E-Mail Post To A Friend

Email a copy of '10 Operas You Didn't Know You Already Like' to a friend

* Required Field

Your Name: *

Your E-Mail: *

Your Remark:

Friend's Name: *

Separate multiple entries with a comma. Maximum 5 entries.

Friend's E-Mail: *

Separate multiple entries with a comma. Maximum 5 entries.

Image Verification: *

 Loading ...

1. dillon
   June 4th, 2008 at 2:29 am

   Manowar, the most amazing metal band in history, does an amazing nessun dorma. Eric Adams has a voice of gold.

2. jmp478
   June 4th, 2008 at 2:30 am

   Stop making these HUGE articles on the main page.
   They slow down my computers and take up half the damn page.

3. Peter
   June 4th, 2008 at 2:40 am

   Your computers? You run several of the same page at once?!?!?

   Anyways, how coudl you miss Fifth Elements opera scene.. its the first one that I actualyl enjoyed

4. just a guy
   June 4th, 2008 at 2:56 am

   Yes, the 5th element Opera kicked ass. (although I like a lot of these here.)

   Also, if you wanted to include another ‘modern’ Opera, you could have included the Italian performance of “Aria Di’ Mezzo Catarre”, the Opera from the the game Final Fantasy 3 (known as #6 in Japan).

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaavtbeP2g0

   Also, I agree with jmp478. I wish huge, multi-entry posts were constrained to the first entry.

   ALSO, I’m not a fan of Phillup Glass. He posters as Avant Garde, but it falls flat to me, an attept as transparent as his name.

5. Rosi
   June 4th, 2008 at 3:49 am

   The opera sung by the Diva in the Fifth Element is Il Dolce Suono from Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti (think that’s how you spell it…). You can probably guess that they’ve changed the ending a bit though…
   I’m suprised you didn’t include Sull’aria from the Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, which was featured in the Shawshank Redemption (it’s played over the tannoy to the entire prison). It’s a fantastic song.
   Also, I can’t hear Ride of the Valkyries any more without thinking to myself “Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!”

6. James White
   June 4th, 2008 at 4:00 am

   Lakmé: The Flower Duet - also heard in the film The Hunger (1983), when Catherine DeNeuve seduces Susan Sarandon. I’m gay, but that scene takes my breath away, so I can’t imagine what it does to straight men! David Bowie also stars, so it’s worth checking out.

7. Alex
   June 4th, 2008 at 4:34 am

   I normally don’t care for summarizing articles on the front page, but this one is particularly long. So there. Fixed that for you!

8. Miss Cellania
   June 4th, 2008 at 5:47 am

   A few years ago, someone did a survey to find out what song was most commonly being played on the radio (or rape or CD) when a vehicle crashes. The number one song was Ride of the Valkyries. It makes some kind of sense.

9. Robert Biebricher
   June 4th, 2008 at 5:51 am

   Why is none of the videos not available anymore on youtube?

10. Robert Biebricher
    June 4th, 2008 at 5:52 am

    Sorry, the are again.

11. ted
    June 4th, 2008 at 5:53 am

    I hope you mean playing on a tape, and not the number one song played during a rape - although that would make some kind of creepy sense.

12. bean
    June 4th, 2008 at 6:25 am

    I’m surprised you mentioned Einstein on the Beach instead of Satyagraha, Philip Glass’ epic opera about the independence of India. I don’t know of any other operas with songs in both Russian and Hindi.

13. stacyj
    June 4th, 2008 at 6:57 am

    Just wanted to say that I really like the fact that you just had a summary on the main page - it’s a neat article and I enjoyed reading it, but I also really appreciated being able to scroll past it -quickly- to see the posts underneath first =) I hope you consider doing this for other longish posts in the future …

14. DanO
    June 4th, 2008 at 7:19 am

    I’ve never heard the Flower Duet for British Airways (before my generation perhaps?) but I know it’s used in the Shawshank Redemption.

15. Michael McElree
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:05 am

    Nice selection, but a personal favourite is the duet from the Pearl Fishers - Au Fond du Temple Saint. Preferably with Jussi Bjorling (sp?) singing - Magnificent!

