Famous opera masterpieces | Featuring many great opera singers

Opera is fairly familiar in Japan, even being included in school textbooks.

Still, many people may recognize the melodies without knowing much about the famous opera pieces themselves.

For those readers, we’ve selected a number of renowned opera masterpieces.

In addition to introducing the works, we explain them from various angles—the background of their creation, the appeal of the opera singers performing them, and more—so both regular opera listeners and those less familiar with opera can enjoy the content.

Please take your time and enjoy it to the very end.

Playlist

Famous opera masterpieces \| Featuring many great opera singers
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Queen of the Night ariaDiana Damrau		Famous soprano piece from Mozart’s The Magic Flute
2	Nessun DormaGianfranco Cecchele		Introducing famous arias from Puccini’s operas
3	CarusoLuciano Pavarotti		Introduction to the famous piece dedicated to Caruso
4	O sole mioMario Del Monaco		A tenor singer performs the famous Italian song “’O Sole Mio.”
5	La donna è mobileThe Three Tenors		Verdi’s masterpiece performed by the Three Tenors
6	MattinataLuciano Pavarotti		Pavarotti sings a masterpiece by Leoncavallo
7	Core ‘ngratoFranco Corelli		A masterpiece composed for Caruso
8	Che gelida maninaRamón Vargas		Puccini’s masterpiece, Ramón Vargas
9	Torna a SurrientoFranco Corelli		A tenor sings famous Italian songs
10	L’amour est un oiseau rebelleElina Garanca		Garanča performs a famous piece from Bizet's opera Carmen
11	Frühlingsstimmen Op. 410Isyana Sarasvati		Sing Strauss's 'Voices of Spring'
12	O mio babbino caroMontserrat Caballé		Famous arias from Puccini’s operas
13	Casta DivaMaria Callas		Maria Callas's Casta Diva
14	GranadaMario Lanza		A masterpiece born from a longing for Spain
15	Cantique de NoëlEnrico Caruso		Introducing a masterful rendition of Silent Night
16	Gelido in ogni venaCecilia Bartoli		Vivaldi's operatic works are famous pieces.
17	E lucevan le stelleJonas Kaufmann		A singer performs Puccini’s famous piece
18	Ave MariaLuciano Pavarotti		Composed by Schubert, Pavarotti’s supreme masterpiece
19	Una furtiva lagrimaL’Elisir d’Amore		Donizetti's lyrical aria
20	E lucevan le stelleJosé Carreras		Introducing the tenor version of the Concierto de Aranjuez
21	Opera Dido and Aeneas (by Henry Purcell)Uīn Kontsentsusu Mujikusu		An operatic masterpiece is performed as expected
22	Overture to the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”Mikhail Glinka		Glinka’s opera overture: brilliant and brimming with vibrancy
23	Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries, conducted by Karajan / Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (1951)Richard Wagner		Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner
24	Rossini: The Barber of Seville • OvertureGioachino Rossini		Overture to The Barber of Seville by Rossini
25	Bridal ChorusSurovakia Firuhāmonī Gasshōdan		Lohengrin Wedding March
26	Carmen (by Bizet)Hanburuku Kita Doitsu Hoso Kokyo Gakudan		Carmen and Don José: Love and Ruin
27	Opera ‘Pagliacci’ (by Ruggero Leoncavallo)Doresuden Kokuritsu Kagikyokujo Kangen Gakudan		A passionate performance of the operatic masterpiece, Pagliacci
28	Sea and Land of ProvenceDietrich Fischer-Dieskau		Germont persuades them to give up their love due to the difference in social status.
29	Light Cavalry OvertureFranz von Suppé		Overture to Suppé's operetta Light Cavalry
30	‘Triumphal March’ from Verdi’s opera AidaGiuseppe Verdi		Verdi's Aida Triumphal March
31	Candide Overture – Leonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein		Overture to Candide, an opera by Bernstein
