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Best Opera Recording

1988 • 30th Annual GRAMMY Awards

Honoring recordings released between Aug 31, 1986 and Aug 30, 1987

1988 Winner is James Levine, conductor, Anna Kathleen Battle, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, Gary Lakes, Hermann Prey with "R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos"

R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos

Agnes Baltsa, Kathleen Battle, Gary Lakes, Hermann Prey, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, James Levine, Cord Garben

Nominees 1988

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

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