The best opera works. For lovers of classics: the best world operas

Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana (Walley, Alfredo Catalani)

Aria Valli “Well? I'm going far away" from the first act of the opera "Valli" by Alfredo Catalani is full of the anguish and drama characteristic of tragic operas. Valli sings about leaving Father's house and leaves for the Alps, experiencing disappointment and pain. just not to marry someone you don't love. Pain and determination can be heard in every note of the aria, even if you don’t know what they’re singing about.

Casta Diva (Norma, Vincenzo Bellini)

“The Most Pure Virgin” is considered one of the most difficult arias. Only a few opera singers in the 20th century were able to cope with it - among them Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, Galina Vishnevskaya. Callas, who hit every note superbly in Casta Diva, loved to say that Bellini wrote the part of Norma for her. Caballe is much more modest, but Norma admires and conquers her. By the end of the first “verse” you run the risk of completely freezing from goosebumps.

Nessun Dorma (Turandot, Giacomo Puccini)

Of course, the most famous male operatic aria is worth listening to, performed by the great Luciano Pavarotti, for whom this magnificent lyrical aria with a breathtaking crescendo was a kind of business card. "No One Will Sleep" from the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini also appeared in a huge number films from Roman Adventures to Bend It Like Beckham.

La Donna e Mobile (Rigoletto, Giuseppe Verdi)

The cheerful and cheerful aria of the Duke of Mantua is well known to everyone who has watched the film “Operation Y” (which, to be honest, is not so common in opera). The student hummed the Russian version of “La Donna e Mobile” while checking the connection before the exam.

Habanera (Carmen, Georges Bizet)

Seductive Carmen performs her Habanera with a sense of superiority and confidence in her beauty. She is playful but strong. Her singing moves from flirtatious to irrepressible intensity. One of the most famous arias has been performed by almost all opera singers, as it demonstrates the capabilities of the voice and the ability to control it.

Vesti La Guibba (Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo)

“Put on a suit” - this is how the title of one of the most popular arias in the world is translated. It is performed by Canio, the hero of the opera "Pagliacci", at the moment when he learns about his wife's infidelity, but show must go on - the performance must take place in any case. Tormented by the torments of jealousy and the injustice of his fate, he prepares to go on stage. And if you don't feel anything during the climax of the aria (1:54 - 2:36), then you don't have a heart.

La Mamma Morta (André Chénier, Umberto Giordano)

The aria “They Killed My Mother” from the opera “André Chénier,” little known to the general public, gained popularity thanks to its appearance in the film “Philadelphia,” where Tom Hanks’ AIDS-stricken hero listened to it over-emotionally in front of his lawyer, making an indelible impression on both the lawyer and the film academics who presented Hanks with an Oscar.

Habanera from the opera “Carmen” by Bizet. Elena Obraztsova sings.

Carmen is a girl, frankly speaking, of not very strict morals, who works in a tobacco factory and gets mixed up with soldiers and smugglers. But her love, even if it lasts a couple of days, is the best reward for any man. Not least because the French composer Georges Bizet wrote her fantastically beautiful arias in which passion sounds in every note.

Aria of the Toreador Escamillo from Bizet’s opera “Carmen”. Sung by Claudio Sgura

Toreador Escamillo, bull slayer, favorite of women, glorifies his own courage, blood and sand. The male version of singing sex, in short.

Aria of the Queen of the Night (Die Hölle Rache) from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart. Diana Domrau sings.

A very strange Masonic play, set to brilliant music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The most beautiful and most difficult aria in the world for soprano. There is nothing to add here, you can only experience sacred awe. Forman’s film “Amadeus” very beautifully shows how Mozart composed this aria during a conversation with his mother-in-law in a raised voice, but we don’t know whether this is really so.

Nessun dorma, aria from the opera “Turandot” by Puccini. Luciano Pavarotti sings.

The best opera is Italian, the best tenor is well, um, everything is clear here, the best and probably the most famous opera aria in the world is this one.

Lensky's aria from the opera “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky.

Apparently the most important number in Russian opera. Pushkin wrote an almost parody poem for Lensky (indeed, the reflections of an 18-year-old poet about an irrevocably lost youth can only be parody), and Tchaikovsky made a real tragedy out of it. And here it is performed by one of the greatest Russian tenors - Ivan Kozlovsky.

