Famous opera masterpieces | Featuring many great opera singers

Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinWilhelm Wagner

Yutaka Sado & Siena Wind Orchestra / Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral

This piece, with its majestic and sacred atmosphere, unfolds at a leisurely tempo and is distinguished by its rich orchestration.

The harmony between brass and strings is beautiful, leaving listeners deeply moved.

Premiered in August 1850, the work depicts a scene from an opera, superbly conveying the protagonist’s purity and the solemnity of the ritual.

It is often used as background music for weddings and religious ceremonies and is beloved by many.

It is recommended not only for those interested in classical music but also for anyone seeking a beautiful melody that resonates with the heart.

Whoever has won a lovely wife (who has married a good wife)

L. v. Beethoven — Fidelio: „Wer ein holdes Weib errungen” (Finale)

This is the final piece sung in Fidelio, the only opera Beethoven completed.

It is a chorus that praises the brave and devoted spirit of Leonore, who infiltrated the prison disguised as the young jailer Fidelio to rescue her husband Florestan, who had been unjustly imprisoned due to the prison governor’s scheming.

Go, my thoughts, borne on golden wingsArturo Toscanini

Verdi “Nabucco” ‘Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate’ Toscanini

A chorus sung in Verdi’s Nabucco.

In Italy—Verdi’s homeland and the birthplace of opera—it is so beloved that it is said to be second to none.

Within a work that is weighty and dark in tone, this number, a beacon of hope, went on to gain a life of its own.

C. Saint-Saëns “Henry VIII” in 4 Acts, Imperial Theatre of Compiègne (France), 1991, Part 2/2Camille Saint-Saëns

C. Saint-Saëns “Henry VIII” in 4 Acts, Imperial Theatre of Compiègne (France), 1991, Part 2/2

Henry VIII is an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns, born in 1835, a French composer who was also a pianist and organist.

The work incorporates a great deal of church music—a specialty of Saint-Saëns, who served as a church organist—and its majestic choral and orchestral sonorities are moving and praised alongside its arias.

Weber: Opera “Der Freischütz” J.277 — Huntsmen’s ChorusCarl Maria von Weber

Weber: Opera “Der Freischütz,” J.277 – Huntsmen’s Chorus

This is the Hunters’ Chorus from the opera Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber, a German composer, conductor, and pianist born in 1786.

It is a male chorus performed in Act III, with a prominent horn ensemble.

The Hunters’ Chorus is often performed on its own in concerts.

Agitata Da Due VentiCecilia Bartoli

Cecilia Bartoli – Agitata Da Due Venti From “La Griselda” (Vivaldi)

From Vivaldi’s Griselda.

I’m left speechless by Bartoli, who delivers music brimming with passion—akin to modern rock—with both ferocity and precision.

She’s such a charismatic figure among today’s mezzo-sopranos that a video of a music student mimicking her distinctive singing style even became a hot topic for a time.

Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice OvertureChristoph Willibald Gluck

Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Overture

This is the Overture from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice by composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, who was born in what is now Germany in 1714 and was active in what are now Australia and France.

Orfeo ed Euridice was the first work created by the composer, who, together with librettist Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, embarked on reforms of opera seria.

It was a great success from its premiere.