32	Intermezzo from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)Pietro Mascagni		Mascagni's famous intermezzo piece
33	Scene of frenzyJōn Sazārando: Uta		The technically brilliant masterpiece of Lucia’s mad scene
34	Opera Orfeo ed Euridice (by Gluck)Furaiburuku Barokku Kangen Gakudan		A love story about losing his wife and trying to bring her back from the underworld
35	Song of GemsRosu Anheresu: uta		A girl who realizes her beauty through Faust’s jewel
36	Opera La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)Tōkyō Firuhāmonī Kōkyō Gakudan		La Traviata was initially a failure at its premiere but came to be regarded as a masterpiece over time.
37	The Champagne SongEzio Pinza		A work by Mozart. The intense aria from Don Giovanni.
38	Pourquoi me reveiller / O spring breeze, why do you awaken me? (O spring breeze, why do you awaken me?)Jonas Kaufmann/yonasu·kaufuman: song		Unrequited love for Charlotte
39	Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro Overture (K.492) – Wiener Symphoniker – Fabio Luisi (HD)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, composed by Mozart
40	Comic opera The Elixir of Love (by Gaetano Donizetti)Uīn Kokuritsu Kagekijō Kangen Gakudan		The earnest feelings of a man who became a soldier for the one he loves
41	The current singing voiceTeresa Berugansa: Uta		Rosina realizes she is in love in a piece from The Barber of Seville
42	Opera Der Freischütz (by Weber)Hanburuku Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan		Der Freischütz established the foundation of German national opera
43	Batti, batti, o bel Masetto / Beat me, Masetto (/ Beat me, my dear Masetto / Beat me, beat me please, hey Masetto / Strike me, Masetto)		A song in which Zerlina, seduced by Don Giovanni, begs her bridegroom for forgiveness
44	Casta Diva / O pure goddessRenee Fleming/ Rune Furemingu: Uta		A Song Praying for Peace to the Moon
45	Let me weep Opera ‘Rinaldo’ Michie Nakamaru 0001Georg Friedrich Händel		Aria from Handel’s opera Rinaldo
46	Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinWilhelm Wagner		Solemn music, beautiful melodies, and moving emotion
47	Whoever has won a lovely wife (who has married a good wife)		Final chorus from Beethoven’s Fidelio
48	Go, my thoughts, borne on golden wingsArturo Toscanini		Verdi’s choral piece Nabucco
49	C. Saint-Saëns “Henry VIII” in 4 Acts, Imperial Theatre of Compiègne (France), 1991, Part 2/2Camille Saint-Saëns		Camille Saint-Saëns’s opera Henry VIII. It is characterized by church music and choral writing.
50	Weber: Opera “Der Freischütz” J.277 — Huntsmen’s ChorusCarl Maria von Weber		Hunters’ Chorus composed by Weber
51	Agitata Da Due VentiCecilia Bartoli		Bartoli’s passion-filled singing
52	Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice OvertureChristoph Willibald Gluck		Overture to Orfeo ed Euridice composed by Gluck
53	It’s a dream, it can’t be real / It’s like a dreamDiana Damrau/Deiana Damurau: uta		Octavian and Sophie's love song
54	Song of the ApothecaryElisabeth Schwarzkopf		Zerlina’s aria to soothe Masetto
55	That or thisEnrico Caruso		An aria brazenly defending the infidelity of a person in power
56	The Song of the CatalogFernando Corena		Introduction to the arias from Mozart’s Don Giovanni
57	Opera ‘L’Arlésienne’ Ordinary Story Salvatore LicitraFrancesco Cilea		I will introduce Federico’s Lament from Cilea’s opera “L’arlesiana.”
58	Cold handsFrancisco Araiza		Puccini’s masterpiece, a high C for tenors
59	Put on your costume.Franco Corelli		Canio’s aria, a masterpiece of verismo opera
60	Ranko Edogawa (soprano) Lehár: from the operetta “The Merry Widow,” “The Merry Widow Waltz” (“Vilja Song”/“On the High, High Mountain”)Franz Lehar		The Waltz from The Merry Widow by Lehár
