# What are your top 10 favorite Italian operas?



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Operas composed by Italian composers.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Mefistofele
Otello
Don Carlo
Madama Butterfly
Tosca
Turandot
Rigoletto
Lucia di Lammermoor
La Boheme
Andrea Chenier

Also rans: La Traviata/Norma/Manon Lescaut/Il trovatore/Adriana Lecouvreur/La Fanciulla del West/The Consul


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Otello
Simon Boccanegra
Don Carlo
Il Trovatore
Falstaff
Tosca
Norma
Aïda
La Forza del Destino
Un Ballo in Maschera


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

10) Cavalleria Rusticana/ I Paglicacci (tight)
9) La Forza del Destino/ Andrea Chenier (tight)
8) Norma/ Lucia di Lammermoor (tight)
7) La Boheme
6) Madame Butterfly
5) Il Trovatore/ La Gioconda (tight)
4) I Puritani
3) Otello/ Don Carlo (tight)
2) Falstaff 
1) La Traviata

But if Italian operas of Mozart are included, then I would put Cosi #1, Don #3, and Figaro around #5 or #6


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

La Traviata- Verdi
Madama Butterfly- Puccini
Aida- Verdi
Lucia di Lammermoor- Donizetti
Il barbiere di Siviglia- Rossini
La Cenerentola- Rossini
La Boheme- Puccini
Norma- Bellini
I Capuleti e i Montecchi- Bellini
Orlando Furioso- Vivaldi


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

10) Don Carlo ~ Verdi
9) Tosca ~ Puccini
8) Beatrice di Tenda ~ Bellini 
7) Lucrezia Borgia ~ Donizetti
6) Il Trovatore ~ Verdi
5) Lucia di Lammermoor ~ Donizetti
4) Rigoletto ~ Verdi
3) Semiramide ~ Rossini
2) Norma ~ Bellini
1) Attila ~ Verdi


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

In no particular order - Italian opera is not such a strong suit of mine!

Tosca
Sour Angelica
Poppea
Il Prigioniero
Luci mie Traditrici
An Index of Metals
Il Tabarro
Doktor Faust

And I'll have Don Giovanni and La Clemenza di Tito to round out my ten!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

1. Bellini - Norma (but only if Callas is singing it)
2. Verdi - Don Carlo
3. Verdi - Otello
4. Verdi - La Traviata
5. Verdi - Falstaff
6. Verdi - Rigoletto
7. Verdi - Il Trovatore
8. Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera
9. Donizetti - Anna Bolena (though only with Callas)
10. Cherubini - Medea (yet again only with Callas)


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

^^^ No Tosca, Greg?

Surely its worth it just for Callas' famously venemous spit at Scarpia?


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

L'incoronazione di Poppea - Monteverdi
Orfeo - Luigi Rossi
L'incoronazione di Dario - Vivaldi
Griselda - Scarlatti
Tancredi - Rossini
Norma - Bellini
La Traviata - Verdi
La Bohème - Puccini
Parisina - Mascagni
Luci mie traditrici - Sciarrino


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Headphone Hermit said:


> ^^^ No Tosca, Greg?
> 
> Surely its worth it just for Callas' famously venemous spit at Scarpia?


Actually my feelings about Puccini equate rather with Callas's own. Musically I prefer Verdi and the _bel canto_ triumvirate of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, and I feel Callas's true genius was to be found in the music of these composers, for all her pre-eminence as Tosca.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

I really think it is difficult to make such lists.
I will try with no particular order.

Madama Butterfly - Puccini
Simon Boccanegra - Verdi
Cavalleria Rusticana - Mascagni
Aida - Verdi
Tosca - Puccini
La Traviata - Verdi
Norma - Bellini
Iris - Mascagni
The Love of Three Kings - Montemezzi
Turandot - Puccini


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

I can totally understand... I can't imagine Norma, Bolena or Medea sung by anyone but Callas. 

