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| 2 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17101743120.28876800 |
| 3 | %% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread. |
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| 5 | [[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/{{Norma}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_3451.jpeg]]]] |
| 6 | [[caption-width-right:350:Jennifer Black and Cameron Schutza in the 2018 Sarasota Opera production of ''Theatre/{{Norma}}''.]] |
| 7 | %% |
| 8 | ->''"Opera is when a guy gets stabbed and instead of bleeding, he sings."'' |
| 9 | -->-- '''Ed Gardner''' |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Opera has been around since the end of the [[OlderThanSteam 16th century]] and is still going strong. Major opera composers include [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]], Music/GeorgeFredericHandel, Music/GiuseppeVerdi, Music/GioachinoRossini, Music/RichardWagner, Music/GiacomoPuccini and Richard Strauss, though there are, of course, many more. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | The [[CommonKnowledge public perception]] of the difference between opera and TheMusical is that musical theatre has breaks for spoken dialogue, whereas opera is "sung through", alternating between "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recitative recitative]]" (which is when the plot happens and is typically sung in a less-formal style) and "arias" (big numbers where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXjK50kEgvo someone has a therapy session onstage]]). While not a bad approximation, it's not always true. Because opera tended to be the theatrical equivalent of a {{doorstopper}}, someone asked why it couldn't just be abridged by turning the recitative into dialogue; this form was typically called "operetta" (to [[LiesToChildren oversimplify the matter]]), and the only thing you have to add to ''that'' to get a modern musical is a greater inclusion of dance. This means there are in fact operas that have spoken dialogue, like ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'' and ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}''. Likewise, there are musicals that have "regressed" back to including recitative; among these {{Sung Through Musical}}s are ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' and ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', and others are nearly so like ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' and ''Theatre/{{RENT}}'' (which to a certain extent ''reserves'' spoken dialogue for its {{Wham Line}}s!). |
| 14 | |
| 15 | The ''actual'' line between musicals and opera is blurry and kind of technical, but the short of it is that opera doesn't use electronic sound equipment and musicals typically need better actors than singers. Music/StephenSondheim was heard to claim, "I really think that when something plays in Broadway it's a musical, and when it plays in an opera house it's opera. That's it." [[note]] Although cynical musicologists might say that he arrived at that definition to justify his own musicals being performed in opera houses.[[/note]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | CommonKnowledge also insists that opera is always a {{tragedy}}. This is also not true; the opera genre is as varied as any other. Many operas are comedies -- ''Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville'' and ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' are basically [[RomanticComedy RomComs]], just to give two examples -- and even the serious ones tend to have at least some humorous parts. In fact, during the Baroque and Classical periods, operas were generally expected to have happy endings; the concept of tragic operas only became popular during the [[{{Romanticism}} Romantic]] period. And while some operas have incredibly well-crafted lyrics and story lines that are true works of art, others are... [[SturgeonsLaw not quite as brilliant]]. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | That said, the opera genre is known for featuring many a work with ''extremely'' drawn-out texts focusing on a single (often trivial) theme. As a result, opera texts (libretti) are often mocked, and in many cases it's mainly the quality of the music that makes an opera work, along with the same thing you need for any theatrical production: committed performers bringing the art form to life on stage. Movies have car chases, rock songs have guitar solos, and operas have death-arias (the soprano [female lead] frequently dies). In fact, both Creator/AnnaRussell and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Jean_Ward B.J. Ward]] (in her one-woman show, ''Stand-Up Opera'') have made entire comedy routines of poking fun at opera tropes. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Nowadays we tend to think of operas as high-falutin' fare for the nobs and snobs. Back in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, though, opera was ''popular music'', to the point that the opening night audience was chock-full of transcriptionists. And it didn't take long for them to produce a saleable product: Rossini once said that by the time he left the opera house for home at the end of opening night, hawkers would be lined up on the street selling copies of the music and lyrics of his arias to those who couldn't afford a ticket. (Yes, this means that [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil media piracy and its critics]] are OlderThanRadio.) |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Several modern films and other works have been created as operas (that is, entirely consisting of sung dialogue). The most famous "serious" opera film is probably ''Film/TheUmbrellasOfCherbourg'', starring Catherine Deneuve. A very modern example is ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'', which [[{{Pun}} transplants]] the style into industrial sci-fi horror. The term RockOpera is thrown around at times for a SubGenre of the themed ConceptAlbum, but most "rock operas" are not produced for the stage (with [[Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar an exception]] or two). The nearest thing to a modern successor to opera is Broadway-style MusicalTheater. Indeed, musicals can trace their origins to opera through the operatic subgenre of operetta or light opera, which, as its name implies, is light in terms of subject matter (i.e. it's funny) and music, and often feature a good deal more plain dialogue than ordinary operas. The works of Creator/GilbertAndSullivan are generally considered transitional, as while they considered their works to be comic operas, they would probably be called musicals if produced today; many would argue that musicals are basically the genre of theatre [[FollowTheLeader launched]] by G&S. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Used in movies and TV shows [[AtTheOperaTonight to add a touch of class]]. Or just something artsy. Or for the cast to get bored and fall asleep, which is something that can't be done (too loud). |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Not to be confused with the {{Cantata}}, though at least one cantata, Music/JohannSebastianBach's [[Music/SchweigtStillePlaudertNicht Coffee Cantata]], can be considered a miniature comic opera according to Website/TheOtherWiki. The {{Oratorio}} is an intermediate form between the cantata and an opera, being a sung musical work that is long, generally divided into acts, and has recognizable characters interacting to tell a story, but not involving any acting of any significance; they were historically written for circumstances in which opera was infeasible or inappropriate (for being too vulgar), typically religious venues, or when the composer couldn't convince a patron to let him write an opera (which is much more expensive; this cost factor drove Music/GeorgeFredericHandel's prodigious output of oratorios late in his career, as he had previously focused on opera, but the English public's tastes had shifted away from that form). |
| 28 | |
| 29 | Contrast {{Cantata}}. See also ClassicalMusic, of which most opera is a [[{{Subtrope}} subgenre]]. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | For Creator/DarioArgento's film titled ''Opera'', see ''Film/Opera1987''. |
| 32 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 33 | ---- |
| 34 | !!Tropes typical of opera: |
| 35 | [[folder:Tropes typical of opera]] |
| 36 | %% |
| 37 | %% Zero Context Examples are commented out. Please add description to them. |
| 38 | %% |
| 39 | * ActorShipping: When two singers perform together frequently enough, this can happen, especially if they have wonderful chemistry together. Some examples include: |
| 40 | ** Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón |
| 41 | ** Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni |
| 42 | ** Renata Tebaldi and Mario Del Monaco |
| 43 | ** Franco Corelli and Birgit Nilsson; also, Corelli with Freni, after their amazing performances of Gounod's ''Romeo et Juliette''. |
| 44 | ** Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano |
| 45 | ** Juan Diego Flórez and Diana Damrau |
| 46 | ** Montserrat Caballé and José Carreras |
| 47 | ** Roberto Alagna and Elina Garanca |
