I generate my Recommended CD files from a database I keep on my music. My recommendations come from first hand experience as every CD I recommend I actually own. For any list of recommendations some "ground rules" have to be established so that the recommendations are meaningful and people will know what they are looking at.

I also think it's important to make sure that recommended recordings are actually available. This essentially means that if it isn't out on CD, it isn't available. I find that many people give recommendations from their LP library, and this isn't very useful since no one can actually purchase the recording. If people want to make recommendations as to what recordings to look out for that may be released in the future, then that may be best handled in a separate list. A similar situation exists with respect to tapes.

It is also very important to give complete information with each suggestion including timing, precise label and catalog number, SPARS if known and all performers/parts.

The following list was originally distributed on rec.music.classical and started with a Paul Korenhof book called something like "The 100 Most Beautiful Operas" in which he also gives recommendations as to recordings. The list is not current, so a bit of research may be needed to identify availability and catalog numbers (See a recent issue of Opus). In addition to the original Korenhof list, contributions were made by some of the rec.music.classical regulars (e.g., Jon Alan Conrad who is a contributing opera critic for the NY Times) as well as some published information by the opera critic Charles Osborne. This list was originally prepared by Bart Gerritse based on input from all comtributors.

The recordings were selected the recordings using the following criteria:

1. If on a constant high level, his favourite version
2. If his favourite has serious flaws, then the second, etc.
3. All must be (have been) available on CD.

I have collected the responses on this list. Major contributors are Jon Conrad, Vinh Nguyen and Charles Osborne (posted by Alak Chakravorty).

