From Baroque masterpieces by Monteverdi and Handel, through to hummable songs by Mozart, Verdi's works of Italian genius, Puccini, Wagner... with over 400 years of history, it's no surprise opera makes up some of the most famous classical music in the world.
What is opera?
Opera, put simply, is a play set to music. Singers, orchestral musicians, actors, costume designers, stage managers, and a whole host of people behind-the-scenes go to create these dramatic stage performances, which are often packed with the highest and lowest emotions. Expect love, tragedy, heartbreak, confusion, humour, and almost everything in-between - and everyone's so overwhelmed with their feelings they simply HAVE to break into song.
Song to the Moon
Antonin Dvorak
(1841-1904 : Czechoslovakia)
Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda
Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Soloists: Anna Netrebko
Record label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalogue ID: 4742402
Orfeo & Euridice - Che faro
Christoph Willibald Gluck
(1714-1787 : Germany)
Conductor: Roger Norrington
Ensemble: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Soloists: Andreas Scholl
Record label: Decca
Catalogue ID: 4661962
Carmen - Habanera
Georges Bizet
Conductor: Michel Plasson
Ensemble: Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
Soloists: Angela Gheorghiu
Record label: EMI
Carmen - Toreador's Song
Georges Bizet
Conductor: Barry Wordsworth
Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Soloists: Bryn Terfel
Record label: Deutsche Grammophon
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten
Conductor: Vernon Handley
Ensemble: Ulster Orchestra
Record label: Chandos
Catalogue ID: CHAN 241-2
Song to the Moon
Antonin Dvorak
(1841-1904 : Czechoslovakia)
Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda
Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Soloists: Anna Netrebko
Record label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalogue ID: 4742402
Orfeo & Euridice - Che faro
Christoph Willibald Gluck
(1714-1787 : Germany)
Conductor: Roger Norrington
Ensemble: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Soloists: Andreas Scholl
Record label: Decca
Catalogue ID: 4661962
Carmen - Habanera
Georges Bizet
Conductor: Michel Plasson
Ensemble: Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
Soloists: Angela Gheorghiu
Record label: EMI