Herman's Aria from Tchaikovsky's “Queen of Spades”. Mikhail Didyk sings.

Tchaikovsky wrote operas based on Pushkin’s texts, and no one has ever done anything better than this in Russian music. “Let the loser cry, cursing his fate.”

Aria of the Countess from “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky. Ewa Podles sings.

One of our most beloved arias was not actually written by Tchaikovsky. She is actually from the opera by French composer Henri Grétry “Richard Lion Heart" Tchaikovsky used it to show that the Countess is an old-fashioned old woman, longingly remembering her youth. Magical melancholy, in short.

Polovtsian dances from the opera “Prince Igor” by Borodin. The Metropolitan Opera Choir sings.

Well, ok, this is not an aria, this is a chorus, for formal reasons we should not have included it here, but it is fantastically beautiful. Russian Polonyanki entertain Polovtsian warriors. In theory there should be steppes, tents and men with sabers and mustaches, but in this New York production by Dmitry Chernyakov the dancers simply twirl among the poppies.

Choir of captive Jews from the opera “Nabucco” by Verdi.

Well, so as not to get up twice, immediately the second great choir. Also captive slaves, but at least not so alarming.

Figaro's Aria from Rossini's The Barber of Siville. Sung by Peter Mattei.

An incredibly optimistic song by a man who can do everything everywhere from one of the most popular operas in the world. Figaro here, Figaro there, you just have to relax for a second and your name is already there. This reminds us of something...

Aria of the Duke from the opera Rigoletto Verdi. Sung by Mario Lanza.

One of the greatest tenors of the 20th century, along with Caruso, sings the legendary slander against the female sex in this wonderful recording: “The heart of a beauty is prone to treason.”

Casta Diva, aria from the opera “Norma” by Bellini. Sung by Renee Fleming.

Ultraclassic, one of the most popular opera arias. It is sung by Renee Fleming, the most aristocratic opera singer.

Couplet of Mephistopheles, from the opera “Faust” by Gounod. Sung by Ruggero Raimondi.

People die for metal, Satan rules the roost there - translated into Russian it sounds even more impressive.

Song of the Holy Fool from the opera “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky. Sung by Ivan Kozlovsky.

A song in which a holy madman cries for his homeland and predicts an enemy, blood and ruin, for which Tsar Herod will be to blame. The strangest and most disturbing music from the great Russian opera

Table song, duet from the opera “La Traviata” by Verdi. Singing by Placido Domingo and Angela Georgiou.

In a rather sad opera about a prostitute dying of consumption, there is an incredibly optimistic waltz about the delights alcohol intoxication, which became a real hit and dearly loved by all the best tenors of our time.

Farewell aria of La Traviata. Anna Netrebko sings.

But it all ends quite sadly - in this aria the heroine says goodbye to her past, her illness is in its final stages. And Netrebka is absolutely amazing here.

Dido's Lament from the opera “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell. Sung by Jesse Norman.

This is not such a popular hit as “Couplets of Mephistopheles” or “Drinking,” although it is also performed quite often. Dido begs Aeneas to remember her when she is laid in damp earth, not to forget. And Jesse Norman in this role and in this fantastic outfit most resembles the alien opera singer from “The Fifth Element.” And yes, she is the most beautiful opera singer, anyone who doesn’t believe is our personal enemy.

Cherubino's aria from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart. Sung by Rinat Shaham.

Cherubino is the loving page of Count Almaviva, always sung by a female mezzo-soprano. Before us is the Israeli singer Rinat Shaham, who not only sings flawlessly, she also plays, lives this role, tries to portray a stuttering, very nervous boy. It looks fantastic, honestly.

Aida's aria from the opera “Aida” by Verdi. Sung by Ines Salazar

“Aida,” commissioned by Giuseppe Verdi for the opening of the Suez Canal and becoming the most powerful and legendary breakdown of the deadline in the history of civilization, is an incredibly difficult opera and is always lucky with colorful productions. In this aria, Aida, a slave and mistress of an Egyptian prince, grieves about this: her beloved went to war against the people of her father and brothers, and she does not know who to “root for.”