Barber	Vanessa
CO	Mitropoulos/Steber/Gedda/Elias
Beethoven	Fidelio
PK,VN,CO	Klemperer/Ludwig/Vickers/Frick
Bellini	La Sonnambula
PK	Votto/Callas/Zaccaria/Cossoto/Monti
CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti
Bellini	Norma
PK,VN,CO	Serafin/Callas/Corelli/Ludwig
VN	Serafin/Callas/Del Monaco/Stignani
Bellini	I Puritani
PK,VN,CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti
Berg	Wozzeck
PK	Abbado/Grundheber/Behrens
JC,CO	Bohm/Fischer-Dieskau/Lear
Berg	Lulu
PK	Boulez/Stratas/Minton
CO	Bohm/Lear
Berlioz	Les Troyens
PK,VN,CO	Davis/Vickers/Veasey
Berlioz	Benvenuto…
CO,PD	Davis/Gedda/Massard/Eda-Pierre
Bernstein	West Side Story
CO	Original Cast Recording
Bizet	Carmen
PK,JC	Solti/Troyanos/Domingo/van Dam
VN	/Victoria de los Angeles
CO	Pretre/Callas/Gedda/Massard
Boito	Mefistofele
PK	Rudel/Treigle/Domingo/Caballe
Britten	Peter Grimes
PK	Davis/Vickers/Harper
JC,CO	Britten/Pears/Watson
Britten	The Prodigal…
PK	Britten/Pears/Shirley-Quirk
Britten	The Turn of…
JC	Davis
Britten	Billy Budd
CO	Britten/Pears/Glossop/Langdon
Britten	Death in Venice
CO	Bedford/Pears/Shirley-Quirk
Britten	A Midsummer…
CO	Britten/Deller/Harwood/Brannigan
Charpentier	Louise
PK	Pretre/Cotrubas/Domingo/Berbie
Cilea	Adriana Lecouvreur
PK	Capuana/Tebaldi/Del Monaco D'Albert
Tiefland	EB	(Acanta)
Debussy	Pelléas et…
PK	Dutoit/Alliot-Lugaz/Henry
CO	Ensermet/Maurane/Spoorenberg
Delibes	Lakme
PK,VN	Bonynge/Sutherland/Bacquier/Vanzo
Donizetti	L'Elisir…
VN	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti/Cossa
CO	Molinari-Pradelli/Gueden/diStefano
Donizetti	Lucrezia Borgia
PK	Perlea/Caballe/Flagello/Kraus
VN,CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Arragall/Horne
Donizetti	Lucia di…
PK,VN	Karajan/Callas/Di Stefano/Panerai
VN,CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti/Milnes
Donizetti	La Fille du…
PK	Campanella/Anderson/Kraus
VN,CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti
Donizetti	Don Pasquale
PK	Sabajno/Badini/Schipa/Poli
CO	Kertesz/Sciutti/Corena/Oncina
Donizetti	Anna Bolena
VN	Bonynge/Sutherland/Hadley
CO	Varviso/Suliotis/Ghiaurov/Horne
Donizetti	Mary Stuarda
VN	Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti
Donizetti	Roberto Dev…
VN	Rudel/Caballe/Carreras
Dvořák	Rusalka
PK	Neuman/Novak/Benackova
EnesCO	Oedipe
PK	Foster/Van Dam/Bacquier/Gedda
Erkel	Bank Ban
PK	Forencsik/Solyom-Nagy/Komlossy/Reti
Falla	La Vide Breve
PK	Fruhbeck de Burgos/De Los Angeles
Gershwin	Porgy and Bess
PK	Rattle/White/Haymon
JC	DeMain
CO	Maazel/White/Mitchell
Giordano	Andrea Chenier
PK	Gavazeni/Del Monaco/Tebaldi
CO	Levine/Scotto/Domingo/Milnes
Glinka	A life for…
PK	Markevich/Christoff/Stich-Randall
Gluck	Orfeo ed…
PK	Gardiner/Von Otter/Hendricks
CO	de Froment/Gedda/Verrett/Moffo ???
JC	Solti/Horne
Gluck	Iphigénie…
PK	Gardiner/Montague/Allen/Aler
Gounod	Roméo et…
PK,VN	Plasson/Kraus/Malfitano/Van Dam
Gounod	Faust
VN,CO	Cluytens/de los Angeles/Gedda
Handel	Flavio
