Listen to the Best Opera Music Clips
Listen to the best opera music clips by the world’s most popular opera singers. Download and enjoy your favorite arias, duets, and overtures today.
Best Opera Songs
If you are an opera fan, you might be looking for the best opera songs to listen to. Look no further! In this article, we will provide you with a list of the best opera songs of all time. From well-known classics to lesser-known gems, there is something for everyone on this list.
“Nessun Dorma” by Luciano Pavarotti
One of the most recognizable arias in all of opera, “Nessun Dorma” comes from Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot and is sung by the prince, Calaf. It’s an incredibly challenging aria, but when Pavarotti sings it, it sounds effortless. The aria itself is about Calaf’s hope that the princess, Turandot, will fall in love with him and break her determined curse that no man will ever marry her.
“La donna è mobile” by Ruggero Leoncavallo
“La donna è mobile” is one of the most famous opera songs of all time. It is sung by the character Goffredo in Ruggero Leoncavallo’s opera “Pagliacci”. The song is a lighthearted and fun piece that has been popular since it was written in 1892.
The song is about how fickle women are, and how they can never be trusted. This is a common theme in opera, as many of the stories revolve around love triangles and betrayals. “La donna è mobile” is one of the most memorable opera songs because of its catchy tune and funny lyrics.
If you want to hear “La donna è mobile”, you can find it on many different recordings of Leoncavallo’s opera “Pagliacci”. It is also often performed by professional singers at concerts and recitals.
“Una furtiva lagrima” by Gaetano Donizetti
One of the most popular tenor arias of all time, “Una furtiva lagrima” comes from Gaetano Donizetti’s 1832 opera L’elisir d’amore. In the aria, the character Nemorino sings of the pain he feels at being in love with the beautiful Adina and how a single tear represents all his sadness.
Best Opera Arias
Opera is a form of theatre in which music has a leading role and the parts are taken by singers. It is an active, dramatic art form, usually in three or four acts, characterized by its musical score, and often featuring recitative, arias, and ensembles.
“L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” by Georges Bizet
One of the most iconic and well-known arias of all time, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” is sung by the character Carmen in Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name. The aria is often referred to as the “Habanera” due to its Spanish rhythms and instrumentation, and it is one of the most popular pieces of opera music ever written.
“Casta Diva” by Vincenzo Bellini
“Casta Diva” is an aria from the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. It is sung by the character Norma, an Druid high priestess, in Act I, scene ii, and is often heard in concert and recital outside of the complete opera.
“Der Hölle Rache” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
One of the most well-known arias in all of opera, “Der Hölle Rache” is sung by the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The Queen is furious at Sarastro, the leader of the temple of wisdom, for abducting her daughter Pamina and brainwashing her with his teachings. In this aria, she vows to take revenge on Sarastro and anyone who stands in her way.
“Der Hölle Rache” is incredibly difficult to sing due to its high range and rapid vocal runs, but it’s also one of the most exciting arias to listen to. If you’re new to opera, this is a great place to start.
Best Opera Singers
There are many great opera singers out there and it can be hard to choose who to listen to. But we’ve made it easy for you by putting together a list of the best opera singers. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Maria Callas
Maria Callas, Commendatore OMRI (/ˈkæləs/ KAL-əs; Greek: Μαρία Κάλλας [ˈmaria kalˈlas]; born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophocles; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano. She was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini. Her remarkable musical and dramatic talent led to her being hailed as La Divina (“The Divine One”).
Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother who had no inkling of her daughter’s vocal talent, Callas received her musical education in Greece. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime Athens, she received her operatic training from established singers such as Eva Likova andESCOBAR
and developed into a lirico-spinto soprano with a two-octave vocal range and a clear vocal timbre. Belonging to several artistic Generation of ’27 she became the prima donna at La Scala Milan Opera House during the years 1947–1953 where she caused several riots due largely to her habit of arriving on stage late onstage.
In January 1950 Callas made her American debut in New York as Tosca which was followed later that month by a highly acclaimed appearance in Roberto Devereux. She rapidly rose to fame following successful performances in Il pirata (1951), La vestale (1952), Norma (1952–53), Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci (1953), Medea (1954), Iphigénie en Tauride (1955), Turandot (1955–56) Scott Sullivan is credited with having discovered Callas’s true potential as an artist during their work together on Maria di Rohan in 1948: “Though it was no great singing part . . . after two days’ rehearsal I realised that this girl had something I had never come across before – personal magnetism package[d] in natural histrionic ability.”Scott Sullivan (1977) The Devil’s Music Master: Toscanini The New York Times In early 1957 she embarked on a series of highly publicized performances which included Lucia di Lammermoor at Covent Garden which caused yet another near riot due largely to her controversial acting which resulted in one critic writing that “if she wished to act badly there seemed nothing she could not do.”
Callas’s final operatic appearance came on 24 September 1958 at Brooklyn Academy of Music during a concert version of Verdi’s Don Carlo; though by this time seriously overweight she played the role of Elisabetta di Valois with “taste and discretion”. After this performance health problems intervened although Callas continued appearing in recitals until 1965 when declining health finally forced her into retirement from the stage.Warrack & West 2002 p.490Sadie 1992 p.975Feuer 1972 p.56Health problems led to weight gain during these years but after losing substantial amounts of weight through fasting Callas returned for two highly acclaimed series’
of master classes between 1971–74. In 1977 Maria Callas died suddenly at home in Paris aged 53 from what appeared to be cardiac arrest brought on possibly by certain health problems including bulimia nervosa.
Callas was widely known for emphasizing text over pure vocal beauty and was often accused by other opera stars such as Renata Tebaldi of sacrificing beauty of tone for dramatic effect but admirers such as Joan Sutherland defended Callas’s musicianship:
To me personally Maria always represented what an opera singer should be … First lady of them all – first singer, first actress – supreme musician.
Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso is widely considered to be one of the greatest opera singers of all time. He was born in Italy in 1873 and made his operatic debut in Milan in 1896. He soon became one of the most popular singers in Italy, and he went on to enjoy a successful career in the United States as well. Caruso’s voice was exceptionally powerful and clear, and he had a wide range that allowed him to sing both tenor and baritone roles. He is best known for his performances in Verdi’s operas, but he also sang a number of roles in other works, such as Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” and Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Caruso retired from the opera stage in 1920, but he continued to give concerts and make recordings until his death in 1921.
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian opera singer and one of the most popular contemporary vocal performers in the world. He was also known for his humanitarian work. In 2006, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in 2007 at the age of 71.
