Recommend me some
English Language Operas
Tangerine
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Except, of course, and oratorio is not an opera... though its sometimes considered a poor cousin
Please see post by mamascarlatti. I am simply adding to her choices of Handel oratorios.Except, of course, and oratorio is not an opera... though its sometimes considered a poor cousin
Also when one is listening to a CD set of say, Rodelinda vs Semele, most folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the oratorio and the opera.
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György Ligeti - Le Grand Macabre (Salonen)
![Image]()
The original libretto was written in German and then translated into English, French, Italian, Hungarian and Danish.
Sibylle Ehlert · Laura Claycomb · Charlotte Hellekant · Jard van Nes · Derek Lee Ragin
Graham Clark · Philharmonia Orchestra · Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor)
The original libretto was written in German and then translated into English, French, Italian, Hungarian and Danish.
Sibylle Ehlert · Laura Claycomb · Charlotte Hellekant · Jard van Nes · Derek Lee Ragin
Graham Clark · Philharmonia Orchestra · Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor)
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Adding to the ones already mentioned (limited to ones I heard on CD).
John Blow: Venus and Adonis (1683) Considered to be the first opera in English
John Gay: The Beggar's Opera (1728)
Gilbert and Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore (1878)
Gilbert and Sullivan: Mikado (1885)
Kern and Hammerstein: Show Boat (1927) Hmm, may be not an opera?
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress (1951)
Michael Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage (1955)
Benjamin Britten: Midsummer Night's Dream (1960)
Michael Tippett: King Priam (1962)
Benjamin Britten: Curlew River (1964)
Ned Rorem: Miss Julie (1965)
Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1976)
Oliver Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are (1984)
John Adams: Nixon in China (1988)
Thomas Ades: Tempest (2004)
John Blow: Venus and Adonis (1683) Considered to be the first opera in English
John Gay: The Beggar's Opera (1728)
Gilbert and Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore (1878)
Gilbert and Sullivan: Mikado (1885)
Kern and Hammerstein: Show Boat (1927) Hmm, may be not an opera?
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress (1951)
Michael Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage (1955)
Benjamin Britten: Midsummer Night's Dream (1960)
Michael Tippett: King Priam (1962)
Benjamin Britten: Curlew River (1964)
Ned Rorem: Miss Julie (1965)
Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1976)
Oliver Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are (1984)
John Adams: Nixon in China (1988)
Thomas Ades: Tempest (2004)
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And Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur. Powerful stuff.
Turnage: Anna Nicole
Turnage: Anna Nicole
Two of my favorites -
Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden - two parts -
Jake Heggie's Moby Dick
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365112413
These have English subtitles, which I need as much with operas in English as in any other language.
Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden - two parts -
Jake Heggie's Moby Dick
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365112413
These have English subtitles, which I need as much with operas in English as in any other language.
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It's interesting that at this point in the thread, only one person has recommended Porgy and Bess. Personally, I can't stand Gershwin, but there was a time when Porgie and Bess would've been considered one of the great English operas of all time.
Although I haven't had a chance to hear the whole opera yet, I much prefer Scott Joplin's Treemonisha to Porgie and Bess if we're talking about an opera that tries to chart the black experience in the US.
The only other "true" opera in English that I kind of like is Adams' Nixon in China. But even that one tends to lose me after the first act.
Now, if you guys would allow me to expand the definition of "opera" just a little bit… I'd have to say my all time favorite would be Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd is, frankly, spectacular! It's equal parts brilliant storytelling, with great musical numbers and is hilarious as hell. And although it did technically start life as a musical, I've seen that it has been staged as an opera by several opera companies around United States the last couple years. It's easy to see why though, there's very little unsung dialogue in Sweeney Todd and the storyline is pure operatic melodrama.
Although I haven't had a chance to hear the whole opera yet, I much prefer Scott Joplin's Treemonisha to Porgie and Bess if we're talking about an opera that tries to chart the black experience in the US.
The only other "true" opera in English that I kind of like is Adams' Nixon in China. But even that one tends to lose me after the first act.
Now, if you guys would allow me to expand the definition of "opera" just a little bit… I'd have to say my all time favorite would be Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd is, frankly, spectacular! It's equal parts brilliant storytelling, with great musical numbers and is hilarious as hell. And although it did technically start life as a musical, I've seen that it has been staged as an opera by several opera companies around United States the last couple years. It's easy to see why though, there's very little unsung dialogue in Sweeney Todd and the storyline is pure operatic melodrama.
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I couldn't agree with you more about "Sweeney Todd", a total masterpiece.
In fact it has been produced in concert version at the NY City Opera and other opera venues. Stephen Sondheim is quoted as once saying words to the effect that if it is produced in an opera venue, it's an opera. If it is produced in a theater, it's musical theater.
In fact it has been produced in concert version at the NY City Opera and other opera venues. Stephen Sondheim is quoted as once saying words to the effect that if it is produced in an opera venue, it's an opera. If it is produced in a theater, it's musical theater.
