# Minimum Opera Literacy: Your Short List



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Watching Carmen in HD in a half empty theater last night, the idea of some sort of minimum level of opera literacy occurred to me. 

Consider an ideal world where a well-intentioned non-opera person consulted you as their ‘opera friend’ for a very short list of the operas you considered essential knowledge for any reasonably well-rounded adult: touchstone operas for which a minimum level of familiarity with the characters, the storyline, and the big numbers would enrich and enhance their adult lives (and cocktail party conversation) and should be considered essential once-a-decade viewing from their 20’s thru their 70’s. (And, if nothing else, would also aid their understanding of pop culture opera references in Bugs Bunny/Simpsons cartoons and Woody Allen films.)

Let’s limit it to 3 essential selections plus 1 honorable mention, because our friends are busy people.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Starting with mine:

Carmen - Death, love, family, bull fighters.
La Traviata - Death, love, family, champagne.
La Boheme - Death, love, family, coughing.

Honorable mention:
Marriage of Figaro: All of the above minus death plus sex and hilarity.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> Watching Carmen in HD in a half empty theater last night, the idea of some sort of minimum level of opera literacy occurred to me.


I was in a theater with about 100 people which is often filled (about 250). That said, I think last night's _Carmen_ probably suffered more from the fact that this exact production was in the theaters almost 3 yrs ago and has been out on DVD/Blu-ray for almost as long so opera-goers who wanted to see it and missed it in the theaters probably all caught it already:


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

what I'd like the public to know: opera is funny business with great tunes

Serse - poking fun at historical figures? check

L'italiana in Algeri - women are an enterprising lot

Der Rosenkavalier - part opera history lesson, part slapstick = winner

honourable mention:

Don Giovanni - a bit of dark humour never hurt none


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Don Giovanni
Rigoletto
Tristan und Isolde

HM: La bohème


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Barber of Seville
Elisir d'Amore
Cosi fan tutte

(I claim to be all about the drama, but all three of those are for the music)

HM: Lucia (for the sextet - AGAIN with the music)


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> Starting with mine:
> 
> Carmen - Death, love, family, bull fighters.
> La Traviata - Death, love, family, champagne.
> ...


This is the list. Com'on people. We must understand that not all people are opera lovers as we. Most of them go once or twice in their lifetime just because. This list is the most acessible, because it is more popular with the public. Not by any chance Tristant should be in this list. Even for opera lovers, Wagner does not come, normally, in an early age.

It like when we go to a pop/rock concert of a band that we only know the hits. We'd rather listen to a setlist that have them than not at all.

Perhaps Rigolleto should be there because of _La dona_.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

deggial said:


> what I'd like the public to know: opera is funny business with great tunes
> 
> Serse - poking fun at historical figures? check
> 
> ...


An interesting and diverse list, but not sure if they constitute essential, core knowledge aside from Don Giovanni. Yeah, Rosenkavalier is a love letter to a past era, but why not see a real 19th century opera instead of an evocation of one? Might be difficult to revisit these even once a decade too. Even for an opera lover like me, in ~25 years I've only encountered one Xerxes (in a student production) and never L'italiana.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> Barber of Seville
> Elisir d'Amore
> Cosi fan tutte
> 
> ...


You definitely cover a good number of standard arias with that group. And Barber is certainly essential viewing for Bugs Bunny fans! I might quibble with Cosi, but the question isn't whether Mozart/DaPonte but which Mozart/DaPonte. Interesting that you've got three comedies plus one tragedy and my list is just the opposite.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Cavaradossi said:


> An interesting and diverse list, but not sure if they constitute essential, core knowledge aside from Don Giovanni. Yeah, Rosenkavalier is a love letter to a past era, but why not see a real 19th century opera instead of an evocation of one? Might be difficult to revisit these even once a decade too. Even for an opera lover like me, in ~25 years I've only encountered one Xerxes (in a student production) and never L'italiana.


oh, I didn't realise that by viewing you actually meant going to see it at the opera house! that would have changed things but it would also tend to keep us within the operabase top 20.

I already have L'italiana from the 19th century and I wanted to include at least one from the 20th and Der Rosenkavalier seems to me the most accessible (this side of Puccini...).


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

deggial said:


> oh, I didn't realise that by viewing you actually meant going to see it at the opera house!


