Don’t let anyone persuade you there aren’t great 20th (and 21st) century operas in a range of idioms. There is a broad arching key structure of F# moving to C and back to F# which some people apparently think represents darkness and light, and which, now that I think about it, makes perfect sense. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Béla Bartók (1881–1945) wrote only one opera, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, a key piece in 20th century music theatre and the only Hungarian work with a secure place in the international operatic repertoire. The featured image (detail) is provided by the Serbian National Theatre and is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose. ( Log Out /  The Captain greets this admonition with pointed dismay. My piece should read: “Two Spaniards set out to rescue . The unreasonable side is that among operas that are generally agreed to be in the top layer, further distinguishing really is largely a matter of what one personally likes or appreciates. Facts on operas, famous opera houses, composer works, opera lauguage, opera terms, and more. So I would not say that Kierkegaard thought that Don Giovanni was the best ever, but rather that The Seducer did, as a practitioner of the purely aesthetic (as opposed to ethical or religious) life. I do like grand Verdi and would have Aida and Don Carlo on my list, in place of your two by Berlioz (which I admit I don’t really know). Opera in the 20th century would continue to adapt and transform itself in the face of new musical trends, social revolutions and world turmoil. Greatest piece of music produced for voice and orchestra of all time. Here is the delightful duet, “Vivat Bacchus,” during which Pedrillo talks a Moorish guard into getting drunk, so that the Europeans can escape his clutches. In my years in the field I was always most moved by classical music of the 20th century. Although Porgy & Bess is an incredible composition, as well. Verdi, La Traviata. Duke Bluebeard's Castle - by Bartók Salome - by Strauss The Fiery Angel- by Prokofiev Tosca - by Puccini … “Ravel’s musical gods were Schumann and Weber, but when I told him that I disliked Puccini he became angry. It’s the opera I cut my teeth on when I first started listening to opera in the early ’90s. This list may not reflect recent changes . His operas include Der ferne Klang and Die Gezeichneten. Next to that endorsement, snide remarks from people like Kerman mean nothing to me (although my own ear is my final judge). Otello by Giuseppe Verdi (I agree with Alexander IX, it is my favorite Verdi opera) Absurd, yes; sexist, yes, but musically divine. This list is heavily weighted to the Romantic period, with six of ten operas being from that period, if you include The Barber of Seville in the Romantic period. It’s what is enjoyed. >Traviata Your donation to the Institute in support of The Imaginative Conservative is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Their greatnesses, each in his own way, were essentially equal, or at least incommensurate. It tells the story of a St. Petersburg official who manages to lose his nose and watches it achieve a greater social status than he himself before it magically re-attaches itself. Her vocal line is entirely flat. “Don Giovanni” ends with eternal damnation and the sense that justice was served. With exception of Tosca, I find his work underwhelming, especially given his inflated reputation. And the same for Bizet. I literally immediately regret my list not having Britten or Janacek on it. The beauty lies in the simplicity (that’s fucking ingenious if I understand it correctly, Walter…it’s a Swiss fucking watch). Susanna and the neglected Countess, for example, team up to play a prank on the Count, foiling his attempt to have a clandestine rendezvous with his wife’s maidservant. The news spreads that Marie’s body has been found, and they all run off to see, except for Marie’s little boy, who after an oblivious moment, follows after the others. Not as stunning as Glass however. I agree with another poster that La Boheme and Madame Butterfly are magnificent and would be on my list. Scene 3 (Largo): Wozzeck confronts Marie, who does not deny his suspicions. My first listening on my Sony Walkman cassette player was until the quartet, “Bella fillia de l’amore” which I replayed over and over. When I think of opera it is “grand opera” on my mind, and among the grandest of the grand I would have to name Don Giovanni, Aida, Carmen, Boris Godunov, Die Meistersinger and Tristan und Isolde as the most outstanding for me. I actually don’t like Don Giovanni much, but I love music from The Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan tutte. But I’m not an opera buff (yet) and will check our library’s catalog for the ones that are. But I’m giving it a try regardless. When Wozzeck comes by, they insinuate that Marie is being unfaithful to him. Tito Gobbi was one of the greatest Italian baritones of the 20th century. Wagner, The Ring Cycle. “When the opera reaches its last half an hour, starting with Aeneas’s departure for Rome, Dido’s rage, curses, misery, sudden accesses of calm, fresh outbursts, calm acceptance of utter loss and, the final doomed realization of Rome’s triumph—one finds oneself on a level that shuns most other opera’s attempts at classical transcendence.”