Compiling a “best recordings” list is a guaranteed way to start arguments, and I’m here for it. These are my picks for the most rewarding opera recordings released in the last ten years — a mix of studio and live recordings, mainstream repertoire and deeper cuts, that I’ve returned to again and again. Agree, disagree, send me your own lists. That’s half the fun.

1. Handel: Agrippina — Joyce DiDonato, Maxim Emelyanychev (Erato, 2020)

This recording is an absolute joy. DiDonato’s Agrippina is scheming, seductive, funny, and ferociously sung. Emelyanychev leads Il Pomo d’Oro with crackling energy — the tempos are brisk, the playing is vivid, and the whole thing sparkles. If you think Baroque opera is stuffy, this will change your mind in about thirty seconds.

2. Janáček: Katya Kabanova — Karita Mattila, Jiří Bělohlávek (Supraphon, 2018)

Mattila was in her late fifties when this was recorded live in Prague, and her voice shows its age in the best possible way — there’s a vulnerability, a lived-in quality that makes Katya’s suffering almost unbearable to hear. Bělohlávek, who passed away shortly after this project, conducts with deep understanding of the score’s extraordinary orchestral textures. A devastating recording.

3. Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro — Luca Pisaroni, Christiane Karg, Currentzis (Sony, 2023)

Teodor Currentzis is a polarising figure, and his Figaro won’t change anyone’s mind. It’s fast, intense, and full of interpretive choices that range from revelatory to baffling. But Pisaroni’s Count is magnificent — dark, dangerous, genuinely threatening — and Karg’s Countess is heartbreakingly beautiful. Even when I disagree with what Currentzis is doing, I can’t stop listening.

4. Verdi: Otello — Jonas Kaufmann, Federica Lombardi, Antonio Pappano (Sony, 2021)

Kaufmann’s Otello divided critics, as Kaufmann tends to do. Some found his approach too internalised, too Lieder-like for Verdi’s grandest tenor role. I think he’s magnificent. His “Dio! mi potevi scagliar” is one of the most psychologically detailed readings I’ve ever heard — this is a man unravelling, not just singing loud notes. Pappano and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House provide scorching support.

5. Britten: Peter Grimes — Allan Clayton, Deborah Warner production (Opus Arte, 2022)

This filmed live recording from the Royal Opera House is, I think, the finest Grimes of our generation. Allan Clayton brings an almost unbearable intensity to the title role — his Grimes is sympathetic and terrifying in equal measure. Deborah Warner’s production is stark and powerful. Every time I watch it, I notice something new. Available on Marquee TV and worth every penny of a subscription.

6. Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia — Cecilia Bartoli, Gianluca Capuano (Decca, 2023)

Bartoli recording Rosina again in her sixties raised eyebrows, but the result is a masterclass. The voice is different from her legendary 1990s recording — darker, slightly less agile — but the characterisation is richer, wittier, more knowing. Capuano’s conducting is light on its feet, and the period-instrument orchestra adds a lovely tang. It’s proof that great singing is about more than pure vocal freshness.

7. Saariaho: Innocence — Susanna Mälkki (BIS, 2024)

Kaija Saariaho’s final opera is a harrowing work about a school shooting and its aftermath, told through multiple languages and perspectives. It’s not easy listening. But the recording, drawn from live performances at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, is extraordinary — Mälkki conducts with precision and emotional intelligence, and the international cast is superb. This is what contemporary opera can be when it engages with the real world. The Finnish National Opera also staged a powerful production.

8. Puccini: Turandot — Sondra Radvanovsky, Antonio Pappano (Warner Classics, 2025)

The most recent recording on this list, and one that immediately staked a claim as the definitive modern Turandot. Radvanovsky’s ice princess is vocally thrilling — the high notes ring out with laser precision — but what makes this recording special is the humanity she finds in a character often played as a one-dimensional villainess. Pappano draws gorgeous playing from the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and the Luciano Berio completion of the unfinished final scene has never sounded more convincing.

Honourable Mentions

A few more that nearly made the list: Sonya Yoncheva’s Médée (Erato, 2024), a blazing revival of the Cherubini original; Ermonela Jaho’s Suor Angelica (Opera Rara, 2020), possibly the most emotionally overwhelming single performance on any opera recording this decade; and Jakub Hrůša’s Rusalka with the Bamberg Symphony (Pentatone, 2022), which is just gorgeous.

Where to Listen

Most of these are on Spotify and Apple Music. For the filmed Peter Grimes, Marquee TV or the Opus Arte Blu-ray are your best options. Your local library may also have opera recordings on CD — a resource more people should take advantage of.

Now go listen, and tell me where I’m wrong.