Top 20 Greatest Opera Singers of All Time

[@MsMojo]

Which opera singers do YOU most love to hear? Give us your note in the comments!

[@laurastephanievillamilmartinez]

Roberto Alagna, Grace Bumbry, Geraldine Farrar, Ramón Vargas, Ramón vinay, etc.

[@TheChiquitita92]

Fritz Wunderlich / Hermann Prey

[@ChristoAbrie]

Il Divo's Carlos Marin had a rich tone to his baritone voice. I also listen to Katherine Jenkins

[@gillesfleuriot7191]

Sarah Brightman: The Phantom of the Opera

[@margaret7973]

Leontyne Price is my absolute favourite

[@hectorg3983]

Bocelli never sang opera in an opera house so that he isn't an opera tenor!! Not enough voice, technique and power.

[@KBGWorld29]

Bocelli on the list? But no Birgit Nilsson?! What an outrageous list!

[@nazmipostacioglu8848]

how about Fisher-Dieskau

[@circiter]

@@nazmipostacioglu8848 Fischer Dieskau was not, in the strictest of senses, really an opera singer.... instead, he was a Lied singer who sang some opera, under certain circumstances....

[@edithhenson6917]

Caballe deserves a much higher number than 18! This list is absurd. She deserves at least the op 5!

[@edithhenson6917]

Nilsson should be way up on the list too!

[@edithhenson6917]

Tebaldi should be in the top 5 too!

[@sergioverbanaz]

Birgit Nilsson is not on this list!!!! Are you nuts!!!! And what is Bocelli doing in it.... Caballe 18th...outrageous!!! Where's Mirella Freni!!! And you forgot Christa Ludwig, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Regine Crespin, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Grace Bumbry, Giulietta Siminonatto, Fiorenza Cossotto, etc etc etc

[@WhirledPublishing]

Detachment from reality, delusions of grandeur and other forms of psychosis are demonstrated in this video.

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

Lucia Popp as well.

[@kbhprinsesse]

When the list starts with Bocelli, you just know that the compilers know absolutely NOTHING about opera! Not to mention placing Carreras, who ruined his voice very quickly by singing too heavy parts, as number four, or leaving out truly brilliant stars like Tito Gobbi and Giulietta Simionato, or using the adjective "silky" about Mario del Monaco's braying.

[@sammyboyke123]

I couldn’t agree more 😉

[@auldthymer]

I noticed that, too. Wasn't he nicknamed Forte-Forte?

[@jamesryan6008]

Giulietta Simionato, now there's a mezzo-soprano. Have you heard her duet with Ettore Bastianini of "Anything You Can ,I Can Do Better"? It's a treat

[@kbhprinsesse]

@@auldthymer which one of them?

[@kbhprinsesse]

@@jamesryan6008 I have, it's wonderful! And her take on all those traditional Italian mezzo roles is second to none.

[@mikejuez]

Andrea Bocelli???? you´ve got to be kiddin´me !!!!!!

[@WhirledPublishing]

He's not an opera singer.

[@aneamarlivana172]

Agreed. He is not an opera singer, never will be. He has not the voice nor the technique. Bocelli is pure popera, right along with Sarah Brightman (who at least has the honesty to say she's not an opera singer), Katherine Jenkins (the worst of popera), Russell Watson, Jackie Evancho, etc.

[@nikiseminara4345]

Andrea Boccelli? Mario Lanza ? Ma che cavolo! E Dieter Fisher-Dieskau, Mirella Freni, Mariella Devia, Birgit Nilsson, Gundula Janowiz? Andiamo su!!!

[@stefanreitersjo4454]

The swedish super soprano Birgit Nilsson I think should have been on this list.

[@goodandplenty5082]

Super soprano is an understatement. She fit right in as a great Wagnerian soprano as well as a dramatic soprano too. As an added bonus, I met her before a performance of Die Frau Ohne Schatten in 1980. In her slippers, she was only 5'2" tall. I called her the Pocket Valkyrie.

[@KajiVocals]

This list makes no sense. The person making this has no idea about opera. Bocelli isn't even an actual opera singer. Neither was Mario Lanza (although I admire him).

[@StellarAvenger]

Leontyne Price received a 42-minute standing ovation at the Metropolitan Opera

[@friswing]

You forgot the Swedish soprano Birgit NIlsson.