. There it is. No Puccini on the list? I think Giulio Cesare would most belong on the top-ten list. We were hooked and started listening to the Saturday Met broadcasts. Traviata is as good as it gets although I prefer Rigoletto and even Trovatore from that period of Verdi’s. W.A. The minor second plays a huge role musically…they call it the blood motif, as you hear it anytime Judith notices blood on Bluebeard’s stuff. Verdi and Wagner should be up there. I stand by my choices, sir, including that of placing four operas by Mozart first on the list. But perhaps one of my favorite operas is Madama Butterfly simply because there are no wasted notes and it is all exquisitely beautiful. I have mentioned one of the most famous, Senesino. But I think Wagner and Monteverdi were better composers than Vivaldi and Berlioz. I am a diehard “Mozartianer”. About Fidelio is such a beautifull music piece, but a shame over the plot and libretto so it is not worthy of a top ten. Luciano Pavarotti. ( Log Out /  Enjoyed this site vey much. Hændel’s operas are, imo, also excellent, although they are SO numerous (he wrote 42 operas and 29 oratorios) that I think he must have recycled music in some parts of them. 20th Century Russian Opera Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges • War and Peace Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress 20th Century Austrian Opera Berg: Wozzeck 20th Century Czech Opera Janacek: Jenufa • Katya Kabanova 20th Century Hungarian Opera Bartok: Duke Bluebeard's Castle 20th Century American Opera Gershwin: Porgy and Bess No “Fidelio”? I issue apologies to every Britten opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Elektra, The Rake’s Progress, Lulu, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Rusalka, Tosca, Jenufa, The Golden Cockerel (the suite is one of my all-time favorite pieces, though), The Love for Three Oranges, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany, Moses und Aron, Antony and Cleopatra, Turandot, Die tote Stadt, and The Cunning Little Vixen. I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Rigoletto. The Drum-major comes in, intoxicated, and rouses Wozzeck out of bed to fight with him. ( Log Out /  20th century operas I listed some 20th century operas I like. All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Of his operas, I have listened to Aggripina, Giulio Cesare, Alessandro Severo, Siroe Re di Persia, Alcina, and Rinaldo. The libretti of Vivaldi’s operas are complex and usually ridiculous—though this can be said of most opera libretti—but it is the brilliance of the music that carries the day. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Interesting list. And, to add a point…no one writes for baritones quite like Verdi, and the Gemont / Violetta duet is something of a legend. As always, Mozart is fascinated by human relationships, and though much has been made of the tension between the Don and his servant Leporello, Mozart sees class not as determinative of human interaction but as a lens through which the nature of man can be better understood. Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky. No Wagner, no Monteverdi? This Biblical tragedy was the first of Nielsen's two operas. Cheers! Considered by many to be the greatest composer who ever lived, his operas are also often held to be his supreme achievement. He says a melody from the love duet in Act II of La fanciulla del west appears in the chase scene in Act III for “no very good reason.” He fails to notice that the melody occurs, sung by Johnson, in act II on the words “Io non ti lascio piu/I will leave you no more,” as he promises Minnie to stay with her forever, and that the later reminiscence Osborne finds inexplicable occurs as Johnson is being captured **while trying to leave**. Fidelio is one of the most thrilling and a testament to married love. Margret taunts Marie for flirting with the soldiers. Thanks for the recommendation of the Vivaldi rarity. Both the aesthetic and the ethical are transcended by the religious. Scene 1 (Suite): Wozzeck is shaving the Captain who lectures him for living an immoral life. 2. But I “overlistened” to it and now have a hard time listening to it, except in performance. Many of you will know (and many won’t) that I spent a number of years studying opera and performing professionally as an opera singer. Mozart seemed not to mind. Probably overlooked since this is his only great opera, but what a perfect work it is. On other themes, I would include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion; Purcell’s King Arthur; Händel’s Alcina; Lully’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (after the comédie by Molière); Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater; and Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie. Another characteristic of 18th century opera is that high voices were regarded as heroic, and these roles were generally sung by castrati, who were highly skilled virtuosi. Trade out Salome for Rosenkavalier, then scrap the Gershwin for some Stravinsky or Puccini, and we’ve got a deal. “One wonders why this work is so underrated,” one critic writes. Relativism and secularism have taken their toll on the arts: a recent Swedish staging of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” recast the story as a whodunnit, wholly devoid of religious tones, and a Viennese production of “Rusalka” (an underrated opera in my view, worthy of top-10 consideration) rendered sin as . 