Performed in Italian with projected English translations Performance running time: 3 hours 5 minutes including 1 intermission Norma Opera Overview “One of the most electrifying spinto voices of our time…with its molten sheen and a beguiling pulse at its core.” - Opera News on Sondra Radvanovsky If you’re drawn to vocal acrobatics, Bellini’s Druid priestess Norma will thrill and astonish you. The absolute pinnacle for any prima donna with the technical prowess, sumptuous voice, and dramatic fire to master its perilous challenges, Norma stands as a crowning jewel of the bel canto repertoire. This timeless story of love betrayed runs the gamut of emotions from loyalty and passion to jealousy, revenge, and redemption. You’ll hear melodies ranging from the stunningly serene “Casta diva” to the frenzy of vocal fireworks that pour forth as Norma’s rage overflows. Don’t miss world-acclaimed soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in this dazzling masterwork! Coproduction by Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Gran Teatre del Liceu.

PRODUCTION SPONSORS Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera #LyricNorma Norma Opera Resources Synopsis In ancient Gaul, the Druids have been invaded by the forces of Rome. Despite her hatred for Rome, the Druid high priestess Norma breaks her vows by falling in love with Pollione, the Roman proconsul, and bearing him two children. He abandons Norma in favor of a young priestess, Adalgisa. The guilt-ridden girl confides in Norma, who is sympathetic until she learns that it is Pollione whom Adalgisa loves. Norma castigates her lover for his betrayal. Out of revenge, she plans to kill their children, but cannot bring herself to do it. Adalgisa attempts to persuade Pollione to return to Norma, but he refuses. He tries to abduct Adalgisa, but the Druids capture him and bring him to Norma for punishment. When she confesses to the Druids that she has broken her vows and must die, Pollione understands her nobility of heart and chooses to die with her. Washington National Opera: Norma - The John F.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington National Opera: Norma In Bellini's Norma, rising star Angela Meade is the Druid priestess who secretly carries on a love affair in the midst of the Gallic-Roman wars. When her lover's affections shift, the mystic Norma turns warrior, prepared to seek revenge. Price: This event has already closed. Please use the event calendar to search for current events. Libretto by Felice Romani New Production A secret affair across enemy lines becomes a war of hearts when love is betrayed. In the midst of the Gallic-Roman wars, the Druid priestess Norma secretly carries on a love affair with the enemy's proconsul, Pollione. When a younger priestess, Adalgisa, catches Pollione's eye, the mystic Norma turns warrior, prepared to seek revenge for this betrayal. Fresh from acclaimed performances of Norma in concert, rising opera star Angela Meade makes her stage debut of the notoriously difficult title role opposite the formidable mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick, who sings the role of Norma's rival, Adalgisa, in this thrilling new WNO production directed by Anne Bogart and conducted by Daniele Rustioni.

Choreographer: Barney O'Hanlon Opera Insight: Free preview of Puccini's Manon Lescaut and Bellini's Norma on the Millennium Stage featuring members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program on Tue., Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. O-Zone Lecture: Free pre-performance lecture in the Opera House - Thu., Mar. 21 at 6:15 p.m. Patrons must present a ticket or stub from any performance of this production. Artist Q&A follows the performance on: Sun., Mar. 24. Artist Q&As are free, but patrons must present a ticket or stub from any performance of the production that is being discussed. Performed in Italian with English supertitles. Supertitles may not be visible from the rear of the orchestra. Performance Timing: Act I - 80 min.; Intermission - 20 min.; Act II - 60 min.

(2-3/4 hours) Artists Angela Meade Singing "Casta Diva" from Bellini's Norma WNO Commentary: Norma 1 of 6: Introduction and Overture (audio only) WNO Commentary: Norma 2 of 6: Act One: In the Sacred Forest (audio only) WNO Commentary: Norma 3 of 6: Act One: Norma (audio only) WNO Commentary: Norma 4 of 6: Act One: The triangle of love and deception (audio only) WNO Commentary: Norma 5 of 6: Act Two: Norma and Adalgisa (audio only) WNO Commentary: Norma 6 of 6: Act Two: The sacrifice (audio only) David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. A production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series. Generous support for WNO Italian opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello. Additional support for Norma is provided by the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts. This event has already closed. Please use the event calendar to search for current events. All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.

