Put together in evident haste, this collection is nevertheless a surefire, appetite-whetting starter kit both for the budding operaphile and for the simply intimidated. The samplings include some of the greatest voices from EMI's vaults: here you'll find the polar opposites Callas and Caballe, the golden wonder of Wunderlich and early Carreras, and a host of other singers who've made their stamp on this century. Emphasis is on the soprano and tenor range, while the lower voices are given short shrift, and the selections cleave predictably to standard Italian and French repertory (with an occasional surprise, such as an aria from Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys). Still, the nearly three and a half hours of music represented will make a ready convert of anyone who hasn't experienced the specially heightened, time-stopping expressivity--beyond the power of mere song--that is the aria's function and will likely spark a desire to explore the larger operatic context in several cases. And though the lack of a booklet with texts or at least bios of the artists is frustrating, this is a good place to begin for an overview of the mesmeric power extraordinary voices can wield. --Thomas May