Me either.

And Cavaradossi, are you saying that if someone has never seen an opera before, and were going to their first four operas, what should those four optimally be? Because I think that would be another question, but the answer to that probably also lies in the Operabase top 20 too. I'd agree with Fred Plotkin and say the first opera someone should ever see, if one could plan it out in advance, is probably _Rigoletto_. I'd have to think about what 2, 3, and 4 should be in that case.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I think the answer to the question may depend on where you and your non-opera friend are living. If the two of you are living in one of the German-speaking countries, than one or more of Wagner's operas are likely to be on the list, perhaps one of Richard Strauss', and Mozart's _Die Zauberflöte _. Those operas are all a major part of the culture in those countries, and so popular culture is more likely to come up with references to them. In Italy, I strongly suspect "opera literacy" would involve one or more works by Verdi, as well as Donizetti, Rossini, or Puccini. In the U.S., there have been popular references to Rossini and Wagner (with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd involved in both). Certainly, I think some of the music from _Carmen_ is familiar to people who have never been near an opera house. And then there's that excerpt from the _Guillaume Tell _overture that the average American would probably identifty as the theme from "The Lone Ranger."


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

deggial said:


> oh, I didn't realise that by viewing you actually meant going to see it at the opera house! that would have changed things but it would also tend to keep us within the operabase top 20.
> 
> I already have L'italiana from the 19th century and I wanted to include at least one from the 20th and Der Rosenkavalier seems to me the most accessible (this side of Puccini...).


Oops! I guess that's my strong bias for live performance showing. Yeah I'm thinking a live performance or at the least a cinema broadcast. I definitely consider knowing the insides of your local opera house (and knowing no-tuxedo-required) as part of cultural literacy and an important part of what opera is all about. I don't think I'd ever inflict an opera DVD on a lay person. Besides, once they're in the theater they are a captive audience and can't change the channel. :devil:

I'm thinking what would be most relevant to an otherwise well educated lay person, not necessarily a representative smattering of opera in general.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Cavaradossi said:


> I don't think I'd ever inflict an opera DVD on a lay person.


that's interesting, because I find a DVD or, as it happened in my case, youtube, much less of a commitment plus the added incentive of good looking singers. I know some people who are so resistant to their own idea of what opera is that you can see the fear in their eyes as soon as you mention it. There is NO way you could trick them into stepping inside the local opera house - and these are people who routinely go to art museums and to the spoken theatre...


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> Besides, once they're in the theater they are a captive audience and can't change the channel. :devil:


...but in the opera or cinema house, you also can't rewind to listen that gorgeous aria "just one more time"!


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

deggial said:


> I know some people who are so resistant to their own idea of what opera is that you can see the fear in their eyes as soon as you mention it. There is NO way you could trick them into stepping inside the local opera house - and these are people who routinely go to art museums and to the spoken theatre...


For people with fear in their eyes about opera, I think it can only be a short opera and it must have a libretto in the vernacular. Anything else will confirm their worst fears.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

how about Hansel and Gretel?


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

deggial said:


> how about Hansel and Gretel?


Perfect! _(he says without the least bit of irony)_


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

deggial said:


> how about Hansel and Gretel?


Well, I suppose you could trick some lay people of a certain generation into watching it by telling them it was written by Engelbert Humperdinck.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> Well, I suppose you could trick some lay people of a certain generation into watching it by telling them it was written by Engelbert Humperdinck.


The funny thing about that is that probably most of the people in that generation who could be tricked like that don't know that this was not his original name but that it was changed because of the original composer!


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

dionisio said:


> This is the list. Com'on people. We must understand that not all people are opera lovers as we. Most of them go once or twice in their lifetime just because. This list is the most acessible, because it is more popular with the public. Not by any chance Tristant should be in this list. Even for opera lovers, Wagner does not come, normally, in an early age.
> 
> It like when we go to a pop/rock concert of a band that we only know the hits. We'd rather listen to a setlist that have them than not at all.
> 
> Perhaps Rigolleto should be there because of _La dona_.


But remember: the rules say "In an ideal world" so ... all bets are off!


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

My List:

1. La Boheme
2. Aida
3. Marriage of Figaro

HM: Die Walküre

This exercise begs an associated question, maybe worth another thread: Which is an ideal first opera that might entice someone into membership in the wild, wonderful world of being an opera fan?