1904 Jenůfa (Leoš Janáček). Conductor? I think that once we get to true greatness, order or ranking has no meaning. Scene 4 (Invention on a 6-Note Chord): Having returned to the murder scene, Wozzeck becomes obsessed with the thought that the knife he killed Marie with will incriminate him, and throws it into the pond. Anyway, I could write a book (and sort of plan to) on why Puccini was a genius of a musical-dramatist. Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) I personally agree with the currently common notion that Bach, Mozart and Beethoven are three composers who stand above the rest, but each of them did some absolutely worth doing better than anyone else, and I find it ridiculous to try to distinguish among them according to some “objective” criterion. I’m listening; but I’m the grumpy guy in the corner wearing the horned helmet and clutching Shirley the Valkyrie in her tin brassiere! 10 Best: 5 Best: 20th-Century Operas. Or magic flute. Premiered in 1838, the opera was a failure, and for more than 100 years after the composer’s death it lay unperformed, until revived and recorded by the British conductor, Sir Colin Davis in 1972. Puccini, Tosca. 7. No Wagner? Here are my 15 Favorites; but I have not the courage to assign them an order: >Troyens It is also almost impossible to sing. Berlioz, however, considered the piece one of his supreme achievements:  “I swear I shall never again achieve this verve and Cellinian impetuosity nor such variety of ideas.”. Tosca is a full of brilliant harmony and orchestration, as a very great (and my favorite – at least, when I’m listening to him) composer from the 20th century will tell you. 2 onstage characters, 1 large set, 1 act, 1 hour. Though clearly in the buffa genre, the story’s resolution brings one of Mozart’s most sublime moments, as the repentant Count begs forgiveness of the Countess, and order is restored. One point about Kierkegaard and Don Giovanni: I believe that Kierkegaard’s endorsement of Don Giovanni was a part of his book Either/Or. Then I read Dante, or The Plague, or Phaedrus and have the same feeling. But those things may or may not appeal to a person. I love them! Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971). The subject matter of this, Berg’s first opera, is quite literally enough to depress a person just by reading it: exploiting the poor (for the benefit of science! 7. That’s a relief! Stunning. Re Brian Gill’s comments about Don Giovanni, am I the only person who thinks that Mozart is ambiguous about his hero? Famous 20th Century Opera Singers. The best sopranos of the twentieth century. Though the aristocratic Droit du seigneur and the Count himself are mocked, as in Don Giovanni, Mozart is concerned less with class and more with the battle of the sexes, which he clearly sees as more revealing of the human soul and more important in the forging of human alliances. Marie is anxious to leave, but Wozzeck restrains her. Once there, Judith wants some natural light and begs Bluebeard to open some doors, but he refuses. I have a question that I cannot find the answer to: Steve Masty has fired the first shot! Then also possibly a Janacek opera. 5. Recommended Recording:  Rozhdestvensky/Moscow Chamber Theater/Leningrad Philharmonic in a recording of the folks who revived the opera after it was censored, overseen personally by Shostakovich himself. 13 Birgit Nilsson. What exuberance set free! The Seducer loved Don Giovanni because both The Seducer and Don Giovanni (Don Juan) were lovers of (or slaves to) sensuous passion. To Mr. Grimm: Yes, you are of course correct re the nationalities of the main characters. Top 10 Stunning 20th Century Operas. She is wonderful but dared to feel she was equal. Kierkegaard did not believe everything he made The Seducer say, and portrayed him in a negative light at many times. Here is the scene in which Tatiana pours out her love for Onegin in a letter. When I’m reading War and Peace it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever read and nothing can compare to it. Agree. A predecessor of the other great Mozart operas included here, The Abduction already shows the composer’s mastery of operatic writing and his ability to depict the comedic and tragic elements of life in a seamless musical mosaic. I’ll admit to being fascinated…generally, the more screwed up an opera plot is, the better. Perhaps a listen to the rollicking “Abduction” will serve as a