PK	Jacobs/Gall/Ragin/Lootens
Handel	Tamerlano
PK	Gardiner/Ragin/Robson/Argenta
Handel	Giulio Cesare
CO	Bohm/Fischer-Dieskau/Seefried
Humperdinck	Hansel und…
PK	Tate/Von Otter/Bonney/Lipovšek
CO	Eichorn/Donath/Moffo/Ludwig
Humperdinck	Konigskinder
PK	Walberg/Dallapozza/Donath/Prey
Janáček	Jenůfa
PK,VN	Mackerras/Soderstrom/Randova
Janáček	The Cunning…
PK	Mackerras/Popp/Randova/Marova
Janáček	From the…
PK	Mackerras/Zahradnicek/Zidek/Zitek
Lehar	Lustige Witwe
VN	Matacic/Schwarzkopf/Gedda/Weachter
CO,JC	Ackermann/Schwarzkopf/Kunz
Leoncavallo	Pagliacci
PK	Cellini/Björling/De Los Angeles
CO	Serafin/diStefano/Callas/Gobbi
Lortzing	Der wildschutz
PK	Heger/Prey/Litz/Wunderlich
Lully	Atys
PK	Christie/De Mey/Laurens/Mellon
Mascagni	Cavalleria…
PK	Santini/De Los Angeles/Corelli
JC	Karajan
JC	/Tebaldi/Björling
CO	Serafin/Callas/diStefano/Panerai
Massenet	Manon
PK,VN	Monteux/De Los Angeles/Legay/Dens
VN	Plasson/Cotrubas/Krauss/Quilico
CO	Rudel/Sills/Gedda
Massenet	Esclarmonde
PK	Bonynge/Sutherland/Tourangeau
Massenet	Werther
PK	Plasson/Trotanos/Kraus/Manuguerra
VN	Davis/von Stade/Carreras
CO	Pretre/Gedda/De Los Angeles
Massenet	Thais
VN	Etchevery/Doria/Vanzo/Massard
Menotti	The Consul
CO	Engel/Neway
Meyerbeer	L'Africaine
CO	Perisson/Verrett/Domingo
Meyerbeer	Les Huguenots
VN,CO	Bonynge/Sutherland/Arroyo
Meyerbeer	Le Prophete
VN	Lewis/Horne/McCracken/Scotto
Moussorgski	Boris Godounov
PK	Cluytens/Christoff/Alexieva
CO	Dobrowen/Christoff/Gedda
Moussorgski	Khovanschina
PK	Abbado/Haugland/Atlantov/Popov
Monteverdi	La Favola d'…
PK	Corboz/Tappy/Schwartz/Staempfli
Monteverdi	Incoronazione..
PK	Jacobs/Borst/Laurens/Larmore
Mozart	Entfuehrung…
CO,JC	Bohm/Auger/Schreier
Mozart	Idomeneo
PK,JC	Gardiner/Rolfe Johnson/Von Otter
CO	Davis/Shirley/Davies
Mozart	Le Nozze di…
PK,VN	Giulini/Taddei/Moffo/Wachter
CO	Kleiber,E/Gueden/Siepi/Della Casa
Mozart	Don Giovanni
PK	Haitink/Allen/Vaness/Lewis
VN,CO	Guilini/Waechter/Schwarzkopf/Taddei
Mozart	Cosí fan Tutte
PK,VN	Karajan/Schwarzkopf/Merriman
JC	Leinsdorff
JC	Solti
JC	Haitink
VN,CO	Boehm/Schwarzkopf/Ludwig
Mozart	La Clemenza…
PK	Kertesz/Krenn/Berganza/Casula
JC	Davis
JC	Gardiner
Mozart	Die Zauberflote
PK	Levine/Cotrubas/Tappy/Boesch
VN,CO	Klemperer/Janowitz/Putz/Popp
Nicolai	Die Lustige…
PK	Heger/Frick/Gutstein/Engen
Offenbach	Orphee…
PK	Plasson/Rhodes/Mesple/Senechal
Offenbach	Les Contes…
PK	Cambreling/Shicoff/Murray/Serra
VN,JC	Bonynge/Domingo/Sutherland
CO	Cluytens/Gedda/d'Angelo
Offenbach	La Belle Helene
VN,SM	Plasson/Norman/Aler/Bacquier
Offenbach	La Grande-Duch.
NH
Pepusch	The Beggar's…
CO	Austin/Noble/Prietto/Lipton
Pfitzner	Palestrina
PK	Kubelik/Ridderbusch/Weikl
Ponchielli	La Gioconda
VN	Bartoletti/Caballe/Pavarotti
CO,JC	Gardelli/Tebaldi/Bergonzi/Horne
Prokofieff	Amour des…
PK	Nagano/Bacquier/Viala/Perraguin
JC	(Melodia, 60s)
Puccini	La Boheme
PK,VN,CO	Beecham/De Los Angeles/Björling
VN,CO	Karajan/Freni/Pavarotti
Puccini	Tosca
