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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Masterpieces recommended for opera beginners. Recommended opera pieces (31–40)
The Flight of the BumblebeeNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov is also one of the composers of the Russian national school.
Not only did he leave behind excellent works as a composer, but he also nurtured composers such as Prokofiev and Stravinsky.
This famous piece is one of the numbers from The Tale of Tsar Saltan.
Put on your costume.Ruggero Leoncavallo
Leoncavallo was an opera composer from Naples, Italy.
After studying at a music school in Naples, he became a composer.
The opera Pagliacci, which includes this piece, is his representative work.
He also left many works as a librettist, but the only opera that became a hit was Pagliacci.
my late motherUmberto Giordano
There are many famous people named Giordano, but the opera composer is Umberto Giordano.
Umberto Giordano was also a writer of verismo (realist) opera.
His greatest success is Andrea Chénier, which depicts the life of the poet of the same name.
Overture “In Spain”Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel, a composer of French Impressionist music, is a renowned figure alongside Satie and Debussy.
Ravel’s opera L’heure espagnole (The Spanish Hour) is a one-act work lasting less than an hour, characterized by strong comedic elements.
“Trio” from Der RosenkavalierRichard Strauss
There are several famous classical composers named Strauss, but the opera Der Rosenkavalier is the work of Richard Strauss, a composer active during the late German Romantic period.
This opera, Der Rosenkavalier, is known as one of the masterpieces of fairy-tale opera.
Masterpieces recommended for opera beginners. Recommended opera pieces (41–50)
“The Fifth Door” from Bluebeard’s CastleBartók Béla
One of the masterpieces of modern opera is Bluebeard’s Castle, composed by Bartók.
Although Bartók was also an ethnomusicologist and left behind a great deal of exceptional music, he wrote only this one opera.
Despite having composed just a single opera, it has been hailed as a great masterpiece.
Overture to Die FledermausJohann Strauss
The Strauss family, a musical dynasty culminating in Johann Strauss known as the “Father of the Waltz,” produced many musicians.
The son of Johann, also named Johann, was called the “Waltz King.” When people say “Johann Strauss,” they are referring to the son.
In conclusion
How was it? It’s interesting, isn’t it, to realize that a melody you already knew actually comes from this particular part of an opera when you listen to it again.
Hearing just the music, you can tell it’s like a soundtrack for a game or a film, and it makes sense—back in the days before games, movies, or television, people created stages and enjoyed grand stories through live performances, and those works still remain as masterpieces today.
Listening to the passages before and after a famous piece helps you understand the background and can change how deeply the music moves you.
Since most operas are in languages like German or Italian, it can be hard for Japanese listeners to absorb them naturally.
But if you follow the translated lyrics while listening, you can immerse yourself more deeply in that world, so I recommend doing so.
The pieces I’ve introduced are only a handful among the many operas out there.
I hope you’ll find a favorite opera and continue to enjoy the world of classical music as a total art form.
Thank you for watching.