decent opera/classical????

[thefoosa]

does anyone know of any good opera music? The likes of Pavarotti etc, the italian love stuff? Am a bit of an opera virgin so could do with some help please.

[OBonio]

Nessun Dorma? Or is that too obvious?

[China Doll]

Carl Orff - Carmina Burana

I'm not sure if that's classed as opera.... I just know I like it!

[Gromit]

That's Choral CD you grumpy strop.

Madame Butterfly by Puccini.
Aida by Verdi

Might be better getting a compilation of Arias.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/40-Most-Beautiful-Aria s/dp/B000IFSDAG/ref=sr_1_1/202-0682753-6531021 ?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1186506358&sr=1-1

[Gromit]

Damn, Stroppy grump sounds better.

[bensmum]

Tosca was the first opera I went to see and I would recommend that. It's a drama as opposed to a comedy and the story is pretty easy to follow.
Mozart can be quite light for someone new to opera

[cruella]

Why not ry buying some CD's of the more recent singers who sing opera.
Josh Groban has a wonderful voice.

[cruella]

Sorry I meant to type buy!

[Black Noir]

If your just starting out, rather than getting straight into the heavy stuff try Josh Groburn as mentioned aboved or Alessandro Safina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMBGPyvHK5M

They are a nice mix of pop/classical - you can move on to Wagner in a couple of months : )

[Folker]

I think Carmen is the best opera for beginners. It is dramatic, erotic and you will know most of the tunes anyway. There is probably a dvd of it but you would enjoy just listening to it.

[anniebooklov]

I would recommend Mozart, Puccini or Verdi as good starting points. Mozart is my favourite but Puccini definitely has more popular appeal. Madam Butterfly and La Boheme are worth a try. La Traviata or Cosi Fan Tutte are also lightweight. Personally, I would avoid Wagner unless you really want to spoil opera forever. As Rossini said "Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour". He wasn't wrong imho.

[littleoldme]

Further to the above excellent suggestions, Rossini himself is also a good starting point - plenty of comic operas and music that is very hummable without being too light or flimsy. The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Seviglia) is probably his best known opera. Bizet (composer of Carmen among others) is also good, but less light-hearted.

Wagner is for people who enjoy migraines.