[@manelsevilla7200]

Exactly and I miss Alfredo Kraus too

[@auldthymer]

@@manelsevilla7200 Oh, Kraus! Beautiful.

[@alexanderzamora5930]

Haha… that’s the biggest mistake… and Fleming above Leontyne? 😂

[@이상호-p3c]

@@alexanderzamora5930I really do not like Fleming.

[@goodandplenty5082]

@friswing Who could forget her. Not only was she a Wagnerian soprano, she could also sing the punishing roles of R Strauss (Salome, Electra, Die Frau Ohne Schatten) with one vocal chord tied behind her back. She was extraordinary, to say the least.

[@ericfluellen8957]

That you have Leontyne Price so low on this list and completely ignored Grace Bumbry tells me you know nothing about opera. I’m very disappointed in your conclusions.

[@jamesryan6008]

@@ericfluellen8957 ignoring not only Grace Bumbry but also Shirley Verrett

[@ericfluellen8957]

@@jamesryan6008 I couldn't agree more. I was so upset with this supposed list Maria Callas wishes she had Leontyne Price's high C abilities she is nothing compared to Ms. Price.

[@giovic9802]

​@@ericfluellen8957listen to Callas' high C's in Nabucco in 1949

[@liedersanger1]

@@ericfluellen8957 Not nothing.

[@circiter]

@@ericfluellen8957 I, who melted more than once at the sublime high Cs and C#s of Miss Price, would still give Callas (whose high notes deteriorated after her weight--and support--loss, but never really had an easy C6) the number one spot. Opera is so much more than just high notes...

[@horiahoria1666]

You added Andrea Bocelli and not Mirella Freni? Pavarotti's best friend? And also an amazing soprano co-star of his?

[@britthusberg5170]

Where is Birgit Nilsson - the greatest soprano of this century?

[@goodandplenty5082]

Absolutely! Not only was she classified as as an incomparable Wagnerian soprano, she could also sing splendidly the punishing roles of Strauss (Electra, Salome and Die Frau one Schatten) with one arm tied behind her back.

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

Astrid Varnay was pretty good too. Not as pristine and piercing as Nilsson, but definitely had a denser and darker voice.

[@stevenault2839]

I had the privilege of hearing Birgit Nilsson at the Met and elsewhere during the 60s and 70s. Her recordings, as good as they are, don't do her magnificent voice justice. She's by far the best soprano I ever heard. And if you should ask Plácido Domingo, who sang for many years with more than a few of the leading sopranos, he'd say the same thing. Long Live Birgit!!!

[@GregoryMarks]

Andrea Bocelli??? WTF?

[@alyssstout8112]

Right??….he’s not a real opera singer. 🙄

[@ansonidiaz728]

I thought the same!!! This is made from a non true opera fan for sure... 😅

[@auldthymer]

...and rated above Beverly Sills????

[@jeannehall6546]

Andrea Bocelli is more of a concert singer! He has a limited repertoire, a limited vocal range and can’t get through an entire opera! He’s more appreciated by those who know little to nothing about opera. Mario Lanza was the same way- and he had no business savvy besides!

[@signergirl1]

What are you talking about. He is one of the most amazing singers to ever come out of the opra genre in my opinion!

[@laowaiinshanghai7708]

Giuseppe di Stefano really should have been here, at least as an honorable mention.

[@photo161]

... O F C O U R S E !!!

[@philzmusic8098]

@@photo161 And Carlo Bergonzi.

[@Scoubidou-if1of]

Di Stefano was Pavarotti's idol. That fact alone should silence all amateur voice critics.

[@Alksinder]

THIS IS CRAZY!!!! Who is the judge? He doesn't know anything about opera

[@alexandervontrattnig98]

Nicolai Gedda, place 19? - Jussi Björling, place 11? ☹ And no Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, no Christa Ludwig, and ...NO BIRGIT NILSSON!!! 😲

[@NLidar]

Those are the exact three I also thought were missing!

[@carmenwolf3680]

Giusepppe di Stefano, la voce d'oro, my favorite tenor, praised and imitated extensively by many great tenors like Domingo and Pavarotti, deserves to be included. Please check him out.

