In the vast world of opera, it’s almost impossible to come up with a credible 'top 10' list for the best operas, so this is more of a newcomer's starter-pack. It incorporates great recordings of some of the most-performed masterpieces. Of course, one person’s idea of something obvious will be another’s off-the-beaten-track, but the 10 below, we can be fairly sure, will have a special place in the hearts of most classical music collectors.

Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) Lorenzo Regazzo, Patrizia Ciofi, Simon Keenlyside, Véronique Gens, Angelika Kirchschlager; René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi) CD from Amazon

Puccini La bohème Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni; Herbert von Karajan (Decca)

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Puccini Tosca Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi; Victor de Sabata (EMI)

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Verdi La traviata Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Leo Nucci; Sir Georg Solti (Decca) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

Bizet Carmen Teresa Berganza, Plácido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, Sherrill Milnes; Claudio Abbado (DG) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon