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Opera at the Library
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The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a cover to enable you to listen to or read more about the items.
[ Page last updated 15th October 2009]
New Opera CD | Opera on CD Quicksearch | NEW Opera DVDs
| Books | Compilations | Composers and genre | Web-site links |
Scope
What is covered here? Opera in this context refers to a staged dramatic musical work, wholly or mostly sung. The narrative is acted out (e.g. with costumes and lighting) rather than just implied by the music. It may be a comedy or tragedy, but both the text and music are integral. Generally, these fall within the "art music tradition".Musicals such as Cats, by Andrew Lloyd Webber are included on our Musicals page .
NEW OPERA COMPACT DISC
 | Idomeneo by Mozart Sunhae Im, Alesandrina Pendatchanska, soprano ; Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano ; Richard Croft, Kenneth Tarver, tenor ; Luca Tittoto, bass ; Nicolas Rivenq, baritone ; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra ; RIAS-Kammerchor ; Rene Jacobs, conductor. Several critics (e.g. Andrew Clements in the Guardian ), have noted the intrusive element of the exuberant continuo playing. Another notes that the introduction at the start of Act Two may cause one to think that there is a mixup at the packing plant. (musical criticism.com) Partly this is due to the inclusion of much of the recitative that may be ommitted from other performances. But there's still a great deal to enjoy from this release. Jacobs remembers that opera is entertainment and leading the cast, Richard Croft is a thoughtful and sensitive portrayal. |
Books
| The Grove book of opera singers, edited by Laura Macy. "Covering over 1500 singers from the origins of opera to the present day, this is the most comprehensive guide to opera singers in the English language. Articles from The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and Grove Music Online have been fully revised and updated and new entries have been commissioned on contemporary singers such as Angelika Kirchschlager and Sanford Sylvan." "Each entry is written by an expert in the field and special attention has been paid to identifying first performances of important roles. "The index of roles identifies the creator of over 2000 roles from the operatic repertory, from Monteverdi's Orfeo to Previa's Blanche Dubois. The book is thus an important source of information about the singers for whom the great operatic roles were first composed." (Book Jacket) |
 | The rough guide to opera written by Matthew Boyden ; with contributions from Joe Staines.
"The Rough Guide to Opera is a unique handbook on the most thrilling of art forms, spanning four hundred years of music drama. The title features lively biographical sketches of some 150 composers from Claudio Monteverdi to Poul Ruders, animating the main events of their careers and revealing their social and musical context. Entertaining accounts of hundreds of operas both famous and neglected and comprehensive reviews of over a thousand CDs from recent digital releases to the best historical recordings. From historical figures like Caruso to contemporary stars like Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming and Daniel Barenboim, discover the finest singers and conductors on record. Superb photographs, drawings, and CD cover images make this title an Opera-lover's essential." (Global Books) |
 | Understanding the women of Mozart's operas by Kristi Brown-Montesano. "The first of the book's two "acts" (sections), "(Anti-)Heroines and Women on the Edge," deals in large part with Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and the Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute). The second, "Sisterly Alliances and Sisters Subverted," looks at how sisterly relationships, social and biological, affect the outcomes of the operas. Here the author pairs Countess Almaviva and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Marcellina and Barbarina (also Figaro), and Fiordiligi and Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutti). The author finds a recurring theme in Mozart's late operas of women who speak out against what they see as abuse of power and double standards--e.g., Marcellina (despised housekeeper), Donna Elvira (in act 1 of Don Giovanni), Despina (clever, opportunistic maid), and the irrational Queen of the Night--and argues that audiences usually have little sympathy for these women because they are vengeful and do not act like proper Victorian women. Likewise, audiences admire Pamina (Magic Flute) as the ideal woman--both a good wife and a daughter who respects patriarchal authority--because of a preconceived idea of what is acceptable behavior in a female. An interesting, unique, well-written study. Reviewed by R. Pitts, writing in Choice, courtesy of Syndetics.. |
