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Léo Delibes was the first notable composer of ballet to emerge after the death of Rameau, the art of ballet composition having suffered a period of neglect in the interim. Delibes was the first to craft a full-length ballet score with the care and distinction already common among the best opera composers; not only could he produce buoyant, memorable tunes, but he delivered them in sparkling orchestrations. He also wrote several operas, of which Lakmé -- which generated one popular aria (the "Bell Song") and a now-ubiquitous duet -- is the best known. 

Joan Sutherland (Lakmé), Alain Vanzo (Gerald), Gabriel Bacquier (Nilakantha), Emile Belcourt (Hadji), Jane Berbié (Mallika)

Monte Carlo Opera olv. Richard Bonynge. DECCA 1969