Mozart was supposed to write a Singspiel for Emperor Joseph II. He fulfilled his wish and wrote the first really great work for this genre. At the same time, he broke the mold of the Singspiel and wrote one of his great masterpieces. The Abduction became one of his greatest successes in a sunny period […]
“l’incoronazione di Poppea ” thrills with a gripping plot with people of flesh and blood. It is the masterpiece of the early Baroque and Monteverdi presents himself as a mature master and innovative creator who significantly influenced the history of opera with this “dramma per musica”. Even today, the final duet moves the hearts of […]
Massenet’s Manon is one of the absolute highlights of French opera. The role of Manon is one of the most impressive role portraits in opera literature. Experience the magnificent wealth of ideas Massenet composed in this opera.
Pagliacci was a stroke of genius of youth. Leoncavallo was 33 years old when he composed this masterpiece. He owed his fame to a single value and all his life Leoncavallo searched for a second “Pagliacci”. He shared this fate with Pietro Mascagni, who 2 years earlier wrote the second great work of verismo “Cavalleria […]
“The Merry Widow” was Franz Lehàr’s fifth operetta and its success exceeded anything that had ever existed in the genre. During his lifetime, the piece was performed 300,000 times worldwide, and to this day it remains one of the most popular operettas.
This opera is one of the great operatic works of the 20th century. Korngold once again evokes the intoxication of late Romanticism, narcotic in its lushness and melancholy. “Glück, das mir verblieb” – Korngold great song This piece is Korngold’s most famous piece ever. It is a nostalgic solo piece (which turns into a duet) […]
Humperdinck’s fairy tale opera is loved all over the world for its music inspired by folk music. Few other works of opera literature have been translated into so many languages and it is one of the most performed operas in the world.
“Iphigenia en Tauride”, together with his “Orfeo ed Euridice”, is Gluck’s greatest masterpiece. The melodies are unfussy and beautiful, the orchestration is gripping, the drama is coherent, and the three leads are compelling personalities and demand great, mature artists.
Umberto Giordano achieved sensational success with this opera before his thirtieth birthday. He thus became immortal and, together with Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini, one of the four brightest shining stars in the “verismo sky”.
Rinaldo is Handel’s opera with the most hits and a firework of beautiful arias and stage effects. It is inconceivable that this opera lay dormant for 200 years.