All ticket prices are subject to change based on demand. Purchase early to lock in prices and the best seats! 19th-Century Opera Jenny Lind as Amina in Bellini's La Sonnambula, lithographic print, around 1847 A succession of great divas dominated opera from the mid 19th century and no male singer could match their popularity. Jenny Lind, Adelina Patti and Nellie Melba were all sopranos, the highest-range female voice, which had the clarity and flexibility to cope with elaborate passages of flamboyant music. Divas amassed huge fortunes and flaunted them. Once in Verdi's La Traviata at Covent Garden, Patti dismantled her jewellery and had the diamonds, valued at around £200,000 sewn onto the bodice of her costume. Two policeman were borrowed from nearby Bow Street police station and mingled with the chorus on stage to keep an eye on them. The effect was literally dazzling. Opera at this time had no particular sense of unity in performance despite a strong sense of stage design. The stars traditionally toured with their own costumes and often had scant regard for either their colleagues or the composers.

Rehearsals in the modern sense were unheard of and star singers would rarely rehearse with the rest of the cast. In performance the stars stood centre stage and ignored everyone else - even if that person were another star singing a love duet with them. Sometimes they would even insert their favourite aria or song into the opera, whether it was appropriate or not. A charming lithograph shows the great prima donna Jenny Lind as Amina in the sleepwalking scene of Bellini’s La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker). The opera had a typical plot of the period. Amina is discovered in the bedroom of the Lord of the Manor. She is suspected of immorality and abandoned by her fiancé. The high point of the opera comes when, at night, she is seen dressed in her nightgown, candle in hand, walking across a dangerous bridge, and everyone realises that she has been sleepwalking. Lind made her London debut in 1847, but people were already talking about her extraordinary talents. In 1845, a correspondent of the Illustrated London News reported on her performance as Amina in Frankfurt where even backstage was filled with members of the audience who couldn’t get seats in the auditorium.

Her style was deceptively simple. ‘In the absence of all stage trickery or conventionalism may be distinguished this child of genius.’ She had to encore one aria twice and the conductor himself threw away his baton and applauded with the audience. Adelina Patti as Esmeralda, 19th century, sepia photograph. Museum no. S.138:357-2007 This photograph comes from a large collection of ‘cartes de visite’ and ‘cabinet cards’ removed from their backings and mounted in albums by Guy Tristram Little (d.1953) who bequeathed them to the V&A. A collector of greetings cards, games and photographs, Guy Little was a partner in the legal firm Messrs Milles Jennings White & Foster, and the solicitor and executor of Mrs. Gabrielle Enthoven, whose theatrical collection formed the basis of the Theatre Collections at the V&A. Photography was a novel and exciting development in Victorian days. Most actors and actresses had studio photographs taken, in everyday dress or theatrical costume, for ‘cartes de visite’, and later ‘cabinet cards’.

Both were albumen prints made from glass negatives, attached to stiff card backing printed with the photographer’s name. Italian dramatic opera Italian opera was extremely fashionable in 18th and early 19th century London and audiences flocked to see foreign star singers who were considered exotic. Singers such as Madam Catalani thrilled audiences and drew huge salaries. The profits for Catalini's 1806 season were so enormous that she demanded £7,000 for her 1807 appearances – an astronomical sum for the time. She settled for £5,000 guineas and benefit performances that would earn her another £1,000. It was hardly surprising that seat prices were high. Angelica Catalini in the title role of Portogallo's opera Semiramide, King's Theatre, London, coloured engraving, December 1806 Despite its popularity, many people ridiculed Italian opera and it was heavily satirized in The Beggar's Opera which was a huge success on the London stage from 1728. One critic declared that Italian opera was like a plate of macaroni – it could be absorbed without any real effort by the audience.

This was certainly untrue of Mozart, whose masterpieces are considered to be among the greatest of all operas. Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, working in the early 19th century also composed memorable works which are still performed today. The plots of their operas were sometimes taken from famous novels, like Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor which was based on the fashionable best seller The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. This print shows Angelica Catalini in the title role of Portogallo's opera Semiramide, in which she made her London debut in 1806. 'She far exceeded any description that is within the scope of language to justly characterise', raved The Morning Post. Semiramide is Queen of Babylon, but Catalani's costume has little to do with ancient times. She wears the height of early 19th-century fashion, her dress a mixture of high-waisted Empire line and Greek overdress with the latest thing in jewellery, a neo-classical tiara, crowning her hair. Catalani's greatest successes were in Paris, where she was much admired by Napoleon. C.

