Famous opera masterpieces | Featuring many great opera singers

Opera Orfeo (by Monteverdi)Jorudi Sabāru & Ra Kapera Reiaru De Katarūnya

Orfeo – Monteverdi

Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo is striking for the contrast between its brilliant trumpet prelude and the immediate shift to a quiet, graceful musical character.

In that era, performances typically featured a small ensemble of orchestra and opera singers, but starting with Orfeo the move toward large orchestral forces began, marking the starting point of modern opera.

Its premiere took place in February 1607 at the court in Mantua, Italy.

Overture to ‘Heaven and Hell’Surovakia Kokuritsu Kositsue Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan

Offenbach: Operetta 'Orpheus in the Underworld': Overture [Naxos Classical Curations #Energetic]

This piece was created for the Vienna production of the opera “Orpheus in the Underworld” (also known as “Heaven and Hell”) by combining pre-existing numbers.

In the opera, the gods dance and sing at a party in the underworld, but in concerts it is often performed without vocals, by orchestra alone.

(The video also has no singing.) The piece is in three parts, letting you enjoy both lightness and elegance; the final section features a brisk, exhilarating tempo and is famous as background music for school sports days.

(Note: The third section is often performed independently for events like sports days and is known as the “Infernal Gallop,” the “Can-Can,” or—taken from the opera’s title—“Orpheus in the Underworld.”

Samson and Delilah (by Saint-Saëns)Pari Operaza Kangengakudan

Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila

Saint-Saëns composed 13 operas over his lifetime, but Samson and Delilah is his representative work.

Based on the Old Testament story of the mighty Samson, it is an exceptional piece that showcases, throughout, the delicate and beautiful melodies and the refined spirit that are hallmarks of Saint-Saëns.

Ravel: España (Maurice Ravel)Pari Kokuritsu Kagekijō Kangengakudan

L’heure espagnole – Sophie Koch – Paris 2004

Ravel’s characteristics as an Impressionist are prominently displayed, with orchestration expressed through delicate, meticulously detailed colors.

It is an opera in which the contrast between light and shade in the performed sounds is extremely fascinating.

The premiere took place in May 1911 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.

Chorus of TriumphHeruberuto Fon Karayan: shiki, Uīn Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan

Triumphal Chorus from the opera Aida

This is a chorus sung in the opera Aida, which portrays the tragic love between an Egyptian warrior and the princess of Ethiopia, a rival nation.

The lyrics celebrate the Egyptian army’s victory, with great crowds rejoicing and praising the land of Egypt, its goddess, and its king.

Sung by many voices in unison, the piece has a majestic quality that conveys the grandeur and splendor of the stage.

To live for song, to live for love (To live for song, to live for love)Maria Karasu: Uta

Puccini: Tosca – Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore [1953 Recording] [Naxos Classical Curation #Heart-rending]

It’s one of the pieces from the opera Tosca.

Set in a time when supporters of Napoleon’s army clashed with Rome’s police who suppressed them, the painter Cavaradossi—who rejoiced at Napoleon’s victory—ends up condemned to execution.

His lover, the singer Tosca, pours out her grief to God.

It’s a profoundly moving song.

Opera The Magic Flute (by Mozart)Mirano Sukara-za Kangen Gakudan

Mozart “The Magic Flute,” La Scala, Milan, 1995

The magnificent and grand Magic Flute is the most popular of Mozart’s fantastical operas.

He completed this large-scale work in about half a year, and just three months later he died young, making it his final opera.

It premiered on September 30, 1791, at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, where it was met with a storm of enthusiastic applause.

Quel guardo il cavaliereAnna Netrebko

Anna Netrebko – Norina aria ( Quel guardo il cavaliere )( Don Pasquale – Gaetano Donizetti )

From Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, this is Norina’s aria from Act 1.

The music beautifully captures the coquettish air that pervades the entire work and Norina’s tomboyish, headstrong character.

It’s performed by Anna Netrebko, a leading prima donna of our time.

Faust (by Gounod)Uīn Kōkyō Gakudan

Gounod Faust Ruggero Raimondi Francisco Araiza Gabriela Benackova 1985

Gounod’s Faust is a superb masterpiece distinguished by the refined elegance of its melodies—quintessentially French opera.

In particular, arias such as “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” (The Pure and Holy Dwelling), “Le veau d’or” (The Golden Calf Song), and the “Jewel Song” are magnificent highlights packed with listening delights.

Marquis, someone like youRita Shutoraihi: Uta

Marlis Petersen Operetta Die Fledermaus "My lord marquis, a gentleman like you"

This is one of the songs from the opera Die Fledermaus.

Die Fledermaus is an opera that depicts the events of a New Year’s Eve party, and it is performed on New Year’s Eve at opera houses in Vienna and other regions where German is the official language.

In this piece, the housemaid Adele sneaks into the party under the name of the actress Olga; when she is discovered by her master, Marquis Renard, she insists he has mistaken her for someone else and bursts into laughter—making for a humorous number.