Puccini: Madama Butterfly

Puccini: Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly was first performed in 1904. It is one of the most performed operas today. The story is set in 1904 in Nagasaki, Japan. The opera uses Japanese pupperty for the child of Madama Butterfly. Madama Butterfly, played by Patricia Racette, has great singing throughout opera. This opera was performed in 2009 at the Met in New York City, and has very nice set designs and costumes.

Lully: Armide

Lully: Armide

Armide was first performed in 1686. It is one of Lully's best operas. Will Armide choose hatred or give in to her feelings of love for Renaud? Armide, played by Stéphanie D'oustrac stands out. Armide also has great set designs and costumes, along with the Baroque music of Lully. This opera was performed in 2008 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France.

Arias

I listed some arias I like.

Carmen: Habanera - by Bizet
Carmen: Toreador Song - by Bizet
Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro - by Puccini
L'elisir d'amore: Una furtiva lagrima - by Donizetti
La bohème: Che gelida manina - by Puccini

Arias

I listed some arias I like.

La traviata: Sempre libera - by Verdi
Rigoletto: La donna è mobile - by Verdi
Searse: Ombra mai fu - by Handel
The Barber of Seville: Largo al factotum - by Rossini
Turandot: Nessun dorma - by Puccini

Handel: Partenope

Handel: Partenope

Partenope was first performed in 1730. The queen Partenope has three men who want to win her over. Who will take her hand in the end? Partenope has a great orchestra. Arsace, played by Andreas Scholl, and Partenope, played by Inger Dam-Jensen stands out. The entire cast is perfect in this very fun to watch opera. This opera was performed at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008.

Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore

Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore

L'elisir d'amore was first performed in 1832. This opera by Donizetti is very popular today. L'elisir d'amore is very funny at times, especially the scenes with the Doctor trying to sell his fake love potion to Nemorino. Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko both have great singing and the orchestra plays very well throughout. L'elisir d'amore has the popular aria "Una furtiva lagrima", sung by Rolando Villazón and is encored. This opera was performed in 2005 at the Vienna State Opera in Vienna, Austria.

Lully: Persée

Lully: Persée

One of the best French Baroque operas by Lully, Persée was first performed in 1682. Lully has many operas from this era. Persée has great settings, costumes and music. A few dance scenes are also here. The cast is wonderful, along with the orchestra. This opera was performed in 2004 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada.

Handel: Alcina

Handel: Alcina

The Baroque opera Alcina was first performed in 1735. Handel has many operas that I like. This opera has good baroque music by Handel and good performances by everyone, especially Catherine Naglestad, who plays the sorceress Alcina. I also liked the set design and interesting plot. This opera was performed in 1999 at the Stuttgart Municipal Opera House in Stuttgart, Germany.

No operas by Bach

Bach composed a lot of music during the Baroque period, including oratorios, concertos, and masses, but no operas.

Baroque period operas

I listed some Baroque period operas I like.

Acis and Galatea - by Handel
Acis et Galatée - by Lully
Admeto - by Handel
Ariodante - by Handel
Berenice - by Handel
Serse - by Handel
Tolomeo - by Handel

Classical period operas

I listed some Classical period operas I like.

Alceste - by Gluck
Armide - by Gluck

The Italian Mozart

Rossini's nickname was "The Italian Mozart", because of his song-like melodies.

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

Ermione - by Rossini
Il viaggio a Reims - by Rossini
Iris - by Mascagni
Maria Stuarda - by Donizetti

Debussy's only completed opera

Pelléas et Mélisande is the only opera Debussy completed. Pelléas et Mélisande was first performed in 1902.

Offenbach operas

I listed some operas I like by Offenbach.

La belle Hélène
La vie parisienne
Orpheus in the Underworld

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

L'amico Fritz - by Mascagni
La vie parisienne - by Offenbach
Le comte Ory - by Rossini
Maria di Rohan - by Donizetti
Roberto Devereux - by Donizetti

Wagner librettos

Wagner wrote the libretto for all of his operas.

Prelude

A prelude is usually a short piece of orchestral music played that leads into an act without a break. An overture is a longer piece of music.

Interlude

An interlude is a short piece of instrumental music played between scenes or acts.

Encore

Encore means again. A popular performance may be repeated if the audience calls for an encore.

Dress rehearsal

A dress rehearsal is a full uninterrupted rehearsal in costumes shortly before the first performance.

Duet

A duet is a musical passage performed by two singers.

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

La belle Hélène - by Offenbach
Orpheus in the Underworld - by Offenbach
Thaïs - by Massenet
The Tale of Tsar Saltan - by Rimsky Korsakov
Werther - by Massenet

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

Cavalleria rusticana - by Mascagni
Falstaff - by Verdi
Götterdämmerung - by Wagner
Otello - by Verdi
Siegfried - by Wagner

Most performed operas

The most performed operas today are from the Romantic period.

Wagner's Ring Cycle

Wagner's four epic operas make up the Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). The four operas are Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung.

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

Hansel und Gretel - by Humperdinck
La fille du régiment - by Donizetti
Lakmé - by Delibes
Prince Igor - by Borodin
Rigoletto - by Verdi

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

Boris Godunov - by Mussorgsky
Esclarmonde - by Massenet
La Gioconda - by Ponchielli
The Gypsy Baron - by Strauss II
The Queen of Spades - by Tchaikovsky

Romantic period operas

I listed some Romantic period operas I like.

Belisario - by Donizetti
Die Walküre - by Wagner
Hamlet - by Thomas
Rusalka - by Dvořák
The Bartered Bride - by Smetana