 | In Grande Style : the Glory of the Metropolitan Opera, by Joseph Volpe. "This is a unique tribute to a golden era of The Metropolitan Opera. In this oversized volume, Nancy Ellison captures stunning opera performances by such legends as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Renee Fleming onstage. Beginning with Pavarotti's emotional farewell performance in "Tosca", "In Grand Style" is filled with profound images from the Met's greatest operas, including Julie Taymor's new "Die Zauberflote" and Franco Zeffirelli's "Carmen and Turandot". For more than 130 years, The Met has awed fans with its grandeur... Ellison's photographs exemplify why The Met is considered the Mecca for not just opera singers but fans as well." (Amazon.co.uk) |
 | The opera lover's companion by Charles Osbourne. (2004) "This is a work on 175 operas by 63 different composers. The selected operas are those most frequently encountered in opera houses or on recordings. Each entry sets the opera within the context of its composer's career, outlines the plot, discusses the music and libretto, together with details of the first performance, and subsequent performance history. ... It is not an encyclopaedia, covering every known opera, but only those with a realistic chance of public performance. It is equally concerned with the music, the plot, the libretto and the staging, and seeks to enhance the appreciation of the intelligent opera-goer." (Amazon UK) |
 | Encyclopedia of opera on screen : a guide to more than 100 years of opera films, videos, and DVDs, Ken Wlaschin. (2004) "This book is a comprehensive guide to the thousands of films, DVDs, and videocasettes featuring operas and opera singers from 1896 to the present. Find answers to such questions as: What were the first operas filmed? Why did movie makers create silent films of operas? Why was a pseudo-opera written for Citizen Kane? What was Maria Callas' only film?"--BOOK JACKET. NB: Reference Only
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 | The operagoer's guide : one hundred stories and commentaries, by M. Owen Lee. Offers brief summaries of the plots of one hundred operas, and includes background commentary and recommendations for recordings of each opera. |
 | Opera antics & anecdotes, Stephen Tanner ; [cartoons, Umberto Taccola ; foreword, David W. Barber].
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Opera for lovers, Kiri Te Kanawa with Conrad Wilson.
Capital opera : Wellington's opera company, 1982-1999, by Adrienne Simpson.
Opera, (English)
New Zealand opera news, (New Zealand Opera Society)
Compilations
 | The very best of Kiri Te Kanawa, Various opera arias. 2 CDs. One of a series of "very best of" famous singers. Each is a double CD set, and also includes other signature songs, as well as wide range of opera arias. Also in the series are Beniamino Gigli, Nicolai Gedda, and Victoria De Los Angeles. |
 | A-Z opera, Various performers, 2 CDs with a book by Keith Anderson. This is both an introduction to opera (in terms of the excerpts selected), and a sampler to try untested waters. |
VIDEO Why sing? opera explained, (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
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Composers through the centuries
| Beginnings | Baroque (e.g. Handel, Purcell) |
| Classical (e.g. Mozart, Beethoven) | Romantic (later 19th century e.g. Verdi, Wagner) |
| Early 20th century | Late 20th century (e.g. Adams, Glass) |
| Chinese opera |
Beginnings c 1600
Claudio Monteverdi's opera Orfeo is generally attributed as the 'first' fully fledged, and for that reason alone is definitely worth a listen, even if it is not.
Sample CDs:
 | L'Orfeo, performed by Julianne Baird, Lynne Dawson, sopranos ; Anne Sofie von Otter, Mary Nichols, Diana Montague, mezzo-sopranos ; Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor ; John Tomlinso, Willard White, basses ; other soloists ; Monteverdi Choir ; English Baroque Soloists ; His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts ; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. Another CD worth sampling from Monteverdi is Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, performed by Rene Jacobs, conductor ; Concerto Vocale. |
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) English. If the first opera is attributed to Monteverdi, the first English opera is attributed to Purcell. He also wrote a large number of songs, chamber music, and incidental music for theatre.
 | Dido and Aeneas, performed by Lynne Dawson, Rosemary Joshua,sopranos ; Dominique Visse, counter-tenor ; Gerald Finley, baritone ; other soloists ; Clare College Chapel Choir ; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment ; Rene Jacobs, director. A different performance of the same work is available from the library on video. |
Others from the Baroque period
Handel
Handel composed a number of operas, but they've never enjoyed the same general popularity as his choral works like the oratorio the Messiah.
