For anyone new to opera, the first question is often: where to start? The ‘Best Loved’ series offers an easy answer to that question with a perfect introduction to the wonderful, varied world of operatic music. Highlighting some of the best-loved arias ever written, the series provides a convenient introduction to opera’s extensive variety of sounds and styles. Opera can be defined as drama told through music and, at the height of its popularity, conventions arose in which certain voice types came to share features of the characters they represented. This series presents the main vocal categories (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass) by dividing them across four albums. The ‘Best Loved’ Arias series aims to demonstrate why opera as an art form remains as relevant and entertaining today as it was at its inception 400 years ago.

Artists

Nicola Martinucci, Yordy Ramiro, Kristjan Johannsson, Torsten Kerl (tenor), Bo Skovhus (baritone), Janusz Monarcha, Adrianne Pieczonka (soprano), Regina Schorg, Renato Girolami, Boaz Daniel (baritone), Ildikó Raimondi, Vincenzo La Scola, Giorgio Lamberti, John Dickie, József Mukk, János Berkes, Jonathan Welch, Marcello Giordani (tenor), Thomas Harper, Stuart Skelton (tenor), Piotr Beczala (tenor), Ramón Vargas (tenor), Vladimir Grishko, Marcus Haddock (tenor), Monika Krause, Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, CSR Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava, Alexander Rahbari, Mario Malagnini, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Hungarian Radio Chorus, Hungarian State Opera, Cappella Istropolitana, Camerata Budapest, Hungarian Operetta Orchestra, Catania Teatro Massimo Bellini Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Budapest Failoni Chamber Orchestra, Ukraine State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, Genoa Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra, Ricco Saccani, Michael Halász, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Johannes Wildner, László Kovács, Will Humburg, Steven Mercurio, Jaap van Zweden, Bertrand de Billy, Vladimir Sirenko, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Ali Rahbari, Donato Renzetti