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Listen to a remarkable collection of great operas from Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Bellini, Bizet, and more. Subscribe to our channel for more classic...
- 220 min
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- Cordless Music
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄.Dive into the beautiful world of opera with some of the most acclaimed arias, performed by renowned singers such as Ann...
- 32 min
- 6.8M
- wocomoMUSIC
- Overview
- The early history
- The role of Florence
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opera, a staged drama set to music in its entirety, made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and usually with orchestral overtures and interludes. In some operas the music is continuous throughout an act; in others it is broken up into discrete pieces, or “numbers,” separated either by recitative (a dramatic type of singing that approaches speech) or by spoken dialogue. This article focuses on opera in the Western tradition. For an overview of opera and operalike traditions in Asia (particularly in China), see the appropriate sections of Chinese music, Japanese music, South Asian arts, and Southeast Asian arts; see also short entries on specific forms of Chinese opera, such as chuanqi, jingxi, kunqu, and nanxi.
The English word opera is an abbreviation of the Italian phrase opera in musica (“work in music”). It denotes a theatrical work consisting of a dramatic text, or libretto (“booklet”), that has been set to music and staged with scenery, costumes, and movement. Aside from solo, ensemble, and choral singers onstage and a group of instrumentalists playing offstage, the performers of opera since its inception have often included dancers. A complex, often costly variety of musico-dramatic entertainment, opera has attracted both supporters and detractors throughout its history and has sometimes been the target of intense criticism. Its detractors have viewed it as an artificial and irrational art form that defies dramatic verisimilitude. Supporters have seen it as more than the sum of its parts, with the music supporting and intensifying the lyrics and action to create a genre of greater emotional impact than either music or drama could achieve on its own. In his 1986 autobiography, stage and film director Franco Zeffirelli warned against taking opera too literally:
Short men in armour and large ladies in chiffon singing about ancient Egypt don’t make much sense at one level [but] they can…reveal to us the confusions of emotion and loyalty, the nature of power and pity, that could not be so movingly expressed in any other way.
The preparation of an opera performance involves the work of many individuals whose total contributions sometimes spread across a century or more. The first, often unintentional, recruit is likely the writer of the original story. Then comes the librettist, who puts the story or play into a form—usually involving poetic verse—that is suitable for musical setting and singing. The composer then sets that libretto to music. Architects and acousticians will have designed an opera house suited or adaptable to performances that demand a sizable stage; a large backstage area to house the scenery; a “pit,” or space (often below the level of the stage) to accommodate an orchestra; and seating for a reasonably large audience. A producer (or director) has to specify the work of designers, scene painters, costumers, and lighting experts. The producer, conductor, and musical staff must work for long periods with the chorus, dancers, orchestra, and extras as well as the principal singers to prepare the performance—work that may last anywhere from a few days to many months. All of this activity, moreover, takes place in conjunction with the work not only of researchers and editors who painstakingly prepare the musical score, especially in the case of revivals of works long forgotten or published long ago, but also of the theatre’s administrative staff, which includes the impresario and others responsible for bookings, ticket sales, and other business matters.
Britannica Quiz
An Evening at the Opera
Music historians have continued to debate opera’s ancestry. The plays of the ancient Greek dramatists Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides combined poetic drama and music. During the Middle Ages, biblical dramas that were chanted or interspersed with music were known under various labels, including liturgical dramas (ordines) and similar plays perfo...
The courts of northern Italy, especially that of the Medici family in Florence, were particularly important for the development of opera. Indeed, Florence became the birthplace of opera at the end of the century, as the result of the confluence of three cultural forces: an established theatrical tradition, a strong sense of civic humanism, and a di...
Opera is a staged drama with music and libretto, originating in Italy and spreading to other countries and cultures. Learn about the history, styles, composers, and performers of opera, as well as its challenges and achievements.
Enjoy this selection of some of the best loved operatic arias in the repertoire. A selection of great tunes from the greats of the genre including Verdi, Puc...
- 101 min
- 4.7M
- Classical At Home
- Maddy Shaw Roberts
- O mio babbino caro - Puccini. The Everest of tearjerking soprano arias, ‘O mio babbino caro’ has been recorded by all the greats from Renée Fleming to Montserrat Caballé, and is one of the most performed pieces of opera music of the last 100 years.
- Largo al factotum - Rossini. Perhaps better known as ‘the Figaro aria’, this is from Rossini’s sheer delight of an opera, The Barber of Seville. Many today will recognise it from the opening credits of Mrs Doubtfire, in which Robin Williams delivers an unforgettable rendition of what is a fiendishly tricky sing, in the guise of a cartoon bird.
- Habanera - Bizet. ‘Habanera’ is from Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, an treasure trove of catchy melodies, from its barnstorming orchestral Prelude to the foot-stomping ‘Toreador’s Song’.
- Nessun dorma - Puccini. If Puccini’s aim was to bring opera to the masses, ‘Nessun dorma’ from Turandot has safely triumphed beyond all measure. Over the last few decades, the King of tenor arias has been reshaped into a roaring electric guitar solo by the legendary Jeff Beck, a pop-opera social media hit by Queen’s lead singer Adam Lambert, and a talent show mainstay.
Are these the best operas of all time? Uncover a world of classical music news, reviews and expert opinions with classical-music.com.
Immerse yourself in the world of opera. Discover the most famous opera songs you'll know, from Mozart's masterpieces to Puccini's iconic compositions.
