Find out a little bit more about the short life of the great composer…. German-born Englishman, George Frideric Handel, is one of the best-known composers from the Baroque period. Find out a bit more about the man who spent the most part of his life bringing opera to the London stage…. Often regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the twenty-first century, American composer Philip Glass is best-known for his minimalist compositions. What is opera? The first ever public opera house opened in the Teatro San Cassiano , Venice.
As opera grew in popularity as an art form, more songs were included to please the crowds. Composers wanted their operas to be in the language of the audience. Where are operas performed? Opera voice types Most opera singers fall into a certain voice types which helps them to be cast in roles. Female singers main voice types: Soprano — the highest voice type for female singers. Mezzo-soprano — lower than soprano.
Tenor — Most often the highest male voice in an opera. Baritone — most common male voice in an opera. Bass — comes from the Italian word basso, which means low. Find out more. How is an opera made? Famous composers Out of all the people who work on an opera, it is most often the composer who we know best.
Instant opera expert: Which operas should you see first? Classic FM. Posted Fri 30 Nov , am. Updated Fri 30 Nov , am. Copyright: Arno Declair. Share Facebook Twitter Mail Whatsapp. More from Classic.
Fri 12 Nov , am. Controversial when it was first performed, Tosca features a sadistic villain, scenes of torture and attempted rape, plus a stabbing and an execution. Although it has several memorable arias, many of Tosca's unforgettable melodies are woven into the orchestration rather than the vocals. As a contender for greatest opera of all time, you'll definitely want to have the Tosca highlights on CD, and you can't go wrong with the Pavarotti and Freni recording.
Another contender for all-time greatest opera that should be on your list is Verdi's Rigoletto. Where Puccini features sweeping, romantic, Mantovani-like strings, Verdi often favours short, dramatic violin chords accompanying the vocals. These, in my opinion, are the most accessible operas for a novice. If you've listened to most of them, you should have a good idea of whether you'll enjoy opera or not. Of course, there are many other fine operas and composers, and if you already like classical music you may well be able to jump straight into Mozart's operas and others from the Classical period.
Mozart While it isn't a good idea for the novice to go straight into Mozart, if you've enjoyed the operas mentioned above you're probably ready for it. And if you liked the movie Amadeus you aren't likely to be disappointed with Mozart's major operas. Marriage of Figaro is three hours of gorgeous music and a comedy that will leave you smiling. Don Giovanni is essentially a drama with some humorous scenes provided by the Don's servant Leporello.
Both works are considered by many opera buffs to be the greatest operas ever written. Memorable arias and duets Some of the most memorable arias and duets are from operas that aren't well known to the general public, and all of them have been used in movie soundtracks over the years.
The most beautiful male duet ever written is 'Au fond du temple saint' from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. It was used to great effect in the movie Gallipoli and there's a good version of it on Essential Opera 2. The best-loved female duet is the 'Flower Duet' from Delibes opera Lakme.
The opera is now available on DVD. Equally memorable is the Neapolitan song 'Rondine Al Nido', which was sung by the holographic doctor in an episode of Star Trek Voyager. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas for developing an appreciation for opera without too much pain.
Hot picks - mini-reviews for beginners Opera DVDs that appeal to musicologists and opera buffs are not necessarily the ones that appeal to beginners. The novice is more likely to be attracted by recognizable melodies, plenty of action, good production values and stars with a strong stage presence than by subtle musical characterisation and vocal technique.
Here is a brief list of the most accessible and enjoyable opera productions on DVD for the neophyte. As a rough guide, five stars indicates a totally enjoyable experience for someone fairly new to opera.
A great DVD to start your collection with. Opulent sets and fine singing, but lacks the passion of the Pavarotti-Freni performance. A romantic but tragic opera set in Nagasaki, Japan. The music often has an Oriental sound to it. Full of hummable and romantic melodies, but the second half is pretty tragic. The staging, though, is strange. Domingo initially chews gum, presumably to make him look more American, a major scene is filmed with the lovers lying down in a garden of reeds and grass, and the last few seconds of the film are pretty ridiculous.
The sets couldn't be considered beautiful either. Verona Arena with Raina Kabaivanska. Beautiful sets and fine singing but the supposedly year-old Butterfly appears to be at least 20 years older than Pinkerton here. It's full of drama and melody. Not to be missed! There aren't many opera films in existence and this may well be the best.
The middle section of the film, set in the Palazzo Farnese, has the appearance of an oil painting in motion. The DVD has just been re-released. The blonde Behrens isn't everyone's idea of Tosca, but this is a dynamite production with a superbly malignant MacNeil as Scarpia. Turandot is not an easy opera for beginners. Written in , it was the last Grand Opera, and it has a rather modern sound as well as much oriental influence in the music.
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