| 48 | ** The UrExample of this, at New York's celebrated Metropolitan Opera Company[[note]]the opera house Ronny takes Loretta to in ''Film/{{Moonstruck}}'', it's a world-renowned establishment with a reputation for phenomenal singers and stunning artistic productions[[/note]] at least, was Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar, who sang frequent performances of ''Carmen'', ''Tosca'', and ''Manon'' in the first two decades of the 20th century and participated in the Met's first ''Madame Butterfly'' in 1907. |
| 49 | *** Soprano [[http://thefrenchsampler.blogspot.com/2010/04/lina-cavalieri-face-that-launched.html Lina Cavalieri]] probably inspired this with Caruso as well; they had great chemistry onstage and once during a Met performance of Giordano's ''Fedora'' she gave him an off-script BigDamnKiss that went viral with endless speculation -- method acting or were they....? -- and became known as the first authentic stage kiss. [[note]][[http://69.18.170.204/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=38090&limit=5000&xBranch=ALL&xsdate=&xedate=&theterm=Alten,%20Bella%20%5BSoprano%5D&x=0&xhomepath=http://69.18.170.204/archives/&xhome=http://69.18.170.204/archives/bibpro.htm Here's a review of their performances]] that doesn't mention the kiss, but does say they had to repeat the entire last scene of the second act![[/note]] |
| 50 | ** In the 1930s, Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior also became HouseholdNames for their joint performances of Wagner's music dramas. |
| 51 | * AnAesop: |
| 52 | ** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in Donizetti's ''Don Pasquale'' |
| 53 | ** And in Stravinsky's ''A Rake's Progress'' |
| 54 | ** And in [[Music/GioachinoRossini Rossini's]] ''Il Turco in Italia'' |
| 55 | ** In [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart's]] ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'', one was apparently {{enforced}}. (Opinions vary wildly on whether it's better when performed with or without it.) |
| 56 | * AllThereInTheManual: Without a program, good luck trying to understand what's going on on stage. Many modern opera houses (Especially in Germany) show the text right above the stage, and some fancy opera houses even have a small screen on the back of the seats with the text in several selectable languages. Performing opera in translation has disadvantages too. It's often just as hard to make out the words, and when you can the effect isn't always what it might be. For example, to an English ear Theatre/{{Tosca}} may sound dramatic when she sings 'Muori! Muori! Muori! ... È morto.' but translated into English this becomes 'Die! Die! Die! ... He's dead.' 'Nuff said. |
| 57 | * AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: Opera gets this from both sides. Many operas are adaptations of existing works, and a number have been adapted into modern musicals. |
| 58 | * AtTheOperaTonight: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Naturally]]! If your characters are looking for a classy evening out, it doesn't get much classier. |
| 59 | * BloodSplatteredWeddingDress: Poor, ''poor'' [[spoiler: Lucia di Lammermoor.]] In many modern productions of ''Theatre/LaTraviata'' this happens with Violetta's nightgown [[http://cdn1.ntv.com.tr/gorsel/sanat/ozpetek-la-traviata-ile-napoliyi-yine-fethetti/,N5qJnwdECUSOPVz0UxvgoA.jpg?mode=crop&scale=both&v=20151104121130678&maxWidth=620 for extra realism]] (she's got TB). |
| 60 | * BrawnHilda: A rather unfortunate stereotype of opera singers (as in the saying, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings"). Although it's usually very exaggerated, it does have a degree of TruthInTelevision since the vocal pipes necessary to support a huge operatic voice often go along with a [[BigBeautifulWoman larger frame]]. The trope may have originated from Wagner's ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Die Walküre]]'',[[note]]Specifically, the conclusion, where she's put in suspended animation and surrounded by fire.[[/note]] where the main character, [[TropeNamer Brünnhilde]], is often played by an imposing woman. (Wagner's music has a lot of long, sustained phrases and singing those develops back and shoulder muscles.) Though if you think that means opera singers are unattractive, [[http://www.buzzfeed.com/uhohspaghettio/what-happened-to-opera-9mn7 think again]]. |
| 61 | ** If you're watching work from the 17th or 18th century (where opera houses and orchestras were much smaller) this is usually averted, if not sometimes inverted; soubrette sopranos who play roles like Despina[[note]]in Mozart's ''Cosi Fan Tutte''[[/note]] or Zerlina[[note]]in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''[[/note]] are usually quite small women, cast for their girlish vocal instrument. Women in 'trouser roles' (playing a boy) in these operas are likewise often petite. |
| 62 | ** Sexy, beautiful male and female singers date back to the earliest days. The De Rezske brothers were both considered extremely attractive[[note]]especially Jean, who sang tenor; Edouard, who sang bass, was also considered a superb actor[[/note]], as was soprano Geraldine Farrar (no, not [[UsefulNotes/GeraldineFerraro that one]]). Soprano [[https://www.italianways.com/lina-cavalieri-and-the-most-beautiful-kiss-in-the-world/ Lina Cavalieri]] was literally known as "The WorldsMostBeautifulWoman". Coloratura [extremely high vocal range] [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ac/a2/5f/aca25f52d29d74152797ec339bc34697.jpg Lily Pons]] was barely five feet tall and had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olY5DnGU8zc a voice like a crystal canary]], and basso [[http://www.cantabile-subito.de/Basses/Pinza__Ezio/pinzagiovanni.jpg Ezio Pinza]], a contemporary of hers, let audiences know why the ladies wanted to be with Theatre/DonGiovanni. More recently, heroic tenor [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJo7eUa5KR0 Franco Corelli]] was so drop dead gorgeous [[EvenTheGuysWantHim director Luchino Visconti made a play for him]]. (Corelli was straight though. Besides being married, he had a longtime affair with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Della_Casa Lisa della Casa]], and later with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Żylis-Gara Teresa Żylis-Gara]], neither of whom were so bad themselves.[[note]][[https://www.belcantosociety.org/store/books/franco-corelli-and-a-revolution-in-singing-vol-2/ In an interview with Stefan Zucker]] for one of his ''Revolutions in Singing'' books, Corelli said in his elder years the music in his mind wasn't opera themes, but Teresa having [[TheImmodestOrgasm orgasms]].[[/note]] |
| 63 | ** The "Brawn Hilda" image is probably based on Kirsten Flagstad, due to her having [[https://youtu.be/YC6f8FbnVMQ?t=71 performed in full costume]] the wild "Ho-jo-to-ho!" chant from ''The Valkyrie'' in several 1940s films. Kirsten wasn't fat, just powerfully built like an Amazon, partly from the breath control needed for Wagnerian singing. |
| 64 | ** A lot of modern opera singers are quite beautiful in voice and in appearance, too. The late Russian bass-baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was one of ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1991, a rare pop-culture distinction for an opera singer. |
| 65 | %% * {{Camp}}: Especially in RichardStrauss operas. Rossini has his moments too as does Mozart. |
| 66 | * Myth/ClassicalMythology: Baroque (1601-1750) operas tended to draw on these for their plots. |
| 67 | ** One of the most popular settings throughout the history of opera was the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Orphean_operas Orpheus and Eurydice.]] This persisted until Jacques Offenbach produced ''Theatre/OrpheusInTheUnderworld'' in 1858, a comic opera satirizing nearly three hundred years of Orphean opera settings. It was essentially the ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' of operas, with its most [[GenreKiller (in)famous]] moment being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okQRnHvw3is ''The Infernal Galop,'']] A.K.A. Music/TheCanCanSong. |
| 68 | ** Two of Richard Strauss' operas draw on it, Elektra and Ariadne auf Naxos (although in a different way). |
| 69 | * ColorblindCasting: In the world of opera, your race and appearance don't matter to the public in the least. Even when the character being played is of a very specific nationality. It is perfectly normal for any race to play any other onstage.[[note]]Today's sensibilities are causing [[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/07/its-time-to-stop-using-exoticism-as-an-excuse-for-operas-racism/374900/ a re-examination of this attitude]], but it's admittedly complex.[[/note]] For example, the world famous black American soprano, Leontyne Price, was very popular in the role of the Ethiopian princess, Aida. But she played many other roles of various nationalities and races through the years, including Tosca (Italian), Madame Butterfly (Japanese) and Leonora in ''Il Trovatore'' (Spanish).[[note]] She was asked to make her Metropolitan Opera debut as Aida, but was advised to turn it down because she would [[{{Typecast}} be only singing Aida the rest of her life]]. The conductor Peter Herman Adler, recognizing Price's potential, said, "Leontyne is to be a great artist. When she makes her debut at the Met, she must do it as a lady, not a slave." She was cast as Leonora in ''Il Trovatore'' instead, with Franco Corelli also making his Metropolitan debut as Manrico. The show ended with a 42-minute ovation.[[/note]] |