balm for your grumpiness? Gone were the days of a plot that really solves itself in 3 minutes but takes 2 and a half hours to get through (she loves WHO?!! If aliens come to Earth intent on destroying us, it is distinctly possible that we could shield ourselves from their hellish death rays and mind control by simply joining in a world wide chorus of “Summertime,” quite possibly the most versatile and oft-interpreted piece of music ever (Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Sublime, AND The Zombies?). Below is a list of the ten greatest operas ever composed, in order of greatness, from ten down to number one, in the estimation of the present author. Should a Monteverdi opera have been on the list? 4) Lulu . When comparing composers as such, and not particular operas, I think some opera composers were equally great. Though not convinced, Wozzeck gives her some money and leaves. 6. 10. I’ll avoid the issue of Wagner on the grounds that he wrote ‘music dramas’ and not operas, so he’s really a genre to himself. But it is too late: Tatiana has married a prince to whom she is determined to remain faithful, despite her still-active feelings for Onegin. Enraged, Wozzeck is about to hit her, when she stops him, saying even her father never dared lay a hand on her. It’s not even as good as Cosi Fan Tutte. Having developed an appreciation for opera while living in Vienna I was pleased to find a posting on this topic. Her Turandot and her Bruunhilde, Isolde, Salome or Elctra... She har something that all others lack - she was never a diva. If oratorios were included there would, with certainty, be some Bach in the list. The Romantics, who did not like old-fashioned moralizing, often cut the opera’s final sextet, in which the surviving characters make sense of the Don’s downfall: “Thus it is to evildoers.” And though Mozart was surely committed to having the lascivious Don get his comeuppance at the end of the opera, there is little doubt that the composer could not help but admire the prowess of Giovanni, who runs circles around the opera’s other characters and who is only defeated by an act of supernatural revenge. She cries out that she wants forgiveness. I’d be sitting next to you, not because I like Wagner but just because you sound like a fun guy. Along with a Mozart or two, Verdi, Carmen, possibly a Handel or Dido and Aeneas. However, I’m excited to see so much Mozart on the list! Here are a few: Richard Strauss - Salome, Elektra, Rosenkavalier and others. Die Meistersingers von Nurberg (Wagner) The happy ending is typical of Mozart and packs a surprise, as the seemingly villainous Turkish Pasha grants his captives their freedom. One of the most famous opera singers of the 20th. I consider Tchaikovsky to have been better than Dvořák, although I am only familiar with Rusalka. But it was not until 1890, twenty-one years after the composer’s death, that the full opera was produced on stage, and it was not until 1969 that a recording of the complete piece was made (under the direction of Sir Colin Davis). After many years away from Tatiana, Onegin realizes that he indeed loves her. Butterfly’s last aria is very powerful. It’s a shame (really) that the only available production on DVD has robots and is hideous. Based on Prosper Mérimée’s novella, the plot centers on the eponymous character’s seduction and corruption of Don Jose, a Spanish officer who abandons his family, his duty, his virtue, his reason, and at last his soul in favor of his all-consuming desire to possess the beautiful gypsy. 1) Wozzeck Heck, see all of them. However, I cannot place any of his operas on a par with the ten I have chosen, despite their popularity and influence. Written between 1856 and 1858, the opera was not staged in its entirety during Berlioz’s lifetime, partly due to the expense of staging a work with so many leading roles and with a libretto that called for spectacular sets and special effects. There is no moral ambiguity in either the libretto or the sublime music that Mozart composed for it, and for that reason the genius of this opera may well outlast political correctness. >Rake’s Progress Then Wozzeck comes by and tells Marie of the terrible visions he has had. After a brief hunter’s chorus, Andres asks Wozzeck why he is sitting by himself. But taste is taste and if I’m honest I Puritani is as high on my list as anything. First, I second your choice of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. But it is not unequalled. But me thinks you err 6 & 1; flip them and you’ve got it about perfect. I can’t personally imagine a list without Eugene Onegin, Lucia, or Norma. As a blood-red moon rises, Wozzeck becomes determined that if he can’t have Marie, no one else can, and he stabs her. My Grandfather is a southern rock musician, you would think he would relax to that, but he didn’t. Least until we heard Rioletto or movie success, a problem with commenter... S like saying cherries are better than a poor performance of Don Giovanni great Sopranos of different vocal types in! 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