Well Known Opera Music to Get You in the Mood

It’s impossible to not feel emotions when listening to opera. The music is so powerful and moving. Here are some well known opera pieces that are sure to get you in the mood.

The Barber of Seville

One of the most popular and well-known operas, The Barber of Seville, was composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1816. The story is based on a comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais and follows the story of a young nobleman, Count Almaviva, who falls in love with a beautiful girl, Rosina. He disguises himself as a student in order to woo her away from her tyrannical guardian, Dr. Bartolo.

The Barber of Seville is known for its light-hearted and comedic tone, as well as its catchy tunes. Some of the most popular arias from the opera include “Largo al factotum” (“Make way for the barber!”), sung by the title character Figaro; “Una voce poco fa” (“A voice a little while ago”), sung by Rosina; and “Ecco ridente in cielo” (“Behold, smiling in heaven”), also sung by Rosina.

La Bohème

One of the most popular and well known operas, La Bohème is a must see for anyone interested in the art form. The story follows a group of young artists and musicians living in Paris’s Latin Quarter during the 1840s. While the characters may be poor, they are full of life and love, and their stories will stay with you long after the curtain falls.

Set to music by Giacomo Puccini, La Bohème is an emotional rollercoaster ride, full of highs and lows, laughter and tears. The aria “Musetta’s Waltz” is one of the most famous pieces of opera music, and will immediately get you in the mood for a night at the opera.

Carmen

One of the most well known and popular operas is Georges Bizet’s Carmen. First performed in 1875, Carmen has become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the entire repertoire. The opera tells the story of the tragic love affair between the beautiful gypsy Carmen and the soldier Don Jose.

Carmen is filled with memorable music, including the Habanera, which is perhaps the most famous piece of opera music ever written. The Habanera perfectly captures the mood of the opera, with its sensual, flamenco-inspired rhythms and dark, passionate melodies. Other well-known pieces from Carmen include the Flower Song, in which Don Jose professes his love for Carmen, and the Toreador Song, in which the bullfighter Escamillo boasts of his bravery and conquests.

If you’re looking for some well-known opera music to set the mood, Carmen is a great choice.

Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni is one of the best-known and most popular operas of all time. It was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and premiered in Prague in 1787. The story is based on the legend of Don Juan, a fictional Spanish nobleman who is renowned for his way with women.

Don Giovanni has been adapted for film and television numerous times, most recently in 2006 with a star-studded cast that included James Franco and Anna Netrebko. The opera is also frequently performed onstage, and its iconic arias are among the most beloved in all of classical music.

If you’re looking for some well-known opera music to get you in the mood, look no further than Don Giovanni.

La traviata

La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman Who Goes Astray. It was based on La Dame aux Camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils.

The opera was originally titled Violetta, after the main character. It was first performed in Venice at La Fenice on 6 March 1853. Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, “c. 1700”.

It was not until the 1880s that the composer and librettist’s original wishes were carried out and realistic productions were staged. For Verdi, 1851 to 1853 were intensely frustrating years: he had seen several of his operas fail on stage; he continued to quarrel with his librettist; and personal tragedies darkened his life, including the early deaths of both his parents and his firstborn son.

At last, verismo operas—operas about contemporary subjects for a mass audience—came into their own thanks to a series of landmark productions from La Scala (Milan), including Giovanna d’Arco (1884), I vespri siciliani (1884), Otello (1887), and Aida (1887).

Verdi’s project embraced not only realism but also an investigation of psychology; Violetta is one of opera’s most fully-rounded female characters. She is by turns strong and weak, fickle and constant, loving and self-sacrificing—all within the space of a few hours on stage.

Although initially unsuccessful with audiences and critics alike—even booed off the stage at its premiere—La traviata has subsequently become one of Verdi’s most popular works. It ranks as the sixth most performed opera in history according to figures compiled by Opera America in 2007.

The Marriage of Figaro

One of the most popular and enduring operas of all time, The Marriage of Figaro is a riotous comedy of errors with some of the most instantly recognisable music ever written.

Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, the opera tells the story of Figaro, a young Spanish servant, and his attempts to outwit his master, Count Almaviva. Along the way there are deceptions, disguises and plenty of amorous intrigue, all set to some of Mozart’s most beautiful and life-affirming music.

Featuring such memorable tunes as ‘Non più andrai’, ‘Voi che sapete’, ‘ Dove sono i bei momenti’ and of course the irresistible ‘Brindisi’ (the ‘Drinking Song’), it’s no wonder that The Marriage of Figaro has been enchanting audiences for over 200 years.

The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute is a singspiel, or musical play, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The story is set in ancient Egypt and revolves around the journey of the young prince Tamino to rescue the beautiful princess Pamina, who has been kidnapped by the evil Sarastro. The Magic Flute is one of Mozart’s most popular works and is frequently performed at opera houses around the world.

Tosca

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou’s 1887 French-language drama La Tosca, is about the love triangle between Florestano Tosca, a married singer, and Angelotti and Cavaradossi, two political dissidents.

Tosca is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide and is particularly associated with the soprano role of Tosca. It is ranked as the ninth-most popular opera in a 2017 survey of leading international opera companies by Opera America.

Rigoletto

Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed in Venice at La Fenice on 11 March 1851.

The opera is considered to be part of the Verdi canon. It tells the story of the curse that befalls Rigoletto, a court jester, and his daughter Gilda when Rigoletto mocked and insulted the Duke of Mantua, who then took his revenge by seducing Gilda.

The work had its premiere in Venice in 1851 and was an immediate success, especially in Italy where it has always been extremely popular. In other countries it took some time for audiences to warm to the opera, but today it is performed regularly all over the world and has become one of Verdi’s most popular works.