[@kiaraeijo]

Favorite Opera Singers (I’m not a Singer, I’m a Flutist) include Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, Anna Netrebko, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman, Angel Blue, Nadine Sierra (who’s only 4 1/2 years older than me), Joyce Didonato, Isabel Leonard, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Juan Diego Florez, Rolando Villazón, Jonas Kaufman, Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, Bryn Terfel, Russell Thomas and the list goes on

[@Fanfanbalibar]

ROLANDO VILLAZON WANTS US TO BELIEVE HE'S A ENOR WHILE HE BARITONES !

[@bradycall1889]

@@Fanfanbalibar What? Villazon a baritone? Not even close.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

There are many, many greater singers from past eras.

[@jamesryan6008]

I was hoping to see Birgit Nilsson on the list. Too bad

[@ralphoperaphile]

I watched the first one then switched over - Bocelli, my a*se...

[@sondragramse1770]

One of my Mother's favorite is Victoria De Los Angelos.

[@philzmusic8098]

Yes, often left out of lists. The perfect Butterfly.

[@sockmonkeyarts5241]

Fleming and Bartoli above Caballe is a sin...

[@photo161]

...truly preposterous! But then, as is so much else on this ridiculous list. It's a regular homage to operatic ignorance...

[@fadohungaro]

A sin and a joke...

[@canalesworks1247]

Fleming on a top 20 list is ridiculous.

[@geoffashden2]

Bartoli could be replaced with a robot and no one would notice!

[@andreasweil5237]

Wo ist Fritz Wunderlich?

[@matthewtravisano1097]

If someone new to opera learns something, all the better. But this list is silly. To have Caballe at #18 is patently absurd. No Birgit Nilsson? More absurd. It’s the same with the musical theatre lists put out by Ms. Mojo. They’re not formed. By someone who knows the art form.

[@KajiVocals]

They seem to just be looking at some lists on Google. And then read out Wikipedia descriptions paraphrased lol.

[@Fanfanbalibar]

@@KajiVocals Ths is certainly what they do! they are incomptent ! Especially in this field !

[@meropale]

This is very much a "pop opera" list of singers who crossed over well to non opera audiences. Kiri Te Kanawa sang at Princess Diana's wedding. Montserrat Caballé sang with Freddy Mercury. Fourth, third and second place are literally the "Three Tenors".

[@Fanfanbalibar]

IT'S SHOWBIZZZ, STUPID !

[@circiter]

The problem with all of these greatest-of-all-time lists is that "all time" usually comprises only the last 70 years or so, with a couple of exceptions. For an art form which has been around for more than half a millenium, this is myopic indeed. Of course, the fact that the list is published in KZbin would seem to limit us to recorded artists (no Farinelli, García, Malibran, Pasta, Rubini, Grisi, De Reszke, Leblache, Tamburini, Lind, Patti, Ternina). But, how can we use the term GoAT without including people (who did leave records) like De Lucia, Maurel, the two Lehmanns, Battistini, Ponselle, Marchesi, Muzio, Plançon, Welitsch, Garden, Anderson, Nordica, Sembrich, Stracciari, De Luca, Martinelli, Rethberg, Pinza, Norena, Destinn, Jeritza, Chaliapin, Clement, Turner, Tibbett, Warren, McNeil, Wunderlich, Streich, Pertile, Gigli, Schipa, Stignani, Simionato, Gobbi, Vickers, Popp, McCormack, Ludwig, Nilsson, Janowitz, Verrett (just to mention the first ones to rushed into my head within a minute or so)??? And then there is the issue of including ANDREA BOCELLI, and MARIO LANZA, of all people, instead of any of those aforementioned names. And who EVER thought Mario Del Monaco ever did anything silky? He had a glorious voice, once, and then he spoiled it with bad singing.

[@andrewmargrave7518]

Flagstad, Melchior, Kipnis, List, Hotter. Schorr, Bockelmann, Nissan were also worthy of your list.

[@stribor24-fv2to]

Ternina,Melba,Milanov,etc...

[@sergiosanchezsanchez8712]

Falta muchísimos: Victoria de Los Ángeles, Alfredo Kraus, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Rosanna Carteri, Roberta Peters, Leonard Warren, Mirella Freni, Birgit Nilsson, Beniamino Gigli, Mado Robin, Edita Gruberova, Sherrill Milnes, Eileen Farrell, Renata Scotto, Gottlob Frick, Mercedes Capsir, Pilar Lorengar, etc etc etc...

