The 1996 opera by Mexican composer Daniel Catán tells the enchanting story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house in Manaus - and to search for her lover, who has disappeared in the jungle. The libretto uses motifs from Gabriel García Márquez's novel Love in the Time of Cholera, among others. The music is melodic, lushly orchestrated, and some...

With Nabucco, Verdi achieved his breakthrough as an opera composer in 1842. He shaped great emotions such as passion, hatred and madness in this work with impressive precision and musical power. "Va, pensiero", the so-called "Prisoners' Chorus", is one of the most popular pieces of music in opera history. It stands for the liberation of an oppressed people and to this day is something like the sec...

The realistic depiction of milieu, drama and fateful tragedy made Carmen a precursor of verismo. Because of this depiction of the plot, which was perceived as "crass" by the audience, the premiere at the Opéra-Comique on March 3, 1875, was received rather disapprovingly. Soon thereafter, however, Carmen became one of the greatest global successes in opera history, although the composer did not liv...

Verdi's grand tale of ill-fated love, deadly revenge and irreconcilable family strife is rich with singing challenges. The stunning Lise Davidsen makes her role debut as the noble Leonora, one of the repertoire's most exciting heroines. Director Mariusz Trelinski locates the opera in the here and now, making extensive use of the Met's revolving stage to picture the inexorable fate that drives a ch...

Shakespeare's tragedy about a young love caught between two rival families inspired Gounod to write this opera - his last great stage success. But the fateful story of this probably most famous pair of lovers in world literature is everlasting and has enjoyed unbroken popularity since it was written. Alongside Nadine Sierra's enchanting Juliette, France's superstar Benjamin Bernheim makes his long...

La Rondine, Puccini's only comic opera, rarely finds its way onto the stage. Yet it is a fascinating work with a wealth of exuberant waltzes and lovely melodies. In Nicolas Joël's Art Deco production, the bittersweet love story between the glamorous courtesan Magda and the idealistic young Ruggero, for whom she leaves her rich suitor, transports us from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamli...

After the premiere in 1904, Puccini wrote: "With a sad but unshaken mind, I inform you that I have been lynched! Those cannibals did not listen to a single note. What a hateful orgy of madness! But my Butterfly remains what it is: the most emotional, expressive opera I have ever written." Today it is one of the most popular works in the entire operatic repertoire. Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigoria...