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.
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	“Lascia ch’io pianga” from the opera RinaldoGeorg Friedrich Händel		Handel’s opera piece: sorrow and a thirst for freedom
2	Overture to the opera Guillaume Tell (William Tell)Gioachino Rossini		The Appeal of Rossini's Masterful Opera Overtures
3	‘Un bel dì, vedremo’ (One Fine Day) from the opera Madama ButterflyGiacomo Puccini		Introduction to the famous aria from Madama Butterfly
4	Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from Act 2 of the opera LohengrinRichard Wagner		Characteristics of Elsa’s Bridal Chorus
5	“Toreador Song” from the opera CarmenGeorges Bizet		A passionate masterpiece that captures the atmosphere of Spanish bullfighting
6	Nessun dorma from the opera TurandotGiacomo Puccini		Introduction to the famous aria from Turandot
7	Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince IgorAlexander Borodin		A popular piece by Prince Igor. An exotic and glamorous masterpiece.
8	Intermezzo from the opera Cavalleria RusticanaPietro Mascagni		Mascagni’s opera is a beautiful piece of realist music.
9	“Cancan” from “Heaven and Hell”Jacques Offenbach		A famous operetta composed by Offenbach
10	“Maria and Draco” from the game Final Fantasy VIUematsu Nobuo		Maria and Draco from FF6
11	“Queen of the Night Aria” from the opera The Magic FluteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		The Queen of the Night’s aria from The Magic Flute. It requires advanced technique.
12	Prelude to Act I from the opera CarmenGeorges Bizet		A famous overture of a passionate Spanish opera
13	Méditation from the opera ThaïsJules Massenet		Thaïs’s Meditation is the intermezzo from Massenet’s opera.
14	Overture to Ruslan and LyudmilaMikhail Glinka		Glinka’s Russian National Opera Overture
15	“Ride of the Valkyries,” Act 3 from the opera The ValkyrieRichard Wagner		An explanation of Wagner’s famous Ride of the Valkyries
16	Selection from the operetta “The Merry Widow”Franz Lehar		Arranging Lehár's famous pieces for wind band
17	Triumphal March from the opera AidaGiuseppe Verdi		A festive song celebrating the Egyptian army’s victory
18	Overture from the opera “La forza del destino”Giuseppe Verdi		The Overture to The Force of Destiny is a masterpiece loved by many people.
19	Overture from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		A bright and splendid masterpiece from an opera overture
20	“Brindisi” (Drinking Song) from the opera La TraviataGiuseppe Verdi		Expressing the transience of life and the joy of love through a waltz
21	HabaneraGeorges Bizet		French opera sees a new development with Carmen
22	A Poem Addressed to the MoonAntonín Dvořák		Dvořák’s Czech folk songs
23	Overture to Der FreischützCarl Maria von Weber		Der Freischütz is a masterpiece opera based on a folk tale.
24	Faust WaltzCharles Francois Gounod		Gounod is the father of the French modern art song.
25	Tears unseen by anyoneGaetano Donizetti		Italian opera composer Donizetti
26	Waltz from Eugene OneginPyotr Tchaikovsky		Tchaikovsky’s Masterpieces and Life
27	Pure goddessVincenzo Bellini		An elegant and beautiful piece from bel canto opera.
28	I wonder what love is like.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart's operas
29	Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinWilhelm Wagner		Solemn music, beautiful melodies, and moving emotion
30	Lulu’s SongAlban Berg		The unfinished opera composed by Berg of the Second Viennese School
31	Toccata from OrfeoClaudio Monteverdi		Monteverdi's opera overture
32	Pantomime of DreamsEngelbert Humperdinck		Hansel and Gretel succeed
33	Daylight saving timeGeorge Gershwin		A famous opera piece composed by Gershwin
34	The Carnival of RomeHector Berlioz		A master of orchestration among Romantic-era French composers
35	Ronde from “Elegant Indian Nations”Jean-Philippe Rameau		Rameau is a composer who represents the French Baroque.
36	The Flight of the BumblebeeNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov		Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tale of Tsar Saltan
37	Put on your costume.Ruggero Leoncavallo		Italian composer Leoncavallo
38	my late motherUmberto Giordano		Umberto Giordano’s greatest operatic masterpiece
39	Overture “In Spain”Maurice Ravel		Introduce Ravel’s operatic work L’heure espagnole
40	“Trio” from Der RosenkavalierRichard Strauss		Operas by Richard Strauss
41	“The Fifth Door” from Bluebeard’s CastleBartók Béla		Bartók’s only operatic masterpiece
42	Overture to Die FledermausJohann Strauss		The Strauss family developed waltz music.