[@sergiosanchezsanchez8712]

Gracias por mencionar a la gran Beverly Sills🙏🏻❤️

[@marquefan1]

Haha you got your own twenty! Good one. Best Wagner soprano ever is Ms Nilsson, Frick was colossal.

[@Eva-Mina]

Lucia Popp my favorite! ❤

[@auldthymer]

She was astonishing. Brava

[@ErnadeVries-rm3uq]

Totally agree

[@manelsevilla7200]

Where are Birgit Nilsson and Alfredo Kraus?

[@richardcleveland8549]

Some faves of mine: Martti Talvela . . . his Boris was amazing. Kurt Moll . . . that subterranean bass of his was incredible . . . AND he was terrific in comic roles! Salvatore Baccaloni, an incomparable comedian.

[@saol67]

Is it a joke ??? Bocelli has NOTHING to do among the biggest opera stars. A blind guy who sings for deaf people...

[@ixopo6715]

I once read possibly the most sarcastic comment ever by Mr Dimitri Hvorostovsky who was replying to Bocelli being named as America’s favourite tenor, to which the great Russian said such an admission equated to claiming that chewing gum was your favourite food 😙😙😙😙

[@richardcleveland8549]

@@ixopo6715 Touche! Never would have thought of Hvorostovsky as a wit!

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@ixopo6715Dimitry himself does not belong on this list there are so many other great baritones.

[@canalesworks1247]

"He's a blind guy who sings for deaf people." I am STEALING that one!!!

[@bradycall1889]

@@ZENOBlAmusic Yeah Hvorostovsky was quite overrated, anyways.

[@Haroldo2606]

You have missed Gundula Janowitz.

[@OmenofChaos4]

You forgot to add Australia's Dame Nellie Melba, she appears on the $100 note. Everyone calls Mariah Carey a diva.......NO.........she was THE DIVA 😂 read about her in history during WW1.

[@davidyess1]

All are list-worthy except Bocelli.

[@BentonHess]

Bocelli?! Give me a break!

[@kurtwilhelmruehle2430]

Diese Liste enthält viele großartige Sängerinnen und Sänger. Ist es aber nicht vermessen hier eine Rangliste von großen Sängerinnen und Sängern zu erstellen? Jeder ist individuell und muss für sich betrachtet werden. Wo sind Simonato, Gobbi, Janowitz, Schwarzkopf, Fischer-Dieskau, di Stefano, Crista Ludwig, Titta Ruffo, Edda Moser, Waltraut Meier, Magda Olivero, Ettore Bastianini, Schaliapin u.s.w. !

[@richardcleveland8549]

Judging from the comments, folks are VERY passionate about their favorites . . . and equally vocal about their un-faves. I'm doubt that any two people would come up with the same list . AND, perhaps it was merely the intent of MsMojo to toss out a list to excite controversy . . . a bomb-thrower! Chacun a son gout!

[@auldthymer]

I am stunned there was no mention of Dolora Zajick. Hearing her live made me understand the divinity aspect of "diva" -- I was transported!

[@kathleenlemieux6778]

Excellent choices- BUT where were Leonard Warren, Robert Merrill and Richard Tucker????

[@donei132]

How is Dame Nellie Melba not on this list? You’ve got Joan Sutherland, why not Australia’s most famous opera singer, the singer from the “colonies” who dined with kings and queens.

[@ilseilse3824]

Flagstad. ❤❤❤

[@richardcleveland8549]

Especially when paired with Lauritz Melchior.

[@margomoore4527]

Nicolai Ghiaurov’s artistry in Don Quichotte had me in tears. One of the very greats. And Leontyne Price (heard twice in concert) had the greatest lyric soprano I have ever heard.

[@susanheklicht]

I would have loved to see Dutch soprano Christine Deutekom in the list. Her Queen of the Night aria is sublime. You can also hear her in Varèse's Poème Électronique.

[@ErnadeVries-rm3uq]

Best queen of the night!

[@giovic9802]

​@@ErnadeVries-rm3uqthe best is Rae Woodland

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

While she was the most precise at hitting all the notes, especially in her O Zittre Nicht, she did have weird turkey gobble gobble sound effect with her coloratura technique.

