 | Verdi - Aida / L. Price · Vickers · Merrill · Gorr · Opera di Roma · Solti by Giuseppe Verdi
Buy new: $48.99 / Used from: $18.44 One must pick a starting recording, and this is it. Price is at her best. Vickers does a stand up if not outstanding job. Merrill is exquisite.
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 | Verdi - Aroldo / Shicoff · Vaness · Gavin · Comparato · Scandiuzzi · Maggio Musicale · Fabio Luisi by Neil Shicoff
Buy used from: $52.00 This is Stiffelio transformed. Dramatically weaker, musically stronger. Vaness and Schioff are both outstanding. The fourth act quartet is to die for.
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 | Verdi - Stiffelio / Carreras · Sass · Manuguerra · Ganzarolli · ORF Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Vienna · Gardelli by José Carreras
Buy used from: $32.50 A very solid recording. Carreras did a great job on a great deal of Verdi.
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 | Verdi - Simon Boccanegra / Freni, Cappuccilli, Carreras, Ghiaurov, van Dam, Foiani, Teatro alla Scala, Abbado by Giuseppe Verdi
Buy new: $23.98 / Used from: $20.31 This has been recorded about a zillion times and you can almost pick a version with your favorite singer. However, for a completely solid cast this can not be beat.
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 | Verdi - Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc)/ Caballé · Domingo · Milnes · LSO · Levine by Montserrat Caballé
Buy new: $21.98 / Used from: $12.96 You really need to have this opera in your collection if you're exploring verdi. This recording rocks over the only other version available.
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 | Verdi: Macbeth
Buy new: $21.99 / Used from: $12.97 I actually saw this cast live in 1976. Regardless of my personal affection for it. This is the definitive recording. Verrett's rendition of the sleepwalking scene is chilling.
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 | Il Corsaro
Buy new: $23.98 / Used from: $14.25 You have Carreras (What he does well, he does well), Norman, and Caballe. Though excellent, with that cast it could not be bad. ;)
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 | Otello / Verdi, Domingo, Studer, Leiferkus, Vargas, D. Graves, Schade, D'Arcangelo, Chung by Plácido Domingo
Buy new: $33.98 / Used from: $14.95 With Otello there are compromises no matter where you turn. This one has Studer as the weak point, but of the lot I'd start with this. Then you can explore Vickers, or Domingo with Scotto.
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 | Verdi: La Traviata / Sills, Gedda, Panerai; Ceccato by Giuseppe Verdi
Buy new: $21.98 / Used from: $10.99 Though one could do an entire list on Traviata, I picked Sills, because I'm a fan and because I saw her live as Violetta. Strong over all cast. If you don't trust me pick your favorite soprano and go from there.
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 | Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera
Buy new: $33.98 / Used from: $9.34 Again, hard to go wrong. But Pav is in great voice and you don't have to see him not act. Price is steller, and Battle is a remarkable Oscar.
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 | Verdi - I Lombardi / Anderson, Leech, Pavarotti, Ramey; Levine by Giuseppe Verdi
Buy new: $33.98 / Used from: $16.49 Inexpensive, but most excellent. Or try the Carreras with Sass. She's a bit crazy, but was also but a flash in the pan.
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 | Verdi: I Masnadieri
Buy new: $23.98 / Used from: $13.56 Caballe gets to show off her trills and floating high pianissimos, Bergonzi, Raimondi, and Cappuccilli are all in top form.
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