While operas have always been regarded as entertainment for the intellectually and socially forward,...

1. Famous Operas
While operas have always been regarded as entertainment for the intellectually and socially forward,
some of the most famous operas in the world find mention in popular art and culture as well. In this
article, we discuss some of the most popular operas of all time.
Think opera and one of the first images that springs to my mind is that of Bianca Castafiore, the
character from the Tintin series, depicted to be one of the leading opera singers of her time, who
always insisted to give performances at a volume that would break glasses, part Captain Haddock's
hair, and also result in temporary deafness. That though was a mean caricature of an opera singer
by a cartoonist who hated Opera. In reality, it is a classical art form which could be considered the
predecessor to modern-day Broadway shows, combining drama and musical scores.
Some of the most well-known operas of all time have been adapted into plays and even movies. The
scores that were created for these Western classical theatrical shows have been the basis of musical
education. In fact, there are some famous operas in movies as well, with one of the best examples
being the use of the arias of Madama Butterfly in the movie Fatal Attraction, with the stalker Alex,
listening to the musical scores several times in the movie. Since, both the movie and the opera are
about extramarital affairs and the result of infidelity, its use in the movie results in poignant
moments.
Operas You Should Know About
Given below is a century-wise list of the most famous operas and composers of each era. From
Monteverdi to Stravinsky, this list has all the greats who have contributed immensely to the field of
operatic performances.
Operas from the 1600s
L'Orfeo - Claudio Monteverdi, 1607
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria - Claudio Monteverdi, 1640
L'incoronazione di Poppea - Claudio Monteverdi, 1642
Ormindo - Francesco Cavalli, 1644
Giasone - Francesco Cavalli, 1649

2. La Calisto - Francesco Cavalli, 1651
Dido and Aeneas - Henry Purcell, 1683
The Fairy-Queen - Henry Purcell, 1692
Operas from the 1700s
Agrippina - George Frideric Handel, 1710
Alcina - George Frideric Handel, 1735
Ariodante - George Frideric Handel, 1735
Alceste - Christoph Willibald Gluck - 1767
Die Entführung aus dem Serail - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1782
Le nozze di Figaro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1786
Giulio Cesare - George Frideric Handel, 1724
Semele - George Frideric Handel, 1744
Serse - George Frideric Handel, 1738
Die Zauberflöte - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791
Don Giovanni - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1787
La clemenza di Tito - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791
Operas from the 1800s
Fidelio - Ludwig van Beethoven, 1805
La sonnambula - Vincenzo Bellini, 1831
I puritani - Vincenzo Bellini, 1835
Les Troyens - Hector Berlioz, 1858
Prince Igor - Alexander Borodin, 1890
Les pêcheurs de perles - Georges Bizet, 1863
L'elisir d'amore - Gaetano Donizetti, 1832
Maria Stuarda - Gaetano Donizetti, 1834
Lucia di Lammermoor - Gaetano Donizetti, 1835

3. Faust - Charles Gounod, 1859
Roméo et Juliette - Charles Gounod, 1867
Les Huguenots - Giacomo Meyerbeer, 1836
L'Africaine - Giacomo Meyerbeer, 1865
Boris Godunov - Modest Mussorgsky, 1874
Khovanshchina - Modest Mussorgsky, 1886
Il trovatore - Giuseppe Verdi, 1853
La forza del destino - Giuseppe Verdi, 1862
Operas from the 1900s
The Rake's Progress - Igor Stravinsky, 1951
Salome - Richard Strauss, 1905
Elektra - Richard Strauss, 1909
Der Rosenkavalier - Richard Strauss, 1911
Ariadne auf Naxos - Richard Strauss, 1916
Die Frau ohne Schatten - Richard Strauss, 1919
La fanciulla del West - Giacomo Puccini, 1910
Tosca - Giacomo Puccini, 1900
Madama Butterfly - Giacomo Puccini, 1904
Il trittico - Giacomo Puccini, 1918
The Love for Three Oranges - Sergei Prokofiev, 1921
The Fiery Angel - Sergei Prokofiev, 1955
Jen?fa - Leo? Janá?ek, 1904
The Cunning Little Vixen - Leo? Janá?ek, 1924
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Benjamin Britten, 1960
Louise - Gustave Charpentier, 1900
Bluebeard's Castle - Béla Bartók, 1918

4. While these are masterpieces in their own right, without the famous singers who performed these
musical shows in the required scales and force, many of them would not have been as widely
heralded as they were. The composer and the singer together have been responsible for making
these operas the landmarks of classical music that they are today.