Since you are interested in Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann [The Tales of Hoffmann] (Complete Opera) (recorded 1964-65), here is a list of other items that you may find interesting.
BOITO
Mefistofele (complete opera recorded in 1973) Norman Treigle, Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Heather Begg / London Symphony Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Julius Rudel [ EMI The Opera Series / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2012 ] "Caballé sings much of her music exquisitely and her voice blends with Domingo's to make magic in the "Lontano" duet." (Gramophone) |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (Complete Opera recorded in 1958 & 1959) Victoria de los Angeles, Nicolai Gedda, Janine Micheau / French National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham [ Warner Classics Legendary Opera Recordings / 3 CD Box Set - released 23/Sep/2016 ] "a spacious recording in which the atmospheric off-stage effects are vividly caught. What is so individual is the way that Beecham points rhythms to captivate the ear, as well as his persuasive moulding of phrases." (Gramophone) |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro [The Marriage of Figaro] (recorded 1950) Erich Kunz, Irmgard Seefried, George London, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Sena Jurinac / Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan [ Warner Classics The Home of Opera / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/Sep/2016 ] 'Karajan's first recording of Figaro offers one of the most distinguished casts ever assembled….' (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, 2004) |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Complete Opera recorsded in 1978) Galina Vishnevskaya, Nicolai Gedda, Dimiter Petkov / Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Philharmonic, Mstislav Rostropovich [ Warner Classics Home of Opera / 2 CD - released 20/May/2016 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) - 'Rostropovich in his finest recording ever. With an impressive cast and Rostropovich's galvanizing commitment so strongly conveyed' - Gramophone Rosette Recording |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Don Carlo (Complete Opera recorded in 1970) Placido Domingo, Montserrat Caballe, Shirley Verrett, Ryland Davies / Royal Opera, Carlo Maria Giulini [ Warner Classics Home of Opera / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2016 ] "Under Giulini's commanding and searching direction, the huge canvas is held together with unerring control" (Gramophone) |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Pelleas and Melisande (Complete Opera recorded in 1978) Richard Stilwell, Frederica von Stade, Josa van Dam. Berlin Philharmonic / Herbert von Karajan [ Warner Classics Home of Opera / 3 CD Box Set - released 20/Jan/2017 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) - "a very characteristically Karajan performance, deeply committed and full of beautiful things. The casting is excellent." (Gramophone) |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [The Flying Dutchman] Theo Adam, Anja Silja, Martti Talvela / BBC Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer [ EMI Classics / 3 CD - released 8/Mar/2010 ] "The most remarkable aspect of the performance… remains the empathy between Klemperer, Silja and Adam. Adam's Act 1 monologue seizes the dramatic high ground, but Silja raises the stakes still further with an electrifying account of Senta's Ballad,... |