Simpleopera 
Don Pasquale Plot Things to look out for Don Pasquale is the first Comic Opera without Secco recitatives. About the librettist Something about Don Pasquale It is claimed that this exquisite Bel Canto opera was written in only 11 days. That could be true but one should consider the use of old, already-written material, something … Read more
La Cenerentola vs Cinderella Plot Things to watch out for The voices How to write a two and a half hours opera in three weeks. La Cenerentola – Cinderella. Rossini’s opera is a candy bag of musical fireworks. We all know the story. Young girl being forced to serve as a maid in her own … Read more
Austrian composer. Born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. Dead in Vienna, Austria, December 5, 1791 Cosi fan Tutte Don Giovanni Le Nozze di Figaro – The Marriage of Figaro Die Zauberflöte – The Magic Flute
Italian composer. Born in Busseto, Italy, October 10, 1813. Died in Milan, Italy, January 27, 1901. Aida La Traviata Nabucco Rigoletto Il Trovatore – The Troubadour
Italian composer. Born in Lucca, Italy, Dicembre 22, 1858 Dead in Bruxelles, Belgium, Novembre 29, 1924 La Boheme Madama Butterfly Tosca Turandot
Tchaikovsky vs Pushkin Plot What to look out for About the voices Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage How Pushkin was turned into opera. In the spring of 1877, Pyotr Tchaikovsky found himself at the home of Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya in Moscow. Yelizaveta was a mezzo-soprano much appreciated by the Russian public and a dear friend of Tchaikovsky. The … Read more
Il Trovatore – The Troubadour Why Il Trovatore needs a little more preparation on your part. Plot Things to look out for The voices La Trilogia Popolare – The Popular Trilogy. Together with Rigoletto, and La Traviata, Il Trovatore is part of what is called La Trilogia Popolare. Verdi never labeled them that, and he … Read more
Pagliacci The legal case that was the base for the story. Plot What to look out for. How Enrico Caruso conquered the world. Pagliacci is Leoncavallo’s most famous opera. The composer stroke big at his very first attempt. Just think that his second most performed opera is La Bohème. Yes, the same story as Puccini’s … Read more
Cavalleria Rusticana What happened before the day of the opera. Plot Things to look out for Santuzza, soprano or mezzo-soprano? Italian verismo Mascagni’s masterpiece. In 1880, the short story Cavalleria Rusticana was published in the Sunday edition of Il Fanfulla. The usage of a colored and extended version of the paper on Sundays was a … Read more
Nabucco When Italy became a nation Plot Things to look out for The voice of Abigail Verdi’s first real success. Giuseppe Verdi was 28 years when he wrote Nabucco. He came from two previous operas that premiered at La Scala… A well-received Oberto, Conte di San Bonifaci and a complete fiasco with the comedy Un … Read more