| 70 | ** This didn't mean that black artists had an easy time of it getting ''hired'' by the great American opera houses. As with artists like Creator/JosephineBaker, they were much more readily accepted in Europe. Contralto [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson Marian Anderson]] was the first black person to sing at the Metropolitan, in 1955. The first black man was [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/12/robert-mcferrin-baritone-metropolitan-opera-peter-brathwaite Robert Mc Ferrin]] in the same year. The first black woman to sing leading roles there was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattiwilda_Dobbs Mattiwilda Dobbs]], starting in 1956 as [[https://youtu.be/Krl6nYnjcTA Gilda in Rigoletto]]. These artists were brought in by General Manager Rudolf Bing. An Austrian Jew and virulent anti-Nazi, Bing made a point of hiring qualified black artists whenever possible.[[note]]Bing used to get [[TakeThat in-your-face about American racism]]. When the company toured the South, he very publicly escorted Leontyne Price to exclusive high-class events and restaurants. He once threw his own cast a welcoming party when the group was in Washington DC, because he'd been advised that ballerina Janet Collins couldn't come to the official one.[[/note]] |
| 71 | ** This can, occasionally, result in BlackVikings. Quite literally even, when it is a production of Wagner. |
| 72 | ** Age doesn't matter either. Fifty-year-old singers have played fourteen-year-olds and gotten away with it. All they want is your voice and acting ability. |
| 73 | ** Size and body shape are especially ignored in opera. As described in BrawnHilda above, opera requires a big voice, especially considering that many of the works were written before microphones and other forms of amplification had been invented--singers had to hit the back of the opera house on their own. A bigger voice might naturally result from a bigger body (the larger the frame, the larger the lungs and diaphragm/back and shoulder muscles, and thus the larger the sound). Ergo, it's more than likely to see the DelicateAndSickly lead, such as ''La Bohème'''s Mimi--a frail, impoverished girl dying of tuberculosis who might be expected to be slight and sickly--or Violetta from ''La traviata''--a courtesan who has just recovered from a case of TB and later suffers and dies from another attack of it--played by a heavyset woman. |
| 74 | ** One notable exception is ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess'', in which [[MonochromeCasting all the main roles are African-American]] and are always performed by black singers. Music/GeorgeGershwin was adamantly opposed to the use of {{Blackface}} in his opera, even turning down an opportunity to have it premiered at the Met(!) for that reason[[note]]This was only true for its American premiere, when it first debuted in Europe at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1943, the all white cast performed in blackface[[/note]]. |
| 75 | * CreatorKiller: Even for a great success, ''William Tell'' did this to Music/GioachinoRossini. |
| 76 | ** And on the subject of Rossini, Constantino Dall'Argine did a version of ''The Barber of Seville'' that was first performed two days before Rossini died. History repeated itself and Dall'Argine's work disappeared forever. |
| 77 | ** Leon Kirchner had ''his'' operatic career destroyed from the get-go, where ''Lily'' gave one of the quickest bailouts in operatic history. (He still thought it was his best work.) |
| 78 | * CrosscastRole: There are many "trouser roles" for women playing men and several "skirt roles" for men playing women. In the Baroque period (Opera's earliest century-and-a-half), especially in those areas where the pope's influence was strongest such as Rome, female roles were often played by male castrati. (And, yes, a ''castrato'' is exactly what you think it is.) |
| 79 | %% * DamselInDistress: Lots of them. |
| 80 | %% * DarkReprise |
| 81 | * DawsonCasting: Due to the physical requirements and amount of training involved, teenage characters like Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly) or Salome are almost always portrayed by singers in their twenties or older. And teenage ''boys'' are generally played by [[CrossDressingVoices adult women]], usually mezzo-sopranos [somewhat deeper voice, think Billie Eilish or Madonna]. Sometimes averted with less demanding roles such as Barbarino from ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'', who is occasionally played by a high-school aged singer. |
| 82 | %% * DeusAngstMachina |
| 83 | %% * DeusExMachina: Especially in earlier works. |
| 84 | * DownerEnding: Anything by Puccini or Verdi. |
| 85 | ** Notably averted in Verdi's last opera, the comedic ''Falstaff''. |
| 86 | ** BittersweetEnding: In the rare cases it's not. For example [[spoiler: ''La fanciulla del West''.]] Maybe [[spoiler: ''La rondine'']] too. |
| 87 | ** ''Anything'' by Puccini... excepting the chamber comedy ''Gianni Schicchi.'' Although, the entire Donati clan may disagree that it was quite so funny. |
| 88 | ** Another notable aversion with ''Theatre/{{Turandot}}'', though since Puccini DiedDuringProduction and wasn't able to put the finale into music, its tone may oscillate between BittersweetEnding and an outright HappyEnding according to what replacement score is chosen to be played. |
| 89 | ** Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" comes to mind. |
| 90 | ** Lampshaded by none other than WesternAnimation/BugsBunny upon summarizing operas: |
| 91 | --->"What did you expect from an opera? A happy ending?" |
| 92 | %% * DramatisPersonae |
| 93 | %% * EndingFatigue: A common complaint of several operas. |
| 94 | * EpicInstrumentalOpener: Except that in Opera-ese we call it an overture. |
| 95 | * EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: Individual operas may very well be subject to this, but the entire ''form'' of Opera is actually a product of this. In attempting to revive classical Greek plays to the theatre of the Renaissance era, interested scholars decided that the Greek plays were meant to be sung in their entirety. New works followed suit, and the rest is history. |
| 96 | ** This once got certain composers in trouble, Jean Baptiste Lully had to briefly end his partnership with his usual Librettist, Philippe Quinault, when the Opera ''Isis,'' about Hera's wrath against Zeus's latest mistress Io, was interpreted by the members of Louis XIV's court as an allegory for the cat fight between two of the King's mistresses. |
| 97 | * EvilSoundsDeep: Usually. Although this is subverted far more often than you'd think. There are many good guy low voice-ers (Figaro, Hamlet, Billy Budd, Cenerentola, and Rosina par example) and more than one high voiced baddy (Duke of Mantua, Queen of the Night, Pinkerton and Turandot to name a few) in operatic repetoire. However, it is generally safe to guess that the baritone is not who you should be rooting for. |
| 98 | -->'''David Merrill:''' You're the rat again, aren't you, Daddy? |
| 99 | -->'''Robert Merrill, baritone:''' The baritone is always the rat, my boy. |
| 100 | ** The darker and heavier the voice, the meaner and nastier the villain. |
| 101 | *** In the Baroque period, heroic roles were often written for castrati, whose unbroken voices were synonymous with virtue and heroism on the opera stage. The broken normal male voice was usually assigned to villains or servants. |
| 102 | *** A lament of contraltos (the lowest and darkest of female voices -- think Music/PattiSmith) is that contralto roles are always either "[[JerkAss bitches]], [[CrosscastRole britches]], or witches". |
| 103 | * {{Farce}}: The plot of many comic operas. There's even a whole genre called "opera buffa" (to distinguish it from "[[SeriousBusiness opera seria]]"). Notable examples are ''The Marriage of Figaro'', ''The Barber of Seville,'' and ''L'Elisir d'Amore'' [Love Potion], all of which are screamingly funny provided the cast is on their toes. |
| 104 | * FemmeFatale: All the best diva roles. Special mention goes to Violetta from ''La Traviata''. |
| 105 | ** Other examples include: |
| 106 | *** Carmen from Bizet's ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'' |
| 107 | *** Dalila from Saint-Saëns' ''Samson et Dalila'' |
| 108 | *** The Foreign Princess from Dvorak's ''Rusalka'' |
| 109 | *** Thaïs from Massenet's ''Thaïs'' |
| 110 | * FlameWar: For all the veneer of civilisation in the genre, opera enthusiasts can get just as vicious in defense of their favourite singers and composers as any other fans. Just go have a look at the comments on any opera clip on Website/YouTube. Or Google Groups (used to be Usenet) rec.music.opera, or join the Listserv mailing list Opera-L. Fighting will branch into nasty personal insults, sometimes with the contestants switching languages to show off their [[InsufferableGenius intellectual prowess]]. |