[@ErnadeVries-rm3uq]

@@giovic9802 a bit too clinical for me, but spot on the notes

[@LS-mc2rv]

Beverly sills honorable mention 🙄

[@stephanmouton8894]

What about Mimi Coertse, stunning South African soprano who reigned supreme at the Vienna State Opera from the late 50's to early 70's. Mimi is now in her early 90's and retired, living in South Africa. Listen to some of her outstanding performances on You Tube!...South African living in Queensland, Australia.

[@giovic9802]

You missed the best of the best: Rosa Ponselle ("Caruso in dress"), José Mardones, Ebe Stignani, Francesco Tamagno (the first Otello), Mattia Battistini, Clara Butt

[@Arishenka_A]

Corelli - 1🏆 )

[@jackbulmash4247]

I just want to remind everyone that uses the title "of all time" that we only have audible evidence of singers since the beginning of the 20th century. There was a lot of singing prior to that point.

[@philzmusic8098]

Rosa Ponselle. Claudia Muzio. Ezio Pinza. Lotte Lehmann. Fritz Wunderlich. Christa Ludwig. Hermann Prey. René Pape. Régine Crespin.

[@johnnzboy]

Thanks for making the effort to pronounce the names correctly - I know that looks are irrelevant when compared to talent but Kiri Te Kanawa in her prime was a knockout. And that snippet at the end from Leontyne Price will keep me smiling for the rest of the day :)

[@sondragramse1770]

When I think of Maria Callas, I think of the movie Philadelphia with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

[@Fanfanbalibar]

IT MAKES ME CRY WHENEVER I WATCH AGAIN THIS MOVIE ON DVD !

[@sondragramse1770]

@@Fanfanbalibar me too

[@griffinmill27516]

Warm, lovely, Renata Tebaldi - a personal favourite

[@Ռոբ]

there are much more accomplished opera singers than Bocelli, Flemming, Lanza and Terfel

[@LadyKattrina84]

Pavarotti's Nessan Dorma always brings me to tears. Love it.

[@ZeacorZeppelin]

I did not know Maria Callas was born in New York City, which is news to me. I think the list could also use Samuel Ramey, his interpretation of Don Giovanni in the Met Opera 1990 production of the opera gives me chills. I have a recording of him, which is also a masterful Herbert Von Karajan redording. Those of you who are fans of Over The Garden Wall, Samuel Ramey is the voice of the villain.

[@LinusCello75]

Yes Mephistopheles, Scarpia, Count Almavia

[@richardharris8867]

Grew up in Brooklyn.

[@chrisjames789]

Why no mention of Birgit Nilsson?

[@kiimmaritz2827]

The great Callas..for ever one..the diva of our time

[@ngwee1]

Rosa Ponselle, Giuseppe di Stefano, Jaume Aragall, Franco Bonisolli, Luigi Alva, Alfredo Kraus, Stuart Burrows, Birgit Nilsson, Richard Tucker, Tito Schipa, Eileen Farrell, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry, Janet Baker, Giuseppe Sabatini, Robert Merrill, Leonard Warren, Jerome Hines, Kathleen Ferrier, Eula Beal, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Francisco Araiza, Freda Hempel, Nedda Casei, Martina Arroyo, Tatiana Troyanos, Ferrucio Tagliavini, Thomas Allen, Giuseppe Giacomini, Salvatore Fisichella, Beniamino Gigli, Angelo Loforese, Virginia Zeani, …, [I could name 50+ more, but I wouldn't include Bocelli].

[@logorton6360]

And Elisabeth Söderström

[@michelleburke3517]

I know I'm pretty late to the party here, but this is giving me strong Rage Bait vibes. I mean...even MsMojo has to have researchers that would be able to determine that Bocelli isn't even an Opera singer, let alone one of the top 20 of all time.

[@stephenhosmer9444]

NO Birgit? Can you hear?

[@Charrakate36]

¿Ya oyeron ustedes hablar de... Rosa Ponselle, Beniamino Gigli, Giovanni Martinelli, Giuseppe DiStefano, Lauritz Melchior, Lawrence Tibbett, Leonard Warren, Feodor Chaliapin, Boris Christoff, etc. etc.? Actualmente hay ciertas Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca, entre otras verdaderamente grandes figuras, levemente superiores a Bocclli, Lanza...

[@georl1]

I'm surprised you had Mario Lanza on this list since he was actually a movie star who sang opera areas. Then again there were many other movie stars who were classically trained and who sang opera areas that are considered just as good and can also hit all those high notes equally as easy as any of these actual opera singers. I think I would have replaced Mario Lanza with Mario Del Monico.