61	From the opera ‘Carmen’: ‘Toreador Song’ by G. Bizet — ‘I gladly accept your toast’ (Akiyama Takanori) Bizet: Carmen — Toreador Song ‘Votre toast’Georges Bizet		The Toreador Song from Bizet’s opera Carmen
62	Pavarotti: Nessun dorma (Puccini: from the opera Turandot)Giacomo Puccini		Completion of Puccini's unfinished opera
63	G. C. MENOTTI \| Amelia al Ballo: FinaleGian Carlo Menotti		Gian Carlo Menotti's debut opera
64	O, how many timesGraziella Sciutti		Bellini’s aria, noted for its graceful melody
65	My daughter or my cute wifeHermann Prey		Papageno holds bells and seeks his lover
66	Winter storms have yielded to the blissful moon.Klaus Florian Vogt/ Kurausu Furorian Fōkuto: uta, The Bavarian State Orchestra/ Baiyerun Kokuritsu Kangen Gakudan		An opera in which twins reunite and fall in love
67	Live for song, live for loveLeontyne Price		Tosca’s desperate lament to God
68	Tears unseen by anyoneLuigi Alva		The growth of a tenor who won the heart of the woman he loves
69	Recondita armoniaPlacido Domingo		A beautiful aria from Puccini’s Tosca
70	You devil, you fiend.Renato Bruson		Rigoletto, the pinnacle aria of rage and sorrow
71	The current singing voiceRita Streich		Rosina's Aria, Agilita's Advanced Technique
72	Largo al factotumThomas Hampson		A demanding Rossini piece that requires a baritone to sing in a high range and deliver rapid-fire passages.
73	My fatherAna Maria Marutinesu: uta		A song in which a daughter appeals to her father with her wish to marry her lover
74	I wonder what love is like.Inguritto Keruteshi: Uta		A boy passionately sings of his love for the countess.
75	Opera La serva padrona (by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi)I Barokkisuti Okesutora		A comic opera about a maid who, through romantic maneuvering, marries her wealthy master.
76	Opera ‘Martha’ (Friedrich von Flotow)Shutātsukapere Berurin Kokuritsu Kagijō Ōkesutora		A popular opera depicting a lady-in-waiting’s romance
77	Hunters’ Chorus: The Joy of the HunterSurovakia Firuhāmonī Gasshōdan		The hunters sing of the joy of the hunt
78	手紙の場<だめになってもいいけど、そのまえにわたしは>Dinaara Ariiewa: Uta		The daughter sets down her feelings of love for Onegin in a letter
79	Song of a Woman’s HeartDeru=Monako: uta		A lively classic that sings of a woman's heart
80	Opera Hamlet (by Ambroise Thomas)Tūruzūzu Kyapituru Kokuritsu Kangen Gakudan		The Appeal of Thomas’s Opera Hamlet
81	Comedy The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (by Wagner)Bairoito Shukusai Kangen Gakudan		Wagner’s opera, a bright and grand drama in the major scale
82	Opera Rinaldo (by Handel)Fenīche Gekijō Kangen Gakudan		An opera about the love story of a knight and a maiden
83	Tosca (by Puccini)Berurin Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan		The beautiful music and dramatic allure of the opera Tosca
84	The Bourgeois Nobleman (composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully)Mujika Furōrea		A comic opera in which townspeople admire the nobility and behave absurdly
85	Comic opera The Merry Wives of Windsor (by Otto Nicolai)Yōroppa Shitsunai Kangengakudan		Operas based on Shakespeare’s works
86	On a sunny dayRichia Arubanēze: Uta		Madame Butterfly, who waits believing in her husband's return
87	Tears unseen by anyoneRuiji Aruva: uta		Nemorino notices Adina’s tears
88	Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (by Shostakovich)Roiyaru Konserutohebou Kangen Gakudan		A wife who married into a wealthy family falls in love with a manservant
89	Opera Fidelio by BeethovenRōma Kagekijō Kangen Gakudan		Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio
