Callas first sang Bellini’s Norma in 1948, when she was just 25. She went on to perform the role of the heroic, but vulnerable Druid priestess –the ultimate embodiment of bel canto – more frequently than any other. In this second studio recording her conductor was again Tullio Serafin (he originally tutored her in the role in 1948),and the venue was again La Scala – where the opera was premiered in 1831. By 1960, Callas brought a wealth of new nuance to her interpretation, and she is aptly partnered by the creamy-voiced Christa Ludwig (in a rare recording of an Italian role) and the towering Franco Corelli.

“This is something of a find – a production produced in Milan's television studios in 1973 that does more than justice to Giordano's verismo work about personal conflicts at the time of the French Revolution. It's directed, with considerable imagination, by the Czech Vaclav Kaslik, at the top of his profession in the 70s. In realistic period sets he unerringly creates the milieu of a degenerate aristocracy in Act 1 and of the raw mob-rule of the Revolution in the succeeding acts. The only drawback is the poor lip-synch. Conductor Bruno Bartoletti makes certain we're unaware of the score's weaker moments and releases all the romantic passion in Giordano's highly charged writing for his principals.

Jerome Hines, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Franco Corelli star in this recording from La Scala of Handel’s “Eracle” (Hercules) recorded live on the 29th December 1958.

A remarkable 1954 RAI production starring a young Franco Corelli and the incomparable Tito Gobbi, with Mafalda Micheluzzi as Nedda and Lino Puglisi as Silvio. Orchestra and Chorus of Radiotelevisione Italiana under the direction of Alfredo Simonetto. DVD also includes Corelli in arias from Carmen, Aida, Il Trovatore, Cavalleria Rusticana, and the Verdi Requiem.

Jerome Hines, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Franco Corelli star in this recording from La Scala of Handel’s “Eracle” (Hercules) recorded live on the 29th December 1958.

Franco Corelli's charismatic Don Josè finally available on home video in this 1956 production with the great tenor in his early prime. Carmen is sung by Belén Amparan and Anselmo Colzani contributes a swaggering Escamillo.

The legendary Franco Corelli, world-renowned for his portrayal of Calaf, here stars in a magical RAI television production of what many consider to be Puccini’s crowning achievement. Under the creative direction of Mario Lanfranchi, this Turandot resonates with elements of Kabuki. Corelli, at the peak of his vocal powers, finds his match in the fiery Turandot of Lucille Udovich. Among her many credits, Udovich sang opposite Corelli in the noted 1954 revival of Spontini’s Agnes di Hohenstaufen at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; she also sang the role of of Elettra in the 1956 EMI studio recording of Mozart’s Idomeneo, under the direction of Sir John Pritchard.