Joan Sutherland is not usually considered a Puccini singer, and in fact she sang the role of Turandot only in the recording studio. But for that assignment she had exactly what was needed: a voice that seemed to have no upper limits and a personality that concealed vulnerability under an air of icy detachment. She also had an ideal set of colleagues, notably Luciano Pavarotti, whose "Nessun dorma" has become practically his signature tune. --Joe McLellan

• Puccini: La Boheme
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• Verdi - La Traviata / Sutherland, Pavarotti, Manuguerra, NPO, Bonynge
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