Aria of Figaro from “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart. Sung by Bryn Terfel.

Figaro, the barber and rogue, who is much nicer in Mozart than in Rossini, tells the young page Cherubino (the one, let us remember, who is always sung by a woman) about the delights of butterflies in love and the horrors military service. Trolling, if we say so. And in this case it is sung by the impeccable, courageous and technical Bryn Terfel.

True, art is not only a realm of the spirit, but also commerce. And if we are talking about opera, then you can often hear the following phrase from theater managers and the management of opera houses: “This, of course, is a wonderful thing, but the mass audience will not go to see it - we will not stage it.” This is how the mood of society imperiously invades the fragile world of beauty!

All these are global issues and it is not easy to understand them. Nevertheless, today we decided to offer readers several statistical calculations from the world of opera. Without pretending to provide comprehensive answers, they provide interesting information - which national schools, authors and works are now the most popular in the world? The website Operabase.com was used in preparing this article. The information summarizes the indicators of 5 seasons from 2007/08 to 2011/12. Updated data that recently appeared on this resource, including indicators from the last season, do not differ much from the results of previous years.

I. Ten most popular opera composers

Note: the table shows the number of productions; in brackets is the number of works, including various editions of operas, adaptations (including children's), as well as large-scale vocal and instrumental opuses (oratorios, requiems, stage cantatas, masses, etc.).

Verdi - 3020 (29)
Mozart - 2410 (25)
Puccini - 2294 (13)
Wagner - 1292 (14)
Rossini - 1045 (42)
Donizetti - 853 (29)
R.Strauss - 655 (15)
Bizet - 654 (7)
Handel - 598 (60)
Tchaikovsky - 432 (7)

The top twenty also includes Britten (13th place), Gounod (16th), Leoncavallo (17th), Janacek (18th), Mascagni (19th) and Bellini (20th). The group of Russian composers - Stravinsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Prokofiev - is surprisingly dense and occupies 28-31 places, respectively.

II. Ten living composers

Note: the table shows the names of our living contemporaries, whose works are most often staged in musical theaters. F. Glass, who takes 1st place, is listed in 42nd place in the overall ranking of all authors. G. Fried and H. W. Henze, indicated in the list, were still alive during the analyzed period - both died in the fall of 2012.

Glass - 69 (19)
Henze - 53 (16)
Adams - 33 (6)
Maxwell Davis - 32 (8)
Heggy - 30 (6)
Rome - 29 (8)
Dusapin - 29 (6)
Fried - 27 (2)
Eotvos - 24 (9)
Glanert - 24 (10)

Other notable names on the following list include Floyd (11th place), Birtwistle (14th), Saariaho (15th), Benjamin (17th), Ryman (18th), Previn (29th), Penderecki (35th). Our R. Shchedrin takes 34th place.

By the way, mentions of the names of almost all composers from this list can be found on the pages of our magazine using the search system. With varying degrees of detail, we informed readers about their work.

III. Ten most performed operas

Verdi's La Traviata - 629 performances
“La Bohème” by Puccini - 580
"Carmen" Bizet - 573
"The Magic Flute" by Mozart - 571
“Tosca” by Puccini - 504
“The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart - 494
“Madama Butterfly” by Puccini - 469
"The Barber of Seville" by Rossini - 465
"Rigoletto" by Verdi - 434
"Don Giovanni" by Mozart - 433

In total, the list of leaders includes three opuses each by Puccini and Mozart, two by Verdi, and one each by Bizet and Rossini.

In the second ten are two more operas by Verdi (“Aida” and “Nabucco”), two works by Donizetti (“Elisir of Love” and “Lucia di Lammermoor”), “That’s What Everyone Do” by Mozart, “Turandot” by Puccini, “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo and the most popular Russian opera is Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (17th place).

The most famous operetta is “ Bat» I. Strauss - takes 15th place.

Thus, everything in this twenty is quite logical and predictable, with the exception of the opera “Hansel and Gretel” by Humperdinck, which occupies a very high 12th place (!). This, in general, nice (but nothing more) work of Wagner's epigone, has overtaken many operatic masterpieces that are significantly superior in quality, most likely because of its Christmas and conventionally children's orientation.