PK,VN,CO	De Sabata/Callas/Di Stefano/Gobbi
Puccini	Madama But…
PK,CO	Barbirolli/Scotto/Bergonzi
VN	Gavazzeni/De los Angeles/Di Stefano
Puccini	La Rondine
PK,CO	Molinari-Pradelli/Moffo/Barioni
VN	Maazel/Te Kanawa/Domingo/Nicolesco
Puccini	La Fanciulla…
PK,CO	Mehta/Neblett/Domingo/Milnes
Puccini	Turandot
PK	Molinari-Pradelli/Nilsson/Corelli
VN,CO,JC	Mehta/Sutherland/Pavarotti
CO	Molinari-Pradelli/Nilsson/Björling
Puccini	Manon Lescaut
VN	Sinopoli/Freni/Domingo/Bruson
CO	Bartoletti/Domingo/Caballe
Purcell	Dido and Aeneas
PK	Leppard/Norman/Allen
CO	Lewis/Baker/Herincx
Ravel	L' Heure…
PK	Maazel/Berbie/Giraudeau/Bacquier
CO	Ensermet/Danco
Ravel	L' Enfant…
PK	Maazel/Ogeas/Collard/Berbie
CO	Ensermet/Wend/Danco
Rimski-Korsakov	Shnegourochka
PK	Fedosejev/Archipova/Vedernikov
Rossini	L' Italiana…
PK,CO	Varviso/Berganza/Alva/Corena
VN	/Horne
Rossini	Il Barbiere…
PK	Marriner/Allen/Baltsa/Araiza
CO	Galliera/Callas/Gobbi/Alva
Rossini	Semiramide
PK	Bonynge/Sutherland/Horne
Rossini	Il Viaggio…
PK	Abbado/Gasdia/Terrani/Cuberli
Rossini	La Cenerentola
CO	de Fabritiis/Simionato/Benelli
Rossini	Guilaumme Tell
VN,CO	Gardelli/Caballe/Gedda/Bacquier
Saint-Saëns	Samson et…
PK	Pretre/Gorr/Vickers/Blanc
VN	Patane/Ludwig/King
Schreker	Der ferne Klang	(Marco Polo)
Schreker	Die Schatzgraeber	(Cappriccio)
Schreker	Die Gezeichneten	(Marco Polo)
Schubert	Fierrabras
PK	Abbado/Holl/Mattila/Hampson
Shostakovich	The Nose
PK	Rosjdestvenski/Achimov/Belich
Shostakovich	Lady Macbeth…
BH,GR	Rostropovich/Vishnesvskya
Smetana	The Bartered…
PK	Kempe/Lorengar/Wunderlich/Frick
CO	Chalabala/Tikalova/Zidek
Sondheim	Sweeney Todd
CO	Original Cast Recording
Strauss, J	Die Fledermaus
PK	Karajan/Kmentt/Gueden/Koth
VN	Karajan/Schwarzkopf/Streich/Gedda
CO	Krauss/Lipp/Gueden/Berry
Strauss, J	The Gypsy Baron
CO	Ackermann/Gedda/Schwarzkopf/Kunz
Strauss, R	Elektra
PK,CO	Solti/Resnik/Nilsson/Collier
Strauss, R	Salome
VN,JC	Leinsdorf/Caballe/Lewis/Resnik
VN,CO	Solti/Nilsson/Hoffman/Stolze
VN	Karajan/Behrens/Bohme/Baltsa
JC	Sinopoli/Studer
Strauss, R	Der Rosen…
PK	Kleiber, E/Reining/Weber/Jurinac
VN,CO	Karajan/Schwarzkopf/Ludwig
JC	Solti
Strauss, R	Die Frau…
PK	Sawallisch/Kollo/Studer/Schwarz
VN	Solti/Varady/Domingo/Behrens
CO	Bohm/Hopf/Rysanek/Scoeffler
Strauss, R	Arabella
PK	Sawallisch/Berry/Schmidt/Varady
VN	Tate/Te Kanawa
CO	Solti/Della Casa/London/Gueden
Stravinsky	Oedipus Rex
CO	Solti/Pears/Meyer/McCowen
Stravinsky	Rake's Progress
CO	Stravinsky/Young/Raskin/Reardon
JC	Atherton/Langridge
Tippett	The Midsummer…
CO	Davis/Carlyle/Remedios
Tchaikovsky	Eugene Onegin
CO	Rostropovich/Masurok/Vishnevskaya
Tchaikovsky	The Queen…
PK	Tchakarov/Ochman/Konsoelov
Verdi	Ernani
CO	Schippers/Price/Bergonzi/Sereni
Verdi	Nabucco
CO	Gardelli/Suliotis/Gobbi
Verdi	Luisa Miller
CO	Cleva/Moffo/Bergonzi/MacNeil
Verdi	Macbeth
PK,CO	Leinsdorf/Warren/Rysanek/Hines
JC	Muti
Verdi	Rigoletto
PK	Solti/Merrill/Moffo/Kraus
JC	Kubelik/F-D/Bergonzi/Scotto/Cossotto
