Letters.(Letter to the Editor)

In the October issue, we published "Dream Plays," in which we polled our regular record critics about what their ideal opera CD would be. When we asked readers to come up with their own "dream recordings," the response--received via e-mail and regular mail--was overwhelming. A cross section of your answers appears below and includes recordings of bel canto repertory, a Handel masterpiece, French grand opera, Russian rarities, contemporary American works, English ballad operas, out-of-the-way Richard Strauss and an overlooked verismo opera by Mascagni.

* Les Huguenots. Ruth Ann Swenson (Marguerite de Valois), Angela Gheorghiu (Valentine de St. Bris), Cecilia Bartoli (Urbain), Roberto Alagna (Raoul de Nangis), Michele Pertusi (Marcel), Samuel Ramey (Comte de St. Bris), Thomas Hampson (Comte de Nevers), Marc Minkowski (conductor). Jerry Margala San Francisco, CA

* My dream recording would be a Mignon with Cecilia Bartoli in the title role. If ever there was a match made in heaven of artist and role, it is this. Technique, voice, personality and especially temperament make her ideally suited to play Thomas-cum-Goethe's peculiar gamin-like creation. Based on his work in Offenbach and Meyerbeer, Marc Minkowski would be the ideal conductor, with Natalie Dessay as Philine, Roberto Alagna, Ramon Vargas or Juan Diego Florez as Wilhelm and Samuel Ramey as Lothario. Brian Bailey

* Purists may hate me, but I'd like to see a selection of arias and duets from nineteenth-century French operas by Halevy, Meyerbeer, Chabrier and Thomas, along with lesser-known works by Gounod and Massenet. For artists, I'd choose Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Samuel Ramey, Susanne Mentzer, Maureen O'Flynn and of course Renee Fleming. Give it a schmaltzy title like French Love Arias, and watch it sell! As a result, we devotees might even be rewarded with some complete recordings; if not, at least we'll get a chance to enjoy these gems. Jackie Hyman Brea, CA

* I'd like to hear L'Enfant et les Sortileges, starring Susan Graham and Ruth Ann Swenson, with either the MET Orchestra under James Levine or the Cleveland Orchestra under Pierre Boulez. Tom James New York City

* The huge success of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera in 1728 inspired dozens of other ballad operas, all hugely successful in their day. However, not even excerpts have been recorded. I would like to hear Thomas Arne's Thomas and Sally, his Love in a Village, Samuel Arnold's The Maid of the Mill or Thomas Linley's The Duenna (libretto by Richard Brinsley Sheridan). All exist in modern scores and might be of interest to singers who enjoy something different, such as Dawn Upshaw, Cecilia Bartoli, Lauren Flanigan or Thomas Hampson. Robert A. Atkins Port Washington, NY

* A Gergiev-led Kirov production of Tchaikovsky's mighty Charodeyka (The Enchantress), starring Renee Fleming as Kuma and Sergej Larin as the Young Prince, with Larissa Diadkova and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his parents. Dreaming on, it would also be great if Melodiya re-released its fine 1977 recording of this opera on CD. Barry Frauman Chicago, IL