The following indicators are also interesting: among Wagner’s operas “The Flying Dutchman” is ahead (25th place), among the works of R. Strauss “Salome” (31) is in the lead, for Bellini – “Norma” (44), for Massenet – “Werther” (59), Handel’s “Julius Caesar (69).

One of the most popular works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “Faust” by Gounod now occupies only 33rd place, “The Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach – 32nd. Mascagni’s “Honor Rusticana” is in 28th place, and Rossini’s second most popular opera, “Cenerentola,” is in 29th place.

The leading position among the 17th century operas belongs to Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” (61st place), and among the 18th century opuses (except Mozart) to Gluck’s “Orpheus and Eurydice” (47th place).

Of the avant-garde artists, Berg's Wozzeck takes first place (74). Next to it is Britten’s most popular opus, “The Turn of the Screw” (73).

The first opera among the works of Eastern European composers is “Rusalka” by Dvořák (40th place), of the works of the now so popular Janáček, ahead of “Jenuf” (65th).

Among Russian operas, as already noted, the most popular is Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (17th place/247 productions). In the following table of ranks, “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky (54/105), “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky (60/95), “The Rake’s Progress” by Stravinsky (77/62), “The Love for Three Oranges” by Prokofiev (81/57) , “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by Shostakovich (82/56), “Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky (94/44) and “The Tsar’s Bride” by Rimsky-Korsakov (107/35).

To give the reader an idea of the scale of the numbers, we point out that during this period, 2,588 operas were staged at least once in the world, of which 1,250 were staged more than once, 820 more than 2 times, and 625 more than 3 times.

About national schools

If we try to make some generalizations of the national character, taking the 100 best operas as a basis, the conclusions are as follows:

The leader, of course, is the Italian school - 38 operas, starting with 1st place from Vedi's La Traviata. Next comes German-language opera (composers from Germany and Austria) - 29 opuses (not counting 3 works by Handel, listed in the table behind England), headed by Mozart’s The Magic Flute, which occupies the 4th position. These are absolute favorites.

The French school following them, led by Bizet’s “Carmen,” is represented by only 10 works. Next are the British with 8 operas, ahead of Russia by only 1 opus (thanks to the same Handel they “privatized”) (7). And finally, the Czech Republic closes this unique table with 4 operas. Apart from Hungary with its authors of the great operettas Lehar and Kalman (4 opuses on the list), no other national school There are no more masterpieces in the first hundred!

Let's make an intermediate summary: In general, if you do not take into account England's overestimated place, the picture is quite objective. Moreover, if you increase the number of operas analyzed, it becomes more and more fair.

Now let's take a quick look at the list of 200 opuses. The Italians have 62 operas, the Austro-German composers have 54, the French and English have 24 each, Russia has 18. However, if Handel is “returned” to his German origins, then everything will look different - the Italians will cede leadership to their northern neighbors, who will need to add 13 Handel operas (67 in total), and the British will remain with their 11 operas far behind Russia.

We must be aware that all these statistical “games” are very arbitrary. This also applies to the Anglo-German “dispute” about Handel, and the unobvious unification of Austrian and German composers into one group. The frequency of performance also depends on the number of opera houses and the intensity of their activity in a particular country - here Germany reigns supreme.

And most importantly: the momentary tastes of the public, taken outside of historical retrospect, are a very, very unreliable criterion. Only one shining example– we will not find Meyerbeer, who had phenomenal popularity in the 19th century, even in the list of 500 works.

There are many questions about the Russian school - Glinka is not in the top 200! However, the Russian topic deserves a separate discussion, in which historical, cultural and socio-political analysis cannot be avoided.

It would be wrong not to mention one more factor. These statistical calculations do not cover all musical theaters in the world without exception. There are certain information gaps here. This can be judged at least by Russian list Operabase, which is incomplete - among the 32 Russian stages included in it, there is no B. Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater, the Zazerkalye Theater from St. Petersburg, or the Chelyabinsk Opera House. Similar gaps exist in other countries. For example, I was unable to find the New York theater Grattaciello, which specializes in verist repertoire, the Dutch Osse oper, and a number of other groups.

