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Friedrich von Flotow Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a romantic-comical opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow (1812 – 1883) on a libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese, based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges. Apparently, the librettist and the writer could get along well, because this combination often was the […]

Michael William Balfe The Bohemian Girl is an opera in three acts by Michael William Balfe (1808 – 1870) on a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The story is derived from La Gitanilla – The Gypsy Girl – by De Cervantes. The opera was first performed in 1843. A Polish nobleman in exile joins a band

Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901) on a libretto by Temistocle Solera. The latter borrowed the story from the writers Auguste Anicet-Bougeois and Francis Cornu. At their turn these gentlemen used Biblical motives around the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The opera had its first performance in 1842.

Gioacchino Rossini Otello is an opera in three acts by Gioacchino Rossini (1792 – 1868) on a libretto by Francesco di Salti, based on the play Othello by William Shakespeare. The opera had its premiere in 1816. The jealous Otello listens too much to false rumors that are made up by the devious Jago and

Gaetano Donizetti Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramatic opera in effectively three acts by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) on a libretto by Felice Romani who borrowed at his turn some material from a play by Victor Hugo. The first performance was in 1833. The main character Lucrezia Borgia is known in history as a femme fatale, but

Michael William Balfe The Bohemian Girl is an opera in three acts by Michael William Balfe (1808 – 1870) on a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The story is derived from La Gitanilla – The Gypsy Girl – by De Cervantes. The opera was first performed in 1843. A Polish nobleman in exile joins a band

Vincenzo Bellini Il Pirata is a tragical opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835) on a libretto by Felice Romani who derived some material from the French play Bertram ou le Chateau de St. Alborado. The opera hit the stage for the first time in 1827. The shipwrecked sailor and pirate Gualtiero

Adolphe Charles Adam Le Postillion de Lonjumeau is a comical opera in three acts by Adolphe Charles Adam (1803 – 1856) on a libretto by Adolphe de Leuven and Léon-Lévy Brunswick. Its premiere was in 1836. The postillion Chapelou visits a clairvoyant together with his fiancée Madeleine to aks if their marriage will be a

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber L’ Enfant Prodigue is a grand opera in a whopping five acts by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782 – 1871). Again, Eugène Scribe was his loyal librettist. The latter had read the Bible and found the story of the Prodigal Son a nice theme for an opera. That pretty much fixes the theme of the

Vincenzo Bellini Norma is a tragical opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835) on a libretto by Felice Romani. Romani did not invent the story by himself, he leaned on a novel by Alexandre Soumet, titled Norma, or the Infanticide. It is a tragical love story that unfolds itself in the Roman