Aida IMO has the similar fate. It's late Verdi, but it strangely fails to move me in the way it peers (Carlo, Otello) or middle Verdi (La Travaiata, Forza, Ballo) do. Forgive me but the main characters are kind of two dimensional. In addition, it is usually ill-treated by bombastic conducting. Only the 1955 (a little bit wobble) Callas with the supreme Serafin, or the 1953 (pre-weight loss) Callas under the majestic Barbirolli that make Aida really work for me.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

silentio said:


> I can totally understand... I can't imagine Norma, Bolena or Medea sung by anyone but Callas.
> 
> Aida IMO has the similar fate. It's late Verdi, but it strangely fails to move me in the way it peers (Carlo, Otello) or middle Verdi (La Travaiata, Forza, Ballo) do. Forgive me but the main characters are kind of two dimensional. In addition, it is usually ill-treated by bombastic conducting. Only the 1955 (a little bit wobble) Callas with the supreme Serafin, or the 1953 (pre-weight loss) Callas under the majestic Barbirolli that make Aida really work for me.


I do but agree. I too find the characters in *Aida* somewhat two-dimensional. Even when Callas was at her vocal zenith, I'm not sure the role really suited her, but she gets more out of it than anyone else I know, and the Nile Scene in the commercial recording, with Gobbi, is the most moving I've ever come across (Serafin helps his singers immeasurably here). On balance it's still my favourite recording of the opera.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Itullian said:


> Operas composed by Italian composers.


Nice thread 

Simon Boccanegra - Verdi
Macbeth - Verdi
I Puritani - Bellini
Falstaff - Verdi
Don Carlo - Verdi
Il trovatore - Verdi
Mefistofele - Boito
Lucia di Lammermoor - Donizetti
La Wally - Catalani
Un giorno di regno - Verdi


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

In no particular order:
- Rigoletto (Verdi)
- Il Trovatore (Verdi)
- Tosca (Puccini)
- Madama Butterfly (Puccini)
- La Traviata (Verdi)
- Anna Bolena (Donizetti)
- Leonora (Ferdinando Paër)
- Don Carlo (Verdi)
- Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)
- Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)

Of course, I could have also listed La Fanciulla del West, Luisa Miller, La Donna del Lago, Turandot, and Aida . . .


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Bellini - Norma
Donizetti - Maria Stuarda
Donizetti - Anna Bolena
Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor
Monteverdi - L'incoronazione di Poppea
Rossini - Il barbiere di Siviglia
Rossini - La donna del lago
Rossini - La Cenerentola
Verdi - La traviata
Verdi - La forza del destino

Just ordered by composer. I have been slow to come to Italian opera and there is still a lot more to get to know. Five years ago I probably could not have made a list; five years from now I'm sure my list will look different!


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## LancsMan (Oct 28, 2013)

Not sure I'll be welcome here as I'm not exactly a fan of nineteenth century Italian opera. Here's my top ten of Italian operas (all in my CD collection).
1. Busoni: Arlecchino
2. Busoni: Turandot
3. Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
4. Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea
5. Puccini: La Rondine
6. Puccini: Turandot (I bet not many have two Turandot's in their list!)
7. Vivaldiu: Orlando Finto Pazzo
8. Rossini: Il Turco in Italia
9. Respighi: La Fiamma
10. Verdi: Otello

Actually that's my entire Italian opera collection except for an additional two by Verdi!


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

In no order (also one per composer):

Nerone (Boito)
Iris (Mascagni)
Aida (Verdi)
Turandot (Puccini)
Don Perlimplin* (Maderna)
L'Orfeo favola in musica (Monteverdi)
La fiamma (Respighi)
L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Il prigioniero (Dallapiccola)

*The original RAI recording, can't be really staged.

Now I wish it was at least a TOP 20 

EDIT:


LancsMan said:


> Not sure I'll be welcome here as I'm not exactly a fan of nineteenth century Italian opera. Here's my top ten of Italian operas (all in my CD collection).
> 1. Busoni: Arlecchino
> 2. Busoni: Turandot
> 3. Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
> ...


Busoni's Arlecchino ovvero le finestre is a great choice.

Also there were at least three "italian" Turandot.
Bazzini only opera was in fact Turanda.



Sloe said:


> I really think it is difficult to make such lists.
> I will try with no particular order.
> 
> Madama Butterfly - Puccini
> ...