[@stribor24-fv2to]

No Zinka Milanov and Birgit Nilsson on the list? You must be kidding!!!

[@pineshimmer]

In the golden age of Hollywood, Jeanette McDonald was the world's leading soprano and now that title belongs to the OG Christine from Phantom Phenomenon Sarah Brightman. Diana Damrau in Mozart's The Magic Flute - Queen of the Night aria is absolute perfection.

[@sd1968swe]

How can you not include Birgit Nilsson? She is one of the absoultely greatest singers

[@operskapevacica1]

Caballe should be top ten

[@gabrielsanchez6578]

Where is Edda Moser? and Birgit NIlsson?

[@margomoore4527]

Well, you left out Tatiana Troyanos, Jon Vickers, Alfredo Kraus, and Dolora Zajick, some of my personal favorites.

[@johanbrandtt.gr.3384]

Birgit Nilsson????? Where is she? (And Christa Ludwig, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Alfredo Kraus and Martti Talvela?)

[@wonderwomanmillow2281]

Maria Callas, the Diva Queen of the Opera❤

[@anakiragabriellarec]

What about so many great mezzo’s like Federika Von Stade, Shirley Verret, Tatyana Troyannos? Too many sopranos and tenors. There are also a bunch of great baritones you missed

[@KajiVocals]

Verrett and Von Stade were natural sopranos who sang across classifications (and well). But other than that you're right. But the reason is simple. The people making this list have no idea about opera.

[@Fanfanbalibar]

@@KajiVocals YESSS, IT'S LIKE ASKING ME TO LIST THE 20 GREATEST OLYMPIC JUMPERS

[@GeorgeMorrowIii]

I think Leonard Warren was the best baritone I have heard. He had depth, stage presence and gave feeling to opera especially Verdi roles.

[@ErnadeVries-rm3uq]

What about Christa Ludwig?

[@Fanfanbalibar]

yesss why????????

[@philzmusic8098]

One of my all time faves.

[@markoorvo62]

Furlanetto, Ruffo, Bastianini, McNeil, Warren, Giacomini, Siepi, Talvela, Kraus, Obratzova, Nilsson (!), Ponselle, Dimitrova... too many really accomplished singers missing on the list....

[@JOD-g7o]

For coloratura, often overlooked but quite wonderful are Mariella Devia and Sabine DeVielhe.

[@DanInMUC]

Nilsson, Deutekom, Freni, Dimitrova, Di Stefano, Serra...

[@waterhousewhistler]

I love opera! This was a fun list!!!!

[@bradycall1889]

Many on this list, to be honest, are very overrated singers such as Pavarotti and Domingo. I enjoy listening to both of them and I don't think they're bad at all, they just have more credit and attention than they actually deserve. Calling Pavarotti the 2nd greatest opera singer of all times is kinda silly tbh. Don't get me wrong, I admire Andrea Bocelli, but another thing I'd like to point out is that he's not a real opera singer. He is classically trained and sing in an operatic style, but he is a pop singer at the end of the day. Neither was Mario Lanza a real operatic tenor. There are also many singers missing from this list as well, and just to name a few: - Lauritz Melchior - Mario Del Monaco - Cesare Siepi - Nicolai Ghiaurov - Ebe Stignani - Robert Merrill - Cornell MacNeil - Titta Ruffo - Rosa Ponselle And many, many more who are better than most of the singers put on here combined!

[@abc45fg]

Beverly Sills: america's queen of opera. Should have been on the actual list just sayin

[@auldthymer]

My teacher told me that at one point she was the highest-paid singer in the world -- even before she sang at the Met.

[@abc45fg]

@ I sincerely hope that's true! Beverly doesn't enough credit and recognition for her stunning work especially compared to the other coloraturas of the time… (who I mean disrespect towards as I still love and appreciate their work)

[@Fanfanbalibar]

SILLS USED TO SAY : I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SING ONE HOUR LIKE MARIA CALLAS THAN ANN MY CAREER AT THE MET'

[@philzmusic8098]

@@abc45fg I was lucky enough to see her live in Traviata and Lucia. Stunning in both.

