Operas ♫♬♩♬♪♫
Aida
Egypt and Ethiopia are at war. Radamès dreams of leading the Egyptian army to victory, which would not only earn him gratitude and fame but would also pave the way for him to marry his beloved Aida—or so he hopes, for their relationship is not without obstacles. Aida is an Ethiopian slave in the service of Amneris, who just happens to be the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh. Aida has kept her love for Radamès secret, and she carries another secret too: she is of royal blood. She is torn between love for her father and country on the one hand and Radamès on the other. Oh, and Amneris wants Radamès all for herself.
The music for Aida was composed by Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824–1893). The main source material was a story devised by the French Egyptologist and archaeologist Auguste Mariette and written up by the French librettist Camille du Locle. The opera was first performed in Cairo on the 24th of December 1871.
Carmen
The action takes place in and around Seville. Carmen is a beautiful, beguiling enchantress who works in a cigarette factory and consorts with a band of smugglers. Don José is a corporal in the Spanish army. The relationship that develops between them is passionate, intense, and… complicated. When the matador Escamillo enters the picture, things become more complicated still. Danger lurks behind every twist and turn.
The music for Carmen was composed by Georges Bizet (1838–1875). The libretto (in French) was written by Henri Meilhac (1831–1897) and Ludovic Halévy (1834–1908). The main source material was Prosper Mérimée’s novella Carmen. The opera was first performed in Paris on the 3rd of March 1875.
Don Giovanni
The pace is fast and furious, beginning at the dead of night and ending before dawn the following morning. In his quest to seduce as many women as possible, the Spanish nobleman Don Giovanni relies heavily on his long-suffering servant Leporello. But how much more of Don Giovanni’s deception and intrigue will Leporello tolerate? Is there any earthly force that can make Don Giovanni pay for his crimes? Or is it the ghost of the story who will have the final word?
The music for Don Giovanni was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838). The main source material was the story of the legendary libertine and womanizer Don Juan. The opera was first performed in Prague on the 29th of October 1787.
La Bohème (The Bohemians)
When seamstress Mimì and poet Rodolfo meet in Paris on Christmas Eve, it is love at first sight. But is love enough for their relationship to weather Rodolfo’s petty jealousies and the poverty in which they live? Their story unfolds alongside the antics of Rodolfo’s bohemian friends and the on-again-off-again romance between Musetta (a singer) and Marcello (a painter).
The music for La Bohème was composed by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) and Luigi Illica (1857–1919). The main source material was Henry Murger’s novel Scènes de la Vie de Bohème. The opera was first performed in Turin on the 1st of February 1896.
La Traviata (The Fallen Woman)
Violetta Valéry is a Parisian beauty, and Alfredo Germont is completely smitten. Undeterred by Violetta’s debilitating illness and her controversial profession—Violetta is a courtesan—Alfredo is determined to win her affections. For a while he succeeds, but when his father discovers what he’s been up to, Violetta and Alfredo’s new-found life of peace and ecstasy is thrown into turmoil.
The music for La Traviata was composed by Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Francesco Maria Piave (1810–1876). The main source material was La Dame aux Camélias (both a novel and a play) by Alexandre Dumas fils. The opera was first performed in Venice on the 6th of March 1853.
Madam Butterfly
Butterfly is elated when she marries United States naval officer Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton in her home town of Nagasaki, Japan. She is deeply in love with him and is eager to embrace his American way of life. When Pinkerton’s ship must set sail for other shores, he promises to return to Butterfly when the weather turns warm, when the roses are in bloom, when robins nest. Three years pass, and still Madam Butterfly (she prefers ‘Madam B.F. Pinkerton’) waits for him, with her faithful servant Suzuki always by her side. Not for a moment is Butterfly willing to believe that Pinkerton may have abandoned her.
The music for Madam Butterfly was composed by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) and Luigi Illica (1857–1919). The main source material was David Belasco’s play Madame Butterfly, which was based on John Luther Long’s short story Madame Butterfly. Long’s story seems to owe much to Pierre Loti’s autobiographical novel Madame Chrysanthème. The opera was first performed in Milan on the 17th of February 1904.
Rigoletto
The hunchback Rigoletto is court jester to the Duke of Mantua. Bold and quick-witted, Rigoletto excels at entertaining the duke, but in doing so he upsets the duke’s fellow nobles. He harbours a startling secret which he must keep safe not only from his enemies but from the duke as well. When events spiral out of control Rigoletto is driven to hire an assassin, whose deadly blade is every bit as sharp as Rigoletto’s tongue.
The music for Rigoletto was composed by Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Francesco Maria Piave (1810–1876). The main source material was Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi S’amuse. The opera was first performed in Venice on the 11th of March 1851.
Tosca
The story begins one morning in Rome in the summer of 1800; by dawn the following morning, it is all over. So much action, so little time! Rome is controlled by the royalists, whose chief of police is the widely feared Baron Scarpia. A republican leader has escaped from Scarpia’s dungeons, and the police chief is determined to hunt him down. The key to locating his prey is the republican sympathizer and painter Mario Cavaradossi. Scarpia realizes that Cavaradossi is also his means to winning an even more valuable prize: Cavaradossi’s lover, the exquisite singer Floria Tosca, who has become the latest target of Scarpia’s insatiable lust. Scarpia will indeed come to feel il bacio di Tosca (Tosca’s kiss), but it is very different from what he had in mind.
The music for Tosca was composed by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). The libretto (in Italian) was written by Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) and Luigi Illica (1857–1919). The main source material was Victorien Sardou’s play La Tosca. The opera was first performed in Rome on the 14th of January 1900.