OPERA

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work (called an opera) which combines a text (called a libretto) and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance.

Opera started in Italy at the end of the 16th century (Jacopo Peri's lost Dafne, produced in Florence about 1597) and soon spread through the rest of Europe.


The first third of the 19th century saw the highpoint of the bel canto style, with Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini all creating works that are still performed today. The mid to late 19th century is considered by some a golden age of opera, led by Wagner in Germany and Verdi in Italy.


The 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism (Schoenberg and Berg), Neo-Classicism (Stravinsky), and Minimalism (Philip Glass and John Adams). With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso became known to audiences beyond the circle of opera fans. Operas were also performed on, (and written for) radio and television.


Though opera patronage has decreased in the last century in favor of other arts and media, such as musicals, cinema, radio, television and recordings, mass media has also supported the popularity of famous singers such as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras ("The Three Tenors").


FAMOUS SINGERS AT THIS TIME:

• SARA BRIGHTMAN


• GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO


• ALFRED KRAUS


• RENE FLEMING


• RAMON VARGAS


• FRANCO CORELLI


• FRANCISCO ARAIZA


• PAUL POTTS


• ANDREA BOCELLI