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Curated category

Italian-language operas

  • OtelloGiuseppe Verdi decided to end his career as an opera composer in December 1871 after the premiere of Aida. He retreated into a decade-long retirement that…
  • La traviataGiuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave stood at the edge of a new musical world in 1852. They had just seen a play called La Dame aux camélias performed by…
  • La bohèmeThe Teatro Regio in Turin opened its doors on the 1st of February 1896 for a world premiere that would change opera history.
  • Macbeth (Verdi)Giuseppe Verdi described the period from 1842 to 1858 as his galley years. He wrote to Clara Maffei on the 12th of May 1858 that he had never had one hour of…
  • Anna BolenaFelice Romani crafted the libretto for Anna Bolena after reading Ippolito Pindemonte's Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena and Alessandro Pepoli's Anna Bolena.
  • La finta giardinieraWolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote La finta giardiniera in Munich during January 1775. He was only eighteen years old when he composed the score for this…
  • The Marriage of FigaroEmperor Joseph II of Austria issued a direct order in 1784 that banned the German version of Beaumarchais's play The Marriage of Figaro.
  • IdomeneoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart received a commission in 1780 from Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria. The Elector needed a new opera for the court carnival season.
  • Don GiovanniWolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed the score for Don Giovanni on the 28th of October 1787, just one night before its world premiere.
  • Falstaff (opera)Giuseppe Verdi stood at the threshold of his eightieth year in 1893, having composed twenty-six operas over more than fifty years.
  • Così fan tutteThe Burgtheater in Vienna hosted the first performance of Così fan tutte on the 26th of January 1790. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted this initial showing…
  • Lucio SillaWolfgang Amadeus Mozart stood at the age of 16 when he composed Lucio Silla. The young composer wrote this Italian opera seria in three acts during a single…
  • Lo sposo delusoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart began work on an opera titled Lo sposo deluso in 1783. The project started with a libretto written by Giuseppe Petrosellini for…
  • Ascanio in AlbaThe year 1771 brought a specific command from Empress Maria Theresa to her court. She needed an opera for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl.
  • Mitridate, re di PontoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart stood in the city of Bologna during the summer of 1770. He was only fourteen years old when he began composing this opera seria.