Verdi: La Traviata

This live performance of Verdi’s hugely popular operatic warhorse, recorded during the 2005 Salzburg Festival, marked a new stage in soprano Anna Netrebko’s fame. In tackling the role of Violetta, she put impressive power into spotlights like “Sempre libera” and also won points for delicacy during “Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core.” (Speaking of her Alfredo, tenor Rolando Villazón’s own fame is also due, in part, to his excellent work here.) There are certainly other recordings of this opera that no serious Verdi fan should be without, but this is the contemporary gold standard.