Famous pieces recommended for opera beginners. Recommended opera songs.
Opera, also known as music drama or grand opera, is a genre considered the most comprehensive of the performing arts within classical music.
Among its famous pieces are Nessun dorma from Turandot and the Toreador Song from Carmen—melodies many people recognize even if they don’t know the operas themselves.
Opera has produced countless masterpieces, and here we’ll highlight introductory works that, by knowing the music, can serve as a gateway to understanding opera.
People often assume opera is difficult, but in fact its music is heard in everyday life and feels familiar.
As you learn about the stories and composers, you’ll find many themes that are engaging and relevant even today.
I’ve put together this list in the hope that more people will get to know it better.
I hope you’ll enjoy these works alongside great performances from around the world.
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Recommended masterpieces for opera beginners. Recommended opera pieces (21–30)
HabaneraGeorges Bizet
The French opera developed by Gounod and others opened up a new frontier with Bizet’s Carmen.
The Habanera is one of the numbers in Carmen.
A form of French opera that includes spoken dialogue in addition to singing is called “opéra comique,” and Carmen is one of them.
A Poem Addressed to the MoonAntonín Dvořák
Dvořák was a Czech composer and is counted among the national romantics.
He left many works based on folktales and folk songs, and in opera his fairy-tale-themed Rusalka is famous; Song to the Moon is one of its numbers.
Overture to Der FreischützCarl Maria von Weber
Weber’s opera Der Freischütz is counted among the masterpieces of fairy-tale opera.
Many fairy-tale operas are based on folk tales.
This work is based on a folktale in which six of seven bullets strike exactly where the marksman intends, while the remaining one hits wherever the devil desires.
Faust WaltzCharles Francois Gounod
Gounod was a French late Romantic composer.
He became instantly famous for his composition based on Goethe’s play Faust, and the Waltz is one of its numbers.
By achieving success in lyric opera, he helped define the direction of French opera and is even called the father of modern French art song.
Tears unseen by anyoneGaetano Donizetti
Donizetti is an Italian opera composer.
The fact that there are many masterpieces of Romantic-era opera in Italy is closely related to Italy being a “land of song.” He wrote around 70 operas, and this piece is one of the songs from L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love).
Waltz from Eugene OneginPyotr Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky is also a Russian composer.
He is famous for ballets such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, as well as for Symphony No.
6, but he also wrote many operas.
Eugene Onegin is the most frequently performed of the operas composed by Tchaikovsky.
Pure goddessVincenzo Bellini
The Italian operas created by Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini are called “bel canto operas” and had a profound influence on Italian vocal music.
This elegant and beautiful piece is one of the songs from Bellini’s representative opera, Norma.
I wonder what love is like.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
When it comes to the most famous opera composer of the Classical period, it has to be Mozart.
He left masterpieces in a variety of forms, from symphonies to piano works, but the core of his art was opera.
This piece is one of the famous numbers from The Marriage of Figaro.
Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinWilhelm Wagner
This piece, with its majestic and sacred atmosphere, unfolds at a leisurely tempo and is distinguished by its rich orchestration.
The harmony between brass and strings is beautiful, leaving listeners deeply moved.
Premiered in August 1850, the work depicts a scene from an opera, superbly conveying the protagonist’s purity and the solemnity of the ritual.
It is often used as background music for weddings and religious ceremonies and is beloved by many.
It is recommended not only for those interested in classical music but also for anyone seeking a beautiful melody that resonates with the heart.
Lulu’s SongAlban Berg
In the early 20th century, a group of composers known as the Second Viennese School employed new compositional techniques that did not rely on functional tonality.
Berg was one of the members of this Second Viennese School.
Lulu was his representative work, but after his death it was performed in an unfinished form.
Later, a complete three-act version was produced.