# Best new operas of the 21st century



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

The current issue of Opera News Magazine - I just got it - lists these 20 operas as the best works of the 21st century, so far - in no order:

John Adam - Doctor Atomic
Thomas Adès - The Tempest
Louis Andriessen - La Commedia
Giorgio Battistelli - Richard III
George Benjamin - Into the Little Hill
Unsuk Chin - Alice in Wonderland
Conrad Cummings - The Golden Gate
Philip Glass - Waiting for the Barbarians
Osvaldo Golijov - Ainadamar
Michael Gordon, David Land, and Julia Wolfe - Lost Objects
Ricky Ian Gordon - The Grapes of Wrath
Ricky Ian Gordon - Orpheus and Euridice
Daron Aric Hagen - Amelia
Lou Harrison - Young Caesar
Jake Heggie - Dead Man Walking
Jake Heggie - Moby-Dick
Phillipe Manoury - K
Ned Rorem - Our Town
Poul Ruders - The Handmaid's Tale
Kaija Saaraho - L'Amour de Loin

Sadly, I only know one of these - L'Amour de Loin, which I loved. I have Doctor Atomic available in my MetPlayer subscription. That's about it for me, so, I'd love opinions for those who know the other 18 works.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Doctor Atomic despite some good moments (especially a magnificent aria to end the first act) doesn't really do it for me. Ainadamar which is heavily influenced by Latin American music is vey good. I think that many people who only listen to popular music and never to opera might actually like that one. I can really recommend it if you're open to something that's very accessible but also kinda unusual.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I quite like Golijov's _Ainadamar_. I'd also concur on Jake Heggie... although I might lean even more toward his efforts as a song writer. Thomas Adès _The Tempest_ was a strong piece but thorny... it'll take time for it to grow on me... or not. Glass' _Waiting for the Barbarians_ also struck me as a strong work... although I may lean toward other operas by him. The Rorem opera doesn't seem to have been yet recorded (neither is Heggie's _Moby Dick_) but I would surely be interested as a long fan of his songs. Personally, I would add Daniel Catan's _Rappaccini's Daughter_ and _Florencia in the Amazon_, and Pascal Dusapin's _Perelà, Uomo di Fumo_ to the list.


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

L'Amour de Loin is the only one I know of these. I'm not really interested in contemporary music.


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## Dulcamara (Sep 22, 2010)

I'm not familiar with most contemporary operas. As far as 21st century operas go, I'd be really interested in seeing Philip Glass' "Appomattox" and Tan Dun's "The First Emperor," though neither made the above list. I'm a bit surprised that "The First Emperor" didn't make an Opera News list as it premiered at the Met and received significant press.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Dulcamara said:


> I'm a bit surprised that "The First Emperor" didn't make an Opera News list as it premiered at the Met and received significant press.


This is weird indeed. I have always had the impression that Opera News as the official magazine of the Met often overrates the operas that they produce - which is not in itself surprising, after all, they need to fill those seats and sell those DVDs. This time, it looks like they didn't.


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## Dulcamara (Sep 22, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> This is weird indeed. I have always had the impression that Opera News as the official magazine of the Met often overrates the operas that they produce - which is not in itself surprising, after all, they need to fill those seats and sell those DVDs. This time, it looks like they didn't.


I've not gotten to see many Met productions, but I've noticed that on occasion, Opera News can still be rather harsh to them. However, I don't really recollect reading any bad reviews of The First Emperor in any magazine. I don't recall any super favorable reviews either, but in terms of prominence (if not artistic value, which I cannot measure in this case), Tan Dun's opera seems to be more famous than many on that list.

I don't recall any particularly glowing reviews for Appomattox, but I'm mainly interested in the subject matter of the libretto and think it is a nifty idea for an opera.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

There are a lot of american composers in the list, but this is logical given that many of the panel members should have been more exposed to american contemporary opera (Young Caesar, Lost Objects, The Golden Gate, Amelia, Our Town, the Ricky Ian Gordon's or Jake Heggie's pieces,...)

This is my personal list of ten favorites, for year 2000 (not yet the 21th century, but this was the spirit of the original, I think) onwards:

_L'amour de loin_, from Kaija Saariaho 
_Shadowtime_, from Brian Ferneyhough 
_Fama_, from Beat Furrer 
_Doctor Atomic_, from John Adams 
_Joseph Merrick, dit Elephant Man_, from Laurent Petitgirard 
_Macbeth_, from Salvatore Sciarrino 
_Julie_, from Philippe Boesmans 
_The Adventures of Pinocchio_, from Jonathan Dove 
_An Index of Metals_, from Fausto Romitelli 
_The Biitter tears of Petra von Kant_, from Gerald Barry

In the Opera News list, I also found some choices a little bit weird, like selecting _Richard III_ instead of _Divorzio all'italiana_.


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