To celebrate the release of the new EMI - The Home of Opera series we asked our star mezzo and Rossini specialist JOYCE DIDONATO to give us her personal choices for recommended opera listening from the EMI/Virgin Classics catalogue:



Joyce DiDonato's new album for Virgin Classics is out now

After the success of her first Virgin Classics recital – Furore, arias by Handel – Joyce DiDonato turns to the composer whose heroines first brought her to international stardom: Gioacchino Rossini

Puccini: La Boheme Thomas Schippers EMI Classics

LA BOHÈME The first vocal cd I ever purchased was a compilation aria disc by Mirella Freni, as my father would rave constantly about her singing after the MET broadcasts. It seemed like a good place to start for someone just beginning to explore the dense world of opera. Her pure beauty of tone, honest delivery and raw ability to break ones heart drew me in. The chance to hear her Mimi alongside Nicolai Gedda and under the baton of Thomas Schippers is not one to miss. A Mimi with intelligence, but purity surely is one to treasure, for it will touch your heart as few other things can.

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas Emmanuelle Haïm EMI Classics

DIDO AND AENEAS One particular perk of being in this industry is being able to marvel at the artistry of one's colleagues. While trying to dutifully remove all bias from my judgement, this recording, artfully given by so many of my friends, is one for the ages. Emmanuelle Haim's passionate and committed interpretation of this work brings out the best in her talented cast, and they leave us with a most emotional look into Purcell's definitive work.

Strauss: Salome Herbert von Karajan (1908 – 1989) EMI Classics

SALOME My first professional production was during my freshman season at the Houston Grand Opera as a young and eager apprentice, and I sang the role of the SLAVE in "Salome", with the majestic Hildegard Behrens singing what was most probably her last Salome. She came into the room on the first day of rehearsal, ready to sing again a role that she knew inside and out, and yet she sat in a corner with her score and with the director and conductor, and she set about the task of creating a new Salome: fresh and uncalculated, as if it were her first ever undertaking of the role. I will never forget that sense of discovery and questioning that she brought to that role, and while she was not at the start of her illustrious career, she transformed herself into the youthful, troubled teenager before our eyes with her nuanced singing and probing psychological journey. The chance to hear her in her prime surrounded by such a talented cast, with Maestro Von Karajan leading his Vienna Philharmonic is one NOT to be missed!

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande Herbert von Karajan (1908 – 1989) EMI Classics

PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE I had the great privilege of singing with Richard Stilwell a few years ago in Massenet's "Cendrillon", and I relished the opportunity to speak with him about his career, his experiences and his life, which he so generously shared with this eager singer. He mentioned many times during the course of the summer that "Pelléas" is his favorite opera, and that this particular recording was the epitome of his career singing (what is widely considered) the definitive interpretation of Pélleas. Add to the mix the incomparable vulnerability and mystical quality of Frederica von Stade in her signature role of Mélisande, the power of José Van Dam and Maestro Von Karajan at the helm, and you have a truly magical realization of Debussy's haunting masterpiece.

J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus Herbert von Karajan (1908 – 1989) EMI Classics

DIE FLEDERMAUS Choosing a last opera out of this immense catalogue of classics is so terribly unfair - it's simply impossible to choose only five! But I will choose this rollicking opera by Johann Strauss, and assume that most people won't need another recommendation for Maria Callas's many triumphs here, or for the unqualified legend that is the Rosenkavalier of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Christa Ludwig - all classics. But for my library, I want to be sure to include something that is simply a "feel good" disc, one that doesn't require too much work on the listener's part, one that simply makes you feel like dancing! Since this was the first opera I ever participated in (I was only in the chorus, but I was still bitten by the opera bug, regardless of standing!), it has always been a favorite, and I can never resist the temptation to join in the choruses and waltz the day away!