| 111 | * GenderBender: Not only are many male roles played by women, but many of these men [[RecursiveCrossdressing end up crossdressing]]. |
| 112 | * GorgeousPeriodDress Pretty much every traditional opera production has really beautiful costuming. Such as [[http://www.blouinartinfo.com/sites/default/files/styles/970w576h/public/20140415puritani_promo1.jpg this]] and [[http://melodymooresoprano.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Melody-Moore-as-Tosca-at-San-Francisco-Opera.jpg this]]. Even non-traditional productions can look [[http://www.operanews.com/_post/images/406OnOnline/SalzburgTravhdl34106.jpg pretty]] [[http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Anna+Netrebko+Entertainment+Pictures+Week+59u-Wj3cXJYl.jpg spiffy]]. |
| 113 | ** Depending on the budget of the production, this occasionally branches into some really unbelievable CostumePorn. Like [[https://d30bjm1vsa9rrn.cloudfront.net/img/2014%20Season/Headers%201280/Lakme-1280x290.jpg here]] or [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mG0AS0hAG58/UPkG719OS5I/AAAAAAAABnU/Uo0MG2_6xeg/s1600/vlcsnap-2013-01-18-00h16m55s180.png here]]. |
| 114 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJv2aIjRb88 This production]] of an opera about Elizabeth I. |
| 115 | * GratuitousForeignLanguage: As mentioned above, it's traditional for operas to be performed in their original language rather than translated. |
| 116 | ** Even when he lived in London, most of Handel's operas were composed for Italian libretti, and it could be said Handel stunted the development of English opera with the popularity of his Italian works. When London's taste for Italian opera waned, he switched to composing oratorios in English rather than opera. |
| 117 | * GroinAttack: In the early days of opera, it was considered improper for women to appear on stage, but there were still treble singers. This was because if a prepubescent boy had a good singing voice, a simple operation could enable him to preserve it permanently into adulthood. Yes, "castrato" means [[NightmareFuel exactly what you think it does]]. At the time, they often became wildly successful superstars, but the practice [[ValuesDissonance fell out of favor]] by the mid-1800s if not before then; since that time, parts written for castrati have generally been either given to counter-tenors or turned into "[[CrosscastRole trouser roles]]" for a female soprano (if the role is male) or given to sopranos (if the role is female). |
| 118 | ** Here's [[https://youtu.be/KLjvfqnD0ws a recording of a real castrato, Alessandro Moreschi]]. This recording does not do him justice by a long shot, but you can get the idea.[[note]]The sobs and 'hiccup' sounds were part of the aesthetic of his time, all singers did that. By the way, he lived a long happy life, even got married and adopted kids.[[/note]] |
| 119 | ** Here's [[https://youtu.be/dnbaRgvqmFM a modern 'castrato' voice]], Cesare Santos. The very rare 'natural castrato' is a guy whose voice never changes at puberty. With the modern recording quality it is easier to tell what they really sounded like. |
| 120 | * HappilyEverAfter: Despite the stereotype of all Operas having a tragic or at least bittersweet endings, though especially common in Romantic Opera, there are plenty that end with the main leads riding off into the sunset, or lifted up into the heavens if were talking about a mythological work. |
| 121 | * TheHeckler: Not even opera is immune from a tough audience; Milan's La Scala, one of the most presitigous opera houses in the world, is infamous for its loggionisti (fans in the cheap seats for whom opera is SeriousBusiness) who will loudly boo any singer who doesn't meet their exacting standards. Being able to face down their criticism has been considered a baptism by fire for many a singer. |
| 122 | ** Early in his career, Enrico Caruso, widely considered "the greatest singer in the world" for his time (and still one of the most highly respected), was so widely razzed ''in his home town'' (he neglected to hire a claque, a group of shills in the audience to cheer for him, as was the common practice at the time) that he swore never to sing in Naples again and famously said he would only come back there to eat spaghetti. |
| 123 | * IAmSong: "Mi chiamano Mimì" [My name is Mimi], "Io son l'umile ancella" [I am the humble handmaid], "Largo al factotum della città" [Make way for the jack-of-all-trades of the city] among others... |
| 124 | * IconicOutfit: A shrieking BrawnHilda in armor and a viking helmet brandishing a spear. (She is a {{flanderized}} version of Brünnhilde from ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'', and doesn't actually appear in any modern productions; see ShallowParody.) |
| 125 | %% * IWantSong |
| 126 | * IncrediblyLongNote: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce3vEdhx3Lc This]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZW5tryk-E4 this]], for starters. In fact, some famous singers like Birgit Nilsson & Franco Corelli made it a friendly sport over who'd black out first from holding that high C in ''Theatre/{{Turandot}}''. Everyone else peed in excitement, of course. Expect this trope (especially of the soft-but-incredibly-held-out variety) when you see Montserrat Caballé on the cast list or album notes. |
| 127 | ** The ''"Vittoria!"'' from ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'' is also a good example. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tXM5yhqY4U See attached.]] |
| 128 | ** Siegmund's cry of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKlgIhERPCU Wälse!]]" in ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Die Walküre]]'' is a favorite of Wagnerian tenors. |
| 129 | ** "Di Quella Pira" from Verdi's ''Theatre/IlTrovatore'' has been troublesome for almost every tenor who has played Manrico. He is expected (pretty much forced) to end it on a very long and hard high C (pretty ridiculous considering that note isn't in Verdi's original score.) most tenors take the key down a half or whole step and sing either a high B or Bb. And the fact that Manrico is usually played by a dramatic tenor [somewhat heavier voice, often with a slightly lower range] doesn't help. Franco Corelli, however, was a legend at this and usually sang it in the original key topped with a thrilling high C. See for yourself "[[http://youtu.be/xDHSFxVbMWc here]]" |
| 130 | ** The ever famous Bell Song (L'air des clochettes) from Act II of ''Lakmé'', also known as "Où va la jeune hindoue?" [Where is the young Hindu girl going?]. Not only is it incredibly challenging, but it's a favourite recital piece for coloratura sopranos. Check it out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPRwjLwRFhQ right here]]. |
| 131 | %% * IrrelevantActOpener: Lots of operas -- often a drinking song |
| 132 | * LargeHam: Opera has long been full of hammy divas and divos (many roles, and perhaps the very nature of Romantic opera, lend themselves to this), though singers and productions seem to be averting this trope more and more these days, partly thanks to speakers making it no longer necessary to have NoIndoorVoice. (Traditional opera houses are designed for maximum acoustics so even quiet vocals can be heard clearly no matter where you're sitting.) |
| 133 | ** Special mention to Escamillo from Theatre/{{Carmen}} there's no larger ham than a bullfighter who sings the famous Toreador's Song. |
| 134 | ** A lot of Mozart's bass or baritone roles, Figaro and Don Giovanni especially. |
| 135 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Wagner commentator Hans von Wolzogen is the TropeNamer, although the concept predated Wagner by quite a while |
| 136 | %% * LoveAtFirstSight |
| 137 | %% * LoveHurts |
| 138 | %% * LoveTriangle |
| 139 | * ManOfAThousandVoices: Otherwise known as 'character singers'. Singers who specialise in art songs (as opposed to opera only) can also modulate their voice on demand. |
| 140 | * MassiveMultiplayerEnsembleNumber: Not omnipresent, particularly given how difficult it is to write one. But ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' and ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' have especially notable ones, a sextet and septet respectively. There are several in Pippo Flora's ''I Promessi Sposi'' [The Betrothed Spouses], primarily led by villains or groups of villains. |
| 141 | ** Pretty much a given in bel canto or early Verdi. Almost each act would end in a huge cabaletta [song with a repeated refrain, often an opportunity for showing off] for the main characters and a chorus. Frequently the main female character (usually a soprano) will interpolate a high note at the end of these, especially Maria Callas, famous for her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXXkiM9LsD4 gigantic high Eb at the end of the Triumphal Scene]] in Verdi's ''Aida''. Few in their right mind would do this today, although [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ld8SLq-sw Adelaide Negri gave it a go]] in 1990. |
| 142 | * MelismaticVocals: Or 'coloratura'. Bread-and-butter for ALL voice, but ideally for ''[[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/arts/music/30tomm.html bel canto]]'' roles. A huge plus if you have a large voice (''dramatic coloratura'') - although having a large voice and a dramatic voice is not necessarily the same thing. |