DVD:
 | Ariodante, performed by Ann Murray, Joan Rodgers, Gwynne Howell, Christopher Robson, Lesley Garrett, Paul Nilon, Marqule Brocqu ; English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus, with Ivor Bolton, conductor. |
Vivaldi
CD:
 | Vivaldi operas, [CD] with performers Gemma Bertagnolli, Marina Comparato, Roberta Invernizzi, Magdalena Kozena ; other soloists ; Academia Montis Regalis ; Alessandro de Marchi, conductor (Juditha triumphans, Orlando finto pazzo) ; Concerto Italiano ; Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor (L'Olimpiade) ; Ensemble Matheus ; Jean-Christophe Spinosi, conductor (La verita cimento). 260 years after his death Vivaldi is being restored to his place as an opera composer, after instrumental and sacred music has dominated the stage. "This is as strong a sampler of Vivaldi's operas as one can get without purchasing entire opera recordings." concludes one Amazon reviewer. |
 | The Vivaldi album, containing excepts from Vivaldi operas sung by Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Il Giardino armonico and Giovanni Antonini, conductor. |
John Gay's Beggar's Opera
This opera is usually associated with John Gay who wrote the words, rather than the "composer" John Pepusch. This is because the music is more "collected and arranged" than original composition as it is drawn from many sources. Some could argue that this is a bit of a parody of an opera. But it was very successful in its time. (First performed in 1728 at Covent Garden)
Classical Period
From 1750-1830 many more operas were being composed, and more composers were trying their hand at this genre, with sometimes highly extravagant productions. What follows is just a sample to whet your appetite.
Mozart
Sample CD:
 | The Magic flute (Die Zauberflote : K. 620), performed by Cheryl Studer, Kiri Te Kanawa, sopranos ; Francisco Araiza, tenor ; Samuel Ramey, bass ; other soloists ; Ambrosian Opera Chorus ; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields ; Sir Neville Marriner, conductor. We also have different performances on video and DVD. |
Other operas by Mozart well worth visiting are The marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), , and Cosi fan Tutte (Thus do all women) .
Beethoven wrote only the one, but it is regarded as a dramatic masterpiece.
 | Fidelio, performed by Hildegard Behrens, soprano ; Peter Hofmann, tenor ; Hans Sotin, Theo Adam, basses ; other soloists ; Chicago Symphony Orchestra & chorus ; Sir Georg Solti, conductor. |
Bellini
Sample CD:
 | La Sonnambula, performed by Joan Sutherland, with Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Isobel Buchanan, Della Jones, John Tomlinson, Piero de Palma, conducted by Richard Bonynge.
Another great opera to sample from Bellini's range is Norma, on video . |
Donizetti
Sample CD:
 | The Elixir of love. Performed by Mary Plazas, Helen Williams, sopranos ; Barry Banks, tenor ; Ahsley Holland, Andrew Shore, baritones ; Geoffrey Mitchell Choir ; Philharmonia Orchestra ; David Parry, conductor. |
Rossini
Sample CD:
 | The barber of Seville. Performed by Della Jones, mezzo-soprano ; Bruce Ford, tenor ; Alan Opie, Andrew Shore, baritones ; other soloists ; English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus ; Gabriele Bellini, conductor. |
Romantic (late 19th century)
The whole plot, spectacle, drama and size of production reached a new scale during this era. While political (some might say revolutionary) or tragic themes were also found in earlier operas, they became the hallmark of this generation.