However, it is unlikely that this circumstance will significantly affect the overall result - after all, the vast majority of opera houses are taken into account in the statistics.

This is how the picture turns out. We will not comment further on it. Let readers draw their own conclusions and sociocultural generalizations.

Material prepared by E. Tsodokov

Albina Shagimuratova as the Queen of the Night in the opera The Magic Flute. Photo – Mike Hoban

From the Queen of the Night to Norma, Brunnhilde and Turandot. We have compiled a list of the most difficult parts for soprano.

Are there limits to the great soprano's skill? Many roles have been written for this voice that we admire and enjoy: throughout the history of opera, they have revealed to the world more and more new talents in the world of music and drama. Here we've rounded up some of our favorites, starting with...

Queen of the Night – “The Magic Flute” by Mozart

Mozart wrote the part of the Queen of the Night for his sister-in-law Josepha Hofer, who was famous for her virtuoso singing technique and high timbre. Two dramatic arias of the Queen of the Night are filled with coloratura.

Hélène – “The Virgin of the Lake” by Rossini

Helene is one of several roles that Rossini wrote for his first wife, Isabella Colbran. She had an extremely wide range of voice, precisely the range needed to play the role of Helen. The opera ends with one of Rossini’s best female arias – “Tanti affetti”.

Norma – “Norma” Bellini

Performing Norma's parts requires great physical endurance, technical skill and (which is especially true for the "Casta diva" aria) lyricism and beauty of timbre.

However, the difficulties do not end there: the performer of the role of Norma must convey the varied and very strong emotions of the heroine, torn between devotion to religion and envy, passionate and maternal love.

Lucia – “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Donizetti

Lucia is another role that requires great physical strength from the soprano. Over the course of three acts, the singer must retain enough strength to sing the famous scene of madness - a breathtaking cadenza accompanied by a glass harmonica.

Abigail – Verdi's Nabucco

Abigail's part is truly difficult. It demands very strong from the performer and at the same time easy time a voice capable of moving from lower to upper registers in the blink of an eye. Even in the most lyrical of Abigail’s arias (“Anch’io dischiuso un giorno”) there is a transition to two octaves.

Brünnhilde - Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelungs"

The role of Brünnhilde is often considered the greatest challenge for any dramatic soprano. The voice must sound equally confident both in the upper registers - in her battle cry at the very beginning of the opera - and in the lower ones, as, for example, in "Twilight of the Gods". The heroine must be decisive, and soft, and vengeful, and noble.

But above all, she must be strong enough to perform roles in three operas, each of which lasts about five hours!

Olympia – “The Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach

The Olympia doll is on stage for only about half an hour, most this time just saying yes. However, her aria “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” is a mixture of virtuoso performance and incredible physical tension, where almost every bar is decorated with polished coloratura.

In addition, this role requires considerable acting skill: the doll periodically stops and abruptly stops singing.

Elektra – “Electra” by Richard Strauss

The opera is only 90 minutes long, so Electra is a relatively short role, but an incredibly difficult one. This opera is one of the most dramatic operas featuring a soprano. From a musical point of view, it is very intricate, and the singer needs to convey the tenderness of the heroine in the scene of her reunion with Orestes. In addition, it is necessary to maintain enough strength to dance in the final part of the opera.

Turandot – “Turandot” by Puccini

Like Electra, the role of Turandot requires a strong high voice and the ability to perform deeply dramatic arias with ease. But the heroine’s story itself is also a challenge for the singer: she needs to arouse the viewer’s sympathy for her heroine – a merciless princess – and convince her that she deserves happiness.

Lulu – Berg's "Lulu"

To perform Lulu's aria, which redefines the limits of human performance, one must have a voice range of three octaves and be able to make transitions from intense lyricism to bright coloratura, sometimes in the same aria. Throughout the four hours that the opera lasts, the performer does not disappear from the stage.

Ariel - "The Tempest" by Thomas Adès

This is perhaps the highest part ever written for soprano. High notes are not limited to coloratura; some of the slow, flowing parts of the aria must also be performed in the highest registers - this poses a significant challenge for the soprano.

