* I Puritani (Arturo) London/Decca 417 588-2
1974 Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov, Cappuccilli, Covent Garden Ch., London Sym. Orch., Bonynge

This is a superb recording of a beautiful Bellini bel-canto opera. Luciano Pavarotti's voice is perfectly suited to the part of Arturo. He handles the beauty of the line magnificently. Joan Sutherland, Ghiaurov, and Cappuccilli are likewise excellent.

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La Sonnambula (Elvino) London/Decca 417 424-2
1980 Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov, Covent Garden Ch., National Phil. Orch., Bonynge
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Arrigo Boito

Mefistofele (Faust) London/Decca 410 175-2
1980,1982 Ghiaurov, Pavarotti, Freni, Caballé, London Opera Ch., National Phil. Orch. of London, de Fabritiis
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Gaetano Donizetti

La Favorita (La Favorite) (Fernando) London/Decca 430 038-2
1974-77 Cossotto, Pavarotti, Cotrubas, Ghiaurov, Bacquier, Orch. e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bonynge (in Italian)

“La Favorita may not have as many memorable tunes as the finest Donizetti operas, but red-blooded drama provides ample compensation. Fernando is strongly and imaginatively sung here by Pavarotti. The mezzo role of the heroine is taken by Fiorenza Cossotto, formidably powerful if not quite at her finest, while Ileana Cotrubas is comparably imaginative as her confidante, Ines, but not quite at her peak. Bacquier and Ghiaurov make up a team which should have been even better but which will still give much satisfaction. Bright recording. --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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* La Fille du Régiment (Tonio) Decca 414 520-2
1967 Sutherland, Pavarotti, Malas, Sinclair, Covent Garden Ch., Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Bonynge

“It was with this cast that La Fille du regiment was revived at Covent Garden, and Sutherland immediately showed how naturally she takes to the role of Marie, a vivandière in the army of Napoleon. She is in turn brilliantly comic and pathetically affecting, and Pavarotti makes an engaging hero. Monica Sinclair is a formidable Countess in a fizzing performance of a delightful Donizetti romp that can confidently be commended both for comedy and for fine singing. Recorded in Kingsway Hall, the CD sound has wonderful presence and clarity of focus.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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* Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo) London/Decca 410 193-2
1971 Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov, Milnes, Orch. and Ch. of the Royal Opera House, Bonynge

“Though some of the girlish freshness of voice which marked the 1961 recording had disappeared by the 1971 set, Sutherland’s detailed understanding was intensified. Power is there as well as delicacy, and the rest of the cast is first rate. Pavarotti, through much of the opera not as sensitive as he can be, proves magnificent in his final scene. The sound-quality is superb on CD. In this set, unlike the earlier one, the text is absolutely complete.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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Maria Stuarda (Roberto)London/Decca 425 410-2
1974-75 Pavarotti, Sutherland, Tourangeau, Soyer, Orch. e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bonynge

“In Donizetti’s tellingly dramatic opera on the conflict of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, the contrast between the full soprano Maria and the dark mezzo Elisabetta is underlined by some transpositions, with Tourangeau emerging as a powerful villainess in this slanted version of the story. Pavarotti turns Leicester into a passionate Italian lover, not at all an Elizabethan gentleman. As for Sutherland, she is at her most fully dramatic too, and the great moment when she flings the insult Vil bastarda! at her cousin brings a superb snarl; Richard Bonynge directs an urgent account of an unfailingly enjoyable opera. Unusually for Decca, the score is slightly cut. The recording is characteristically bright and full.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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Amilcare Ponchielli

La Gioconda (Enzo) London/Decca 414 349-2
1980 Caballé, Baltsa, Pavarotti, Milnes, Ghiaurov, Hodgson, London Opera Ch., National Philharmonic Orchestra, Bartoletti
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Giacomo Puccini

* La Bohème (Rodolfo) London/Decca 421 049-2
1972 Freni, Pavarotti, Panerai, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Maffeo, Ch. der Deutschen Oper, Berliner Phil., Karajan

“Karajan’s 1972 recording is also conceived on a fairly grand scale, but he’s able to bring some intimacy to the story. Freni and Pavarotti are an ideal Mimi-Rodolfo pair, more comfortable on top than Tebaldi and Bergonzi and more adept at bringing a realistic, human dimension to their characters. The tenor is at his youthful best; the soprano, with her combination of emotional vulnerability and vocal strength, shows why she owned the role of Mimi for a good quarter-century. She was just as lovable in her first recording, led by Schippers, but Gedda’s clean-lined, ringing Rodolfo needed more pasta in the voice. The genteel Elizabeth Harwood was a strange choice for Musetta, but she was one of those imprudent singers who fluttered like a moth toward Karajan’s flame. Panerai’s crisp Marcello and Ghiaurov’s sonorous Colline are additional assets.” --Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion

