Discography - Live Operas
These listings are the known live recordings that are in public hands. They do not include those found only in TV, radio & university archives.
Perfomance dates have been verified in the most reliable sources available, including opera company annals, reviews from major newspapers and magazines, and performance calendars. These listings will be updated as corrections and additions are discovered. If you have additions or corrections, please contact me.
Details about these performances are listed in our performance annals section.
Alfano, Franco (1875 - 1954)
La Risurrezione
Date : May 24, 1975
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Katiusha), Gastone Limarilli (Dmitri Nekludoff), Antonio Boyer (Simonson), Laura Zannini (Sofia Ivanova), Corinna Vozza (Matrena Pavlovna).
Conductor : Ottavio Ziino
Bellini, Vincenzo (1801 - 1835)
I Puritani
Date : February 13, 1957
Location : Trieste, Teatro Verdi
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Elvira), Vito Susca (Lord Gualtiero Walton), Mario Filippeschi (Arturo), Aldo Protti (Sir Riccardo), Andrea Mongelli (Sir Giorgio).
Conductor : Francesco Molinari Pradelli
La Sonnambula
Date : January 28, 1959
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Amina), Nicola Monti (Elvino), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Rudolfo), Liliana Poli (Lisa), Augusto Frati (Alessio), Maria Luisa Castellano (Teresa).
Conductor : Francesco Molinari Pradelli
Boito, Arrigo (1842 - 1918)
Mefistofele
Date : April 00, 1959 - highlights only
Location : Roma, Teatro dell'Opera
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Margherita), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Mefistofele), Ferruccio Tagliavini (Faust), Floriana Cavalli (Helen of Troy).
Conductor : Armando La Rosa Parodi
Date : February 00, 1968 - highlights only
Location : Trieste, Teatro Verdi
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Margherita), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Mefistofele), Umberto Grilli (Faust), Linda Vajna (Helen of Troy).
Conductor : Nico Verchi
Busoni, Ferruccio (1866 - 1924)
Turandot
Date : March 27, 1973
Location : Venezia, Teatro la Fenice
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Turandot), Angelo Mori (Kalaf), Mario Rinaudo (Altoum), Agostino Lazzari (Traffaldino), Mario Basiola (Pantalone), Lucia Valentini Terrani (Adelma), Domenico Trimarchi (Barak), Stefania Malagù (La Regina madre).
Conductor : Ettore Gracis
Cilea, Francesco (1866 - 1950)
Adriana Lecouvreur
Date : March 02, 1974
Location : Catania, Teatro Bellini
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Adriana Lecouvreur), Giorgio Merighi (Maurizio), Giuseppe Taddei (Michonnet), Franca Mattiucci (La principessa di Bouillon).
Conductor : Carlo Franci
De Banfield, Raffaello (1922 - )
Alissa
Date : May 15, 1965
Location : Grande Theatre, Geneva
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Alissa), Kostas Paskalis (Il giovane), Denise Scharley (La vecchia)
Conductor : Gianfranco Rivoli
Donizetti, Gaetano (1797 - 1848)
Lucia di Lammermoor
Date : May 13, 1957
Location : Stoll Theatre, London
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Miss Lucia), Giacinto Prandelli (Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood), Enzo Sordello (Lord Enrico Asthon),
Lorenzo Gaetani (Raimondo Bidebent), Gino Sarri (Lord Arturo Buclaw), Ketty Fernandez (Alisa)
Conductor : Vincenzo Bellezza
Date : December 26, 1964 - highlights only
Location : Piacenza, Teatro Municipale
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Miss Lucia), Alfredo Kraus (Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood), Aureliano Oppicelli (Lord Enrico Asthon),
Antonio Zerbini (Raimondo Bidebent), Rinaldo Pelizzoni (Lord Arturo Buclaw)
Conductor : Alberto Zedda
Date : December 29, 1964
Location : Piacenza, Teatro Municipale
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Miss Lucia), Alfredo Kraus (Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood), Aureliano Oppicelli (Lord Enrico Asthon),
Antonio Zerbini (Raimondo Bidebent), Rinaldo Pelizzoni (Lord Arturo Buclaw)