Williams, Theatrical Doctors recovering Clara's Notes!, hand-coloured etching, caricature of Elizabeth Billington, published by S. W. Fores, London, 1 January 1802. Museum no. S.4602-2009 Elizabeth Billington (1768-1818) was one of the most popular and highly paid opera singers of her day. After a triumphant debut at Covent Garden in 1786 she received a salary of £1000 to appear at the theatre for a season, and in 1801, after a period in Italy, she was in such demand in London that it was arranged for her to make alternate performances at Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres. Her first 1801 performance was as Mandane, daughter of King Xerxes in Thomas Arne's opera Artaxerxes, and Gilray's caricature shows her in this role. Mrs Billington was known for her wide vocal range, which was shown to good effect in the opera's celebrated aria, The Soldier, tir'd of War's Alarms.

These dramatic prints show Giuditta Pasta as Medea in Mayr's opera Medea in Corinto. It was a perfect showcase for Pasta’s vocal and theatrical talents. The priestess Medea falls in love with Jason and bears his children, but murders them when he abandons her. There were decided similarities with Bellini’s 1831opera Norma, which he wrote specially for Pasta, except that Druid priestess Norma does not kill her children. Giuditta Pasta as Medea in Mayr's opera Medea, 1827 Pasta had extraordinary range and variety of tone, but, as with Callas it was her expression of emotion through the music that held her audiences enthralled. As time went on, she could not be relied on to sing in tune, but she went on singing long after her voice had declined. The great singer Pauline Viardot likened her to Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper 'a wreck of a picture, but it is the greatest picture in the world’. Eventually she retired to Lake Como, where she could be seen tending her cabbages and chasing her turkeys.

The rise of the composer Although star singers continued to be the great draw, the importance of the composer increased throughout the 19th century. Richard Wagner and Giuseppi Verdi were both composers and national heroes. Wagner in Germany, Verdi in Italy, Mussorgsky in Russia and later Janacek in Czechoslovakia all used opera and music as an expression of national identity – a theme that had particular importance to many European countries at the end of the 19th century. In Russia, for example, the dominant culture had always been French-based, and there was a growing interest in exploring and promoting a Russian cultural identity. Click on the images below to view larger version. The Illustrated London News, 'How the Rhine Maidens are able to Swim' in the opening of Das Rheingold, 11 May 1907. Museum no. S.4847-2009 Fortunino Matania, the Rhine Maidens' scene in Das Rheingold, early May 1913. Museum no. S.4848-2009 R. G.

Mathews, Colour print showing how the Rhine Maidens swim in Wagner's Das Rheingold, 30 September 1936. Museum no. S.4850-2009 Rossini Coloured print of costume design for Gioacchino Rossini's opera William Tell, 19th century Rossini was the son of an Italian town crier. He was the most famous, copied and lionized composer of his day. Famous at 20, he retired from composing at 37, at the height of his fame. He had written 40 operas in 20 years. Rossini's achievement was to bring to comic opera the same expressive and technical vocal demands as tragic opera. His most popular opera, The Barber of Seville, was written in just 13 days. It had a catastrophic first performance when one of the lead singers fell through an open trap door in the stage and was badly hurt. Rossini wrote a series of operas which turned traditional stories on their head, (this is what operetta composers such as Offenbach were to do later in the century).

Among them was Cenerentola, Rossini's version of Cinderella, first performed in England in 1820 which abandons the fairy elements and transformation scenes in favour of endless disguises, indeed the Prince and his entire retinue are in disguise. Rossini's opera William Tell was first given in Paris in 1829 and in London in 1830. Unlike the popular idea of operas as unbelievable stories, divorced from real life, it reflected the growing forces of nationalism in many countries throughout Europe which had led to risings across Europe in 1820. George Eksts, photograph of Richard Wagner, 19th century. Museum no. S.138:30-2007 It retold the well known legends surrounding the Swiss uprisings against the Austrians, the love of the Swiss patriot Arnold for the Austrian Mathilde, with the central story of Tell's shooting the apple from his son's head. It was Rossini's last opera and his greatest in scope, very far from the lively comic operas usually associated with him.

