- Enrico Caruso and Maria Jeritza of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, 1913.
- Beniamino Gigli of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, late 1910s and early 1920s.
- Mario Del Monaco of the Arena di Verona, 1948.
- Franco Corelli of the Chicago Lyric Opera, 1952.
- Giuseppe di Stefano of the Rome Opera House, 1955.
- Carlo Bergonzi of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, 1957.
- Plácido Domingo of the Vienna State Opera, 1966.
- José Carreras of the Royal Opera House, London, 1985.
- Roberto Alagna of the Paris Opera, 1994.
These performances are considered some of the greatest because of the vocal quality, dramatic interpretation, and overall musicality of the singers involved.