Verdi: Nabucco (complete opera remastered recorded live 1949)

The temperament-filled role of Abigaille in Nabucco is notorious for its extreme vocal demands, but the young Callas - just 26 when she performed the role at Naples' Teatro San Carlo - conquers it confidently and commandingly. Her astonishing capacities for both barnstorming power and intricate delicacy are called into play in this, her earliest live recording of a complete opera. These performances at one of Italy's most celebrated opera houses represent the only occasion Callas sang the role of Abigaille on stage.