The William Tell overture became very familiar to television audiences in the 1950s and 1960s as the signature tune of the popular Western The Lone Ranger. Rita Hunter as Brunnhilde in Wagner's opera Ring Cycle, 1973 Wagner Wagner's huge epic works such as Tannhauser and Lohengrin, and the four-opera The Ring Cycle (The Rhinegold, The Valkerie, Siegfried and The Twilight of the Gods), drew on Germanic legend and stories. Wagner was the first composer to demand the total unity of all the elements of a production (the gesamtkunstwerk) controlling music, costume, scenery and singers to ensure a dramatic and visually cohesive opera. The Ring Cycle lasts about 18 hours and was the first opera to make used of a network of themes or Leitmotifs, each associated with a character or an idea. The operas are a closely woven texture of narrative, dialogue and orchestra and there are no formal arias. The Ring Cycle has been understood by critics to be not just a story about gods and humans, but an exploration and reflection on the human condition.

It has also been interpreted at different times as being socialist, fascist, Nazi or Jungian. It was standing room only in 1973 when the Sadler’s Wells Opera performed Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle in English. The stunning sci-fi setting shown in this photograph was designed by Ralph Koltai. Alberto Remedios as Siegfried in Wagner's opera The Ring of the Nibelungs performed at the London Coliseum, 1973 His sets, all gleaming rods and metallic spheres, with costumes incorporating perspex, and Glen Byam Shaw’s production, created a timeless world in which Wagner’s figures moved with an unusual humanity. It reflected both the 1960s and the Apollo moon landing, as though Tolkien met Star Wars. The performances shot Rita Hunter as Brunnhilde to superstardom. Her radiant, glowing voice overcame any resistance to her unromantic appearance and she became the idol of the Sadler’s Wells Opera audience.

Her passionate rapport with Alberto Remedios as Siegfried, (they had first met as singing students on Merseyside), as one commentator recalled ‘nearly set the theatre on fire with its intensity’ This lively illustration of a rehearsal at Covent Garden of Wagner’s Die Walküre was published in 1927. The caption gives a lot of information about the technical side of a production and all the complex elements that come together in a theatrical performance - the lights, scenery, props, bridges and the technical, musical and backstage staff as well as the performers. Illustration of rehearsal of Wagner's opera Die Walküre at Covent Garden Theatre, London, May 1927 The scenery at the right is marked “RHEIN Sc 2 PS 2”, which identifies it as the second wing flat (the scenery set to the sides) on the prompt side (the actors’ left when facing the audience) in scene two of Das Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle. The singer brandishing the spear is probably one of the greatest of all Brunnhildes, Frida Leider and the four girls are other Valkyries.

They all wear the height of 1920s fashions, a complete contrast to the formidable spear brandishing Valkyries they will become in performance, with their horned helmets and metal breastplates. Verdi Maria Callas (1923-1977) in Verdi's opera La Traviata, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, around 1958 Verdi wrote 28 operas on subjects ranging from Bible stories to modern manners. Many of his operas had a meaning beyond the surface story. In Nabucco, the Hebrews held captive in Egypt and the famous chorus of the Hebrew slaves, was seen as an allusion to the Austrian domination of Italy, while La Traviata, explores morality. Based on Dumas' novel La Dame aux Camelias the opera was, surprisingly, a failure at its first performance in 1853. The title translates as 'The woman gone astray' and the heroine is a courtesan, (prostitute).

This was considered to be so shocking that when La Traviata was first performed in England in 1856, it was given an historical setting rather than a contemporary one to avoid offending the sensibilities of the Victorian audience. Verdi's music was hugely popular in Italy and he said that when he heard delivery boys whistling his arias, he knew he had got it right. Ernani Ernani, Verdi’s fifth opera, premiered in 1843. It brought Verdi international fame and was his first opera to be performed in London. The complex plot has been described as ‘three men in love with one woman, quarrelling about her, and shouting their love, not one behaving in a rational manner. They challenge one another in their hatred and agree only in seeking one another’s destruction'. Ernani poisons himself and the heroine, Elvira, falls grief-striken over his body. These postcards form a series showing scenes from the opera. They date from the early 20th century, when postcards were the usual means of fast communication and avidly collected. The performers wear typical period opera costumes of the time.

