Attila

This opera deals loosely with the facts when it comes to Attila the Hun and the Roman Empire. In the prologue, Attila surveys a village his Huns have ransacked. He is about to meet Odabella, daughter of the lord of the ruined town.



WARNING: Graphic Lego violence depicted.

You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

I Puritani

In this final act of I Puritani (The Puritans), which is set during the English Civil War, the royalist hero Arturo is set to be executed by soldiers while his temporarily insane lover Elvira looks on. But a messenger arrives from Oliver Cromwell bearing good news.

Listen to the opera here. This is an all-star recording with Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Pierro Cappuccilli, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.

Read more about the opera here.

Martha

In this comic opera, two noble women disguise themselves at a fair where women are hired as servants. As you can probably guess, antics ensue.

You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.

Guglielmo Tell

On March 2, 2013, At the Opera broadcast a recording of Rossini's Guglieilmo Tell, or as well call it in English, William Tell. It is a long but exciting opera, and of course, everybody knows the overture. And everyone knows the scene Lego'ed bellow, where Mr. Tell is made to shoot an apple off his son's head.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

You can read more about the opera here.

Lucia de Lammermoor

Pay no attention to the date above. This opera was broadcast on Saturday, February 23, 2013.

In this last scene of Lucia de Lammermoor, after the soprano has both gone insane and died (that's opera, folks), Edgardo takes his own life in the graveyard of the Lammermoors.

You can listen to the beautiful broadcast of this opera here.

You can read more about the opera here.

Pagliacci

In the final scene of Pagliacci, the on-stage audience applauds at the realism of a performance, unaware that the drama is real. The clown, Pagliacci, has killed his wife in a jealous rage. This is not an opera for anyone afraid of clowns.

You can learn more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.