Oh yeah, Montemezzi another one I regret to have left out.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea
Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ullisse in Patria
Cavalli: Il Giasone
Cavalli: Elena
Rossini: Guillaume Tell
Donizetti: L'Elisir D'Amore
Verdi: Don Carlo
Verdi: Otello
Puccini:La Fanciulla del West
Puccini: Tosca


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

William Tell of course
Mefistofele
Lucia
L'Italiana in Algeri
Un Giorno di Regno
La Gioconda
Rigoletto
L'Elisir
Barber
Falstaff


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

In no particular order

Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea
Puccini:Tosca
Puccini: Turandot
Puccini: Suor Angelina 
Verdi: Falstaff 
Verdi: Otello 
Verdi: Don Carlo (so lucky to hear Kaufmann and in particular Harteros twice in this piece.
Verdi: Il Trovatore (the recording I regard with the most exciting singing that I own is the Karajan live set with Corelli and Price)
Rossini: Il Turko in Italia 
Bellini: Norma


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2014)

A quick glance at this thread has me wondering: do posters need to be told that they are allowed to vote for works before Rossini and after Puccini?


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

arcaneholocaust said:


> A quick glance at this thread has me wondering: do posters need to be told that they are allowed to vote for works before Rossini and after Puccini?


Maybe many are more familiar with more widely known composers (Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini).
In particular the post-Puccini period is probably the lesser known of the whole italian Opera history (especially post-Generazione dell'Ottanta).

Not to say that 10 spots are a very low number and comparing Operas from radically different time period is problematic (there is a stark contrast between Il barbiere di Siviglia and Aida or between Iris and Il prigioniero, something like Don Perlimplin probably wouldn't even be considered an Opera by a few here).

You can always vote your favorites


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## Guest (Nov 13, 2014)

Bardamu said:


> You can always vote your favorites


I think L'Orfeo, Don Carlos, Prometeo, maybe Satyricon, etc would be up there but I just don't know right now. Thanks for the offer though


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

arcaneholocaust said:


> A quick glance at this thread has me wondering: do posters need to be told that they are allowed to vote for works before Rossini and after Puccini?


Yes. Completely aware, and actually Puccini didn't make it onto my list. But the thread is about _favourite_ operas. Choices will inevitably personal.

If I were asked to compile a list of the ten greatest operas composed by Italian composers, then my list would probably be a little different. It would definitely include Monteverdi (though I'm not sure it would include Puccini).


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Yes. Completely aware, and actually Puccini didn't make it onto my list. But the thread is about _favourite_ operas. Choices will inevitably personal.
> 
> If I were asked to compile a list of the ten greatest operas composed by Italian composers, then my list would probably be a little different. It would definitely include Monteverdi (though I'm not sure it would include Puccini) .


A Marschallin 'like' _despite_ the conclusion. _;D_


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Bardamu said:


> Maybe many are more familiar with more widely known composers (Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini).
> In particular the post-Puccini period is probably the lesser known of the whole italian Opera history (especially post-Generazione dell'Ottanta).
> )


I could have taken some operas from the composers of the Generation of 1880 and also Anna Bolena an opera that made me watch all four seasons of the Tudors should have some credits. Als Puccinis first opera Le Villi a Puccini opera with supernatural elements deserves to be mentioned.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

L'Orfeo
L'Incoronazione di Poppea
Medea (only with Callas)
Norma (only with Callas)
La Traviata
Otello
Falstaff
La Fanciulla del West
Doktor Faust (the opera is in German, but Busoni was Italian)
Oh, I don't know, something else, but only with Callas


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## BaronScarpia (Apr 2, 2014)

Bellini: Norma
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda
Handel: Giulio Cesare
Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Mozart: Così fan tutte
Puccini: La bohème
Puccini: Tosca
Verdi: Rigoletto

For my last two I'd have another Verdi (Falstaff, Otello or Don Carlo - in French) and another Mozart (Don Giovanni or Nozze). And yes, I'm fully aware that Handel and Mozart weren't Italian, but the operas I cited are in the Italian language. And yes, I know Itullian said "operas by Italian composers"!!!


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

BaronScarpia said:


> Bellini: Norma
> Donizetti: Maria Stuarda
> Handel: Giulio Cesare
> Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
> ...


2 demerits ...........