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Hoffmann said:


> My List:
> 
> 1. La Boheme
> 2. Aida
> ...


My nomination for ideal first opera if you only get one chance at a person is _Rigoletto_.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

1. La traviata - tart with a heart
2. La fille du régiment - tomboy with a heart
3. Don Carlo - barihunk with a heart

HM - Boris Godunov - because an opera as spectacular as this may well get them hooked. And because it has lots of basses & they could be bass fans & not realise it.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

sospiro said:


> they could be bass fans & not realise it.


that's a really good point. I think it's one of the things people should take into account when embarking on the opera journey: what is my (their) favourite voice? if you're a bass fan and don't realise it, starting off by listening to tenors and sopranos might underwhelm you.



Hoffmann said:


> Which is an ideal first opera that might entice someone into membership in the wild, wonderful world of being an opera fan?


tricky, tricky... looking back I now know that - for me - Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne) would have been the best ticket, had I had an opera buff friend who could tell just by knowing me what would work without fail. But obviously I'm here so Donizetti and Mozart weren't bad bets either


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

deggial said:


> that's a really good point. I think it's one of the things people should take into account when embarking on the opera journey: what is my (their) favourite voice? if you're a bass fan and don't realise it, starting off by listening to tenors and sopranos might underwhelm you.
> 
> tricky, tricky... looking back I now know that - for me - Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne) would have been the best ticket, had I had an opera buff friend who could tell just by knowing me what would work without fail. But obviously I'm here so Donizetti and Mozart weren't bad bets either


This also points to the fact that it's not only the opera, but also the production. This very production entranced my then 7-year-old enough to sit through the whole thing, 1 act a day.


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Good question, one I've answered to lots of non-opera friends...

1- Rigoletto. Without question the best "first" opera to see because of its great music, of course, the "hummable tunes", but also the story line, which is not antiquated and is immediately transferable to most people's minds. And the violent, tragic ending is unforgettable to anyone.

2- Magic Flute. Also tuneful, entertaining if produced properly, with tongue firmly in cheek. And everyone roots for Papageno.

3- La Boheme. Wonderfully romantic and an entertaining 2nd act. Act 3 tends to drag a bit but otherwise it's a good pace. The Act 1 romance is humorous and realistic.

4- Marriage of Figaro. Longer and takes a bit more tenacity to watch if you're a newbie, but again, glorious tunes and melodies, some funny bits, and a glorious ending.

5- Carmen. Entertaining if, as I say, done a bit tongue in cheek. If not, it soon become overly angst-ridden and faux tragic.

Plenty of other good operas to choose from. For a short opera, definitely Il Tabarro.

My opinions are first person or nearly that... my recent girlfriend of 4 years was a classical newbie. Her first classical "intervention" that I enveloped her in was Beethoven's 9th--- may as well start with a biggie. What I'd never heard previously and was on the first half of the program was John Adams' 9/11 memorial oratorio "On the Transmigration of Souls" and no eyes were dry after that.

Anyway, her first opera (we're lucky here to have Houston Grand Opera, a superb company) was Magic Flute during which she laughed and applauded constantly. Rigoletto made her cry, so did Boheme. Marriage of Figaro she laughed and was delighted. And so on...


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> This also points to the fact that it's not only the opera, but also the production. This very production entranced my then 7-year-old enough to sit through the whole thing, 1 act a day.


I took some friends who are regular at Mozart operas to see _Giulio Cesare_ with me. They just couldn't get used to the countertenors and had to stiffle their laughter every time David Daniels opened his mouth. During the first intermission, I had to tell them to "grow up and get over it already!" I think as a first opera, I wouldn't invite people who had never been to an opera at all to one with a lot of countertenors or trouser roles unless you plan on explaining why Caesar was cast with such a high tessitura or there are women dressed as guys!


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

I'll add this... newbie opera fans are also likely to be fairly new to classical music anyway.

We're a bit forgetful that we're generally "educated" musically to pick up nuances in 20th century choral and operatic works, their "through composed" styles, and the a-tonal melodies and sophisticated rhythms. It's asking a bit much of a newcomer to immediately grasp this sort of music.