90	Opera: The Rescue of Ruggiero (by Francesca Caccini)Vuwadisuwafu Kuwoshievichi		The first opera by a woman, composed by Caccini
91	Matador’s SongHoriuchi Yasuo		A difficult baritone aria that sings of the scene in a bullring
92	Smetana: The Bartered Bride Overture / Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by István KertészBedrich Smetana		Overture to Smetana's opera “The Bartered Bride”
93	Eri tu che macchiaviDmitri Hvorostovsky		Dima singing an aria at a masquerade ball
94	Pelléas and Mélisande (by Debussy)Uīn Hōsō Kōkyō Gakudan		Debussy’s fantastical French opera
95	Opera: La sonnambula (by Vincenzo Bellini)Kariari Gekijō Shiriko Kangengakudan		A sleepwalking opera distinguished by Bellini’s exquisite melodies
96	The Bartered Bride (by Smetana)Cheko Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan		A representative opera of Czech national music
97	Peter Grimes (Benjamin Britten)Rondon Kōkyō Gakudan		A masterpiece of Britten’s opera Peter Grimes
98	What kindness! (What tranquility! / How sweet the April evening is! / How pleasant the April evening is.)		A song that Ernesto sings while waiting for Norina
99	Ombra mai fuAafje Heynis		Famous Italian art songs by Handel
100	My name is Mimi.Anna Moffo		Puccini's La Bohème: Mimi's self-introduction aria
101	Libiamo ne’ lieti calici / Drinking Song (Brindisi)Carlo Rizzi／Karuro Rittsi: shiki		Alfredo and Violetta’s meeting song
102	I Gioielli della Madonna Intermezzo ~’The Jewels of the Madonna’ – Intermezzo~Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari		A representative intermezzo by Wolf-Ferrari
103	Dialogues des Carmélites de Poulenc – Les grands moments – Atelier d’opéra UdeMFrancis Poulenc		Historical opera of the Carmelite nuns, composed by Poulenc
104	Anja Silja – Janacek – Vec Makropoulos – Final part 1.wmvLeoš Janaček		Janáček's eighth opera
105	O god of love, grant us peace.Maria Callas		The beautiful aria of Countess Mozart
106	Overture to the opera “The Merry Wives of Windsor”Otto Nicolai		Overture to an opera composed by Nicolai
107	Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from the opera Eugene Onegin, Op. 24Pyotr Tchaikovsky		Representative operatic works by Tchaikovsky
108	my fatherRenée Fleming		Lauretta asks her father for permission to marry
109	Rachmaninoff – The Miserly Knight, Op. 24Sergei Rachmaninov		Only male characters in Rachmaninoff’s operas
110	I don’t understand myself.Teresa Berganza		Mozart’s composition: the delicate emotional expression of a trouser role
111	Opera Orfeo (by Monteverdi)Jorudi Sabāru & Ra Kapera Reiaru De Katarūnya		Monteverdi's Orfeo is the starting point of modern opera.
112	Overture to ‘Heaven and Hell’Surovakia Kokuritsu Kositsue Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan		A three-part piece made from an opera
113	Samson and Delilah (by Saint-Saëns)Pari Operaza Kangengakudan		The allure of Saint-Saëns’s masterpiece Samson and Delilah
114	Ravel: España (Maurice Ravel)Pari Kokuritsu Kagekijō Kangengakudan		Ravel’s Impressionist opera with delicate colors
115	Chorus of TriumphHeruberuto Fon Karayan: shiki, Uīn Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan		A magnificent choral piece praising the Egyptian army’s victory
116	To live for song, to live for love (To live for song, to live for love)Maria Karasu: Uta		A song in which Tosca appeals to God over her lover’s death
117	Opera The Magic Flute (by Mozart)Mirano Sukara-za Kangen Gakudan		The Magic Flute is Mozart’s final masterpiece opera.
118	Quel guardo il cavaliereAnna Netrebko		Norina’s aria from Don Pasquale
119	Faust (by Gounod)Uīn Kōkyō Gakudan		Gounod’s Faust is an elegant masterpiece
120	Marquis, someone like youRita Shutoraihi: Uta		The maid Adele’s song from the opera Die Fledermaus