When opera lovers start thinking about vital recordings, one in particular is almost always mentioned: EMI's 1953 "Tosca, " with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano and Tito Gobbi in the leading roles and Victor de Sabata conducting.

WSJ: Maria Callas | Puccini's Tosca | The Measure of a Diva | Masterpiece by David Mermelstein

Still, today's opera composers aren't the first to begin thinking outside the box.

NPR: Janacek's 'The Cunning Little Vixen'

Both the Met and City Opera are committing the supreme operatic sin: they are thinking small.

NEWYORKER: Diminuendo

And while the opera's ending is, of course, never in doubt, I still find myself thinking that maybe this time Cavaradossi and Tosca will escape the clutches of Scarpia's henchmen, so vital is the spirit that Ms. Callas and Mr. di Stefano bring to their roles.

WSJ: Maria Callas | Puccini's Tosca | The Measure of a Diva | Masterpiece by David Mermelstein