That's why I'd more strongly recommend 19th and 18th century music due to its "conventional" tunes and "songs" that have recognizable lines of continuity. Are they "hummable", can you whistle the tune, in other words.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

tyroneslothrop said:


> I think as a first opera, I wouldn't invite people who had never been to an opera at all to one with a lot of countertenors or trouser roles unless you plan on explaining why Caesar was cast with such a high tessitura or there are women dressed as guys!


that's why when introducing someone to opera you need to know what they are interested in generally. I've always been fascinated by extreme vocal ranges and "unusual" singing techniques, regardless of genre. In the end, opera was a natural step. Having been aware of the history of theatre, I've never had a problem with the rampant cross-dressing (they're already in character, after all). My point is that there's no single answer. My ex-wife rejected _all_ she overheard me playing, except for the choral bits in Gluck's Orfeo. So, in her case, if she ever comes around, something choir-heavy (and through-composed) might be the way to go.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

deggial said:


> My ex-wife rejected _all_ she overheard me playing, except for the choral bits in Gluck's Orfeo. So, in her case, if she ever comes around, something choir-heavy (and through-composed) might be the way to go.


Wow. Sounds a little like my wife. My wife gets very motion sick, so unless she is on Dramamine, she has to drive. Well we'll be going on a long trip, let's say through the English countryside, and naturally, I'd want to switch onto a nice classical radio station. That's not allowed when she's driving. When she's driving, it has to be her music, which means something like Electronic Dance Music or house club music. I can usually tolerate that on short trips. But once, we were driving from London up to the Lake District and after 2 hours I was just about driven batsh**. So finally, I forced her to take a Dramamine, and after lunch, we set off again, and so I said to myself, whew, I'm driving so I control the radio, and switched it onto a nice classical station. She slaps me playfully on my hand and firmly switches it back to the electronic dance music!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

tyroneslothrop said:


> She slaps me playfully on my hand and firmly switches it back to the electronic dance music!


EDM as in Autechre? you might get her into Xenakis and work back from there


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

deggial said:


> EDM as in Autechre? you might get her into Xenakis and work back from there


Oh, she'll watch operas live. It's simply an entertainment for her. She just will never listen to it recorded and has no interest in seeing it in a video or on television. Movie theater opera is just not entertaining for her. I think she like the entire dressing up for the opera, seeing and being seen, and having wine and cheese during intermissions thing so that opera becomes an "event". That is actually what I detest about the live opera experience. I guess you could say we are a little like water and oil in our respective tastes and temperament! :lol:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> I took some friends who are regular at Mozart operas to see _Giulio Cesare_ with me. They just couldn't get used to the countertenors and had to stiffle their laughter every time David Daniels opened his mouth. During the first intermission, I had to tell them to "grow up and get over it already!" I think as a first opera, I wouldn't invite people who had never been to an opera at all to one with a lot of countertenors or trouser roles unless you plan on explaining why Caesar was cast with such a high tessitura or there are women dressed as guys!


Luckily my daughter had no problems with that as our first (both of us) encounter with a countertenor was listening to Andreas Scholl sing the _wraggle-taggle gypsies _(baritone AND countertenor parts) on our classical radio station. That prompted me to hunt down the recording for her and I've been a counter-tenor fan since then, and so, perforce, has she.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Wow. Sounds a little like my wife. My wife gets very motion sick, so unless she is on Dramamine, she has to drive. Well we'll be going on a long trip, let's say through the English countryside, and naturally, I'd want to switch onto a nice classical radio station. That's not allowed when she's driving. When she's driving, it has to be her music, which means something like Electronic Dance Music or house club music. I can usually tolerate that on short trips. But once, we were driving from London up to the Lake District and after 2 hours I was just about driven batsh**. So finally, I forced her to take a Dramamine, and after lunch, we set off again, and so I said to myself, whew, I'm driving so I control the radio, and switched it onto a nice classical station. She slaps me playfully on my hand and firmly switches it back to the electronic dance music!


OMG! I couldn't bear that. As far as I'm concerned it's classical or silence. When my husband drives me it's silence.


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## rborganist (Jan 29, 2013)

L'Italian in Algieri was staged several years ago as a vehicle for Marilyn Horne, and it was delightful. It was even broadcast on Live From the Met. It showed her gift for comedy as well as for bel canto singing. See if you can find it on dvd.


