A discussion at The Corner deals with movie remakes, both good and bad. What about operas that turned out much better the second time around?

Iphigenia en Tauride: Niccolo Jommelli (1771) vs. Christoph Gluck (1779)

The Flying Dutchman: Pierre-Louis Dietsch (1842) vs. Richard Wagner (1843)

Manon Lescaut: Daniel Auber (1856) vs. Giacomo Puccini (1893)

Ariadne auf Naxos: Georg Benda (1775) vs. Richard Strauss (1912)

Faust: Louis Spohr (1816) vs. Charles Gounod (1859)

The Barber of Seville: Giovanni Paisiello (1782) vs. Giacchino Rossini (1816)

Alceste: Georg Frederic Handel (1750) vs. Christoph Gluck (1767)

Falstaff: Antonio Salieri (1799) vs. Giuseppe Verdi (1893)

Romeo and Juliet: Vincenzo Bellini (1830, as I Capuleti ed i Montecchi) vs. Charles Gounod (1867)

Fidelio: Pierre Gaveaux (1798, as Leonore) vs. Ludwig van Beethoven (1805)