| 143 | ** Lampshaded gloriously in most Baroque operas. Expect the vocal line to fall when singing about sadness or despair, rise up when singing about glory, anger and war, and have crazy roulades when singing about being in love (as in "adrift in a sea of love"). |
| 144 | * TheMusical: Several operas have been adapted into musicals. Examples include: |
| 145 | ** ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' into ''Film/{{Rent}}'' |
| 146 | ** ''Theatre/MadameButterfly'' into ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' |
| 147 | ** ''La Traviata'' into ''Film/MoulinRouge'' |
| 148 | ** ''Aïda'' into ''Theatre/{{Aida|Verdi}}'' |
| 149 | ** ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'' into ''Carmen Jones'' |
| 150 | ** ''La fille du régiment'' into ''La Vivandière'' |
| 151 | ** ''Norma'' into ''The Pretty Druidess'' |
| 152 | ** ''L'elisir d'amore'' into ''Dulcamara'' |
| 153 | * MysteriousWaif: Melisande from Debussy's ''Pelleas et Melisande''. |
| 154 | * NarmCharm: Detractors will insist that Opera is unrealistic and hammy and pompous and overwrought and more than a little silly and that it gets taken ''way'' too seriously by the fanbase. The fanbase will loudly proclaim to anyone who will listen that ''that's the point''. |
| 155 | * OneHitWonder: Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo fall into this category respectively with ''Cavalleria Rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'', shorter works which are often performed together. Composers who only wrote one opera include: |
| 156 | ** Music/BelaBartok: ''Theatre/DukeBluebeardsCastle'' |
| 157 | ** Music/LudwigVanBeethoven: ''Theatre/{{Fidelio}}'' |
| 158 | ** Paul Dukas: ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (three other operas are now lost) |
| 159 | ** Music/ScottJoplin: ''Treemonisha'' (an earlier opera ''A Guest of Honor'' is now lost) |
| 160 | ** Franz Liszt: ''Don Sanche''--and it was a '''collaborative effort''' written, no less, when he was in his teens. |
| 161 | ** Jean Sibelius: ''The Maiden in the Tower'', composed to a Swedish libretto, first performed in Helsinki. |
| 162 | ** Claude Debussy: ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' |
| 163 | %% * OneWomanWail |
| 164 | %% * PaperThinDisguise |
| 165 | * PowerEchoes: The Valkyries from ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Die Walküre]]'' were originally conceived as singing their entrance war-cry off-stage into actual megaphones ('singing trumpets'). Played straight in ''Siegfried'' with the dragon. |
| 166 | * ProductionPosse: |
| 167 | ** Practically every opera by Vincenzo Bellini that you will see (except his last, ''I Puritani'') has a libretto by Felice Romani. |
| 168 | ** Of his 16 operas, Richard Strauss composed seven of them to librettos by Hugo von Hofmannstal. |
| 169 | ** Mozart worked with many librettists but his partnership with Lorenzo da Ponte produced the Big Three of ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'', ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' and ''Così fan tutte'' amongst many others |
| 170 | ** A good majority of Giacomo Puccini's operas have a libretto written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, which would make them more of a Creator Trio. These operas are ''La Bohème'', ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'', and ''Theatre/MadameButterfly''. |
| 171 | ** The French composer Jean Baptiste Lully wrote ten of his fifteen operas with librettist Philippe Quinault. |
| 172 | * ProtagonistTitle: ''Turandot'', ''Carmen'', ''Aida'', and ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' are just a few examples of operas directly named for the protagonist. A number of others use a phrase that clearly refers to the protagonist, such as ''The Barber of Seville,'' or ''La Traviata.'' [The Lost One] |
| 173 | * PropagandaPiece: In early French Opera known as Tragédie en musique, especially those by Jean-Baptiste Lully, always had an allegorical prologue glorifying the latest triumphs of Louis XIV, needless to say, the prologues stopped being propaganda peices after his death before they fell off entirely. |
| 174 | * PublicDomainSoundtrack: Many, many famous tunes are originally from operas. In particular, the ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries'', the William Tell Overture, "O mio babbino caro" [Oh my daddy dear] from ''Theatre/GianniSchicchi'', the Can-Can and a number of other {{Standard Snippet}}s have operatic origins. |
| 175 | * RecursiveCrossdressing: Cherubino from ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'', Octavian from Strauss's ''Theatre/DerRosenkavalier'' [Knight of the Rose], and many more. |
| 176 | * RecycledScript: |
| 177 | ** Several examples, but Rossini was particularly well known for lifting music from one of his operas to another. It was acceptable at the time, as long as the two works didn't premiere in the same town. |
| 178 | ** There was also nothing stopping different composers from writing operas from the same libretto, Metastasio's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Olimpiade L'Olimpiade]] was first set to music by Antonio Caldara in 1733 has had over ''60'' scores written for it. |
| 179 | * RuleOfDrama: Librettists were never shy of letting the facts get in the way of a good story, the meeting of the queens in Donizetti's ''Maria Stuarda'', just to name ''one'' example. |
| 180 | * RomanceOnTheSet: A lot of opera singers have married either fellow opera singers or conductors after meeting during productions or concert performances. Some famous couples are: |
| 181 | ** Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna |
| 182 | ** Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov |
| 183 | ** Mirella Freni and Nicolai Ghiaurov |
| 184 | ** Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge (she would rarely sing without him conducting; it was in at least one of her contracts, with the New York City Opera). |
| 185 | ** Montserrat Caballé and Bernabé Marti |
| 186 | ** Diana Damrau and Nicolas Testé |
| 187 | ** Étienne Dupuis and Nicole Car |
| 188 | ** Charles Castronovo and Ekaterina Siurina |
| 189 | ** Sonya Yoncheva and Domingo Hindoyan |
| 190 | ** Basso [[https://operawire.com/san-francisco-operas-tosca-ends-with-surprise-marriage-proposal/ Soloman Howard proposed to soprano Ailyn Perez]] right on the stage during curtain calls for ''Tosca'' in September 2021. (She accepted!) |
| 191 | * RuleOfThree: |
| 192 | ** Many operas have three acts, especially those of Wagner. |
| 193 | ** For Verdi and Puccini, their third operas (respectively with ''Nabucco'' and ''Manon Lescaut'') formally launched their careers. |
| 194 | ** Many operas also feature three main characters. Usually one soprano, one tenor and then a lower voice of either gender. A few examples: |
| 195 | *** Violetta, Alfredo, and Giorgio Germont in Verdi's ''Theatre/{{La Traviata}}''. |
| 196 | *** Tosca, Mario, and Scarpia in Puccini's ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'' |
| 197 | *** Aïda, Radames, and Amneris in Verdi's ''Aïda''. |
| 198 | *** Calaf, Turandot, and Liu in Puccini's ''Theatre/{{Turandot}}'' |
| 199 | * SceneryPorn: In opera, the design is either minimalist or it's the stuff that makes you drool rainbows. Oriental operas especially fall into this category. |
| 200 | ** Franco Zeffirelli is well known for his lavish productions of: |
| 201 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Boheme4.jpg La]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Boheme0910.07.jpg Bohème]]'' |
| 202 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Cavalleria.0405.06.jpg Cavalleria Rusticana]]'' |
| 203 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Carmen0405.01.jpg Carmen]]'' |
| 204 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Turandot0910.29.jpg Tu]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Turandot0910.06.jpg ran]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Turandot0910.34.jpg dot]]'' |
| 205 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Traviata0506.02.jpg La]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Traviata0506.05.jpg tra]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Traviata0809.04.jpg viata]]'' |
| 206 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Falstaff0506.4.jpg Fal]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Falstaff0506.1.jpg sta]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Falstaff0506.29.jpg ff]]'' |
| 207 | ** Following in Zeffirelli's footsteps, there's Sonja Frisell's ''[[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/discover/education/educator-guides/aida/aida.1600x685.jpg Aida]]''. |
| 208 | ** Otto Schenk is another director well known for his extravagant productions of: |
| 209 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rigoletto%20Full%20stage1.jpg Ri]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rigoletto0506.06.jpg go]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rigoletto0809.14.jpg letto]]'' |
| 210 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Gotterdammerung.0304.01.jpg Got]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Gotterdammerung0809.18.jpg ter]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Gotterdammerung.0304.10.jpg dammerung]]'' |