"Pavarotti's Rodolfo is perhaps the best thing he has ever done: not only the finest recorded account of the role since Bjorling's on the Beecham set, but adding the honeyed Italiante warmth that even Bjorling lacked...His Mimi, Freni, sings beautifully and sensitively." --The Classical Good CD and DVD Guide 2005 (Gramophone)

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* Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) London/Decca 417 577-2
1974 Freni, Pavarotti, Kerns, Ludwig, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Phil., Karajan

“Freni strikes a balance somewhere between the two Renatas: more vocally pliant than Tebaldi, lovelier timbre than Scotto, stronger and more luminous on top than either. She doesn’t have Tebaldi’s plentitude or Scotto’s dramatic flair, but she’s poignant and believable, without sacrificing anything in vocal glamour, and she has an inwardness of her own. The 1974 recording with Karajan would probably be my desert-island choice; it’s that beautiful and touching. Pavarotti is the breezy Pinkerton, Ludwig a surprisingly effective Suzuki. (Freni’s second Butterfly still has some of the magic, but conductor Sinopoli turns it into the slowest on record, an unbearable exhibition of conductorial self-glorification.)” --Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion

"Movingly dramatic as Renata Scotto is on the Barbirolli set, Mirella Freni is even more compelling. The voice is fresher, firmer and more girlish, with more light and shade at such points as 'Un bel di', and there is an element of vulnerability that intensifies the communication. In that, one imagines Karajan played a big part, just as he must have done in presenting Pavarotti...as a Pinkerton of exceptional subtlety, not just a roistering cad but in his way an endearing figure in the First Act...Christa Ludwig is by far the richest and most compelling of the Suzukis." --The Classical Good CD and DVD Guide 2005 (Classical Good CD and DVD Guide)

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Manon Lescaut (des Grieux) London/Decca 440 200-2
1992 Freni, Pavarotti, Croft, Taddei, The Metropolitan Opera Ch. and Orch., Levine

“When she [Freni] recorded the role again in 1992, she had a more sympathetic conductor in Levine, and her tone was still full and lovely, even if some of the bloom was gone. The top remains secure and steady, the chest register is better attached to the rest of the voice, and her words are no less deeply felt. Pavarotti is a gleaming, incisive des Grieux. Freni and Pavarotti together match some of the Albanese-Björling or Callas-Di Stefano chemistry. This is the stereo recording of choice.” --Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion

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* Turandot (Calaf) London/Decca 414 274-2
1972 Sutherland, Pavarotti, Caballé, Ghiaurov, John Alldis Ch., Philharmonia Orch. of London, Mehta

"Dame Joan Sutherland's assumption of the title role is statuesque, combining regal poise with a more human warmth, whilst Montserrat Caballe is a touchingly sympathetic Liu, skillfully steering the character away from any hint of the mawkish. Pavarotti's Calaf is a heroic figure in splendid voice and the chorus is handled with great power, baying for blood at one minute, enraptured with Liu's nobility at the next. Mehta conducts with great passion and a natural feel for Puccini's wonderfully tempestuous drama. Well recorded." --The Classical Good CD and DVD Guide 2005 (Classical Good CD and DVD Guide) This opera contains the famed aria "Nessun dorma," Pavarotti's most famous aria.

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Giacchino Rossini

Guglielmo Tell (William Tell) (Arnoldo) Decca 17154
1979 Milnes, Pavarotti, Freni, Ghiaurov, D. Jones, E. Connell, van Allan, NPO, Chailly
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Giuseppe Verdi

Macbeth (Macduff) Decca 440 445-2
1970 Fischer-Dieskau, Suliotis, Ghiaurov, Pavarotti, Ambrosian Opera Ch., London Phil. Orch., Gardelli

* Luisa Miller (Rodolfo) London/Decca 417 420-2
1975 Caballé, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaiotti, van Allan, Reynolds, London Opera Ch., National Phil. Orch., Maag