Conductor : Alberto Zedda
Maria di Rohan
Date : March 24, 1962
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Maria), Enzo Tei (Riccardo), Mario Zanasi (Enrico),
Anna Maria Rota (Armando), Mario Rinaudo (Il Visconte), Silvano Pagliucca (De Fiesque)
Conductor : Fernando Previtali
Giordano, Umberto (1867 - 1948)
Fedora
Date : October 12, 1974
Location : Padova, Teatro Verdi
Artists : Virginia Zeani (La principessa Fedora Romazov), Aldo Bottion (Il conte Loris Ipanov), Elena Baggiore (La contessa Olga Sukarev),
Guido Mazzini (Il conte Giovanni de Siriex), Mario Guggia (Désiré)
Conductor : Francesco Maria Martini
Date : February 18, 1977
Location : Barcelona, Teatro Liceo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (La principessa Fedora Romazov), Placido Domingo (Il conte Loris Ipanov), Maria Fleta (La contessa Olga Sukarev),
Enrico Serra (Il conte Giovanni de Siriex), Dalmacio Gonzalez (Il barone Rouvel), Francesco Paulet (unknown)
Conductor : Alfredo Silipigni
Mascagni, Pietro (1863 - 1945)
Il Piccolo Marat
Date : October 26, 1961
Location : Livorno, Teatro La Gran Guardia
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Mariella), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Il Presidente l'Orco), Umberto Borsň (Il Piccolo Marat),
Clara Betner (La Principessa di Fleury), Afro Poli (Il carpentiere), Rinaldo Rota (Il soldato)
Conductor : Oliviero de Fabritiis
Date : January 20, 1962
Location : San Remo, Teatro del Casino
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Mariella), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Il Presidente l'Orco), Giuseppe Gismondo (Il Piccolo Marat),
Giulio Fioravanti (Il carpentiere), Afro Poli (Il soldato)
Conductor : Ottavio Ziino
Date : April 00, 1963
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Mariella), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Il Presidente l'Orco), Giuseppe Gismondo (Il Piccolo Marat),
Giulio Fioravanti (Il sodato), Ugo Savarese (Il carpentiere)
Conductor : Oliviero de Fabritiis
Date : December 17, 1963
Location : Trieste, Teatro Verdi
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Mariella), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Il Presidente l'Orco), Gianni Jaia (Il Piccolo Marat),
Giulio Fioravanti (Il sodato), Ugo Savarese (Il carpentiere), Bruna Ronchini (La mama)
Conductor : Oliviero de Fabritiis
Date : October 15, 1976
Location : Padova, Teatro Verdi
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Mariella), Nicola Rossi Lemeni (Il Presidente l'Orco), N. Martinucci (unknown),
Giudo Mazzini (unknown), O. Borgonovo (unknown)
Conductor : Francesco Maria Martini
Massenet, Jules (1842 - 1912)
Manon
Date : February 29, 1964 - highlights only
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Manon Lescaut), Alfredo Kraus (Il cavaliere Des Grieux), Mario Borriello (Lescaut),
Franco Ventriglia (Il conte Des Grieux), Franco Bordoni (De Brétigny)
Conductor : Ugo Rapalo
Date : March 03, 1964
Location : Napoli, Teatro San Carlo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Manon Lescaut), Juan Oncina (Il cavaliere Des Grieux), Mario Borriello (Lescaut),
Franco Ventriglia (Il conte Des Grieux), Franco Bordoni (De Brétigny)
Conductor : Ugo Rapalo
Werther
Date : February 26, 1971
Location : Palermo, Teatro Massimo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Charlotte), Alfredo Kraus (Werther), Valeria Mariconda (Sophie), Domenico Trimarchi (Albert), Donald Gramm (Il podestà), Richard Best (Johann), Nico Castel (Schmidt), Lorraine Keane (Käthchen), Lou Marcella (Brühlmann).
Conductor : Antonino Votto
Date : March 29, 1972
Location : Leece, Teatro Greco
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Charlotte), Alfredo Kraus (Werther), Elena Baggiore (Sophie), Domenico Trimarchi (Albert), Renzo Gonzales (Schmidt).
Conductor : Ottavio Ziino
Menotti, Gian Carlo (1911 - )
Il Console
Date : July 05, 1972
Location : Spoleto, Teatro Nuovo
Artists : Virginia Zeani (Magda), Joy Davidson (Mother), Giovanna Fioroni (Secretary), Gianluigi Colmagro (Sorel).
Conductor : Thomas Schippers