| 211 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Parsifal0203.07.jpg Par]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Parsifal0203.08.jpg si]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Parsifal0203.09.jpg fal]]'' |
| 212 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Tann20.jpg Tan]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Tann03.jpg nha]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Tann01.jpg user]]'' |
| 213 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rusalka0809.11.jpg Ru]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rusalka1314.03.jpg sa]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Rusalka1314.01.jpg lka]]'' |
| 214 | *** ''[[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Meistersinger0607.20.jpg Die]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Meistersinger0607.10.jpg Meistersinger]] [[http://www.classicalsource.com/images/upload/12480_1.jpg von]] [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7i9qvQnluG8/maxresdefault.jpg Nürnberg]]'' |
| 215 | * ShallowParody: A typical {{parody}} of opera is likely to feature a [[ScreamingWoman shrieking]] [[BrawnHilda fat lady]] in [[HornyVikings armor and a horned helmet]], brandishing a spear. There's only one opera that's ever featured a somewhat similar costume, ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'''s Brünnhilde, and it's been pretty much phased out in modern productions. (Admittedly though, it is a fairly IconicOutfit, so it may perhaps be excused in cases where quick visual shorthand is needed to establish "Oh, an opera!") If the parody isn't this, then it probably involves a [[Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville fat Spanish barber]] or a crying clown. |
| 216 | * SatelliteLoveInterest: Very common - as in the Commedia dell'Arte, viewers are given little explanation as to who the inamorati actually are. They're young and in love, which usually sums up both characters' entire personalities (or at least the soprano's). |
| 217 | * ScreamingWoman: This is the cliché image to most non-opera fans. One or several women singing so high and loud that it sounds more like screaming. Think of the character Bianca Castafiore in ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}''. The genuine article, when done right, should remind you more of trumpets, or bells ringing. |
| 218 | * SeriousBusiness: During the "golden age" of opera (roughly the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries), France and Italy had an extremely bitter rivalry over who had the better composers. It didn't help that much of the rest of Europe thought that opera ''had'' to be written in Italian; Jean-Baptiste Lully, who despite being Italian spent most of his career at the French court of Louis XIV, broke this tradition and instead wrote to French libretti. As such, it was common for critics from one nation to travel to the other upon a new opera's debut, watch it, then go back to their own country and write [[CausticCritic incredibly scathing reviews]] of the work. |
| 219 | * SignatureLine: Ask someone to sing an imitation of opera, and they will probably bellow, ''"Figaro, Figaro, Figarofigarofigaro!"'' This is indeed a line from Figaro's famous aria "Largo al Factotum" in Rossini's ''Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville'' [[note]]not, however, [[BeamMeUpScotty as you might expect]], from ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro''[[/note]]. |
| 220 | ** The other image and line people are likely to know is ''"Ridi Pagliacci"'' accompanied by loud sobbing. The opera is called ''Pagliacci'' (Clowns), the song is known as ''Vesti la giubba'' (Put on the costume), and the line is ''ridi Pagliacco'' (Laugh, Pagliaccio). Pagliaccio is a CommediaDellArte ''character'', played in a ShowWithinAShow by [[SadClown Canio]], who has just discovered his wife's unfaithful with his best friend and he's got to go onstage and give a hilarious comedy performance. This was one of Enrico Caruso's iconic roles. [[EnforcedMethodActing He actually had to give several performances of it right after his long-time partner Ada Giachetti left him]]. |
| 221 | * SimilarlyNamedWorks: It helps to be a bit more specific when you're looking for operas by Strauss. Johann Strauss wrote all those lighthearted waltzes, but also several light operas, the only one still regularly performed being ''Theatre/DieFledermaus''; Richard Strauss (no relation) wrote dramatic pieces like ''Elektra'' and ''Theatre/{{Salome}}''. (Johann Strauss is also not to be confused with his father, Johann Strauss Sr., or his brother, Josef Strauss...) |
| 222 | * SmallReferencePools: Despite having produced many famous names in the field the general public may only know Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas (fans of Music/{{Enigma}} may know of her, she's sampled in several commercials, and you can hear her in the "Night of San Lorenzo" scene in ''Film/LorenzosOil'' and an important scene towards the end of ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'') and Luciano Pavarotti. If you are very lucky they may also remember Placido Domingo and José Carreras. Fans of Music/FreddieMercury will recognize Montserrat Caballé from the duet ''Music/{{Barcelona}}''. And even most of these names were better known ''after'' their glory period, when their voices were already considered less good and they hit the commercial circuit, because most non-opera fans wouldn't be able to tell the vocal difference anyway. |
| 223 | * SungThroughMusical: That's kind of the point. |
| 224 | * SweetPollyOliver: ''Fidelio'' where the faitful Leonore disguises herself as the male Fidelio to rescue her husband Florestan from a Spanish prison. |
| 225 | * TalkingIsAFreeAction: Well, singing is. You often find lengthy arias in dramatic moments along the lines of "Yes, now we must quickly run away, silently, before anyone spots us, yes, softly, let us run…" |
| 226 | * TearJerker: Some operas, especially ones by Puccini, seem engineered specifically to be as heart-rending as possible. |
| 227 | * ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: In opera, this trope is pretty much a must-have, since the music is more important than the words and many singers don't bother acting things out too much.[[note]]Other singers are skilled actors, and a handful emphasize the dramatics so powerfully that they are regarded as "vocal actors", not just singers. Among these are Tito Gobbi, Maria Callas, Blanche Thebaum and Dolora Zadjik.[[/note]] Opera is full of ''(insert adjective here) mi sento'' (I feel) and other status-descriptions. Or the composer/librettist put it in to give the singer an indication of how the character should feel; singers are expected to act nowadays. Also, during the Baroque era, musical drama tended to be structured according to the so-called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_the_affections doctrine of affects]], with consecutive numbers depicting contrasting emotions - a lilting love duet followed by a furious vengeance aria, for instance. If the idea is to juxtapose readily identifiable emotions for maximum effect, it makes sense to flag them in the libretto. |
| 228 | * ThemeNaming: ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' was written by Maurice Maeterlinck, who named Bluebeard's five former wives after female characters in his own plays: Mélisande from ''Pelléas et Mélisande'', Alladine from ''Alladine et Palomides'', Ygraine and Bellangère from ''La mort de Tintagiles'', and Sélysette from ''Aglavaine et Sélysette''. |
| 229 | %% * ThemeSongReveal: Most notably in Wagner's ''Die Walküre'' |
| 230 | ** In Theatre/{{Carmen}} the refrain of the Toreador's Song appears in the first three minutes of the overture and appears in every act thereafter. |
| 231 | %% * TrueArtIsAngsty |
| 232 | * UntranslatedTitle: Most of the titles below that are not proper nouns. In fact if the title is translated that usually means the whole opera is. (There are a few operas that are best known in English by their English titles whether or not they're performed in translation, such as ''Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville'' and ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute''.) Sometimes the effect is a little bit odd, such as ''Theatre/LaFanciullaDelWest'' or ''Theatre/LuciaDiLammermoor''. Oddly, ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' has a French title despite being entirely in Italian. |
| 233 | * UpMarketing: Opera has a bit of a reputation for being intended for the wealthy and highbrow patrons, and much of the imagery in opera marketing will reflect this with ladies in fur coats dripping diamonds, gents in tuxes, and the like. In actuality, while it is indeed an expensive art form to produce, even the best tickets aren't much pricier than comparable tickets for a headlining pop or rock concert, and considerably ''cheaper'' than sports tickets. Plus there have always been cheap seats up in the gallery for working class people and students to come cheer their faves. Many modern opera companies are actively appealing to a broader demographic, especially with the tight economy making it harder to get funding for the arts. (Some opera companies take pains to reassure attendees that casual clothes are completely acceptable!) When you see the ultra-rich attendees in the aforementioned glittery-glam outfits, that's probably for a charity fundraiser gala. |
