Famous opera masterpieces | Featuring many great opera singers

The current singing voiceRita Streich

Rossini “The Barber of Seville” ‘Una voce poco fa’ Rita Streich

From Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Rosina’s aria from Act 1.

You can hear the advanced technique called agilità, frequently used in Rossini’s music, in which a single word is sung through a rapid succession of notes.

Incidentally, this aria exists in two versions—mezzo-soprano and soprano—with different keys for each.

Largo al factotumThomas Hampson

Thomas Hampson – Largo al factotum – Il barbiere di Siviglia

From Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Figaro’s aria in Act 1.

It’s an extremely challenging piece that demands a very high range for a baritone.

In addition, the rapid-fire patter—emblematic of the witty narrator—never lets up, and if performed flawlessly, it brings the house down with thunderous applause.

My fatherAna Maria Marutinesu: uta

Puccini: Opera “Gianni Schicchi”: O mio babbino caro [Naxos Classical Curations #Romantic]

This is one of the arias from the opera Gianni Schicchi.

Lauretta, the daughter, is in love with the young Rinuccio and wants to marry him, but she faces opposition from Zita, a relative of Rinuccio’s, because Lauretta’s family is not wealthy.

There is also an inheritance dispute on Zita’s side of the family, so the marriage is not permitted.

In this aria, Lauretta pleads with her father—Gianni Schicchi, an educated man—to find a good solution.

Though desperate in content, the piece also possesses a wistful elegance.

I wonder what love is like.Inguritto Keruteshi: Uta

Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, opera: Voi che sapete (Act II) [Naxos Classical Curations #Fantasy]

In the opera The Marriage of Figaro, this is the song sung by the young Cherubino, who harbors feelings for Countess Rosina, performed in front of her.

Incidentally, although Cherubino is male, the role is played by a female opera singer to convey youthful vitality.

In the latter half, the melody rises, expressing how his initial shyness transforms into passion.

Opera La serva padrona (by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi)I Barokkisuti Okesutora

(HD) Pergolesi: La Serva Padrona, intermezzo in two parts | Diego Fasolis & Barocchisti

The story of this opera is that while the wealthy master Uberto is agonizing over whether he’s in love with his maid, Serpina—who wants to marry into wealth—plays a game of romance and ends up marrying him.

It is a charming comic opera that composer Pergolesi enlivened with elegant and delicate orchestration.

Premiered to great acclaim at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples in August 1733, it went on to become a work that spurred major developments in the history of opera.

Opera ‘Martha’ (Friedrich von Flotow)Shutātsukapere Berurin Kokuritsu Kagijō Ōkesutora

Friedrich von Flotow – Martha (1847)

It is a romantic and delightful opera that amusingly portrays the love commotions of a lady-in-waiting.

Songs such as the Irish folk tune “The Last Rose of Summer” are beautifully performed within the drama, making it a quintessential popular opera whose pairing of story and music is wonderfully captivating.

Its premiere took place in November 1847 at the Kärntnertor Court Theatre in Vienna.

Hunters’ Chorus: The Joy of the HunterSurovakia Firuhāmonī Gasshōdan

Weber: Opera “Der Freischütz” – Hunters’ Chorus: The Joy of the Hunter [Naxos Classical Curations #Energetic]

This is a piece from the opera Der Freischütz, which depicts events surrounding a shooting contest held for the chance to marry one’s beloved.

It’s a lively, upbeat song in which the other gathered hunters sing about the joys of the hunt at the banquet area set up in the forest where the contest takes place.