Back to Awards Hub

Best Opera Recording

1985 • 27th Annual GRAMMY Awards

Honoring recordings released between Aug 31, 1983 and Aug 30, 1984

1985 Winner is Lorin Maazel, conductor; Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes, Ruggero Raimondi, Faith Esham with "Bizet: Carmen"

Bizet: Carmen

Placido Domingo, Faith Esham, Julia Migenes, Ruggero Raimondi, Lorin Maazel, Michel Glotz

Nominees 1985

Winners

Year Winner Nomination
2026 Kwamé Ryan, Jamie Barton, J'Nai Bridges, Janai Brugger, Blanton Alspaugh Heggie: Intelligence All Nominees
2025 Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Jason O'Connell Saariaho: Adriana Mater All Nominees
2024 Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore, Eric Owens, David Frost Blanchard: Champion All Nominees
2023 Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore, Walter Russell III, David Frost Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones All Nominees
2022 Karen Kamensek, J'Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Zachary James, Dísella Lárusdóttir, David Frost Glass: Akhnaten All Nominees
2021 David Robertson, David Frost, Frederick Ballentine, Angel Blue, Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore, Eric Owens Gershwin: Porgy And Bess All Nominees
2020 Gil Rose, John Brancy, Andrew Craig Brown, Gabriel Preisser, Krista River, Edwin Vega Picker: Fantastic Mr. Fox All Nominees
2019 Michael Christie, Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edward Parks, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Elizabeth Ostrow Bates: The (R)evolution Of Steve Jobs All Nominees
2018 Hans Graf, Brad Sayles, Anne Schwanewilms, Roman Trekel Berg: Wozzeck All Nominees
2017 James Conlon, Blanton Alspaugh, Joshua Guerrero, Christopher Maltman, Lucas Meachem, Patricia Racette, Lucy Schaufer, Guanqun Yu Corigliano: The Ghosts Of Versailles All Nominees
2016 Seiji Ozawa, Dominic Fyfe, Isabel Leonard Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade All Nominees
2015 Paul O'Dette, Stephen Stubbs, Aaron Sheehan Charpentier: La Descente D'Orphée Aux Enfers All Nominees
2014 Thomas Adès, Jay David Saks, Simon Keenlyside, Isabel Leonard, Audrey Luna, Alan Oke Adès: The Tempest All Nominees
2013 James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Jay David Saks, Hans-Peter König, Jay Hunter Morris, Bryn Terfel, Deborah Voigt Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen All Nominees
2012 Alan Gilbert, Jay David Saks, Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn, Eric Owens Adams: Doctor Atomic All Nominees
2011 Kent Nagano, Martin Sauer, Daniel Belcher, Ekaterina Lekhina, Marie-Ange Todorovitch Saariaho: L'Amour De Loin All Nominees
2010 Daniel Harding, John Fraser, Ian Bostridge, Neal Davies, Nathan Gunn, Jonathan Lemalu, Matthew Rose, Gidon Saks Britten: Billy Budd All Nominees
2009 James Conlon, Fred Vogler, Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny All Nominees
2008 Charles Mackerras, Brian Couzens, Rebecca Evans, Jane Henschel, Jennifer Larmore Humperdinck: Hansel & Gretel All Nominees
2007 Robert Spano, Valerie Gross, Sid McLauchlan, Kelley O'Connor, Jessica Rivera, Dawn Upshaw Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain Of Tears All Nominees
2006 Colin Davis, James Mallinson, Carlos Alvarez, Bulent Bezduz, Marina Domashenko, Jane Henschel, Ana Ibarra, Maria José Moreno, Michele Pertusi Verdi: Falstaff All Nominees
2005 René Jacobs, Martin Sauer, Patrizia Ciofi, Véronique Gens, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Lorenzo Regazzo Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro All Nominees
2004 Bernard Haitink, Wolfram Graul, Jerry Hadley, Karita Mattila, Eva Randova, Anja Silja, Jorma Silvasti Janácek: Jenufa All Nominees
2003 Jane Eaglen, Thomas Hampson, Waltraud Meier, Rene Pape, Peter Seiffert, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Classen Wagner: Tannhäuser All Nominees
2002 Michelle DeYoung, Ben Heppner, Petra Lang, Peter Mattei, Stephen Milling, Sara Mingardo, Kenneth Tarver, Colin Davis, James Mallinson Berlioz: Les Troyens All Nominees
2001 Kim Begley, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich Henschel, Markus Hollop, Eva Jenis, Torsten Kerl, Kent Nagano, Martin Sauer Busoni: Doktor Faust All Nominees
2000 Ian Bostridge, Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie von Otter, Deborah York, John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas Parker Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress All Nominees
1999 Jessye Norman, Laszlo Polgar, Pierre Boulez, Karl-August Naegler Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle All Nominees