| 234 | * ValuesDissonance: Not uncommon thanks to the advanced age of the most popular operas. Contemporary productions will often try to lampshade the less palatable parts of the plot or make staging changes to cast characters or situations in a more sympathetic light. |
| 235 | * VillainProtagonist: ''Boris Godunov'', ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'', ''Faust'' |
| 236 | %% * VillainSong |
| 237 | * WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Many characters wonder something similar aloud in trying to understand their feelings; most conclude that, yes, that strange feeling is love indeed |
| 238 | %% * WigDressAccent: Many, many operas |
| 239 | * WorldOfHam: Pretty much all of them. An EnforcedTrope back then, since you have to SHOUT for the back audience and [[MundaneMadeAwesome poetically narrate each little thing that is happening to you while epic music plays]]. |
| 240 | * WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief: Pretty much a given for all operas ever. Many plots are completely implausible, TheCasanova is often played by a short, fat, middle aged guy, TheIngenue is often played by a tall, buxom woman, and there's only so much costuming can do. Opera is pretty much built on this trope - generally, the audience is there for the music. |
| 241 | ** It also creates a certain amount of ColorblindCasting, since the voices are usually cast indiscriminately of the singer's race. |
| 242 | %% * {{Yandere}}: Many a love rival, of ''both'' genders. |
| 243 | [[/folder]] |
| 244 | ---- |
| 245 | !!Examples appearing in fiction |
| 246 | [[folder:Examples appearing in fiction]] |
| 247 | * ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'': Several works by Mozart, of course. |
| 248 | * ''[[Literature/ArtemisFowl Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony]]'': The book pretty much starts out with Artemis attending an opera, specifically ''Norma'', and commenting on how Butler does not know how to appreciate an opera. |
| 249 | * ''Film/BatmanBegins'': Thomas and Martha Wayne -- as well as young Bruce -- see ''Mefistofele''. Little Bruce gets shit scared and they go out...DeathByOriginStory ensues. |
| 250 | * ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'': The Opera House |
| 251 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In "Nightmares," Willow is supposed to sing the duet from ''Madame Butterfly'' with a world-famous tenor. |
| 252 | * ''Film/CitizenKane'': Fictional opera written for Kane's second wife; based on Massenet's ''Thaïs'' |
| 253 | * Many key events in ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'' takes place in opera houses. |
| 254 | * ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': The famous "[=LABRetto=]" featuring Dexter's origin: how he was born, came to build his lab, and his torment at the hands of Dee Dee. |
| 255 | -->'''Dexter:''' ''(Singing the final lines)'' This is not fantasy. This is reality. I'm stuck for my life. I'm stuck, and I'll be stuck forever, with...my...sister...Deeee Deeeeee! |
| 256 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Heavily but [[AffectionateParody affectionately]] parodied in ''Maskerade'' -- see page quote |
| 257 | * Several ''Manga/EmmaAVictorianRomance'' characters are opera fans. Rossini's ''Barber of Seville'' plays a minor role in the story. |
| 258 | * ''Film/{{Farinelli}}'': A film based on the life of Carlo Broschi, whose stage name was Farinelli, a famous 18th century castrato and regarded as one of the best opera singers of all time. |
| 259 | * ''Film/TheFifthElement'': "Il dolce suono" from Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' |
| 260 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Contains some original/fictional opera elements |
| 261 | * ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Both Frasier and Niles are opera buffs |
| 262 | * ''Series/GilligansIsland'': Cast creates in "The Producer" episode an operatic rendition of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', set to the Habanera and Toréador melodies from ''Carmen'' and the Barcarolle from ''[[Theatre/TheTalesOfHoffmann The Tales of Hoffmann]]''). |
| 263 | * In ''Literature/HeartOfADog'' Preobrazhensky goes to watch ''Aida'' in the Bolshoy Theatre. Bortko's film soundtrack has the march from the second act. |
| 264 | * ''Film/HeavenlyCreatures'': Toward the end, just before the tragic finale, Juliet stands on her balcony and sings "Sono andati" (Are they gone?) from ''La Boheme''. It's actually Kate Winslet singing. On the fatal walk, the Humming Chorus from ''Madama Butterfly'' is heard. It creates an unbearable dramatic tension, especially if you know the story. |
| 265 | * ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Rip Van Winkle identifies herself with Kaspar from ''Theatre/DerFreischuetz''. She even sings a few bits from the opera, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic but nothing that Kaspar sings.]] |
| 266 | * The WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle cartoon "Off To The Opera" features two selections from "The Barber Of Seville." |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'': An early mission is set at the Paris Opera's Palais Garnier during dress rehearsals for ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'', which was probably chosen for how seamlessly that level's signature assassination method[[note]]Switching a prop gun out for a real one[[/note]] fits into the opera's plot |
| 268 | * ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': Featured particularly in "WesternAnimation/RabbitOfSeville," "Long-Haired Hare," and, most famously, "WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc" All together now: "[[Music/RideOfTheValkyries Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!...]]" |
| 269 | * ''Series/MadMen: Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' |
| 270 | * ''Milk'': Incorporates the finale of ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'' at the end |
| 271 | * The Creator/TheMarxBrothers film ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'' features quite a bit of ''Il Trovatore,'' including the famous Anvil Chorus |
| 272 | * The video game adaptation of ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' opens at an opera. |
| 273 | * ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' parodies Mozart's ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' (''Il Muto'') and ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' (''Don Juan Triumphant'') |
| 274 | ** [[Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera In the novel]] and [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925 the silent film]], Gounod's ''Theatre/{{Faust}}'' features in several key scenes. |
| 275 | * In ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'', Andrew Beckett listens to the aria "La mamma morta" from ''Andrea Chénier'' by Umberto Giordano. |
| 276 | * ''Film/PrettyWoman'': ''La Traviata'' (an opera about a prostitute who falls in love with a rich man). |
| 277 | * ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva'' features, well, a diva. She performs an aria on the soundtrack. |
| 278 | * ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'': ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'', probably chosen because of the parallel between its ScarpiaUltimatum and the General's evil behavior |
| 279 | * ''Rasputin'': The Romanov family attends a performance of "Norma". The awesome march from Act II is heard. |
| 280 | * ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' had a sketch consisting of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' being performed as an Italian opera. Featuring such great lines as "Oh no! My ear! I'm not supposed to get eels in it!"[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke It's a]] [[{{Pun}} Space]] [[SpaceOpera Opera.]][[/note]] |
| 281 | * ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': episode "The Opera" centers around the gang going to a performance of ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}''. |
| 282 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': one episode ("[[Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville Homer of Seville]]") has Homer become an overnight opera star, and includes snippets from several shows. |
| 283 | * Alien operas occasionally pop up throughout SpeculativeFiction. [[Franchise/StarTrek Klingon]] and [[Series/BabylonFive Centauri and Narn]] operas spring to mind. |
| 284 | * ''Franchise/StarWars: Episode III -- Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' (a literal example of a SpaceOpera) |
| 285 | * ''Film/TheTalentedMrRipley'' film version has Ripley watching a production of Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin.'' |
| 286 | * ''Film/TheUntouchables1987'': A very moved UsefulNotes/AlCapone struggles to keep a straight face during ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}''. |