The men are dressed ‘Tudorbethan’ - a mixture of Tudor and Elizabethan 16th-century costume - but the heroine is firmly early 20th century in the cut of bodice and skirt, her belt is ‘medieval’ and only the sleeves 16th century. All period theatre costumes bear the signs of the age in which they were designed and to early 20th-century eyes, they would have seemed more ‘period’ than they do today. Click on the images below to view larger version. Love Among the Druids: Bellini's 'Norma' : NPR May 16, 200812:00 AM ET Composer Vincenzo Bellini in 1830, one year before the premiere of Norma. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Hulton Archive/Getty Images ACT ONE: The action takes place in ancient Gaul, under Roman occupation, where the Druid priestess Norma has fallen in love with a Roman official named Pollione and has secretly borne him two children. Norma is also the daughter of the Druids' leader, Oroveso.

As the action begins, Oroveso instructs his followers to go into the sacred forest and wait for Norma, who will signal the start of a planned revolt against the Romans. When the Druids leave, we find Pollione talking with the centurion Flavio. Pollione admits that he's no longer in love with Norma. His new romantic interest is the young acolyte Adalgisa, one of Norma's temple virgins. In the forest, a brass gong sounds. Pollione and Flavio leave, and a chorus announces the arrival of Norma. As she cuts the sacred mistletoe, Norma sings the classic bel canto aria "Casta Diva," a prayer to the goddess for victory over the Romans. The Druids follow Norma off, leaving Adalgisa alone to struggle with her emotions. She's torn between her love for Pollione, and her loyalty to Norma and her sworn duties. Pollione joins Adalgisa and begs her to elope with him to Rome. The second scene takes place at Norma's home. She tells her friend Clotilde to hide her two little boys — the sons Norma had with Pollione.

She's afraid of her ambivalent feelings toward them: "I love, and at the same time, hate, my children," she says. Adalgisa pays a visit to Norma, asking to be released from her vows. She admits she's found love, though she doesn't say with whom. Norma is touched, remembering her own early days with Pollione. She agrees to release Adalgisa from her vows. But when Pollione arrives, the truth comes out. Norma realizes that he has betrayed her with Adalgisa, and Adalgisa learns that Pollione had pledged himself to Norma. The act closes in a fiery confrontation. Norma curses Pollione, saying "My burning fury will engulf you like the wind and the waves." She orders Adalgisa to go with him. Adalgisa tells Pollione she'd rather die than desert her people. ACT TWO: So far, Norma has come across as an unpredictable and even dangerous woman. Now, we find her sounding vulnerable and filled with doubt — and with a knife in her hand. She's still angry with Pollione and contemplates killing their two young sons. She raises her dagger over the sleeping children, but at the last moment backs down.

Norma calls for Adalgisa, and tells her to take the children and go live with Pollione in Rome. In a spectacular duet, Adalgisa says she won't do it. Instead, she'll tell Pollione of Norma's suffering, hoping that will move him to come back to Norma. The scene changes to the sacred forest. Oroveso tells his Druid warriors to keep their anger for the Romans in check. They must wait for just the right moment to attack. They leave, and Norma is alone with Clotilde, who tells Norma that Adalgisa has failed to change Pollione's mind. He still loves Adalgisa, and plans to carry her off to Rome. Norma is furious. "The traitor will go too far," she says, "but I will strike first, and Roman blood will flow like water." She runs to the altar and strikes the ceremonial brass shield, summoning the troops to battle. In the commotion, an intruder is discovered within the Druid temple. It's Pollione. The punishment for any outsider entering the temple is instant death, and Norma is poised to kill him with the sacred dagger.

But she hesitates, admitting to herself that she can't go through with it. Taking Pollione aside, Norma offers him freedom if he will leave Adalgisa. But Pollione refuses, saying he'd sooner die. Norma says she'd be delighted to arrange for that and for the death of their two young sons, plus the death of his beloved Adalgisa. Pollione begs Norma to spare Adalgisa's life. Suddenly, Norma calls for her people, announcing that Pollione won't be killed after all. Instead, there's a new victim, one who has betrayed her country. "I am the guilty one," she says and then calls for the sacrificial pyre to be prepared. The crowd tries to bring Norma to her senses, but she won't budge. She's determined to go down in flames. In her final words to her father, Norma admits that she is the mother of Pollione's children and asks the shocked Oroveso to protect them. Meanwhile, Norma's bravery revives Pollione's love for her. He steps to her side, and the opera closes as the two walk into the flames together.

