Famous Operas

One of the great artistic achievements of man kind is opera. Operas uplift the spirit and they manage to strike a cord with anyone who will make the time for it. Personally, I have been moved by many operas, and this is why I have decided to share some short impressions about my favorite operas. All operas have a story behind them that I think everybody should know, to make the experience much more complete. Most operas have a tragic story but this isn’t a given. So, without further a due, here is my list of the most famous operas:

1. Carmina Burana: This is my personal favorite famous opera of all time. The music was composed by Carl Orff in 1936 and is to date one of the most famous German compositions of all time. The individual movements that make up this opera are based on 24 poems extracted from the medieval collection with the same name: Carmina Burana. These poems were written in Latin and they speak about concepts and feelings that as present in the 21^st century as they were in the 13^th: the destiny of men, how luck plays a vital role in life, and how we are just pawns that are successful or not , depending on whatever the gods will decide for us; it also has an erotic connotation, lust being a theme for one of the poems; as well greed and gluttony are mentioned; and at the same time more typical opera subjects are encountered, such as the rebirth of nature during spring.

2. La traviata: This is one of the most famous operas of the world. It was composed by Giuseppe Verdi, and it is based on the play called La dame aux Camelias which was adapted form the novel of Alexandre Dumas. This opera tells the tragic story of Violetta, the title’s literal translation being the fallen woman. It is split in 3 acts and it is one of the most challenging operas for soprano voices. The story revolves around the central character of Violetta who is presented to us in the first act as she is giving a party to celebrate her recuperation from an illness. She is informed by a friend about the fact that Alfredo has fallen in love with her. Alfredo confesses his love for her and tries to get her to leave her current lover, The Baron. The second act begins with a scene taking place three months later, and showing us the happy life Violetta and Alfredo are living in the countryside. Meanwhile, Alfredo’s father, Giorgio comes to see Violetta and asks her to break off her relationship with his son because of her reputation, and the negative effect it has on his family, his daughter engagement being threatened. Violetta finally brokenheartedly accepts, for the good of Alfredo and leaves him. She goes to a party The Baron has organized, where Alfredo Follows her. There he wins a large sum of money gambling, and after he hears from Violetta, in a grand gesture of sacrifice that she doesn’t love him anymore, he throws his winnings at her feet, and humiliates her. She faints, and in the next act she is shown, sick in bed, her illness aggravating. Giorgio hearing about what happened rushes to his son to tell him the truth, before it is too late. The final scene shows us Violetta on her death bed, and Alfredo coming in the room. But, as Alfredo has finished asking for his forgiveness, she dies in his arms.

3. Carmen: Carmen is French opera, composed by Georges Bizet. Its story is a blend of comic and tragic elements. The principal character is young beautiful Gipsy by the name of Carmen. She lives just for the present, being hedonistic and also fatalistic. She has a fiery temper and she uses all these attributes to make men fall in love with her. Free with her love, she charms Don Jose, a soldier with very little experience. The spell she has put on him makes him do a lot of unthinkable acts, such as mutiny against his superiors, rejecting his former lover, and even joining a gang smugglers. With all his sacrifices, Carmen will never be tied down to one man, and so she lives him for another. Blinded by jealousy, Don Jose murders Carmen. Even though it is one of the most famous operas of all time in our days, when it first appeared in 1875, it got mixed responses from the audiences, being controversial in many aspects.

I believe that the stories behind the most famous operas are universal, and can strike a chord with almost every audience, no matter the culture it comes from. Operas manage to bring together music, acting and choreography to form a whole that is much bigger than the sum of its parts. Good operas will move you, no matter how reluctant you may be. After you know the basic story behind an opera understanding it isn’t that difficult anymore.

Famous Operas

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