20 Reasons To Love Opera

The Flower Duet - Charlotte Church

the final aria sang by Waltraud Meier under the direction of Daniel Baremboin on December 7 2007 at the Scala Milan opening

Culture Studies: Classical Music: Wagner (A series of well-known classical music pieces one should known about.) Wagner, Richard (1813-1883) Style/Period: Middle German Romantic (New German school; German Nationalist); German Wagner Lohengrin, "Bridal Chorus"

James Johnston sings "Your Tiny Hand is Frzen" from Puccini's La Boheme James Johnston was born 17 August 1903, son of a Belfast butcher, who left school to work in his father's shop in York Street. He started singing in the Church choir and although he had no formal musical training he won many baritone competitions until he was discovered to be a tenor. Thereafter he was in demand throughout Ireland; in 1932 he sang at the Eucharistic Congress. In 1945 Tyrone Gutherie, then in charge of Sadler's Wells Opera Company in London, offered Johnston a leading role. He was Britain's leading tenor from 1945 until 1958. In more than 850 performances in 24 leading roles with Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden, he sang with Sutherland, Hammond, Schwarzkopf and Callas with whom he had a fiery difference of opinion just before a Covent Garden Il trovatore in 1953. He was described by Lord Harewood as the singer to whom postwar British opera owes a great debt. Noted for his big Italian roles, his singing of Nessun Dorma was often interrupted by applause and Italianate tone and ringing top notes made him a firm favourite with audiences. In oratorio, his recordings of The Messiah and Elijah with Sir Malcolm Sargent were best sellers on both sides of the Atlantic. Notable roles: Calaf (Turandot); Pinkerton (Madam Butterfly); Gabriele Adorno (Simon Boccanegra); Hugh (Hugh the Drover); Don Jose (Carmen); Manrico (Il trovatore). James Johnston said that he would quit while he was still at the top. His final performance at Covent Garden was in a production of Carmen in 1958. After that he returned to his Belfast butcher's shop in Sandy Row. He died on 17 October 1991.

Had to upload this again since the original did not feature an embed code. An awe-inspiring performance.

Emma Kirkby sings Dido's lament "When I am laid in earth" from Henry Purcell's opera "Dido and Aeneas" in a performance given in York on 7 July 2007. The Yorkshire Baroque Soloists are conducted by Peter Seymour. Check out Dame Emma's new website at www.emmakirkby.com

David Holloway as Escamillo in the 1985 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Bizet's Carmen. Bernard Haitink (Conductor) and Peter Hall (Director)

Angela Gheorghiu sings the Habanera (L'amour est un oiseaux rebelle) from Bizet's opera 'Carmen' (Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands Silver Jubilee Concert in Amsterdam, April 29th, 2005)

Roberto Alagna & Bryn Terfel sing the beautiful duet "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's "Les Pêcheurs de perles"... (Met 1996) Beautiful singinf... and visually funny (big Terfel vs little Alagna)

Renee Fleming in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Met, February 2007.

Paris 1978, with Tom Krause, Wilhelmina Fernandez

THE QUEEN OF SPADES TCHAIKOVSKY Lisa - Natalia Mikhaleva Concert from Grand Palace of Peterhof(Sanct-Petersburg) музыкальный ансамбль Петербургский салон Наталья Михалева spbsalon

Maria Callas nell'agosto 1954 a Milano ha inciso in studio "La Forza del Destino" di Giuseppe Verdi. Qui viene eseguita l'aria "Pace, pace, mio Dio!". Direttore Tullio Serafin, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala. Le fotografie sono tratte dallo splendido volume di Eugenio Gara, edito nel 1959, e dedicato alla Divina.

Andrey Schelkalov "Orthodox folk! The boyar is implacable!"