Opera You Gotta Know

by Giuseppi Verdi, 1871: Ethiopian princess is held prisoner in Egypt, falls in love with Egyptian general, who is buried alive for this; princess sneaks into the tomb to die with him

• Carmen

• Aida

• The Marriage of Figaro

• The Barber of Seville

by Georges Bizet, 1875: gypsy girl works in Seville cigarette factory; arrested by corporal for fighting but convinces him to let her go; later tempts the corporal to challenge his captain; he runs away and joins smugglers; meets her later at a bullfight and stabs her

• Carmen

• Aida

• William Tell

• Don Giovanni

the bullfight scene in this opera is the source of the famous "Toreador Song"

• Aida

• Don Giovanni

• Carmen

• William Tell

Mozart, 1786; two servants of Count Almaviva plan to marry, but this is complicated by an older sister of the bride who pursues the groom and the Count who pursues the bride; resolved by a series of impersonations and comic scenes

• The Marriage of Figaro

• Barber of Seville

• Don Giovanni

• Salome

Rossini, 1816; uses characters from the Marriage of Figaro; Figaro tries to help Count Almaviva win his new love, Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo, who sees through Figaro's disguises; they bribe the notary who was to wed the Doctor to Rosina to marry her to Almaviva instead

• The Marriage of Figaro

• Barber of Seville

• Boris Godunov

• La boheme

Rossini, 1816; uses characters from the Marriage of Figaro; Figaro tries to help Count Almaviva win his new love, Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo, who sees through Figaro's disguises; they bribe the notary who was to wed the Doctor to Rosina to marry her to Almaviva instead

• Carmen

• Aida

• La boheme

• Barber of Seville

Mozart, 1787; title character tries to seduce Donna Anna but is discovered by her father whom he kills in a swordfight; his servant Leporello recounts his masters 2000 conquests in the Catalogue Aria; a statue of the dead father comes alive at the end and takes the title character to hell

• William Tell

• Carmen

• Don Giovanni

• Salome

Strauss, 1905, based on Oscar Wilde's play of the same name; the story of the death of John the Baptist told from the perspective of Herod's daughter, who is rebuffed when she makes sexual advances at the prophet

• Salome

• Boris Godunov

• La boheme

• Madame Butterfly

Mussorgsky, 1874; the story of the chief adviser of Ivan the Terrible, pressured to assume the throne after Ivan's two children have died; a religious novice, Grigori, impersonates the younger son Dmitri, raises a general revolt, and, after dramatic defeats and dreams, the title character dies in front of the assembled boyars

• Boris Godunov

• La boheme

• William Tell

• Aida

Puccini, 1896; opera telling the story of four poor friends living in the French Quarter of Paris; Marcello, Rodolfo, Colline, and Schaunard; based on a novel by Henry Murger and the basis for the 1996 musical Rent

• Madame Butterfly

• La boheme

• Aida

• Carmen