Die Walküre (German pronunciation: [diː valˈkyːʁə]; The Valkyrie), WWV 86B, is the second of four long operas that make up Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (English: The Ring of the Nibelung). It was first performed as a single opera at the National Theatre in Munich on June 26, 1870. Later, it was first performed as part of the full Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on August 14, 1876.
Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde), WWV 90, is a three-act music drama by Richard Wagner. The story is written in German by Wagner and is based on a medieval romance by Gottfried von Strassburg from the 12th century. Wagner first planned the work in 1854, and the music was written between 1857 and 1859.
The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution (Italian: Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L’inutile precauzione) is a comic opera in two acts. It was written by Gioachino Rossini, with the Italian text created by Cesare Sterbini. The story is based on a French play titled The Barber of Seville by Pierre Beaumarchais, which was first performed in 1775.
Norma is a lyric tragedy or opera in two acts composed by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto, or text of the opera, was written by Felice Romani based on the play Norma, ou L’infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on December 26, 1831.
“La sonnambula” (Italian pronunciation: [la sonˈnambula]; “The Sleepwalker”) is an opera in two acts, written by Vincenzo Bellini in the bel canto style, which emphasizes beautiful singing and melodies. The story was adapted from a ballet-pantomime titled “La somnambule, ou L’arrivée d’un nouveau seigneur,” created by Eugène Scribe and choreographed by Jean-Pierre Aumer. This ballet first performed in Paris in September 1827 during a popular trend of stage performances that included sleepwalking themes.
Lucia di Lammermoor is a tragic opera in three acts written by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian-language libretto was written by Salvadore Cammarano and is based on Walter Scott’s 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor. Donizetti composed Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835, during the height of his fame as an opera composer.
L’elisir d’amore (pronounced [leliˈzir daˈmoːre]; The Elixir of Love) is a comic melodrama, also called opera buffa, in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto based on a version by Eugène Scribe for Daniel Auber’s opera Le philtre from 1831. The opera was first performed on May 12, 1832, at the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan.
Turandot is an opera with three acts written by Giacomo Puccini. The story was created by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni in Italian. Puccini died in 1924, and he did not finish the opera.
Rigoletto is an opera with three acts written by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian text was written by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Victor Hugo’s 1832 play Le roi s’amuse. Despite problems with Austrian censors who controlled northern Italian theaters, the opera had a successful first performance at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851.
Otello (Italian pronunciation: [oˈtɛllo]) is an opera in four acts written by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito. It is based on Shakespeare’s play Othello. Otello was Verdi’s second-to-last opera and first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on February 5, 1887.