Scala Radio's beginner's guide to the opera
Nothing beats a trip to the opera
Last updated 14th Feb 2023
When it comes to looking for a romantic story to watch on stage, look no further than a trip to the opera. Covering some of the greatest love stories ever told, from soul mates to forbidden love, opera and romance go hand in hand, and whilst they may not all have the fairytale ending we hope they could, their stories always guarantee to leave you with all of the feels!
But what is is about an opera that we all love so much?
Firstly, and quite simply, the music is sublime. Nothing quite beats hearing your favourite aria being performed live, or being blown away by the chorus. And then there's what is happening in the pit. No matter whether it's a chamber ensemble or a full symphony orchestra, you can't help but fall in love with the music - And there aren't any tragic endings in that love story.
Then there are the opera singers. With no need for microphones, there is a lot that makes each opera voice unique and powerful. It takes an opera singer years to train to be able to perform at a professional level and only the best make singing look effortless.
What are the different opera voice types?
Soprano
Sopranos typically play the lead female character in an opera. Many of the most famous female arias are sung by sopranos.
Mezzo-soprano
Coming between soprano and contralto, you'll often find a mezzo-soprano playing seductive heroines such as Carmen, though composers have also used mezzos to play mothers and villainesses.
Here's mezzo-soprano, Ginger Costa-Jackson, performing Bizet's Carmen for us as a Scala Session.
Contralto
Also known as 'alto', the contralto is the lowest female singing voice, and unlike sopranos or mezzo-sopranos, it is very rare to find a true contralto.
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singer whose vocal range is similar to that of a mezzo-soprano or contralto.
Tenor
The tenor is the highest common adult male singing voice, excluding the countertenor. You will often find tenors playing the romantic interest or hero of the opera, such as Rodolpho from Puccini’s La Bohème, and Pinkerton from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
Baritone
Baritones are the middle male singing voice, who are often found singing many of the exciting male roles in operas such as unloved husbands to villains and many roles in between.
Bass
The bass is the lowest male singing voice, with a range that is similar to that of a trombone or bassoon.
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a voice that shares both baritone and bass characteristics. These singers usually possess wide ranges, extending lower than the other baritones, singing some roles usually belonging to basses.
A feast for the eyes as well as the ears.
From the breathtaking set designs to the incredible costumes, nothing is held back when it comes to opera. After all, the very best have written them. We're talking Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Mozart and Strauss - and that's just a few. Each opera has more passion and emotion packed into it than anything you could stream from your living room!
So, whether you're considering your first visit, or you're looking to head back in for more, do it. You won't regret it.
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Here are pianist, conductor and the Music Director of the Royal Opera House, Sir Antonio Pappano's suggestions for some of the best operas to watch
La bohème
A lost key and an accidental touch of cold hands in the dark – so begins one of the great romances of all opera, told in vivid detail in this classic production.
When Rodolfo, a penniless poet, meets Mimì, a seamstress, they fall passionately in love. But their happiness is threatened when Rodolfo learns that Mimì is gravely ill.
Rodolfo, painfully aware that he cannot afford the medicine and care Mimì needs, separates from her. At the end of her life Mimì returns to Rodolfo's garret. They ecstatically embrace – but, despite the care of Rodolfo and his friends, Mimì dies.
Tosca
From the demonic chords with which it famously begins to the violent twist of its shock ending, the tension never lets up for a moment.
Into the romantic world of an idealistic painter, Cavaradossi, and his sensuous lover Tosca comes the malevolence of Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police, with fatal results. Jonathan Kent's taut and intense production with Paul Brown's historically charged designs wonderfully evokes the dangerous atmosphere of Rome in 1800, where love and evil come – thrillingly – face to face.
Madama Butterfly
The clash of Eastern and Western cultures proves the downfall of a young geisha in one of the most popular of all Italian operas. Lianna Haroutounian and Dinara Alieva share the title role in this revival of Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier's elegant production for The Royal Opera, inspired by 19th-century European images of Japan.
From the radiant happiness of Cio-Cio-San's 'Ancora unpasso', to the devastating pathos of 'Un bel dì vedremo' as she longs for the 'fine day' when her husband will return, Puccini's music evokes the shifting perspectives within the Japanese setting: sensual and seductive at the outset, yet brutal and heartbreaking by the end.
La traviata
The courtesan Violetta lives and breathes the glamour of Parisian high society, but she has never known love – until she meets Alfredo. Abandoning her hedonistic existence for a new life in the country, Violetta receives a surprise visit from Alfredo's father, who asks her to sacrifice her love for the sake of his family name, cruelly exposing society's double standards and accelerating Violetta's tragic demise.
Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata is one of the best-known operas in the world. With its riches-to-rags love story, it has everything: from unforgettable tunes, like the intoxicating 'Brindisi' party chorus, to the tragedy of the final act, where hope teeters on the edge of despair. Richard Eyre's stunning production returns, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti and Renato Balsadonna, and starring Pretty Yende, Angel Blue and Hrachuhí Bassénz.
Rigoletto
A story of jealousy, vengeance and sacrifice which ends in tragedy, Rigoletto is one of Verdi's most popular operas. It features one of opera's most recognisable arias, 'La donna è mobile'.
Aida
Verdi's extravagant and magnificent Egyptian opera. Aida was acclaimed at its first performance in 1871 and has grown in stature ever since to become one of the best-loved and most-performed grand operas of all time.