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Another couple I inexplicably overlooked:
Tippett - The Knot Garden
Maxwell Davies - The Lighthouse.
Tippett - The Knot Garden
Maxwell Davies - The Lighthouse.
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And weren't many oratorios really intended to be opera but the church/state would not let them have that much entertainment or some such thing like that.Except, of course, and oratorio is not an opera... though its sometimes considered a poor cousin
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My Beginner's Guide to Classical Music largely ignored Opera, for good reason.
For those unfamiliar with Classical music, opera is a giant obstacle: It's long form, usually in a foreign language, and it has those awful, bellowing, shrieking opera singers.
I sneaked a few Opera Overtures into the list, but eventually had to address opera from a novice's standpoint.
I decided that presenting comic operas, and operas in English was the best introduction, followed by a couple of classics (I used a couple of G&S operettas, Porgy and Bess, followed by Don Giovanni, and Tristan Und Isolde, followed quickly by The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute and Fidelio).
Frankly, unless you speak Italian, French, German, and Russian then chances are that you're going to have to choose between watching the performer or staring up at subtitles ("Supertitles"? "Surtitles"?) because English was a little late to the ball when it comes to opera history.
And I, too, was very late to the opera party. I was well into my 30s before I could stomach opera. So, I'm far from being an opera expert. I had to actually do a bit of research to find English language operas.
But I AM very familiar with the G&S catalog, having musical directed ALL of them, and directed a couple.
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado
George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Samuel Barber: Vanessa
Philip Glass: 1000 Airplanes on the Roof
Igor Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress
Carlisle Floyd: Susannah
You can add the rest of the G&S catalog to this, although finding listenable recordings is a task. Most are "old school" singing with natural auditorium reverb, and, frankly, Sullivan's arrangements were (and still are) quite unadventurous and stodgy. The Pirates of Penzance is an exception to this: The Joseph Papp production was a modern production and new orchestral arrangements were commissioned.
There's also a lot of Broadway opera (and, frankly, there's a fine line between Opera/Operetta and Musicals anyway), that is, shows that bridge that gap: West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Showboat, Passion, many of the Rogers & Hammerstein offerings (Carousel, South Pacific), The Most Happy Fella, The Threepenny Opera, Carmen Jones, Pacific Overtures, Kismet, Candide, A Little Night Music, and Show Boat. Some might include some of the Andrew Lloyd Webber bubble-gum-pop-opera musicals, but I tend to ignore them; although he often utilizes classical singing, his compositional style is pure pop, with occasional classical 'touches', as though that gives them legitimacy.
For those unfamiliar with Classical music, opera is a giant obstacle: It's long form, usually in a foreign language, and it has those awful, bellowing, shrieking opera singers.
I sneaked a few Opera Overtures into the list, but eventually had to address opera from a novice's standpoint.
I decided that presenting comic operas, and operas in English was the best introduction, followed by a couple of classics (I used a couple of G&S operettas, Porgy and Bess, followed by Don Giovanni, and Tristan Und Isolde, followed quickly by The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute and Fidelio).
Frankly, unless you speak Italian, French, German, and Russian then chances are that you're going to have to choose between watching the performer or staring up at subtitles ("Supertitles"? "Surtitles"?) because English was a little late to the ball when it comes to opera history.
And I, too, was very late to the opera party. I was well into my 30s before I could stomach opera. So, I'm far from being an opera expert. I had to actually do a bit of research to find English language operas.
But I AM very familiar with the G&S catalog, having musical directed ALL of them, and directed a couple.
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado
George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Samuel Barber: Vanessa
Philip Glass: 1000 Airplanes on the Roof
Igor Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress
Carlisle Floyd: Susannah
You can add the rest of the G&S catalog to this, although finding listenable recordings is a task. Most are "old school" singing with natural auditorium reverb, and, frankly, Sullivan's arrangements were (and still are) quite unadventurous and stodgy. The Pirates of Penzance is an exception to this: The Joseph Papp production was a modern production and new orchestral arrangements were commissioned.
There's also a lot of Broadway opera (and, frankly, there's a fine line between Opera/Operetta and Musicals anyway), that is, shows that bridge that gap: West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Showboat, Passion, many of the Rogers & Hammerstein offerings (Carousel, South Pacific), The Most Happy Fella, The Threepenny Opera, Carmen Jones, Pacific Overtures, Kismet, Candide, A Little Night Music, and Show Boat. Some might include some of the Andrew Lloyd Webber bubble-gum-pop-opera musicals, but I tend to ignore them; although he often utilizes classical singing, his compositional style is pure pop, with occasional classical 'touches', as though that gives them legitimacy.
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My wife and I just finished up a Virtual Choir production of an excerpt ("Hail, Poetry") from Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance using a couple dozen friends. Well, 22 others . . . we're in it as well.
They all sang to a guide track while watching video of me conducting. I created a 'virtual orchestra' using the original 1879 arrangements which I supplemented with a harp, piano, and some brass.
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