It was the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, however, that brought Price true international stardom. Aida was her first professional Verdi role (she had sung Mistress Ford in a student production of Falstaff). Herbert von Karajan invited her to sing at the Vienna Staatsoper in 1958, and she was an instant success. That same year RCA signed her to an exclusive recording contract, and she went on to produce many fine recordings of operas by Puccini, Mozart, and of course Verdi...