# What opera do you have the most recordings of?



## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

Whether digital, CD, DVD, or some other format, what opera do you have the most recordings of? Is this because it is your favorite, or did it just work out that way?

Edit: Maybe this belongs in the Opera on DVD, Blu-ray and CD section. Oops.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

adriesba said:


> Whether digital, CD, DVD, or some other format, what opera do you have the most recordings of? Is this because it is your favorite, or did it just work out that way?
> 
> Edit: Maybe this belongs in the Opera on DVD, Blu-ray and CD section. Oops.


I do believe such topic exist in that section .


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

Rogerx said:


> I do believe such topic exist in that section .


I don't see it, but I have no idea what words to type in the advanced search.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I guess I have more Walküres than anything else. Seven.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Four complete Rings. For the rest, no duplicates.


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

Barelytenor said:


> I guess I have more Walküres than anything else. Seven.


Send the missus to the shopping mall and throw a big party at home with all seven :lol::lol:

I've got some duplicates (Don Giovanni, Der Freischütz, Wagner Ring, La Traviata and some others I don't remember right now) but no more than two of anything on 'physical formats'. I'll probably invest in some more Wagner. I'll wait until Christmas though.

Regards,

Vincula


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

17 Boito "Mefistofeles"


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

A million Rings


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Now that we have Spotify I'm not in the business of collecting multiple versions of one opera. However I do have 7 Traviatas (4 with Callas, De Los Angeles and Cotrubas) and 6 Aidas (3 with Callas, Muti, Pappano and Karajan II).


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Parsifal, at least 10.


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## gvn (Dec 14, 2019)

My wife & I have fussy tastes and have never been indiscriminate buyers, so we don't have as many different recordings as most long-term collectors.

The Magic Flute, with only the 32 absolutely necessary CD sets and 6 equally necessary DVDs, would rank highest.

For Wagner: Parsifal, with 28 CD sets and 3 DVDs.

At the other extreme, we have only one Tosca (no prizes for guessing which).

In other words, it depends on (a) the complexity of the opera, i.e., the number of different ways it can be performed, and (b) how frequently we want to play it. (Unlike most collectors, we DO play repeatedly everything on our shelves.)

Counting DVDs alone, and excluding CDs, the winner would be Aida, with 8 versions (because not one of them is really satisfactory).


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## gvn (Dec 14, 2019)

nina foresti said:


> 17 Boito "Mefistofeles"


Awed and humbled, I take my hat off.

I thought my wife & I were the world's greatest admirers of Boito, but we trail abjectly in the dust behind you.

Have you ever posted anywhere a little descriptive comparison of those 17? It would be extremely helpful for us lesser mortals.


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## VitellioScarpia (Aug 27, 2017)

Since I am still not bought into _not having_ the physical media, I won't comment how many of many I have repeated. Just as an example, between studio and live recordings, I believe that I have more than 30 Normas... And the disease is not just for Operas.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

gvn said:


> Counting DVDs alone, and excluding CDs, the winner would be Aida, with 8 versions (because not one of them is really satisfactory).


I think that's why I ended up with so many different recordings of *Aida*. It's not even my favourite Verdi.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

gvn said:


> Awed and humbled, I take my hat off.
> 
> I thought my wife & I were the world's greatest admirers of Boito, but we trail abjectly in the dust behind you.
> 
> Have you ever posted anywhere a little descriptive comparison of those 17? It would be extremely helpful for us lesser mortals.


Kind words but put your hat back on. My Oliveros number 22. As for descriptive comparisons -- are you joking? I can barely remember my name.


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## gvn (Dec 14, 2019)

nina foresti said:


> My Oliveros number 22.


The hat goes off further than ever!



nina foresti said:


> As for descriptive comparisons -- are you joking? I can barely remember my name.


Well, perhaps some time I may attempt some comments in the Arrigo Boito thread, and you can correct & improve me. The studio recordings of _Mefistofele_ are well documented (and almost every one has its distinctive merits), but there are also numerous (mainly in-house) live recordings with mouth-watering casts, and I think that terrain is largely uncharted. The chapter on _Mefistofele_ in the old _Opera on Record_ series was almost useless.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

adriesba said:


> Whether digital, CD, DVD, or some other format, what opera do you have the most recordings of? Is this because it is your favorite, or did it just work out that way?
> 
> Edit: Maybe this belongs in the Opera on DVD, Blu-ray and CD section. Oops.


*Debussy* - _Pelleas et Melisande_ - I have forgotten the exact number, but at one time I was trying to collect all of the available recordings.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

My collection isn't necessarily huge yet, but I collect Wagner recordings the most.

If I count downloads, then for me the most is _Lohengrin _with six recordings. If I only count physical media, it would be _Tannhäuser _with five recordings. _Tannhäuser _is also the one I have on the most different types of media, those being LP, CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray audio disc.

It's not that I prefer these over all other operas (can't really pick just one or two favorites with Wagner), it just worked out that way.


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

i think i have 55 walkures at last count? 51 audio and 4 video i believe. not my favorite, but it's close--probably third or fourth or something. I just have a lot of rings, and i have a few more walkures than i have the other three in the cycle, since there are several single issue recordings.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

gvn said:


> The hat goes off further than ever!
> 
> Well, perhaps some time I may attempt some comments in the Arrigo Boito thread, and you can correct & improve me. The studio recordings of _Mefistofele_ are well documented (and almost every one has its distinctive merits), but there are also numerous (mainly in-house) live recordings with mouth-watering casts, and I think that terrain is largely uncharted. The chapter on _Mefistofele_ in the old _Opera on Record_ series was almost useless.