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## rborganist (Jan 29, 2013)

My nominations would be: Carmen (there's not doubt what all the shouting and the shooting are about, and it's full of recognizable melodies) Rigoletto (again, lots of melodies people will recognize and the emotional gamut)
The Barber of Seville (it's nice to have everyone alive at the end and for the pompous basso to get his comeuppance HM: The Daughter of the Regiment (if you can find a tenor who can hit all nine high Cs in a single aria) This is the opera that made Pavarotti famous and showed that Joan Sutherland had a sense of humor


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

rborganist said:


> L'Italian in Algieri was staged several years ago as a vehicle for Marilyn Horne, and it was delightful.


agreed, she was excellent in it!


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> I took some friends who are regular at Mozart operas to see _Giulio Cesare_ with me. They just couldn't get used to the countertenors and had to stiffle their laughter every time David Daniels opened his mouth. During the first intermission, I had to tell them to "grow up and get over it already!" I think as a first opera, I wouldn't invite people who had never been to an opera at all to one with a lot of countertenors or trouser roles unless you plan on explaining why Caesar was cast with such a high tessitura or there are women dressed as guys!


The topic here is very specific, and related to those operas that serve as good intros to newbies. I'm not judging other operas on their merit as musically significant or whether they are in fact good or great operas, but only on whether they're acceptable and enjoyable to fresh audiences. That in mind, I pretty much agree with you, with the exception that occasional countertenors or some trouser roles are just fine, so long as the stage isn't full of them.

Operas from the classic period (Handel, etc) are often a bit much even for the regular opera goer, as you say. The static staging and lack of "realistic" on-stage action can be appreciated of course by Handel or classic period devotees but that's normally a special case.

Likewise, Wagner. Wagner (sorry Wagner fans) can often seem ponderous and stodgy, where it takes "forever" to do something and where there is a plethora of gods and goddesses and kings and queens but not a lot of "real" characters. I know this is an exaggeration but you've got to look at it from the viewpoint of a newcomer.

Likewise, most modern operas, in particular British (such as Britten's, which are generally "tuneless"). An exception seems to be Floyd, whose "Mice and Men" is amazingly tuneful and quite powerful, and more important to our topic, addressable to the newbie.

If you look at trouser roles, new fans easily grasp roles such as Nicklausse in Hoffmann, or Cherubino in Nozze. I've simply explained to the person that 1- the composer wanted a female voice to balance out the male voices, and 2- there's a certain "shady erotic" crossdressing fun in it. Naturally the "character" isn't crossdressing -- Nicklausee and Cherubino are supposed to be males, but the underlying tone is still there. A few years ago the Met broadcast Hoffmann on PBS and the mezzo singing Nicklausse was stunningly erotic (and the director knew it damn well, too). Same for the Royal Opera Nozze DVD, with that lovely Israeli mezzo singing Cherubino. But I digress...

Too many countertenors, trouser roles, and too much "fluff" can ruin any opera, even for fans of the sub-genre.

What's important, I think, isn't to forcefeed a new fan, but instead trickle it in with small, kind doses. This means selecting popular operas with plenty of theatrics, hopefully some comic roles, and "tuneful" melodies (hint: Mozart).

This is in no way directed against the greatness of Wagner or Handel or even (I cannot personally abide his music, Britten). But for newcomers, best probably to choose an old standby, even if we've seen a zillion productions (Carmen, Nozze, Boheme, etc).


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

katdad said:


> I've simply explained to the person that 1- the composer wanted a female voice to balance out the male voices, and 2- there's a certain "shady erotic" crossdressing fun in it.


Well, I understand why you might want to simplify the strict hierarchical structure of the _opera seria_ to just this statement, because people today don't really get why a soprano castrato tessitura would be associated with "heroic virtue". I get stymied myself because I try to give the real historical answer and I realize that opera neophytes simply don't have the frame of reference for the real explanation!


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Tragedy - Rigoletto, for all the usual reasons
Drama - Eugene Onegin, the arias and music are easy to appreciate and the story is really good, with lots to talk about.
Comic - L'Italiana in Algeri, is funny, bubbly, charming and quite uplifting.

