As an opera singer, one of the most popular questions I am asked by those unfamiliar with the art form is, “What opera do you recommend I see?” This is a daunting question in many ways. First of all, I have to pick just one? Second, if I don’t know the person very well, it’s hard to say. There are several standard opera recommendations (and I will list some here), but I find that I am often surprised by the operas that draw others in. Therefore, the purpose of this list is to provide opera recommendations based on each new viewer’s interests and personality.
(I also tried to add a fair amount of English-language operas, as one of the biggest secondary complaints I receive is that all operas are in Italian and can’t be understood. For those people, it should also be noted that most performances offer English subtitles.)
For the Traditionalist
Maybe you do have someone in your life who just wants to see a standard opera, a classic that all fans know and love. For this person, I have some of the most recommended operas in all the land.
Le Nozze di Figaro – W.A. Mozart
La Traviata – Giuseppe Verdi
La Bohème – Giacomo Puccini
The Barber of Seville – Gioachino Rossini
Carmen – Georges Bizet
For the Child at Heart
Some are adverse to opera because they think it’s all tragic, everyone dies, and the music is far too heavy. They would much rather be playing with their kids or daydreaming. This is my favorite category, for I am this person. Here are my recommendations for you.
L’Enfant et les Sortilèges – Maurice Ravel
Hansel und Gretel – Engelbert Humperdinck
La Cenerentola (Cinderella) – Gioachino Rossini
The Magic Flute – W.A. Mozart
The Little Prince – Rachel Portman
Cendrillon – Jules Massenet
For the Person who Read the Book
The number of operas out there based on a book or play are staggering, especially Shakespeare plays. Seriously, pick a Shakespeare play and there is probably already an opera out there of it. For some other well-known books that make great operas, check out this list.
Little Women – Mark Adamo
Moby Dick – Jake Heggie
Of Mice and Men – Carlisle Floyd
Don Quichotte – Jules Massenet
War and Peace – Sergei Prokofiev
Wuthering Heights – Bernard Herrmann
For the Person Looking for a Spectacle
These people usually can be found in front of their TVs watching action movies where things blow up, or movies with dazzling special effects. While opera can’t quite manage these things, the operas on this list certainly come with a view.
The Ring Cycle – Richard Wagner
Turandot – Giacomo Puccini
Aida – Giuseppe Verdi
Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Jacques Offenbach
Faust – Charles Gounod
For the Lover of Chaos
Maybe, in contrast to the Child at Heart, you do love the death and destruction opera has to offer! You want to see people go crazy, make terrible decisions, and kill others (or themselves). These operas are for you.
Tosca – Giacomo Puccini
Turandot – Giacomo Puccini
Lucia di Lammermoor – Gaetano Donizetti
Carmen – Georges Bizet
Rigoletto – Giuseppe Verdi
I Pagliacci – Ruggero Leoncavallo
For the Person on a Tight Schedule
I have to give credit to my brother for this one, who said that the biggest turn-off to opera for him was the long run time (ironically, he also would appreciate operas that create a spectacle, which tend to be some of the longest ones out there, but I digress). What I would say to him, or any others who dread hours of opera, is that there are many fabulous operas out there in one act or with a short runtime. Some of those operas are listed below.
Gianni Schicchi – Giacomo Puccini
Dido and Aeneas – Henry Purcell
Der Schauspieldirektor – W.A. Mozart
L’Enfant et les Sortilèges – Maurice Ravel
Trouble in Tahiti – Leonard Bernstein
The Medium – Gian Carlo Menotti
For the Politically-Minded Viewer
I include this category because my politically-minded father found no opera memorable until he experienced one of the operas on this list. For him, it was about finding a story that was relatable, which actually inspired this blog post in the first place (thanks, dad!).
Nixon in China – John Adams
Doctor Atomic – John Adams
The Death of Klinghoffer – John Adams
Harvey Milk – Stewart Wallace
Boris Godunov – Modest Mussorgsky
The Consul – Gian Carlo Menotti
Les Dialogues des Carmelites – Francis Poulenc
Agrippina – G.F. Handel
La Clemenza di Tito – W.A. Mozart
For the Musical Theater Fans
No matter how many times you tell this person that opera is the precursor to musical theater, they just don’t buy it. They think the tunes won’t be catchy and the story won’t be fun. Yet there are many operas that have directly inspired musicals, or sound very musical theater-esque. Maybe some of these operas will change their mind.
La Bohème – Giacomo Puccini (This opera is the plot of the musical Rent)
Candide – Leonard Bernstein
Trouble in Tahiti – Leonard Bernstein
Porgy and Bess – George Gershwin
Die Fledermaus – Johann Strauss II
Street Scene – Kurt Weill
For the Person who Swears They’ve Heard That Before…
These people are aware of the opera arias, duets, ensembles, and what-not they’ve heard in popular culture, but can’t place it. These operas relate closely to the list for the Traditionalist; that is to say, there’s a reason these works are so popular. This list contains operas with tunes so popular, people will be thrilled to finally know what it comes from.
La Traviata – Giuseppe Verdi
Rigoletto – Giuseppe Verdi
The Magic Flute – W.A. Mozart
Lakmé – Léo Delibes
The Barber of Seville – Giacomo Rossini
Turandot – Giacomo Puccini
Gianni Schicchi – Giacomo Puccini
Die Walküre – Richard Wagner
Carmen – Georges Bizet
As you may have noticed, I put some operas in more than one category. This is because opera can be a lot of things. There are also many more operas out there that I have not listed here. The main point I wish to reach from this post is that opera can truly be for everyone.
Is there a category you would like to add? Are the operas that should be added to a list I have already created? If you would like help finding an opera for that special someone in your life, feel free to comment or send me a message. I am always eager to create more fans!