All fans of classical music will probably be interested in finding out which operas are recognized as the best in the world, although, needless to say, this topic can be discussed for hours. Opera works rightfully occupy an important niche in the branch of musical and dramatic works; they were revered by the most aristocratic circles of our society and, it should be noted, remain popular to this day.

As you know, operatic works are different - romantic, comic, opera-ballet, and so on - however, among them all there are those that are recognized as the best of the best. Let's find out what we're talking about.

La Traviata, Giuseppe Verdi

Our top 10 most famous operas in the world open with La Traviata, written by composer Giuseppe Verdi. An interesting fact is that the first production, which took place in Venice in 1853, suffered a crushing failure, however, after several modifications it gained world fame and fame. The opera tells the story of a beautiful courtesan with an incurable disease, whose life is full of love, intrigue, deception, late repentance and even self-sacrifice.

“War and Peace”, S. Prokofiev based on the novel by L. N. Tolstoy

If you have read the book or at least watched the film of the same name, then you probably know what the point is. Magnificent balls, sophisticated ladies, very young Natasha Rostova, French officers, ordinary residents and actions unfolding against the backdrop of the War of 1812. The plan for the opera consists of two parts and involves a performance divided into two evenings, however, there is also a special shortened version for one evening.

"Carmen", Georges Bizet

Perhaps one of the most recognizable works in the world of classical music, the melodies and even entire arias from “Carmen” are popular among the people and can often be heard in films or even cartoons. The first production of “Carmen” took place in Paris in 1875, and, again, ended in complete failure, it was criticized to smithereens, perhaps it was the heated discussions of the creation that created its future popularity for “Carmen”. After some minor modifications, it appeared again on the Parisian stage, after which it continued its triumphal march throughout Europe, America and Russia.

“Lucia di Lammermoor”, G. Donizetti

A tragic opera by the Italian composer, which today is one of the best examples of the bel canto style. If we talk about the plot, it will strongly remind you of “Romeo and Juliet”, because here, as there, there is a tragic story of lovers, fatal mistakes, warring clans, passionate feelings, madness and bitter death in the finale.

La Bohème, Giacomo Puccini

A sincere and tragic story of the seamstress Mimi and her beloved poet Rudolph, which unfolds against the backdrop of the life of the then bohemian Paris. The work was first published in 1896, but today it remains one of the most popular in the world, and arias from it are included in the mandatory concert program of any self-respecting opera artist.

"The Barber of Seville", Gioachino Rossini

A comic and bright opera that tells the story of the cunning and witty barber Figaro. It just so happened that Count Almavive fell in love with the beautiful Rosina, and Figaro does his best to help him win the beauty’s favor. The work is mischievous and exciting, full of fun misunderstandings and confusion. Premiere, like many others famous works, was unsuccessful, however, over time, “The Barber of Seville” began to enjoy wild popularity among viewers, which continues to this day.

“The Magic Flute”, W. A. Mozart

Is it possible to imagine a list of operas that would not include the name of the brilliant composer Mozart? Probably his most famous and most frequently performed opera is The Magic Flute, which was first staged in Vienna. The conductor was the composer himself! At the center of the story is Prince Tamino, who goes through all the trials and difficulties in order to achieve the love and affection of the daughter of the Queen of the Night.

“The Marriage of Figaro”, W. A. Mozart

Another work by Mozart, which tells about the turmoil of preparations for the wedding of the valet Figaro and the pretty maid Susanna. But, as it turns out, there’s a lot of hassle! All this is presented in a humorous and very encouraging manner. The opera was first staged in Vienna in 1786, but received full recognition only after a repeat production in Prague the same year.

"Eugene Onegin", P. I. Tchaikovsky

The most famous work of the Russian composer, without which the list of the most famous operas in the world would not be complete. “Eugene Onegin” perfectly combines the melody of Pushkin’s words and the harmony of Tchaikovsky’s music; by the way, this is one of those famous operas that enjoys wild success among audiences in the West.

"Norma", Vincenzo Bellini

It is called ultra-classical, especially the magnificent and extremely complex aria “Casta Diva”. The opera premiered in 1831 in Milan. In our time, few have been able to cope with the most complex soprano roles, among them Galina Vishnevskaya and the unrivaled Montserrat Caabalie.