| 287 | * ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'' has a segment with an opera-singing whale named Willie who's so adept at singing that an opera director believes that he had swallowed a talented singer. He can even sing with three voices at once. |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | |
| 290 | !!Opera composers and singers with their own page: |
| 291 | [[folder:Composers and singers]] |
| 292 | [[index]] |
| 293 | * Music/LudwigVanBeethoven |
| 294 | * Music/BenjaminBritten |
| 295 | * Music/ClaudeDebussy |
| 296 | * Music/AntoninDvorak |
| 297 | * Music/GeorgeFredericHandel |
| 298 | * Music/JosephHaydn |
| 299 | * Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart |
| 300 | * Music/KlausNomi |
| 301 | * Music/GiacomoPuccini |
| 302 | * Music/SergeiRachmaninoff |
| 303 | * [[Music/BedrichSmetana Bedřich Smetana]] |
| 304 | * Music/IgorStravinsky |
| 305 | * Music/RichardWagner |
| 306 | * Music/GiuseppeVerdi |
| 307 | [[/index]] |
| 308 | [[/folder]] |
| 309 | |
| 310 | !!Operatic works: |
| 311 | [[folder:Operatic works]] |
| 312 | Listed by composers.\ |
| 313 | [[index]] |
| 314 | * John Adams |
| 315 | |
| 316 | ** ''Theatre/DrAtomic'' |
| 317 | ** ''Theatre/NixonInChina'' |
| 318 | * Matthew Aucoin |
| 319 | |
| 320 | ** ''Theatre/{{Eurydice}}'' |
| 321 | * Music/BelaBartok |
| 322 | |
| 323 | ** ''Theatre/DukeBluebeardsCastle'' |
| 324 | * Ludwig van Beethoven |
| 325 | |
| 326 | ** ''Theatre/{{Fidelio}}'' |
| 327 | * Vincenzo Bellini |
| 328 | |
| 329 | ** ''Theatre/{{I puritani}}'' |
| 330 | ** ''Theatre/{{Norma}}'' |
| 331 | * Georges Bizet |
| 332 | |
| 333 | ** ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'' |
| 334 | ** ''Theatre/{{The Pearl Fishers}}'' |
| 335 | * Terence Blanchard: |
| 336 | |
| 337 | ** ''Theatre/{{Champion}}'' |
| 338 | * Alexandr Borodin |
| 339 | |
| 340 | ** ''Theatre/{{Prince Igor}}'' |
| 341 | * Benjamin Britten |
| 342 | |
| 343 | ** ''Theatre/BillyBudd'' |
| 344 | ** ''Literature/DeathInVenice'' |
| 345 | ** ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' |
| 346 | ** ''Theatre/PeterGrimes'' |
| 347 | ** ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew'' |
| 348 | * Francesco Cilea |
| 349 | |
| 350 | ** ''Theatre/{{Adriana Lecouvreur}}'' |
| 351 | * John Corigliano |
| 352 | |
| 353 | ** ''Theatre/TheGhostsOfVersailles'' |
| 354 | * Gaetano Donizetti |
| 355 | |
| 356 | ** ''Theatre/LaFilleDuRegiment'' |
| 357 | ** ''Theatre/{{Lelisirdamore}}'' |
| 358 | ** ''Theatre/{{Lucia di Lammermoor}}'' |
| 359 | * Antonin Dvořák |
| 360 | |
| 361 | ** ''Theatre/{{Rusalka}}'' |
| 362 | * George Gershwin |
| 363 | |
| 364 | ** ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess'' |
| 365 | * Umberto Giordano |
| 366 | |
| 367 | ** ''Theatre/AndreaChenier'' |
| 368 | * Music/PhilipGlass |
| 369 | |
| 370 | ** ''Theatre/EinsteinOnTheBeach'' |
| 371 | ** ''Theatre/ThePerfectAmerican'' |
| 372 | * Mikhail Glinka |
| 373 | |
| 374 | ** ''Theatre/RuslanAndLudmila'' |
| 375 | * Christoph Willibald Gluck |
| 376 | |
| 377 | ** ''Theatre/OrfeoEdEuridice'' |
| 378 | * Osvalo Golijov |
| 379 | |
| 380 | ** ''{{Theatre/Ainadamar}}'' |
| 381 | * Charles Gounod |
| 382 | |
| 383 | ** ''[[Theatre/FaustGounod Faust]]'' |
| 384 | ** ''[[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Romeo et Juliette]]'' |
| 385 | * Music/GeorgeFredericHandel |
| 386 | |
| 387 | ** ''Theatre/{{Agrippina}}'' |
| 388 | ** ''Theatre/GiulioCesareInEgitto'' |
| 389 | ** ''Theatre/{{Semele}}'' |
| 390 | * Engelbert Humperdinck |
| 391 | |
| 392 | ** ''Theatre/HanselAndGretel1893'' |
| 393 | * Leoš Janáček |
| 394 | |
| 395 | ** ''Theatre/{{Jenufa}}'' |
| 396 | * Franz Lehár |
| 397 | |
| 398 | ** ''Theatre/TheMerryWidow'' |
| 399 | * Ruggero Leoncavallo |
| 400 | |
| 401 | ** ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}'' |
| 402 | * Heinrich August Marschner |
| 403 | |
| 404 | ** ''Theatre/DerVampyr'' |
| 405 | * Pietro Mascagni |
| 406 | |
| 407 | ** ''Theatre/CavalleriaRusticana'' |
| 408 | * Jules Massenet |
| 409 | |
| 410 | ** ''[[Literature/{{Cinderella}} Cendrillon]]'' |
| 411 | ** ''Theatre/DonQuichotte'' |
| 412 | ** ''Theatre/{{Manon}}'' |
| 413 | ** ''Theatre/{{Werther}}'' |
| 414 | * Gian Carlo Menotti |
| 415 | |
| 416 | ** ''Theatre/AmahlAndTheNightVisitors'' |
| 417 | ** ''Theatre/TheConsul'' |
| 418 | * Claudio Monteverdi |
| 419 | |
| 420 | ** ''[[Theatre/LIncoronazioneDiPoppaea L'Incoronazione di Poppea]]'' |
| 421 | ** ''Theatre/LOrfeo'' |
| 422 | * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| 423 | |
| 424 | ** ''Theatre/TheAbductionFromTheSeraglio'' |
| 425 | ** ''Theatre/CosiFanTutte'' |
| 426 | ** ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' |
| 427 | ** ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'' |
| 428 | ** ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' |
| 429 | * Music/ModestMussorgsky |
| 430 | |
| 431 | ** ''Theatre/BorisGodunov'' |
| 432 | ** ''Theatre/{{Khovanshchina}}'' |
| 433 | * Jacques Offenbach |
| 434 | |
| 435 | ** ''Theatre/OrpheusInTheUnderworld'' |
| 436 | ** ''Theatre/TheTalesOfHoffmann'' |
| 437 | * Johann Christoph Pepusch |
| 438 | |
| 439 | ** ''Theatre/TheBeggarsOpera'' |
| 440 | * Sergei Prokofiev |
| 441 | |
| 442 | ** ''Theatre/TheLoveForThreeOranges'' |
| 443 | * Giacomo Puccini |
| 444 | |
| 445 | ** ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' |
| 446 | ** ''Theatre/GianniSchicchi'' |
| 447 | ** ''Theatre/MadameButterfly'' |
| 448 | ** ''Theatre/SuorAngelica'' |
| 449 | ** ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'' |
| 450 | ** ''Theatre/{{Turandot}}'' |
| 451 | * Henry Purcell |
| 452 | |
| 453 | ** ''Theatre/DidoAndAeneas'' |
| 454 | * Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov |
| 455 | |
| 456 | ** ''Theatre/KashcheyTheDeathless'' |
| 457 | ** ''Theatre/TheMaidOfPskov'' |
| 458 | ** ''Theatre/TheMayNight'' |
| 459 | ** ''Theatre/TheNoblewomanVeraSheloga'' |
| 460 | ** ''Theatre/{{Sadko}}'' |
| 461 | ** ''Theatre/TheSnowMaiden'' |
| 462 | ** ''Theatre/TheTaleOfTsarSaltan'' |
| 463 | ** ''Theatre/TheTsarsBride'' |
| 464 | * Gioachino Rossini |
| 465 | |
| 466 | ** ''[[Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville Il barbiere di Siviglia]]'' |
| 467 | ** ''Theatre/LaCenerentola'' |
| 468 | ** ''Theatre/LItalianaInAlgeri'' |
| 469 | ** ''[[Theatre/{{Othello}} Otello]]'' |
| 470 | * Camille Saint-Saëns |
| 471 | |
| 472 | ** ''[[Theatre/{{SamsonEtDalila}} Samson et Dalila]]'' |
| 473 | * Bedřich Smetana |
| 474 | |
| 475 | ** Theatre/TheBarteredBride |
| 476 | * Johann Strauss, Jr. |
| 477 | |
| 478 | ** ''Theatre/DieFledermaus'' |
| 479 | * Richard Strauss |
| 480 | |
| 481 | ** ''Theatre/DerRosenkavalier'' |
| 482 | ** ''Theatre/{{Salome}}'' |
| 483 | * Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky |
| 484 | |
| 485 | ** ''Theatre/{{Eugene Onegin}}'' |
| 486 | ** ''Theatre/{{Iolanta}}'' |
| 487 | ** ''[[Theatre/TheMaidOfOrleansTchaikovsky The Maid of Orléans]]'' |
| 488 | ** ''Theatre/{{Mazeppa}}'' |
| 489 | ** ''Theatre/TheQueenOfSpades'' |
| 490 | * Giuseppe Verdi |
| 491 | |
| 492 | ** ''Theatre/AidaVerdi'' |
| 493 | ** ''Theatre/{{Attila}}'' |
| 494 | ** ''Theatre/UnBalloInMaschera'' |
| 495 | ** ''Theatre/DonCarlo'' |
| 496 | ** ''Theatre/{{La forza del destino}}'' |
| 497 | ** ''Theatre/{{I Lombardi alla prima crociata}}'' |
| 498 | ** ''Theatre/{{Luisa Miller}}'' |
| 499 | ** ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' |
| 500 | ** ''Theatre/{{Nabucco}}'' |
| 501 | ** ''Theatre/{{Otello}}'' |
| 502 | ** ''Theatre/{{Rigoletto}}'' |
| 503 | ** ''Theatre/SimonBoccanegra'' |
| 504 | ** ''Theatre/{{Stiffelio}}'' |
| 505 | ** ''Theatre/LaTraviata'' |
| 506 | ** ''Theatre/IlTrovatore'' |
| 507 | ** ''Theatre/IVespriSiciliani'' |
| 508 | * Richard Wagner |
| 509 | |
| 510 | ** ''Theatre/TheFlyingDutchman'' |
| 511 | ** ''Theatre/{{Tannhaeuser}}'' |
| 512 | ** ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' |
| 513 | ** ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'' |
| 514 | ** ''[[Theatre/{{Tristan und Isolde Wagner}} Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)]]'' |
| 515 | * Carl Maria von Weber |
| 516 | |
| 517 | ** ''Theatre/DerFreischuetz'' |
| 518 | * Kurt Weill |
| 519 | |
| 520 | ** ''Theatre/TheRiseAndFallOfTheCityOfMahagonny'' |
| 521 | ** ''Theatre/TheSevenDeadlySins'' |
| 522 | ** ''Theatre/StreetScene'' |
| 523 | ** ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' |
| 524 | * Creator/ArnoldWeinstein |
| 525 | ** ''Film/AWedding1978'' (the ScreenToStageAdaptation, anyway) |
| 526 | [[/index]] |
| 527 | [[/folder]] |
| 528 | |
| 529 | !!Musicians using opera in their music |
| 530 | [[index]] |
| 531 | * Music/FreddieMercury |
| 532 | ** ''Music/{{Barcelona}}'' (1988) (a collaboration with opera singer Montserrat Caballé) |
| 533 | * Music/KlausNomi |
| 534 | ** ''[[Music/KlausNomiAlbum Klaus Nomi]]'' (1981) |
| 535 | ** ''Music/SimpleMan'' (1982) |
| 536 | [[/index]] |
| 537 | |
| 538 | !!Special Cases |
| 539 | [[index]] |
| 540 | * Traditional Musical Theater Plays Frequently Performed By Opera Companies |
| 541 | ** ''Theatre/{{Showboat}}'' |
| 542 | * Johann Sebastian Bach |
| 543 | ** ''Music/SchweigtStillePlaudertNicht'' (a {{cantata}} that executes as a mini-opera) |
| 544 | [[/index]] |
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