VN	Serafin/Gobbi/Callas/Di Stefano
CO	Cellini/Warren/Berger/Peerce
Verdi	Il Trovatore
PK,CO	Cellini/Björling/Milanov/Warren
VN	Mehta/Price/Domingo/Cosotto
Verdi	La Traviata
PK	Ghione/Callas/Kraus/Sereni
CO	Pritchard/Sutherland/Bergonzi
Verdi	Simon Bocc…
PK,CO	Abbado/Cappuccilli/Freni/Ghiaurov
Verdi	Un Ballo…
PK,VN,CO	Leinsdorf/Price/Bergonzi/Merrill
VN	Solti/M. Price/Pavarotti/Bruson
Verdi	La Forza…
PK,VN,CO	Schippers/Price/Tucker/Merrill
VN	Levine/Price/Domingo/Milness/Cosotto
Verdi	Don Carlos
PK,CO	Giulini/Domingo/Caballe/Verrett
VN	Abbado/Domingo/Riciarelli/Terrini/Nuci
Verdi	Aïda
PK,JC	Perlea/Milanov/Barbieri/Björling
VN,JC	Solti/Price/Vickers/Gorr
JC	Muti/Caballe/Cossotto/Domingo
CO,JC	Serafin/Tucker/Callas/Barbieri
Verdi	Otello
PK,CO	Serafin/Vickers/Gobbi/Andreolli
JC,CO	Toscanini/Vinay
JC	Karajan
JC,VN	Levine/Domingo/Scotto/Milnes
Verdi	Falstaff
PK,CO	Karajan/Gobbi/Alva/Panerai
VN	Giulini/Bruson
Wagner	Der fliegende..
PK,CO	Klemperer/Adam/Silja/Talvela
Wagner	Lohengrin
PK,CO	Kempe/Thomas/Grummer/Frick
VN	Solti/Domingo/Norman
JC	Kubelik/Janowitz/King
Wagner	Tristan…
PK	Bohm/Windgassen/Talvela/Nilsson
CO	Karajan/Vickers/Dernesch
Wagner	Meistersinger..
PK	Karajan/Edelmann/Dalberg/Kunz
JC,CO	Karajan/Donath/Kollo/Adam
VN	Jochum/Fisher-Dieskau/Ligendza/Lagger
Wagner	Der Ring…
PK,VN	Solti/Nilsson/Windgassen
CO	Karajan
CO	Bohm
Wagner	Die Walküre
PK	Leinsdorf/Nilsson/Brouwenstijn
JC	Solti (as above)
Wagner	Tannhäuser
CO,VN	Sinopoli/Domingo/Studer/Baltsa/Salminen
Wagner	Parsifal
PK	Solti/Dieskau/Hotter/Frick
CO	Knappertbusch/Thomas/London
Weill	Aufstieg und…
CO	Bruckner-Ruggeberg/Lenya/Saverbaum
Weill	Dreigroschen…
CO	Bruckner-Ruggeberg/Lenya/Schellow

Initials indicate that the recording following the initials is considered to be very good (often even the best) by the owner of these initials. In case of PK, it also indicates that this opera was in the original list. If no recording follows the initials this means this opera is one of the most beautiful 100 operas, or simply that it's a very beautiful opera, in the opinion of the owner of the initials.

EB	Eric E. Bowles
JC	Jon Conrad
PD	Peter DeLafosse
NH	Nadine S Harris
BH	Bill McHenry
SM	Scott Marley
VN	Vinh Nguyen
CO	Charles Osborne
PK	Paul Korenhof
GR	Gavin Ramsay

Paul Korenhof is the author of the list as in the original posting. He is chief-editor of "Opera Skala", as far as I know the only full-color magazine on Opera in the Netherlands, and of "Luister", the leading magazine on classical music.

For operas where there is no "JC", Jon Conrad agrees with PK (at least that the recording PK picks is good; there is no recording obviously better, in JC's opinion). "Die Zauberflote" is the only exception on this (from JC's postings).

The "CO" recommendations come from a list, similar to Korenhof's. Alak Chakravorty posted it. He got it from a book from 1983 by Charles Osborne, therefore no recordings from after 1983 are included.