Sony Classical is pleased to offer lovers of great singing another ten complete opera sets from the RCA Victor/BMG, CBS/Sony and Eurodisc catalogues, with 3 titles (Rameau: Les Indes galantes, Ginastera: Bomarzo; Monteverdi: Ritorno d’Ulisse) remastered from the original tapes to sound better than ever. This latest release is especially diverse, embracing four centuries and rarities from two continents along with central works of the Italian and German repertoires. Many of these recordings are appearing on CD for the first time.

Two works by Giacomo Puccini are included in this new batch of reissues. Though still under the influence of earlier composers, French as well as Italian, the 24-year-old Puccini was already being hailed as Verdi’s successor – including by Verdi himself – after he produced his first opera, Le Villi, in 1883. Encapsulating a tragic love affair within an hour, the piece ends with the ghost of the jilted heroine and the other Willis enticing her remorseful lover into a dance of death. When the present 1979 recording conducted by Lorin Maazel and starring Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo and Leo Nucci was released, Gramophone’s reviewer was full of enthusiasm: “Maazel is excellent in drawing out the individuality of the soloists … The ease and assurance of Scotto, Domingo and Nucci here, as well as their vocal richness, transforms each Puccinian melody. This is one of the richest and warmest performances I have heard from [Scotto] for some time, while Domingo as Roberto, rich and firm, manages to bring out the attractive anticipations of Des Grieux's music in Manon Lescaut. The recording … is spaciously atmospheric.”