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## Blue Miasma (Oct 17, 2014)

In order of composer : 


Bellini - 
La Sonnambula 

Cilea - 
Adrienne Lecouvreur 

Donizetti - 
Lucia di Lammermoor 

Ponchielli - 
La Gioconda 

Puccini - 
Madama Butterfly 
Turandot 

Spontini - 
La Vestale 

Verdi - 
Rigoletto 
Il Trovatore 
La Traviata


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Headphone Hermit said:


> ^^^ No Tosca, Greg?
> 
> Surely its worth it just for Callas' famously venemous spit at Scarpia?


Muori....Muori.... Muor-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

There was only one Callas!


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## BaronScarpia (Apr 2, 2014)

Itullian said:


> 2 demerits ...........


Soz, but, as a linguist, to me 'Italian opera' means 'opera written in the Italian language'


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

BaronScarpia said:


> Soz, but, as a linguist, to me 'Italian opera' means 'opera written in the Italian language'


If that's the case I'll need Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano, Rinaldo, Rodelinda, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and La Clemenza di Tito in the list.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

By Italian composers:

Verdi Falstaff
Verdi Otello
Puccini Turandot
Verdi Rigoletto
Monteverdi l'Orfeo
Puccini il Trittico
Nono Prometeo
Rossini Il barbiere di Siviglia
Berio Un re in ascolto
Dallapiccola Il prigioniero

In the Italian language (by non-Italian composers):

Mozart Le nozze di Figaro
Mozart Don Giovanni
Mozart Così fan tutte
Mozart Idomeneo
Mozart La clemenza di Tito
Handel Giulio Cesare
Handel Rinaldo
Mozart La finta giardiniera
Haydn La fedeltà premiata
Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Bardamu said:


> Iris (Mascagni)


Nice to see that someone else likes Iris.
I can say that I was thrilled when I discovered Iris and still is.
Iris have among the most wonderful music of all operas and is overall fascinating.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Aida
Norma
Lucia
L'Elisir D'Amore
Il Trovatore
Un Ballo
Lucrezia Borgia
Tosca
Anna Bolena
Turandot
La Traviata


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

My "alternative" Top 10 because 10 spots cannot be enough:

Busoni: Arlecchino (oh the bitter irony of Busoni)
Gnecchi: Cassandra (the fate this one got is unfair!)
Ghedini: La pulce d'oro (some likened it to Verdi's Falstaff)
Porrino: I Shardana (the celebration of the Sardinian myth)
Montemezzi: L'amore dei tre re (an interesting blend between german, french and italian influences)
Giordano: Il Re (I don't like his more famous Operas but this one is a gem)
Casella: La favola di Orfeo
Malipiero: L'Orfeide (but I really like all Malipiero's opera between 1920-1930)
Alfano: La leggenda di Sakuntala (note La leggenda di Sakuntala and Sakuntala are two different version by the same composer)
Mulè: Dafni
Wolf-Ferrari: I quatro rusteghi (I love the use of the venetian vernacular)

What, you say they are more than 10? Not my fault I swear!



Sloe said:


> Nice to see that someone else likes Iris.
> I can say that I was thrilled when I discovered Iris and still is.
> Iris have among the most wonderful music of all operas and is overall fascinating.


I don't like Iris, I'm deeply in love with her 

If you want other suggestions about Mascagni operas feel free to ask.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Bardamu said:


> I don't like Iris, I'm deeply in love with her
> 
> If you want other suggestions about Mascagni operas feel free to ask.


You scared me first.
I don´t think you can give me any suggestions of Mascagni operas but thank you for introducing me to Gnecchi and Cassella i have heard the names before but I am not that acquainted to them.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> ^^^ No Tosca, Greg?
> Surely its worth it just for Callas' famously venemous spit at Scarpia?


this is the sole reason why Tosca was on my list. the rest of the opera is just a nice bonus


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

I must confess, Italian opera is not my strong suit (too much Russian and French ). But personally, my favorites are:

Simon Boccanegra (Verdi)
Otello (Verdi)
La Traviata (Verdi)
The Girl of the Golden West (Puccini)
Tosca (Puccini)
Madama Butterfly (Puccini)
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)
William Tell (Rossini)

Sorry. I wish I could do better.


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## Rackon (Apr 9, 2013)

mamascarlatti said:


> Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea
> Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ullisse in Patria
> Cavalli: Il Giasone
> Cavalli: Elena
> ...


Your list is almost identical to mine!

I would have to add Monteverdi's L' Orfeo. But then what to delete???


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