Falstaff

Giuseppe Verdi is regarded as one of the greatest opera composers who played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of Italian opera during the 19th century.

Greek mythology, with its timeless themes of love, heroism, and the divine, has inspired composers to write operas throughout the centuries.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s work stands out as among the greatest in Russian repertoire.

For over four centuries, opera has continually reinvented itself by experimenting with new ideas and adapting to evolving tastes.

A man of the Enlightenment, Mozart is not a political animal; he has a sharp eye on the world around him.

Gioacchino Rossini is considered one of the most talented Italian composers of his time and his best known for his comic operas.

The first ever operas were written around 1600 by baroque composers, including Monteverdi and Cavalieri, who used dramatic text and music to express their stories, which were often based on Classical Greek and Roman mythology.

Stanisław Moniuszko is generally regarded as the founder of Polish national opera and the most important composer of the 19th century after Chopin.

The Italian for ‘beautiful singing’ is used to describe Italian opera of the first part of the 19th century. Three pre-eminent Italian composers of that era are Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini.

Britten's operas explore profound human experiences that continue to captivate audiences around the world with their touching portrayal of the human condition.

In partnership with young artists’ programmes in Europe and beyond, OperaVision streams performances, masterclasses, and concerts by the next generation of talent, as well as follow them through a new podcast series.

Czech composer Leoš Janáček is a unique musical voice with an uncanny ability to suggest mood with just a few notes, an understated but passionate lyricism, and an emotional charge to his operas as powerful as any in the 20th century.

Giacomo Puccini is regarded as the greatest Italian composer of the generation after Giuseppe Verdi.

Diverse and dramatic, opera costumes are the first thing to appear in the spotlight, even before the performer has sung a note.

Tenors in opera frequently take the leading male role. They are said to have irresistible charm - on and off stage!

Mezzo-soprano, or ‘half-soprano’ is the female voice that stands between the soprano and the contralto.

Soprano is the highest operatic voice and the most common in the female range.

Orpheus has became the emblem of the artist who rises above earthly worries and brings us closer to eternal truths.

Opera is certainly not the most tender artform to women. Between sacrifices, rapes, forced marriages, illnesses, suicides or even murders, women are often presented as the victims of a destiny. Here we focus on female roles who stand out by virtue of their strong, independent and enterprising character.

Composer Richard Wagner, despite the controversies surrounding his life and political views, bestrides German opera like a colossus.