Here is a list of the 10 most popular opera composers by performance numbers. The data used to compile this list is from Operabase, perhaps the world’s greatest source of opera data. All data is for the most recently completed full season – the 2017/2018 season. In the top 10 Read more…
Here is a list of the 10 most famous arias in the world. Bask in the glorious sounds of some of the world’s greatest singers singing tunes from the world’s most famous operas. Performers include Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Callas, Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Anna Netrebko. “La donna è mobile” Read more…
With Lyric Opera of Chicago’s opening of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, a prime example of the Italian style known as bel canto, this weekend, I thought now would be a good time for a little refresher. So, what exactly is bel canto? “Opera buffs today use the term bel canto Read more…
Here are the ten most popular operas by number of performances according to Operabase, perhaps the world’s greatest organizer of opera data. The figures apply to the 2017/2018 season. Verdi appears twice, Puccini and Mozart three times each, and Bizet and Rossini both once. La traviata, by Verdi. This masterpiece Read more…
You may have heard the term recitative when you hear people talk about opera, but what exactly is recitative? This is my definition of recitative – any semi-spoken, semi-sung non-repetitive part of an opera that advances the action. Typically, the earlier the opera is, the easier it is to distinguish between recitative and other operatic sections, such as arias or ensemble pieces.
Don’t just take my word for it; listen to the great Leonard Bernstein talk about recitative…