![]() ![]() The joys of love and sorrow and some of the most memorable melodies of all time.” A love story at its heart, Mimì and Rodolfo are sent on a journey of heartbreak and hardship that gives rise to some of the most heart-wrenching music ever written, including ‘O soave fanciulla’ and more.Īnne-Marie Minhall: “This Puccini opera about young bohemians has everything. When I was little, I used to sing the Anvil Chorus with my brother and sister, but we never knew the words so we just made up our own!”īased on a set of 1851 short stories, Puccini’s La bohème is set in the Latin quarter of early 19th-century Paris. Music you might recognise from it includes the ‘Anvil Chorus’ which, as the title might suggest, depicts anvils being struck at dawn.Īlexander Armstrong: “ Il trovatore holds a sentimental place in my heart. It arrived amidst a flurry of musical activity in the early 1850s, as Verdi was busy with Rigoletto, and four other opera projects, around the time. Il trovatore, or The Troubadour was premiered in Rome on 19 January 1853, with a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Gaelle Arquez as Carmen at the Bregenz Festival. Read more: Did you know that Carmen had a completely disastrous premiere? Packed with memorable tunes – who does not know the Toreador’s Song? – it is rightly recognised today as one of the finest of all operas.” ![]() John Suchet: “Carmen was ground-breaking at the time, seducing the hapless Don Jose to get what she wants, although she knows it will destroy his career. Hits from start to finish and a great story of love, jealousy, tragedy, and a woman remaining true to herself.” Despite an unsuccessful run in France, it achieved great popularity throughout the rest of Europe within its first decade and remains a firm opera house favourite to this day, providing us with the ‘ Habañera’ and the ‘Toreador Song’ – two of the most popular opera arias today.Īnne-Marie Minhall: “Carmen is one of the strongest roles for a feisty mezzo soprano. When it was first performed in Paris, the scandalous story of Georges Bizet’s Carmen shocked 1875 audiences with its wild tale of a single-minded woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and would stop at nothing to get it. Read more: Best Puccini operas of all time ![]()
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