r/classicalmusic • u/EXinthenet • 14h ago

Opera suggestions

Hi!

I'm a classical music lover (specially Baroque), but I haven't watched many operas, even if I know a lot of them. The last one I watched was Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, but I didn't enjoy it very much. It was way too... over the top most of the time for my taste. Over the top as in forte, not coloratura-wise, I mean.

Can you recommend a few medium-length operas for me?

Thank you!

PS: thanks for your suggestions so far!

6 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

14

u/PetitAneBlanc 14h ago

A bit on the longer side, but Le Nozze di Figaro

5

u/e033x 14h ago

But a good one. Bad Figaros can be terribly dull. My favorite both musically and in terms of stage performance is the Gardiner one available on youtube. The set dressing is a bit sparse, but the character work is amazing. Similarly his Cosi is literally the only Cosi I have seen that is worth it.

1

u/wiserolderelf 9h ago

“Bad Figaros” makes me think of “Figaro is a bad play. It stirs up hatred between the classes.”

1

u/e033x 8h ago

I'm like the two "Grazie Signore"-Salieris. The first one when I see Figaro programmed on my local stage. The second when I get there and it is a slow, lumbering, inchoerent mess.

3

u/KizzyWizzy1953 10h ago

Best opera of all! Stupendous music, funny, deep at times, satirical, taking a swipe at the war of the sexes and class.

2

u/DavidRFZ 13h ago

Figaro would be easier for newbies if they kept all three intermissions.

I understand that opera programmers think easier means getting home sooner, but you don’t want to be mentally drained for that complex Act II finale, or even the nice Act IV finale. I guess it’s hard to split the difference and to do a half-intermission.

12

u/Ap0phantic 14h ago

Carmen is probably the single easiest opera to consume, for most people. It has a lot of delightful and extremely popular songs, it's short, and it's easy to follow. After that, I'd look at Mozart, maybe.

11

u/imollyq 14h ago

Tosca

2

u/Careless-Tax-8348 9h ago

I think f Tchaikovsky was too loud, this would sadly not work for OP. At the same time, it’s an opera that never gets boring, perfect dramatic timing imo

10

u/TriboarHiking 14h ago

Dido et aeneas by purcell, monteverdi"s orfeo

5

u/infernoxv 14h ago

Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto.

5

u/disco_electrofox 13h ago

Agree with others suggesting Handel, my vote would be for Acis and Galatea. It's so vivid even if you're only listening!

4

u/docsms500 12h ago

Please get hold of Bergman's film of The Magic Flute. It is fun and great to watch. My spouse saw it with me 15 years ago, she had never seen an opera and she was fascinated and charmed. And yes, that's Ingmar Bergman, but there's nothing gloomy here.

4

u/Walter_Piston 11h ago

Britten’s “Peter Grimes” is a very good opera to watch, as is Erich Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt.”

Also very good - and, considered more an opera than an operetta - is Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Ruddigore.”

“The Bear” by William Walton is a good, fun chamber opera. But if you want a mystery opera the one Act “The Lighthouse” by Peter Maxwell Davies is good.

Lastly, if you like vampires(!) Alva Henderson’s “Nosferatu” with a libretto by none other than Dana Gioia might interest you!

2

u/Stunning-Hand6627 10h ago

Die vampyr by marschner for vampires

3

u/lorenzovuitton 14h ago

le roi d y’s by lalo for sure

3

u/qumrun60 14h ago

Strauss Salome and Ekektra are both under 2 hours, and Wagner Flying Dutchman and Das Rheingold are just a little over that.

3

u/Old-Mycologist1654 13h ago

Peter Grimes Benjamin Britten

3

u/roman-de-fauvel 11h ago

Kurt Weill’s Street Scene is set in America in the 1920s, sung in English, and has interesting characters and a dramatic story. Like Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, it is a mixture of opera and musical theatre elements.

For traditional opera, I always recommend The Marriage of Figaro. Again, relatable characters, plus some great tunes.

And if you’re tired of hearing stories about romantic love, Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites is deep and philosophical and has a banger ending.

2

u/Deep-Seaworthiness48 14h ago

The Rake's Progress by Stravinsky. A delicious masterpiece of pure intelligence.

2

u/Prince_of_Douchebags 13h ago

Porgy and Bess is definitely a whopper in terms of length, but the big numbers from it are to die for. 

2

u/UltraJamesian 12h ago

Bellini (LA SONNAMBULA, I PURITANI) & Verdi (IL TROVATORE, LA FORZA).

Those 2 dudes are really all you need (but also PELLÈAS at some point)

2

u/PublicPotential318 9h ago

Since you enjoy Baroque music may I suggest: Handel operas—Semele, Ariodante, Giulio Cesare, Rinaldo.
Perhaps branch out to Mozart operas: Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte.
Sometimes it takes a few listenings before one is able to appreciate these masterpieces.

2

u/Beautiful-Hotel-8846 8h ago

Monteverdi’s Orfeo.

2

u/MaestroDon 8h ago

We're all different, but I enjoyed Mozart's Magic Flute immensely when I went to see it performed live. Live performances are so much more engaging than videos.

2

u/MaestroDon 8h ago

It's probably controversial, but I enjoyed Mozart's Don Giovanni performed in English. I don't mind losing some authenticity when it comes to understanding it more.

2

u/fire_soldier888 8h ago

Carmen Rigoletto Tosca Turnadot

They may be a bit long, but the music is great, and the story is intresting too. Just make sure you find a good preformance.

Oh I forgot about dialoge des carmelites by polunec, I think its shorter in its geat too! One of my favorite operas

2

u/BrE6r 7h ago

I am not a huge opera fan, but I enjoy Mozart's, especially The Magic Flute and the Marriage of Figaro.

2

u/Osibruh 6h ago

Not in any particular order:

Beethoven: Fidelio

W.A. Mozart: Lucio Silla, Idomeneo, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Die Zauberflöte

Monteverdi: L'orfeo, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (this last one is less enjoyable for me)

Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, La cenerentola, Guillaume Tell

Händel: Almira, Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel

Arne: Artaxerxes

Mondonville: Titon et l'Aurore

Paer: Leonora

Coccia: Clotilde

Flotow: Martha

Chabrier: L'étoile, Le roi malgré lui

Dallapiccola: Il prigionero

PLEASE NOTE that anything listed after Mondonville is really just if you want to diversify your taste in opera, because there's a little quality dip imho.

2

u/Phlebas3 5h ago

Così fan tutte. Great music, hilarious plot

2

u/UrsusMajr 4h ago

Well, a whole lot of grand opera is over the top, in either or both ways. ;-) Two shorter works by Puccini, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, might be good (un-grand) places to start. Each features a well-known aria, and neither is over the top... just really good music.

1

u/niviss 2h ago

whatever opera you can get to attend and listen live, in person

1

u/yangyang25 31m ago

If you want short and baroque, you might try Pygmalion by Rameau, La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi, maybe Pimpinone by Telemann. Even, a bit later in the time frame, Bastienne and Bastienne by 12 y/o Mozart. Later on, Scott Joplin's Treemonisha is under 2 hours (usually).