I forgot to add my VCR videos of _Mefistofele_ with Ramey and Furlanetto.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Parsifal - 59
Tristan - 56
Ring - 53
Meistersinger - 52
Lohengrin - 34
Tannhauser - 27
Hollander - 24
Walkure - 21
Rheingold - 11
Gotterdammerung - 10
Siegfried - 5
Rienzi - 3

Non Wagnerian

Ariadne auf Naxos - 14
Rosenkavalier - 14
Elektra - 14
Boris Godunov - 12
Salome - 11
Turandot - 10
Die Frau - 8
Zauberflote - 8
Tosca - 7
Otello - 7

and sundry others in twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes!

Addendum. All audio. I have not included DVDs.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I find this thread very encouraging. It's good to know I still have a ways to go before full-blown obsession.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Barbebleu said:


> Tristan - 56
> Ring - 53
> Boris Godunov - 12


Hats off to you! :tiphat:

24 of *Don Carlo* (CDs and DVDs, almost 50% 4-act version and 50% 5-act ones). Never too many Don Carlo for me! And I plan on expanding to 30 at least. Yes, I listen to many of those frequently.

Other than that, I believe nothing exceeds a meager count of 5 or 6 (*Aida*, *Tristan und Isolde*, *Turandot*) and most others are in range of 1-4, including only 3 *Rings* so far (planning to expand to 4 but life is so short!)


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Barbebleu said:


> Parsifal - 59
> Tristan - 56
> Ring - 53
> Meistersinger - 52
> ...


Winner winner, chicken dinner!!!:tiphat:


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Azol said:


> Hats off to you! :tiphat:
> 
> 24 of *Don Carlo* (CDs and DVDs, almost 50% 4-act version and 50% 5-act ones). Never too many Don Carlo for me! And I plan on expanding to 30 at least. Yes, I listen to many of those frequently.
> 
> Other than that, I believe nothing exceeds a meager count of 5 or 6 (*Aida*, *Tristan und Isolde*, *Turandot*) and most others are in range of 1-4, including only 3 *Rings* so far (planning to expand to 4 but life is so short!)


I've got 5 Don Carlos. All good.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Barb's got a Parsifal for every year of my life!


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

starthrower said:


> Barb's got a Parsifal for every year of my life!


But he still doesn't have Bayreuth 1955! My own particular grail quest.:lol:


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

Some people here should really open a home-to-home library service, so that they could enlighten their neighbourhood :lol:

Regards,

Vincula


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Norma"......................................


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

vincula said:


> Some people here should really open a home-to-home library service, so that they could enlighten their neighbourhood :lol:
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Vincula


I couldn't possibly do that. I get on quite well with my neighbours!! I suspect an evening of Wozzeck might put an end to that. :lol:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Barbebleu said:


> I couldn't possibly do that. I get on quite well with my neighbours!! I suspect an evening of Wozzeck might put an end to that. :lol:


My neighbours are a couple who seem to be on the verge of a divorce, every other moment is like living next door to Wozzeck!

N.


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

The Conte said:


> My neighbours are a couple who seem to be on the verge of a divorce, every other moment is like living next door to Wozzeck!
> 
> N.


Well, you know, _Wozzeck, Er ist ein guter Mensch, aber_.. :lol:






Regards,

Vincula


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

amfortas said:


> I find this thread very encouraging. It's good to know I still have a ways to go before full-blown obsession.


That's how I feel after Barbebleu's post. I thought I had a decent collection but I guess I don't.

Most of the operas I have multiples of are either Wagner or Mozart.

I have around a dozen recordings of Don Giovanni as that's my favorite opera and probably pretty close to a dozen of The Marriage of Figaro. Those are on Audio CD. I probably have close to a half a dozen of each of those on video.

Wagner I have more rings than any of the other operas and I think I have 8 or 9 ring cycles.


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

ok this thread made me curious enough to actually check my library and count. audio only, and only including operas where i have over 15 recordings:

walkure - 46 (i thought it was 51, but i think i was counting some partial recordings before--it's 46 for full recordings)
gotterdammerung - 44
rheingold - 44
siegfried - 41 (40 full cycles, and only one singleton siegfried--i guess this really is the least popular of the cycle)
parsifal - 35
tristan - 33
lohengrin - 26
don carlo - 25
hollander - 25
meistersinger - 24
otello - 24
traviata - 22
tosca - 19
aida - 18
don giovanni - 18
pelleas - 18
rigoletto - 18
tannhauser - 18
trovatore - 18
ballo - 16
carmen - 15


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Itullian said:


> A million Rings


You need more! :lol:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Not considering DVDs (and only counting if I have 10 or more sets):

39 Fidelio/Leonore

26 La Sonnnambula

11 Maria Stuarda

17 Barber of Seville

14 La Traviata

20 Flying Dutchman

14 Complete Wagner Rings

EDIT: The above are all favorites, but some favorites are not included because of lower number of recordings in my collection, such as *Flotow's Martha* where I have 8 sets and there are not more to be had, so will never make the list. Other favorites that will never make the 10+ list for me include* L'Amico Fritz*, *Eugene Onegin* (just because 6 recordings is about enough and my OCD CD buying has tapered off), and many more, but that is a subject for another thread.


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