Disc 1. Introduction (Jon Tolansky) -- Angela Gheorghiu, soprano. Madama Butterfly. Un bel dì ; Che tua madre / Puccini ; Carmen. La la la la / Bizet ; Early life and formative years ; La Bohème. Sì, mi chiamano Mimì / Puccini ; Manon. N'est ce plus ma main / Massenet -- Mirella Freni, soprano. Aïda. O patria mia / Verdi ; Early life and formative years ; La Bohème. Sono andati? / Puccini ; Otello. Ave Maria / Verdi -- Grace Bumbry, mezzo-soprano. Carmen. Les tringles des sistres tintaient / Bizet ; Early life and formative years ; Carmen. Habanera / Bizet ; On singing with Jon Vickers in Carmen ; Carmen. Où va tu? / Bizet.

Disc 2. Jon Vickers, tenor. Fidelio. Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! / Beethoven ; Early life and formative years ; Samson et Dalila. Israël! romps ta chaîne / Saint-Saëns ; Studying oratorio and opera ; Otello. Già nella notte densa ; Ah! Mille vite-- Si, pel ciel ; Il fazzoletto ; Chi è là? Otello? / Verdi -- Nicolai Gedda, tenor. Rigoletto. La donna è mobile / Verdi ; Boris Godunov. O, kak tomitel'no / Mussorgsky ; Early life and formative years ; Le postillon de Lonjumeau. Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire / Adam ; Werther. Lorsque l'enfant ; International singing traditions and schools, and singing Werther ; Traduire-- Ah!-- Pourquoi me réveiller / Massenet -- Giuseppe di Stefano, tenor. Manon. Io son sol / Massenet ; Early life and formative years ; Approach to opera performance ; La bohème. Come va? / Puccini ; More about approach to opera, and singing with Callas ; Un ballo in maschera. Non sai tu che se l'anima mia / Verdi.

Disc 3. Roberto Alagna, tenor. La traviata. Libiamo ne' lieti calici / Verdi ; Early life and formative years and influences ; Il trovatore. Ah sì, ben mio--Di quella pira / Verdi ; Carmen. Carmen, je suis las de souffrir! / Bizet -- Ruggero Raimondi, bass-baritone. Macbeth. Come dal ciel precipita / Verdi ; Early life and formative years ; Don Carlo. Ella giammai m'amo / Verdi ; Tosca. Già mi struggea l'amor della diva! / Puccini -- Sir John Tomlinson, bass. Götterdämmerung. Hoiho! / Wagner ; Early life and formative years ; Hier sitz' ich zur Wacht / Wagner ; Bluebeard's castle. Hajnalban az elsöt leitem-- Negyediket éjjel leitem / Bartók.

Disc 4. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone. Die schöne Müllerin. Wohin? / Schubert ; Early life and formative years, singing Winterreise ; Winterreise. Gute Nacht / Schubert ; The Lieder of Hugo Wolf ; Der Feuerreiter / Wolf -- Antonio Pappano, conductor. Le villi. La tregenda / Puccini ; Early life and formative years ; Requiem. Dies irae ; Rex tremendae / Verdi -- Evgeny Kissin, piano. Concerto no. 3 in C, op. 26. Allegro / Prokofiev ; Early life and formative years ; Concerto no. 5 in E flat, op. 73 : Emperor. Allegro / Beethoven -- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, conductor. Suite no. 1 in G, BWV1007. Prelude / J.S. Bach ; Early life and formative years ; Memories of Britten ; Cello suite no. 1, op. 72. Moto perpetuo ; Canto quarto / Britten ; On Shostakovich ; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Interlude ; On writing to Pravda ; Concerto no. 2 in G, op. 126 / Shostakovich.