Wildcard: The Cunning Little Vixen


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## JupiterJones (Jul 26, 2013)

Carmen
Marriage of Figaro
Rigoletto

Tempting to put "La Boheme" in there, but I think it can be a bit of slog for newbies after the first act. I'd go with "Tosca" instead if you had to have Puccini in the mix. I think it holds the attention more easily.

But really, if I were tasked with introducing someone to opera, I probably wouldn't start them out with capital-O "Opera" at all... I'd go with operettas. Mikado, Fledermaus, and so on. Fun stuff that acclimates them to the basic idea of the thing. Then move 'em on to the "hard stuff".


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

*Yup- I've decided I don't agree with the premise...*

... and to that end, let's examine it a little further:


Cavaradossi said:


> *Minimum Opera Literacy: Your Short List*...very short list of the operas you considered essential knowledge for any reasonably well-rounded adult... should be considered essential once-a-decade viewing from their 20's thru their 70's.


I have a bone to pick with the terms "minimum opera literacy," "reasonably well-rounded adult," and particularly the standard "essential once-a-decade viewing."

We're on a Classical Music Forum, participating in an Opera sub-forum-- and from that perspective, these phrases seem like a reasonable standard... and among us opera enthusiasts, they most certainly are. However, we have to work to understand how off-putting they must seem to a NON-enthusiast. For a little perspective, let's run a parallel with that non-music-based art-form that most closely resembles opera- stage plays. Now, imagine the discussion "Minimum Stage Play Literacy," with the criteria that failure to have familiarity with a select number of them means that you don't have "minimum literacy," are not a "reasonably well-rounded adult;" while also adding that you really should take in a viewing of _King Lear_, Molière's _The Misanthrope_, and Aeschylus' _Prometheus Bound_ *at least* once-a-decade, to meet our "essential" standard here.

Do I wish more people knew opera? Yes! Do I wish the the art-form wasn't perpetually on life-support? Yes! However, there's a panoply of arts-appreciation under the sub-category of "the humanities," which is itself a sub-category of "liberal arts," [which was so named because it was considered "what a free (_libera_) man should know"]. There's visual art (when's the last time you _really_ looked at Michelangelo's sculpture "David"?), literature (all of us ought to read more Goethe... but those of us not fluent in German will be at something of a disadvantage), and music. Point is- this boulevard we call "visual and performing arts" has a few mansions, and each mansion has many rooms. Opera is one room in one house on the boulevard. For many of us, it is THE most rewarding room- and for that we need not apologize to anyone. But we really should check ourselves before we say that not knowing details concerning this particular room makes us less than "reasonably well-rounded" and somewhat short of a "minimum literacy" goal.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

:lol: You know, I was going to say, you think too much - but you made some excellent points there, so I take it back!


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Ha! Pick away!

But allow me to quote the full assignment:



> _Consider an *ideal world* where a well-intentioned non-opera person *consulted you* as their 'opera friend' for a very short list of the operas you considered essential knowledge for any reasonably well-rounded adult: touchstone operas for which a minimum level of familiarity with the characters, the storyline, and the big numbers would enrich and enhance their adult lives (and cocktail party conversation) and should be considered essential once-a-decade viewing from their 20's thru their 70's.)...
> 
> Let's limit it to 3 essential selections plus 1 honorable mention, *because our friends are busy people*._


Note that it begins with the carefully inserted get-of-jail-free card: "consider an ideal world". Admittedly it's just a wishful, wistful concept that came out of my umpteenth Carmen-watching and finding the better I knew the opera the more I enjoyed it. I probably didn't express the concept well, but I wasn't looking for the best introductory operas, but instead the few which busy, preoccupied folks would benefit from investing their limited time in over the course of a lifetime.

Also note I didn't say *at least* once a decade, just once a decade. Three evenings every ten years. Not much to ask - that's kind of the point. And actually, seeing those three plays listed above in a once-a-decade rotation sounds like it'd be salutary practice as well. The emphasis in this ideal little world is more on the _minimum_ than the _literacy_.


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## LFTBR (Aug 2, 2013)

Richard Strauss - Elektra
Wagner - Gotterdammerung
Adams - Nixon in China

Honorable mention: Shostakovich Lady MacBeth


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## HumphreyAppleby (Apr 11, 2013)

The three Ts: _Turandot_, _Thais_, and _Tristan_. Honorable mention: _La fanciulla del west_.


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