnes, Cossotto), though I prefer Karajan II (Freni, Carreras, Baltsa, Cappuccilli). The Solti has a splendid cast, but, personally, I cannot bear Solti's conducting - over emphatic and too hard driven. It totally lacks lyricism and song. Though Callas and Gobbi give us the best Nile Scene on disc, I have never thought Callas's voice was particularly suited to the role; even in her heyday when she could hurl out a mighty Eb in alt in the finale of Act II, though that in itself is a feat worth hearing.
Un Ballo in Machera. Votto (Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi, Barbieri), though Callas and Di Stefano are even better caught live with Gavazzeni conducting (and also on EMI)
Simon Boccanegra. Abbado (Cappucilli, Freni, Ghiaurov, Carreras)
La Forza del Destino. Serafin (Callas, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi- Lemeni) or the absolutely complete Levine (Leontyne Price, Domingo, Milnes)

La Traviata. There is no doubt that Callas is the most complete Violetta on disc. Unfortunately her only studio recording was made for Cetra in 1951, has a mediocre supporting cast and is dully conducted. The best of her many live recordings (both sonically and as to performance) is from Covent Garden in 1958, but it is also the hardest to find. The Lisbon Traviata, which also features Alfredo Kraus apparently sounds better on Pearl than on EMI. My studio recommendation would be for the Kleiber with Cotrubas, Domingo and Milnes. Gheorghiu is very fine, but I again have a problem with Solti's conducting. Scotto was also an excellent Violetta, in fresher voice on the old DG recording conducted by Votto.
Rigoletto. Serafin (Gobbi, Callas, Di Stefano) - some, and I wouldn't contradict them, rate this set as highly as the De Sabata Tosca. Giulini would be my alternative (Cappuccilli, Cotrubas, Domingo)
Il Trovatore. Karajan I (Callas, Di Stefano, Barbieri, Panerai), as much for the conducting as the singing, Mehta (Leontyne Price, Domingo, Cossotto, Milnes), or, a very interesting performance from Giulini with Rosalind Plowright, Domingo, Brigitte Fassbaender and Zancanaro

Falstaff. Karajan I (Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Barbieri, Panerai, Moffo, Alva).

Macbeth. Abbado (Cappuccilli, Verrett). Callas is a superb Lady Macbeth, but the live performance from La Scala, excellently conducted by Victor De Sabata is in distinctly lo-fi sound. Her three main arias are on the Verdi recital, now available on EMI GROC, but I have to warn you that this issue also contains arias recorded in 1965, when Callas's voice had deteriorated quite substantially.
Nabucco. Gardelli (Gobbi, Souliotis, Cava), probably Souliotis's only really satisfactory recording, dangerously sung but absolutely thrilling.
Ernani. Schippers (Leontyne Price, Bergonzi, Sereni, Flagello)
Luisa Miller. Cleva (Moffo, Bergonzi, MacNeil) or Maag (Caballe, Pavarotti, Milnes), both excellent, though I have a personal preference for Moffo in what I think was her finest recorded performance.

Incidentally, I would also recommend the Serafin Otello. Vickers and Gobbi both bring something unique to their roles and Serafin's conducting is so unobtrusively right, it seems to me. It is the performance of Otello, I return to more than any other.

If you want to explore further, many of the Philips versions of the early operas, conducted by Gardelli, are now available at mid price and all are uniformly excellent.

No doubt this took you a while to compile, and me to note it all down, this will help me substantially to narrow my list to the essence it needs to have. There is about some recordings a unanimity, and that is heartening, so thank you again for this most excellent list.

[Harry]

It's quite a bargain. You won't be hearing the best version available of each opera, but La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West are certainly amongst the best available, and none of the others is bad.

Then I hope there are texts provided for I will order it. 15 cd's for 25,- euro's is a steal!
And if not, could you direct me to a place where I could download the English-Italian translation?

[Tsaraslondon]

Then I hope there are texts provided for I will order it. 15 cd's for 25,- euro's is a steal!
And if not, could you direct me to a place where I could download the English-Italian translation?

At that price, I doubt they will have the libretti. I don't know where you could get them, but I know you can as others on this forum have recommended sites in other posts. I'm afraid I didn't take much notice, as I already have all the libretti included in the complete sets that I own. I'm sure someone else will read your post here and point you in the right direction.