”...The title-role could not find a more appealing interpreter than Caballe, who spins a fine line and is highly responsive to Luisa's sad situation. She is partnered by Pavarotti at the height of his powers as Rodolfo. He excels in 'Quando le sere al placido', the work's most famous aria. As Luisa's equivocal father, Miller, Milnes gives one of his best performances on disc and Van Allan is a properly snarling Wurm. Maag, an underrated conductor, directs a strong, well-proportioned performance. He gives the impression of being in love with this opera and he goes right to the heart of the score, finding its seriousness as well as its fire...The production is unobtrusively effective in creation of atmosphere and is spaciously recorded.” --The Classical Good CD and DVD Guide 2005 (Classical Good CD and DVD Guide)

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Otello (Otello) London/Decca 433 669-2
1991 Pavarotti, Te Kanawa, Nucci, Chicago Sym. Orch. and Ch., Solti

“In the Decca Chicago set the key element is the singing of Pavarotti, new to his role of Otello, as was Nucci as Iago. In obedience to Solti, Pavarotti often adopts faster speeds than usual. Whatever the detailed reservations, this is a memorable reading, heightened by Pavarotti’s keen feeling for the words and consistently golden tone. With a close microphone-balance, like the others he is prevented from achieving genuine pianissimos; but above all he offers a vital, animated Otello, always individual. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa produces consistently sumptuous tone; the Willow song is glorious. The impact of the whole is greatly enhanced by the splendid singing of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, helped by digital sound that is fuller and more vivid than on any rival set.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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* Rigoletto (Il Duca) London/Decca 414 269-2
1971 Milnes, Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ambrosian Ch., London Sym. Orch., Bonynge

“Just over ten years after her first recording of this opera, Sutherland appeared in it again, this time with Pavarotti, who is an intensely characterful Duke; an unmistakable rogue but an unmistakable charmer, too. Thanks to him and to Bonynge above all, the Quartet, as on the Sinopoli set, becomes a genuine musical climax. Sutherland’s voice has acquired a hint of a beat, but there is little of the mooning manner which disfigured her earlier assumption, and the result is glowingly beautiful as well as supremely assured technically. Milnes makes a strong Rigoletto, vocally masterful rather than strongly characterful. The digital transfer is exceptionally vivid and atmospheric.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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Rigoletto (Il Duca di Montova) Decca 25864
1989 Nucci, Anderson, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov, Verrett, Antonacci, de Carolis, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Chailly

“With an excellent cast James Levine conducts a thrustful, exceptionally high-powered reading of Rigoletto, vividly dramatic. The sound is full and immediate, with the solo voices in sharp focus, enhancing the power. Vladimir Chernov is a firm, clear, virile Rigoletto, not as searchingly characterful as some, but maybe because he sings with no hint of strain, with the beauty and accuracy of the singing consistently satisfying. Cheryl Studer is a tenderly affecting Gilda, singing with a bright, girlish tone, at once youthful and mature, defying age. Pavarotti was fresher in his earlier recording with Bonynge, but heard in close-up his is a thrillingly involving performance still, and the rest of the cast are first-rate too. Not a first choice perhaps, but a strong and sound one.” --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds) (this review comes from the 2002 version of this book)

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Il Trovatore (Manrico) London/Decca 417 137-2
1975 Pavarotti, Sutherland, Horne, Wixell, Ghiaurov, London Ch., National Phil. Orch., Bonynge
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Selected other recordings

* Arias (Variety) Decca
Re-released early recital disc of Pavarotti's
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* Amore: Romantic Italian Love Songs (Variety) Decca 36719
Selections of opera arias and Neapolitan songs
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Ti Adoro (Variety) Decca
Popular selections written specifically for this album

Released in 2003, this was Pavarotti's first pop album. It contains a variety of songs, including jazzy, boisterous numbers and slower ballad-like pop songs. Pavarotti dedicated the album to his then newborn daughter Alice.

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* The Pavarotti Edition (includes bonus disc with previously unreleased 1964 debut Decca recording session) (Variety) Decca
Selections from numerous previously released (and one unreleased) albums of opera arias and songs

This is an extremely thorough 11 disc set containing numerous excellent selections sung by Pavarotti. Many of the recordings are culled from Pavarotti's best full opera recordings. These arias are joined by some art songs and Neapolitan songs. Verdi selections predominate on the discs, but a lot of Puccini and some Mascagni, Handel, Donizetti, Bellini, Ponchielli, Massenet, Boito and more are also included. There are 196 tracks in all. A great addition to any Pavarotti fan's collection. A wonderful overview of his career, including tracks from his previously unreleased first album (1964).

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Los Angeles 1973 (Recital UCLA Campus 1973) (Variety) Decca
Italian songs and arias with piano accompaniment

A wonderful, inexpensive CD of a 1973 recital given by Pavarotti in Los Angeles. He is in excellent and youthful voice here.

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