1998 Ben Heppner, Herbert Lippert, Karita Mattila, Alan Opie, Rene Pape, Jose Van Dam, Iris Vermillion, Georg Solti, Michael Woolcock Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg All Nominees
1997 Philip Langridge, Alan Opie, Janice Watson, Richard Hickox, Brian Couzens Britten: Peter Grimes All Nominees
1996 Gary Lakes, Francoise Pollet, Gino Quilico, Deborah Voigt, Charles Dutoit, Raymond Minshull Berlioz: Les Troyens All Nominees
1995 Kenn Chester, Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey, Cheryl Studer, Kent Nagano, Martin Sauer Floyd: Susannah All Nominees
1994 John Aler, Kathleen Battle, Michael Chance, Mark S. Doss, Marilyn Horne, Neil Mackie, Sylvia McNair, Samuel Ramey, John Nelson, Steven Paul Handel: Semele All Nominees
1993 Hildegard Behrens, Placido Domingo, Sumi Jo, Reinhild Runkel, Jose Van Dam, Julia Varady, Georg Solti, Christopher Raeburn, Stephen Trainor, Morten Winding R. Strauss: Die Frau Ohne Schatten All Nominees
1992 Hildegard Behrens, Reiner Goldberg, Matti Salminen, Hanna Schwarz, Cheryl Studer, Bernd Weikl, Ekkehard Wlaschiha, James Levine, Cord Garben Wagner: Gotterdammerung All Nominees
1991 Siegfried Jerusalem, Christa Ludwig, Kurt Moll, James Morris, Jan Hendrik Rootering, Ekkehard Wlaschiha, Heinz Zednik, James Levine, Cord Garben Wagner: Das Rheingold All Nominees
1990 Hildegard Behrens, Gary Lakes, Christa Ludwig, Kurt Moll, James Morris, Jessye Norman, James Levine, Cord Garben Wagner: Die Walkuere All Nominees
1989 Placido Domingo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Siegmund Nimsgern, Jessye Norman, Eva Randova, Hans Sotin, Georg Solti, Christopher Raeburn Wagner: Lohengrin All Nominees
1988 Agnes Baltsa, Kathleen Battle, Gary Lakes, Hermann Prey, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, James Levine, Cord Garben R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos All Nominees
1987 James Billings, Joyce Castle, Maris Clement, David Eisler, Jack Harrold, John Lankston, Erie Mills, Scott Reeve, John Mauceri, Elizabeth Ostrow Bernstein: Candide All Nominees
1986 Philip Langridge, Franz Mazura, Georg Solti, James Mallinson Schoenberg: Moses Und Aron All Nominees
1985 Placido Domingo, Faith Esham, Julia Migenes, Ruggero Raimondi, Lorin Maazel, Michel Glotz Bizet: Carmen All Nominees
1984 Thomas Allen, Kurt Moll, Lucia Popp, Samuel Ramey, Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Georg Solti, Christopher Raeburn Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro All Nominees
1984 Placido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Teresa Stratas, James Levine, Jay David Saks, Max Wilcox Verdi: La Traviata All Nominees
1983 Jeannine Altmeyer, Hermann Becht, Peter Hofmann, Siegfried Jerusalem, Gwyneth Jones, Manfred Jung, Donald McIntyre, Matti Salminen, Ortrun Wenkel, Heinz Zednik, Pierre Boulez, Andrew Kazdin Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen All Nominees
1982 Jiri Zahradnicek, Ivo Zidek, Vaclav Zitek, Charles Mackerras, James Mallinson Janácek: From The House Of The Dead All Nominees
1981 Pierre Boulez, Gunther Breest, Michael Horwath Berg: Lulu (Complete Version) All Nominees
1980 Colin Davis, Vittorio Negri Britten: Peter Grimes All Nominees
1979 Julius Rudel, John Coveney, George Sponhaltz Lehar: The Merry Widow All Nominees
1978 John De Main, Thomas Z. Shepard Gershwin: Porgy And Bess All Nominees
1977 Lorin Maazel, Michael Woolcock Gershwin: Porgy And Bess All Nominees
1976 Colin Davis, Erik Smith Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte All Nominees
1975 Georg Solti, Richard Mohr Puccini: La Boheme All Nominees
1974 Leonard Bernstein, Tom Mowrey Bizet: Carmen All Nominees
1973 Colin Davis, Erik Smith Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini All Nominees
1972 Erich Leinsdorf, Richard Mohr Verdi: Aida All Nominees
1971 Colin Davis, Erik Smith Berlioz: Les Troyens All Nominees
1970 Herbert von Karajan, Otto Gerdes Wagner: Siegfried All Nominees
1969 Erich Leinsdorf, Richard Mohr Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte All Nominees
1968 Pierre Boulez, Thomas Z. Shepard Berg: Wozzeck All Nominees
1967 Georg Solti Wagner: Die Walkure All Nominees
1966 Karl Bohm Berg: Wozzeck All Nominees
1965 Herbert von Karajan Bizet: Carmen All Nominees
1964 Erich Leinsdorf Puccini: Madama Butterfly All Nominees
1963 Georg Solti Verdi: Aida All Nominees
1962 Gabriele Santini Puccini: Madame Butterfly All Nominees
1961 Erich Leinsdorf Puccini: Turandot All Nominees

The Grammys are more than just Awards

Button Text

Grammy Advocacy

Defending creators’ rights while shaping a future of responsible innovation
Get Involved
Button Text