[@tencontento9177]

@@philzmusic8098 But Sills lost her radiant coloratura after her hysterectomy (sp?). By 1976, her voice was shot, as evidenced by her Puritani in San Francisco. It was the saddest thing I have ever heard.

[@stimme8250]

Where is Sumi Jo?????

[@pierredanielfaustin6189]

Obviously this compilation is based solely on the limited knowledge of the person that put it together

[@suzannedallape6691]

I was disappointed to not see Mirella Freni on this list--my favorite. However, unlike a lot of the commenters here, I am on board with Andrea Bocelli. I like his light pop sound.

[@kingsportartguild6847]

I acknowledge Callas historically and for her amazing voice, and I would put Joan Sutherland easily as her equal. I think it is a crime that this list doesn't have Leontyne Price in the top 7 or 5. Nonetheless, this list highlights amazing voices! Thanks!

[@nathanswanson1040]

Criminal to include Andrea Bocelli on this list. He wouldn’t even make my top 200 tenors list.

[@carmensandiego3691]

The narrator did a wonderful job rolling her r's . Brrrrrrrrraaaaaaavvvvvooo 👏 👏 👏 👏 Encore! Encore!

[@jenvogue5005]

The most famous don't always sound the best. Gruberova was the greatest Gilda of Rigoletto.... Sumi Jo, the greatest of queen of the night

[@sergiosanchezsanchez8712]

And Roberta Peters

[@sheilabloom6735]

Love Sumi Jo. Von Stade.

[@geoffreyriggs2397]

My personal top twenty: Richard Tauber Frida Leider Kathleen Ferrier Felia Litvinne Mattia Battistini Riccardo Stracciari Christa Ludwig Paul Franz Pol Plancon Enrico Caruso Ivan Yershov Lawrence Tibbett Paul Robeson Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Marian Anderson Leyla Gencer Leonie Rysanek Jon Vickers Claudia Muzio Jennie Tourel

[@MarquisDeSacks]

I would have also included (at least as honorable mentions, if nothing else) Boris Christoff, Natalie Dessay, Feodor Chaliapin, & Anna Netrebko.

[@marquefan1]

Good list but - Birgit Nilsson, Fritz Wunderlich, Giuseppe di Stefano, Shirley Verrett, Leonie Rysanek ... hard to pick everyone. Boccelli and Lanza were/are show tenors.

[@KZ1211-t2q]

I adore Andrea Bocelli, but I would never have put him on this list. He sings arias, among other things, but he can't truly be considered an opera singer.

[@gccleve1]

Admittedly Lanza sang one opera for two performances but I prefer quality to quantity, although c.150 concerts should satisfy the latter! I would also include Fritz Wunderlich and Jan Kiepura.

[@PeterSchüle-s8e]

How can Bocelli Even be considered an opera singer he Had to use a Microphone to be Heard with such a small Voice a Similar Voice to Paul potts Not operatic

[@aljavier2927]

You lost me at #20

[@vanfamily44]

Barbara Padilla, soprano from Mexico! ❤

[@mikev4177]

Thank you for a great, enjoyable collection. However, it is really unthankful job to select and then to rank the 20 Greatest, especially the Greatest of all time. In fact, with exception of Caruso, all presented singers started their careers after WW2. Too many are left behind, even though there are many available recordings. I would add Tito Gobbi, Titta Ruffo (not many recordings, though), Aureliano Pertile, Boris Christov and more, depending on availability and quality of recording. While it is a matter of taste, absence of Feodor Chaliapin (arguably #1 on this list) is noticeable, as a presence of some good, but not Top 20 singers.

[@akenorlen7020]

No, Jussi Björlings carrer started way before WW2! The greatest lyric tenor of all time!

[@rufinoortega8517]

Like your selected singers

[@Winnepausakee]

Problems with such a list: era of "recording" techniques even if recording was available; did singer perform outside own country (many Russians did not); opera means to purists "without a microphone" ( and thus a techie blending sounds as is the case with "musicals" and almost all pop music); are you speaking of just the sound of one's voice or ones emotive qualities as an actor ( ie John Vickers); there are just too many details unavailable in your methodology. No Robert Merrill? Fritz Wunderlich? Anna Moffo? Lauritz Melchior? Tatiana Troyanos? This is a weak list without some "standard" being suggested.....

[@junewebb-baptiste2409]

YESS! MARIA CALLAS IS IT!!