This performance by Marilyn Horne has always stunned me and everyone I play it for.

Some singers only need a few seconds to show what they are all about. Listen to Ursula Hesse von den Steinen in this stunning performance to see what I mean.

One of my favorite mezzo performances is Tatiana Troyanos in Cavalleria rusticana.

One of the greatest to ever do it.

Oralia Dominguez: deranged, demented, an absolute triumph.

Remember, kids: if you sing with a “splatty” chest you’ll lose access to your top, which is why Agnes Baltsa had such a short international career.

One of the few truly great mezzos I’ve heard in the 21st century here at the Metropolitan.

Elina Garanca has moved on from roles like Angelina in La Cenerentola, but this clip from 2001 shows why she became such a big star.

Cheers to Teresa Berganza, a Cenerentola for the ages.

I have chosen “Våren” (The Spring) which is one of my favorite Grieg songs and which is sung perfectly by Anne Sofie von Otter.

Florence Quivar’s blend of triple cream voice and superior musical expression earned her a discography and videography to rival those of any of her contemporaries.

Sometimes, the first time you hear an oeuvre, it becomes the definitive performance for you.

An elegant rendition, and an artistically true one.

The open, skyward deliveries at the beginning and end of the aria as she addresses heaven! The mournful softness of her interceding “O mia Regina.”

The guttsiest, bitchiest, verismoist Amneris in my experience

Beth Taylor sings with her whole heart and soul and it is evident in the aria “Priva son d’ogni conforto” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare.

Singing truly becomes a living thing in Jennifer Larmore‘s remarkable voice and personality.

Ah, so many choices from my repertoire.

I went for Nilsson, but the star for me was the exceptional Mignon Dunn.

I find it unfathomable that Frederica Von Stade is 81 years old, for to me she is eternally 31.

For me – sheer fun and joy.

Irina Arkhipova gives a masterclass in singing in this thrilling excerpt from The Maid of Orleans by Tchaikovsky.

And then I remembered how much I love Cecilia Bartoli who was a major star when I first got into opera in my teens and remains so today.

Who knew that Giulietta Simionato was so excellent in the Rossini coloratura repertoire?