A collection such as this is an impressive showcase of the Naxos operatic catalogue. We would once have expected such a collection only from the likes of RCA, Decca, or EMI, but these are all from recent Naxos recordings and all are at least very good. The music is well known, and this collection would be a good opera recording for a person with slight interest in opera, or just beginning a collection and wanting a good run through the highlights to serve until the complete operas could be obtained one by one. Throughout, the recording quality, orchestras, and conducting are first rate and often the equal of the finest orchestras in the world.

The real star of the collection is the opening number, the Pearl Fishers’ duet. Not only one of the most substantial musically, it’s very well sung and played, and is not heard nearly often enough.

Another high point for me is the Mimì of Luba Orgonasova, one of the great voices and great dramatic actresses of our time—although with a work played so often as Bohème, everyone will have a favourite recorded version chosen from among so many available. Miriam Gauci in the Manon Lescaut excerpt is also outstanding.

Aragall and Tumagian do a superb dramatic job in their Don Carlo excerpt; but Aragall is disappointingly unsteady in the Venti Scudi from L’Elisir d’Amore, and Tumagian seems to be off his stride there too, although his coloratura is fine. The Rossini excerpt is very good, but we’ve all heard it done a little better. Lotric and Morozov make a lot of noise in the Otello excerpt, but do not hold a candle to Domingo and Diáz, and anyone who likes Otello will probably want the whole opera.

Paul Shoemaker

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