Verdi
Sample CD:
 | La traviata (in English). Valier Masterson, soprano ; Della Jones, mezzo-soprano ; John Brecknock, tenor ; Christian du Plessis, baritone ; other soloists ; English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus ; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor. |
 | Falstaff. Hillevi Martinpelto, soprano ; Antonello Palombi, tenor ; Anthony Michaels-Moore, Jean-Philippe Lafont, baritones ; other soloists ; Monteverdi Choir ; Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique ; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. |
The library has several Verdi opera videos, e.g. Nabucco.
Bizet
Bizet wrote several operas but the most famous of all is Carmen. The library has several versions on CD, Video or DVD.
Sample CD:
 | Carmen. Agnes Baltsa, Katia Ricciarelli, sopranos ; Jose Carreras, tenor ; Jos van Dam, baritone ; other soloists ; Choeur de l'Opera de Paris ; Schoneberger Sangerknaben ; Berliner Philharmoniker ; Herbert von Karajan, conductor. |
Wagner
Wagner's name is synonymous with opera. Much of popular conceptions (and misconceptions) about opera today stem from his massive opera Ring Cycle opera series. His operas were vast, long, with super-hero themes (drawn often from German folk-lore). Read more about his operas in The complete operas of Richard Wagner, by Charles Osborne.
Excerpts CD:
 | Wagner. performed by Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) with the Berliner Philharmoniker ; Claudio Abbado, conductor. |
 | The Rhinegold Performed by English National Opera Orchestra with Norman Bailey, Katherine Pring, Emile Belcourt, Gregory Dempsey, Derek Hammond-Stroud, Lois McDonall, Robert Ferguson, Norman Welsby, Anne Collins, Robert Lloyd, Clifford Grant, Valerie Masterson, Shelagh Squires, Helen Attfield, and conducted by Sir Reginald Goodall. |
 | The Valkyrie Rita Hunter, Margaret Curphey, sopranos; Ann Howard, mezzo-soprano; Alberto Remedio, tenor; Norman Bailey, baritone; Clifford Grant, bass; supporting soloists; English National Opera Orchestra; Reginald Goodall, conductor |
 | Siegfried Rita Hunter, Alberto Remedios, Gregory Dempsey, tenors ; Norman Bailey, Derek Hammond Stround, baritones ; other soloists ; Sadler's Wells Opera Orchestra ; Regianld Goodall, conductor. |
 | Twilight of the gods Rita Hunter, Margaret Curphey, sopranos ; Katharine Pring, mezzo-soprano ; Alberto Remedios, tenor ; Norman Welsby, Derek Hammond-Stroud, baritones ; Aage Haugland, bass ; other soloists ; English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus ; Reginald Goodall, conductor. |
 | Tannhauser. performed by Jane Eaglen, soprano ; Peter Seiffert, tenor ; Thomas Hampson, baritone ; Rene Pape, bass ; other soloists ; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin ; Staatskapelle Berlin ; Daniel Barenboim, conductor. |
Berlioz
Sample CD:
 | Les Troyens. Petra Lang, soprano ; Michelle De Young, contralto ; Ben Heppner, tenor ; Peter Mattei, baritone ; other soloists ; London Symphony Chorus ; London Symphony Orchestra ; Sir Colin Davis, conductor. |
Massenet
Sample CD:
 | Manon. Performed by Ileana Cotrubas, soprano ; Alfredeo Kraus, tenor ; Gino Quilico, baritone ; Jose van Dam, bass ; other soloists ; Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse ; Michel Plasson, conductor. |
Leoncavallo
Sample CD:
 | Pagliacci. Teresa Stratas, soprano ; Placido Domingo, Florindo Andreolli, tenors ; lberto Rinadli, baritone ; Juan Pons, bass ; Coro & Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Milano ; Georges Pretre, conductor. Original soundtrack of Franco Zeffirelli's film, which the Library has on DVD, where it is paired with Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.
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Tchaikovsky
Sample CD:
 | Eugene Onegin. (in English) Performed by Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano ; Neil Rosenshein, tenor ;Thomas Hampson, baritone ; John Connell, bass ; other soloists ; Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera ; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor. |
Early Twentieth Century
Puccini
Chronologically Puccini's operas sneak into the beginning of the twentieth century. Whilst he hardly brings grand innovation to the historical stream of opera, he has composed some of the most popular operas of any period, with his highly melodic writing.
