Nadine Sierra‘s Gilda at the Metropolitan Opera had that rare quality of sounding both immaculate and spontaneous, as if Verdi’s lines were being discovered in the moment rather than executed.

Tito Gobbi‘s performance of Rigoletto’s “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” offers the most musically and dramatically complete portrait of Verdi’s tortured court jester that I have ever heard.

Stiffelio has always been the dark horse of early Verdi operas.

I have very few opportunities to see real-life opera divas, but when Natalie Dessay chose to debut her first Traviata at Santa Fe, there was no way I was going to miss it.

The air held a real charge that night in SF’s War Memorial Opera House.

This is one of those rare performances that makes you believe that everything Verdi was greater Way Back When.

Nothing prepared me for the Soviero experience

A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance

My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.

The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording

Victoria de los Ángeles has always been my Violetta of choice, a portrayal that never ceases to move me.

Before the screams of horror begin, it says ‘favorite’, not best.

Elisabeth Grümmer was, of course, very good at Wagnerian prayers, but she also shines in this Verdi prayer.

The dictionary definition of Kuntenserven.

When I was a fledgling opera enthusiast, professors at a small-town Wisconsin college routinely travelled to Chicago for Lyric Opera performances.

Anna Tomowa-Sintow, “Ernani Involami,” from the MET Centenial Gala, 1983.

Like probably all of us, there are so many different things I could have submitted for a favorite Verdi performance.

I realize Igor Gorin did not sing much Verdi except for a few Papa Germonts, yet this performance of the famous baritone aria from Attila I claim is well-night perfect singing.

Luminous Lucia Popp’s “Caro Nome” beams with Gilda’s youthful passion, displaying Popp’s signature bright, beautiful timbre and magnificent coloratura.

While studying Un ballo in maschera for my Vienna role debut next January, I came across this beautiful ‘Ecco l’orrido campo’ amazingly performed by Montserrat Caballé.