16. ripper
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:56 am

    You left off Diana Damrau as Queen of the Night II -clip here- http://youtube.com/watch?v=DvuKxL4LOqc&feature=related

17. amanda.sue
    June 4th, 2008 at 10:28 am

    Thank you thank you thank you!!!

    As an opera singer, I’m constantly faced with people turning up their noses when I tell them what I do. Thanks for showing that opera is indeed for the masses!!

18. Blimpboy
    June 4th, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Dido’s Lament, aka ‘When I am Laid in Earth’ from Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ is the most beautiful aria I know.

    And on the plus side for all the anglophone xenophobes of the opera world (cause they get real far), it’s in English!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiUCGO7XzrM

19. Ali S.
    June 4th, 2008 at 10:54 am

    @ Alex

    Bravo! I can’t believe how true the title is! I’ve heard of every one of these operas in one form or another but never knew their names or who created them.

    I’m fascinated by how multicultural the stories are actually. Here I always though because they were either sung in German, Spanish, or Italian that they would be about local stories. But some of them are quite far reaching across the globe!

    Good stuff. My favourite opera has to be Ave Maria. The sad and ominous singing really hits the soul.

20. blackjackshellac
    June 4th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    James white, I’d tell you what that scene does to a straight man, but this is a family forum after all.

21. microbless
    June 4th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    No mention of Pagliacci? That’s a great work that has been even been Paradoied in The Simpsons, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hiHB8E_x-4 and even a show like Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=30a10d0c340d39e9b70b860601ac 0f13 now THAT’s a classic!

22. Sheldon
    June 4th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    I was about to be angry if Carmina Burana wasn’t up there, but it put a smile back on my face. I do love the Flower Duet and Carmen, but Carmina Burana is my all-time favorite.
    If any of you get the chance, see the straight version of Madame Butterfly, it’s so much more powerful.

23. DOJ
    June 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    “The Flower Duet” is on my trance CD (original at first, then techno remixed)
    several of the others in my Looney Tunes collection
    Rabbit of Seville is one of my favorites

24. Viola is too lazy to log in
    June 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

    O Fortuna is my cell phone ring. It’s epic.

25. David N
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    Another popular film that used the Flower Duet was True Romance. It’s used in the scene where Clarence’s father (Dennis Hopper) refuses to tell the Sicilian consigliere (Christopher Walken) Clarence’s whereabout, and the consigliere kills him.

26. lunacy
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    I first heard Wagner through Merry Melodies, as sung by Elmer Fudd.

    Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=LkcMVJuoWZ4

27. Moon
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Michael McElreeNice selection, but a personal favourite is the duet from the Pearl Fishers - Au Fond du Temple Saint. Preferably with Jussi Bjorling (sp?) singing - Magnificent!

    That was the one I would have suggested. Maybe not the Jussi Bjorling version, though. Hee.

    I believe that the BBC voted that duet the best song ever last December.

    Another great Bizet duet is the duet between Micaela and Don Jose from Carmen, I think it’s called “Parle-moi de ma mère!”

28. lunacy
    June 4th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    Very cool post by the way. I now want to go see an opera. It has been a long time. The last one being Carmen.

29. Hannah
    June 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am

    If you want to hear fantastic versions of many of these operas you need to find the East Village Opera Company’s self titled album.

    It will change how you see opera forever. And you’ll love it.

30. smak
    June 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    These are actually *arias*…not operas. But good post none-the-less! Like another poster pointed out, I can’t believe Vesti La Giubba (Pagliacci) was left out.

    It’s a shame that liking opera is seen as snobby these days. So many people are missing out on truly beautiful music that was created for the masses!

    Carmina Burana (O Fortuna), however, needs to die a quick, painful death.

31. pridesax
    June 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    I am a major music fan and I am so glad you posted this! This is one of if not my favorite “Neat” things about this website! I recommend neatorama to everyone! Thanks again!

    Pridesax

32. Nancy
    June 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Thanks for the information! I always enjoy what little opera I listen to, and have always wanted to learn more. Also, I owe much of the first exposure to the great music to the Warner Bros. cartoons of yore.

33. sw
    June 11th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    the entirety of my opera knowledge comes from bugs bunny cartoons. sure, they portrayed drinking, smoking, cross dressing, and violence but has any ‘modern’ cartoon turned kids on to classical music?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT