List of prominent operas

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Since the origins of opera in late 16th century Italy, a central repertoire has developed, shepherded by major opera composers. The earliest major opera composer is generally considered to be Claudio Monteverdi,Template:Sfn who wrote the first prominent opera, L'Orfeo, followed by two others. Throughout the later 17th century, his successor Francesco Cavalli and the Englishman Henry Purcell wrote numerous prominent operas. The early 18th century was dominated by the operas of George Frideric Handel, while other important works include Pepusch's The Beggar's Opera, Pergolesi's La serva padrona, and various works by Jean-Philippe Rameau.

This list provides a guide to the most prominent operas, as determined by their presence on a majority of selected compiled lists, which date from between 1984 and 2000. The operas included cover all important genres, and include all operas regularly performed today, from seventeenth-century works to late twentieth-century operas. The brief accompanying notes offer an explanation as to why each opera has been considered important. The organisation of the list is by year of first performance, or, if this was long after the composer's death, approximate date of composition.

1600–1699

Claudio Monteverdi by Bernardo Strozzi, 1640

1700–1749

George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner, 1733

1750–1799

File:Martini bologna mozart 1777.jpg
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart aged 21 in 1777

1800–1829

File:Rossini-portrait-0.jpg
Gioachino Rossini

1830–1849

File:Gaetano Donizetti 1.jpg
Gaetano Donizetti

1850–1875

File:RichardWagner.jpg
Richard Wagner

1876–1899

File:Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini.jpg
Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini, 1886

1900–1919

File:Richard Strauss (b).jpg
Richard Strauss

1920–1939

File:Puccini2.jpg
Giacomo Puccini

1940–1959

File:Benjamin Britten, London Records 1968 publicity photo for Wikipedia (restored).jpg
Benjamin Britten

1960–1999

File:Harrison Birtwistle (cropped).jpg
Harrison Birtwistle
  • 1960 A Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten). Set to a libretto adapted from the Shakespeare play by himself and his partner Peter Pears, Britten's work is rare in operatic history in that it features a countertenor in the male lead role.<ref name="Whittal" />
  • 1961 Elegy for Young Lovers (Henze). Henze asked his librettists, W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, for a scenario that would inspire him to compose "tender, beautiful noises".<ref name="Clements">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • 1962 King Priam (Tippett). Tippett's second opera, set to another of his own "recondite" libretti,<ref name="Orrey2">Template:Harvnb</ref> was inspired by Homer's Iliad.<ref name="Lewis" />
  • 1964 Curlew River (Britten). A modern liturgical "church opera" intended for performance in an ecclesiastical setting.<ref name="Whittal" />
  • 1965 Der junge Lord (Henze). The last composition produced during Henze's dwelling in Italy is considered to be the most Italianate of his dramatic works.<ref name="Clements"/>
  • 1965 Die Soldaten (Bernd Alois Zimmermann). The first version of the opera was rejected by Cologne Opera as impossible for them to stage: Zimmermann was required to reduce the orchestral forces required and to cut some of the technical demands previously required.<ref name=Clements />
  • 1966 Antony and Cleopatra (Barber). The first version of the opera was set to a libretto consisting entirely of the words of Shakespeare and deemed a failure.<ref name="Heyman" /> Later it was revised by Gian Carlo Menotti and became a success.
  • 1966 The Bassarids (Henze). Henze's opera is set to a libretto by Auden and Kallman, who required that the composer listen to Götterdämmerung before starting to compose the music.<ref name=Clements />
  • 1967 The Bear (Walton). The libretto for Walton's extravaganza was based on Chekov.<ref name=Clements />
  • 1968 Punch and Judy (Harrison Birtwistle). Birtwistle's first opera was commissioned by the English Opera Group.<ref name=Clements />
  • 1968 The Prodigal Son (Britten). The third of Britten's parables for church performance.<ref name="Thomas">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • 1969 The Devils of Loudun (Krzysztof Penderecki). Penderecki's first opera is also his most popular.<ref name="Thomas" />
  • 1970 The Knot Garden (Tippett). Tippett created his own modern scenario for the libretto of this work, his third opera.<ref name="Lewis" />
  • 1971 Owen Wingrave (Britten). Britten's anti-war opera was written especially for BBC television.Template:Sfn
  • 1972 Taverner (Peter Maxwell Davies). Davies was one of the most significant figures to emerge in British music the 1960s. This opera is based on a legend about the 16th-century composer John Taverner.Template:Sfn
  • 1973 Death in Venice (Britten). Britten's last opera was first performed three years before his death.<ref name="Orrey2" />
  • 1976 Einstein on the Beach (Philip Glass). Philip Glass' first opera conceived together with director Robert Wilson introduced minimalist composition and avantgarde performance to the world of opera and remains one of the best known operas of the twentieth century.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Significant firsts in opera history

Operas not included in the above list, but which were important milestones in operatic history.

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Lists consulted

This list was compiled by consulting nine lists of great operas, created by recognized authorities in the field of opera, and selecting all of the operas which appeared on at least five of these (i.e. all operas on a majority of the lists). The lists used were:

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  1. "The Standard Repertoire of Grand Opera 1607–1969", a list included in Norman Davies's Europe: a History (Oxford University Press, 1996; paperback edition Pimlico, 1997). Template:ISBN.
  2. Operas appearing in the chronology by Mary Ann Smart in The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford University Press, 1994). Template:ISBN.
  3. Operas with entries in The New Kobbé's Opera Book, ed. Lord Harewood (Putnam, 9th ed., 1997). Template:ISBN
  4. Template:Cite book by Matthew Boyden. (2002 edition). Template:ISBN.
  5. Operas with entries in The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera ed. Paul Gruber (Thames and Hudson, 1993). Template:ISBN and/or Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas ed. John W Freeman (Norton, 1984). Template:ISBN
  6. List of operas and their composers in Who's Who in British Opera ed. Nicky Adam (Scolar Press, 1993). Template:ISBN
  7. Entries for individual operas in Template:Cite book
  8. Entries for individual operas in Who's Who in Opera: a guide to opera characters by Joyce Bourne (Oxford University Press, 1998). Template:ISBN

Operas included in all nine lists

The 93 operas included in all nine lists cited are: Template:Div col

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See also

References

Citations

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Sources

Further reading

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