Sample CDs:
 | Tosca. Performed by Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo; other soloists ; Zubin Mehta, conductor. Tosca has three central figures - the opera singer, Tosca, full of jealousy and passion; Cavaroadossi, the idealistic painter who loves her; and Scarpia, the creepy, amoral police chief who wants to get into Tosca's good books. The library has another performance on video. |
 | Turandot. Performed by Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballe, sopranos ; Luciano Pavarotti, Sir Peter Pears, tenors ; Tom Krause, baritone ; Nicolai Ghiaurov, baritone ; assisting soloists; John Alldis Choir ; London Philharmonic Orchestra ; Zubin Mehta, conductor. |
Madam Butterfly. (English)
Compact disc digitally remastered from original commercial recordings (HMV D893-906) held in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.
Performer Note Rosina Buckman, soprano (New Zealander) ; Tudor Davies, tenor ; Nellie Walker, mezzo-soprano ; Frederick Ranalow, baritone ; Royal Albert Hall Orchestra ; Eugene Goossens, conductor.
Richard Strauss
Sample CD:
 | Salome. Performed by Cheryl Studer, Leonie Rysanek, sopranos ; Horst Hiestermann, tenor ; Bryn Terfel, baritone ; other soloists ; Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin ; Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor. |
George Gershwin
Porgy and Bess can be regarded as the climax of Gershwin's career - the first American opera to gain world-wide success.
Sample CD:
 | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess . The Library also has this version on Video. Performed by Willard White (Porgy), Cynthia Harmon (Bess), Gregg Baker (Crown), Cynthia Clarey (Serena), Marietta Simpson (Maria), Damon Evans (Sportin' Life) ; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Rattle, conductor ; Glyndebourne Chorus. |
Later Twentieth Century
Stravinsky
Sample CD:
 | The Rake's progress. Performed by Deborah York, Anne Sofie von Otter, sopranos ; Ian Bostridge, tenor ; Bryn Terfel, bass ; other soloists ; Monteverdi Choir ; London Symphony Orchestra ; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. |
Menotti
Sample CD:
 | Amahl and the night visitors, performed by Chet Allen, treble ; Rosemary Kuhlmann, mezzo soprano ; Andrew McKinley, tenor ; David Aiken, baritone ; other soloists ; Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Thomas Schippers. |
Phillip Glass
Sample CD:
 | Einstein on the beach, performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble. |
John Adams
Sample CD:
 | Nixon in China, performed by Mari Opatz, Stephanie Friestman, mezzo sopranos ; Sanford Sylvan, James Maddalena, baritones ; othersoloists ; Orchestra of St. Lukes ; Edo de Waart, conductor. |
Chinese Opera
 | Chinese opera, photographs by Jessica Tan Gudnason ; text by Gong Li. For centuries opera companies have mesmerized audiences with their elaborately costumed and made-up characters and the pageantry of their productions combining music and voice with dance and gesture. Because of its venerable tradition, many of the operas have historical and military themes, which are still performed today. The authors provide background information about the Peking, Cantonese, and Yue opera companies, the plays, and the major character types depicted here. |
Selected Opera Web-site links
Operabase.
Searchable database of opera performances and artists, festivals, reviews, links, and much more.
Opera today
Opera news, commentary, and reviews from around the world; has RSS feed.
The Aria Database is a diverse collection of information on over 1000 operatic arias. Designed for singers and non-singers alike, the Database includes translations and aria texts. Search by aria, composers, opera, or role.
Operaglass. Although hardly inspiring to look at, this is a mine of links and other information about opera for both the beginner and entusiast.
NZopera.com..
The official website for performance information of the NBR New Zealand Opera company. They have a Beginners' Guide lurking in their "its easy" pages.
Some other pages in our own web-site -
Musicals
MyLibrary classical music collection new arrivals
Guide to searching classical music at Wellington City Libraries
