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The only studio recording of Strauss’s biographical opera is a complete winner on all front [MP]

A good cast and excellent sound are featured on Rattle’s challenge to the Mackerras hegemony [MP]

This version of Massenet’s opera is somewhat marred by the coarse recording, but there are a few thrills to be encountered nonetheless [MP]

Beautiful sonorities throughout but the conductor’s approach is an emotional letdown and hampers the stellar cast [MP]

Stravinsky’s own recording is a flawed yet pleasurable account of this little opera [MP]

Johann Strauss’ Hungarian operetta truly sparkles in a performance that commands the field in spite of its age [MP]

A very fine cast and excellent sound makes this a decent version of Wagner’s difficult first opera [MP]

Weber’s magical score is lovingly presented on this fine set [MP]

A long-lost operatic curiosity. Well-performed but recorded harshly, with no sense of stage atmosphere [MP]

Laurent Pelly’s production has matured with age and Brownlee gives the performance of his career in the title role [MP]

Not a first choice recording but worth spending some time with for a few excellent individual contributions [MP]

Worth getting to know even in a less than successful recording [MP]

Vocal riches in a depressingly hyperactive production that is devoid of amusement [MP]

One might go hunting for a more complete version of this opera, but this one does the trick in most respects [MP]

Christa Ludwig’s amazing Witch is the crowning achievement of this still essential recording [MP]

This old recording still has plenty of rewards to offer [MP]

Sinopoli and a powerhouse cast reveal unsuspected depths in Verdi’s early opera [MP]

A colourful Wagnerian romp with two outstanding interpreters among the large cast [MP]

A very good cast in a version with more linking dialogue than on other recordings [MP]

An incandescent central performance heads an excellent ensemble cast under Mackerras’ renowned leadership [MP]

A pleasing but hardly essential recording of Rossini’s opera, noteworthy for being the first recorded in stereo [MP]

A touchstone recording which is hard to beat for its general excellence and superbly detailed sound [MP]

A pleasant romp through the realm of French patriotic music and beyond [MP]

Perhaps not the finest La Gioconda recording but a deeply satisfying one nonetheless [MP]