Bela Bartok's and Arnold Schoenberg's haunting excursions into the nightmare of the unconscious.

Johann Strauss Jr.: Waltzes and Polkas. "The Thunder and Lightning" Polka, with its flashing cymbals and booming bass drum, has always been a favorite in our household. "The Blue Danube" Waltz isn't bad either and "The Radetzky March" (by Johann Sr.) is hard to beat for clap-along fun. Suggested recording: Again, there are many recordings of these works available, but you can't be without the DVD of Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic on New Year's Day 1992 on Philips.

Johann Strauss Jr.: Waltzes and Polkas. "The Thunder and Lightning" Polka, with its flashing cymbals and booming bass drum, has always been a favorite in our household. "The Blue Danube" Waltz isn't bad either and "The Radetzky March" (by Johann Sr.) is hard to beat for clap-along fun. Suggested recording: Again, there are many recordings of these works available, but you can't be without the DVD of Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic on New Year's Day 1992 on Philips.

The pain of unrequited love is portrayed unforgettably by two of today’s greatest stars. Renée Fleming is musically and dramatically radiant as the shy Tatiana, who falls in love with the worldly Onegin, played with devastating charisma by Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Their mesmerizing vocalism and chemistry explode in one of opera’s most heartbreaking final scenes. With Valery Gergiev on the podium conducting Tchaikovsky’s passionate score, this performance is one for the ages.

Giuseppe Verdi's opera of religion, revenge and redemption gets the star treatment in this 1993 Metropolitan Opera production conducted by James Levine and starring Plácido Domingo as the cuckolded man of God at the center of the tale. Sharon Sweet sings the role of Domingo's adulteress wife and Vladimir Chernov plays the vengeful father in this rarely staged gem directed by Giancarlo del Monaco and filmed by Brian Large.

Violetta, a courtesan much wooed by Parisian society, organizes a grand party that is attended, amongst others, by the young Alfredo Germont. He confesses his feelings to Violetta, who is already suffering from consumption. She vacillates between genuine affection and a realistic assessment of her situation as a "fallen woman", which precludes any lasting relationship with a man. The Willy Decker production of La Traviata, recorded live at the Salzburger Festspiele in August, 2005. Anna Netrebko stars as Violetta Valéry, with Rolando Villazón as Alfredo Germont and Thomas Hampson as Giorgio Germont. Carlo Rizzi conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker.

This first-rate 1982 production of Verdi’s Falstaff marked the great 20th century Italian maestro Carlo Maria Giulini's return to opera conducting after more than a decade's absence. Renato Bruson leads a brilliant cast as the lovable fat knight Sir John Falstaff, going toe to toe in a series of hijinks with Katia Ricciarelli (Alice Ford) and Brenda Boozer (Meg Page).

The sets and costumes by Ponnelle are truly reflective of the 'grand style'. Plus the fact that the two lead characters are portrayed by top singers in their absolute prime - both Gruberova and Araiza weren't even 35 years old at the time of this performance, makes this production the most convincing both dramatically and musically. The conducting of Fischer is good - he makes the music come alive, much more so than the MET version.

Verdi’s monumental score is fully the equal of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy—and both demand great actors. This is one performance where both playwright and composer are well served. Plácido Domingo’s Otello is one of the glories of the operatic world, beautifully sung and so commandingly acted that audiences are devastated by the end. Renée Fleming’s ravishingly beautiful Desdemona is deeply moving, and as Iago, James Morris is as beguiling as he is menacing. Under James Levine’s conducting the Met orchestra and chorus are vital characters in the drama.

The Otto Schenk production of Richard Strauss's "Elektra", filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera in January, 1994. Hildegard Behrens stars as Elektra, with Deborah Voigt as Chrysothemis, Brigitte Fassbaender as Klytämnestra, Donald McIntyre as Orest, and James King as Aegisth. James Levine conducts.