I’m convinced that if Wagner were to attend a performance of The Ring at the Metropolitan Opera, his first question would be, “Why are you performing this in German and not English?” After all, when Wagner was coming of age Germany, he likely never heard Le Nozze di Figaro or Norma performed in their original languages. While I’m not advocating for opera to be exclusively performed in the vernacular, hearing a work like La Bohème sung in your native tongue can be a revelation. Personally, I find it creates a closer connection to the drama, even with a libretto I know intimately.

This compilation celebrates that experience with excerpts spanning a variety of styles—from Purcell to Shostakovich—and features an incredible lineup of singers, including Margaret Price, Gwyneth Jones, Kiri Te Kanawa, Marie Collier, Astrid Varnay, Josephine Barstow, Janet Baker, Blanche Thebom, Charles Craig, Plácido Domingo, Jon Vickers, Peter Glossop, Delme Bryn-Jones, and Norman Bailey, all performing in English!