Carmen

This amazing production of Carmen starred two of my favorites: Marilyn Horne and Joan Sutherland. Here, Carmen enchants the soldiers with her famous aria, "Habanera," during a break from her work at the cigarette factory.




You can learn more about the opera here.

You can listen to the historic production here.

Hansel and Gretel

Many operas are based on stories that you already know. For example, Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is based on the fairy tale of the same name. In this familiar scene, Hansel and Gretel discover a gingerbread house in the forest. The wicked witch is about to make her appearance.



You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the beautiful broadcast here.

Madama Butterfly

SPOILER ALERT: In this scene of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, the broken-hearted ChoCho-San blindfolds her son before committing suicide. ChoCho-San has given up her religion and most of her culture to marry an American, who jilts her in the end. She has decorated her house in the most American style she can manage in 1904 Japan.




You can read more about the opera here, or listen to the broadcast here.

Il Turco In Italia

My mother, who introduced me to opera many years ago, helped me put together this scene from Il Turco In Italia (The Turk in Italy): a moonlit rendezvous on the seashore.



You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here (once it becomes available).

Thank you, Mom! I love you!

Cosi Fan Tutte

Cosi Fan Tutte, set in 18th century Italy, opens in a coffee shop, where two officers discuss the faithfulness of their fiancees. This faithfulness is to be tested in the rest of the opera, at the urging of their friend Don Alfonso.



You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.

La Traviata

Tonight's opera is the beautiful La Traviata. Here is the first scene, in which the party goes on while Violetta stays behind due to illness, and Alfredo stays behind to confess his love.




This is a truly wonderful opera. You can read about it here. And you really ought to see a production of it someday.

The soon-to-be-happy and then-to-be-unhappy and then-to-be-ever-so-briefly-happy-again couple:

Manon Lescaut

Tonight's opera is by Puccini, who loves a sad ending. And here is the end to this handsome couple: dying of exposure in the desert.



You can learn more about Manon Lescaut here.