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.
Playlist
| Famous pieces recommended for opera beginners. Recommended opera songs. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1east | “Lascia ch’io pianga” from the opera RinaldoGeorg Friedrich Händel |  play_arrow | An aria sung in the opera Rinaldo… |
| 2east | ‘Un bel dì, vedremo’ (One Fine Day) from the opera Madama ButterflyGiacomo Puccini |  play_arrow | I’ll introduce a famous aria from “Madama Butterfly”... |
| 3east | Overture to the opera Guillaume Tell (William Tell)Gioachino Rossini |  play_arrow | Gioachino Rossini was an Italian co... |
| 4east | Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince IgorAlexander Borodin |  play_arrow | Among the works in the opera Prince Igor, one of the most popular… |
| 5east | “Toreador Song” from the opera CarmenGeorges Bizet |  play_arrow | Impressive with its powerful march rhythm and passionate melody… |
| 6east | Intermezzo from the opera Cavalleria RusticanaPietro Mascagni |  play_arrow | Mascagni, the Italian opera composer, and his “Cav…” |
| 7east | Nessun dorma from the opera TurandotGiacomo Puccini |  play_arrow | This aria, one of the most famous in opera, is abo… |
| 8east | Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from Act 2 of the opera LohengrinRichard Wagner |  play_arrow | It begins with a solemn melody and gradually builds in exhilaration... |
| 9east | Prelude to Act I from the opera CarmenGeorges Bizet |  play_arrow | The orchestra, which plays an important role as the prologue to the opera… |
| 10east | “Cancan” from “Heaven and Hell”Jacques Offenbach |  play_arrow | It's a song from a very famous operetta, isn't it? At sports day... |
| 11east | “Maria and Draco” from the game Final Fantasy VIUematsu Nobuo |  play_arrow | I can’t quite imagine an opera in a video game… |
| 12east | Méditation from the opera ThaïsJules Massenet |  play_arrow | Known as a masterpiece for solo violin, “Ta…” |
| 13east | “Queen of the Night Aria” from the opera The Magic FluteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart |  play_arrow | One of the famous pieces in the opera The Magic Flute is in D minor… |
| 14east | Overture to Ruslan and LyudmilaMikhail Glinka |  play_arrow | It’s a very splendid opera masterpiece. Mikhail… |
| 15east | “Ride of the Valkyries,” Act 3 from the opera The ValkyrieRichard Wagner |  play_arrow | Often referred to as “Ride of the Valkyries,” Rich… |
| 16east | Selection from the operetta “The Merry Widow”Franz Lehar |  play_arrow | Selected highlights from Franz Lehár’s masterpieces… |
| 17east | Triumphal March from the opera AidaGiuseppe Verdi |  play_arrow | This piece, which begins with a grand fanfare, is e... |
| 18east | Overture from the opera “La forza del destino”Giuseppe Verdi |  play_arrow | The overture to La forza del destino stands as a representative masterpiece in the world of opera... |
| 19east | Overture from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |  play_arrow | A famous piece that graces the opening of an opera, lively and brilliant… |
| 20east | “Brindisi” (Drinking Song) from the opera La TraviataGiuseppe Verdi |  play_arrow | Set to the rhythm of a dazzling waltz, the ephemerality of life... |
| 21east | HabaneraGeorges Bizet |  play_arrow | The French opera developed by Gounod and others is... |
| 22east | Pure goddessVincenzo Bellini |  play_arrow | The three—Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini… |
| 23east | Faust WaltzCharles Francois Gounod |  play_arrow | Gounod was a late Romantic French composer and… |
| 24east | Waltz from Eugene OneginPyotr Tchaikovsky |  play_arrow | Tchaikovsky is also a Russian composer. Ba... |
| 25east | A Poem Addressed to the MoonAntonín Dvořák |  play_arrow | Dvořák was a Czech composer and a National... |
| 26east | Overture to Der FreischützCarl Maria von Weber |  play_arrow | Weber’s opera Der Freischütz, which he composed, is me... |
| 27east | Tears unseen by anyoneGaetano Donizetti |  play_arrow | Donizetti is an Italian opera composer... |
| 28east | I wonder what love is like.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |  play_arrow | You could say that the most famous opera composer of the Classical period is… |
| 29east | Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinWilhelm Wagner |  play_arrow | Solemn music, beautiful melodies, and moving emotion |
| 30east | Lulu’s SongAlban Berg |  play_arrow | In the early 20th century, a new form of music emerged that did not rely on functional tonality… |
| 31east | Toccata from OrfeoClaudio Monteverdi |  play_arrow | The Italians, who drove the development of opera in the Baroque era, … |
| 32east | Pantomime of DreamsEngelbert Humperdinck |  play_arrow | In Germany, since Wagner, there haven’t really been many hits… |
| 33east | Daylight saving timeGeorge Gershwin |  play_arrow | The American composer George Gershwin… |
| 34east | The Carnival of RomeHector Berlioz |  play_arrow | Berlioz was a French composer of the Romantic era... |
| 35east | Ronde from “Elegant Indian Nations”Jean-Philippe Rameau |  play_arrow | A leading composer of the French Baroque, who... |
| 36east | The Flight of the BumblebeeNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov |  play_arrow | Rimsky-Korsakov is also part of the Russian nationalist school of music… |
| 37east | Put on your costume.Ruggero Leoncavallo |  play_arrow | Leoncavallo is an opera from Naples, Italy... |
| 38east | my late motherUmberto Giordano |  play_arrow | There are many famous people named Giordano... |
| 39east | Overture “In Spain”Maurice Ravel |  play_arrow | Maurice Ravel, a composer of French Impressionist music… |
| 40east | “Trio” from Der RosenkavalierRichard Strauss |  play_arrow | Among classical composers are Strauss and... |
| 41east | “The Fifth Door” from Bluebeard’s CastleBartók Béla |  play_arrow | One of the masterpieces of modern and contemporary opera is Bartók’s ... |
| 42east | Overture to Die FledermausJohann Strauss |  play_arrow | Johann Strauss, known as the “Father of the Waltz,” ... |