Norma – review | Music | The Guardian Norma – review 4 / 5 stars Grand, Leeds Seriousness of artistic purpose … Annemarie Kremer in Norma by Opera North at Leeds Grand Theatre. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian Sunday 29 January 2012 13.30 EST First published on Sunday 29 January 2012 13.30 EST Share on Messenger Close Bellini 's opera Norma is often regarded as the pinnacle of the bel canto period, when the virtuoso potential of the human voice stood unchallenged as the expressive centre of the medium. Its title role of the Druid priestess who has betrayed her people and her religion, only to be betrayed in turn by her Roman lover, is regularly cited as the most demanding in the entire repertory. From a purely practical point of view, its sheer length and assault course-like nature make it a supremely taxing assignment. Vital to the success of Christopher Alden 's new production for Opera North is the priestess of Dutch soprano Annemarie Kremer .

Her ample, wide-ranging voice keeps faith with Bellini's notes, maintaining dramatic intensity via seriousness of artistic purpose and commitment. As her guilt-ridden rival, Adalgisa, Keri Alkema provides sterling support, as does James Creswell , whose resplendent bass gives striking presence to Norma's troubled father, Oroveso. Less consistent is Mexican Luis Chapa as her errant lover, Pollione, though his big, beefy tenor is along the right lines. As the dour cultists who revere Norma as a direct agent of the divine, Opera North's chorus are scarily stern, while conductor Oliver von Dohnányi brings energy and finesse to Bellini's deceptively simple accompaniments. Alden is not a director who obediently follows the book. The libretto's Romano-Gallic conflict disappears, to be replaced by something altogether less tangible. Sue Willmington 's costumes suggest a mid-19th-century rural community exploited by wealthy landowners. Charles Edwards 's imposing, barn-like set encloses an enormous tree trunk inscribed with pagan symbols, where Norma and Pollione meet their fiery fate.

But the specifics matter less than the vividness with which the principals chart the opera's complex, constantly shifting emotional layout. Alden strays a long way from the text – this is presumably the first production of the opera in which Pollione's sidekick Flavio (Daniel Norman) is castrated by Norma's confidante, Clotilde (Gweneth-Ann Jeffers) – yet scene after scene pierces to the core of the drama, and there are moments when the evening touches greatness.

Opera, Play Names for Girls Adalgisa [Adelgise, Adelvice], Adela [Adelle, Edelle, ..], Adeline ▲ [Lina, Edelie, ..], Aida [Ieeda, Iyeeda, ..], Alcestis , Allegra [Legra, Leggra, ..], Amadea [Amadee, Amedee], Aminta [Minta, Minty, ..], Apollonia [Apolonia, Appolonia, ..], Aria ▲ [Ariya, Ariyah], Ariadne ▲ [Aryanna, Aryanne, ..], Azucena [Azusena, Azuzena, ..], Ballade , Bianca ▼ [Byanca, Blanche, ..], Blythe [Blithe], Bridget ▼ [Bryjit, Labridget, ..], Brunhilda [Hildy, Nilda, ..], Cadence [Kadenza, Kaydence, ..], Calliope [Callyope, Kalliope], Calpurnia 2.

Calypso [Callypso, Kallypso], Camellia [Camelia, Cammelia], Camilla ▲ [Milly, Millie, ..], Candida [Candy, Candie, ..], Caprice [Caprise, Capricia, ..], Carmen [Lita, Mina, ..], Cecilia ▲ [Sissy, Sissie, ..], Ceilidh [Keilidh], Charmaine ▼ [Sharmyn, Sharmion, ..], Chloe ▲ [Kloe, Khloey, ..], Choire , Cithara [Kitara, Kithara], Cleone , Consuelo ▼ [Suelo, Consuela, ..], Corisande [Corissande, Corrisande], Cosette [Cosetta, Cozette], Dawn ▼ [Dwan, Duwan, ..], Deirdre ▼ [Diedrey, Dierdre, ..], Electra [Ilectra, Ellektra, ..], Elvira ▼ [Lira, Elwira, ..] 3.

Frederica [Rikki, Rikky, ..], Galatea [Galatee, Galathea], Genevieve [Jenny, Jennie, ..], Gigi [GG, Geegee], Gilda ▼, Harmony ▲ [Harmonia, Harmonie, ..], Hildegard [Hildy, Hille, ..], Imogen [Imojean, Imojeen, ..], Iphigenia [Genia, Iphigenie, ..], Isolde [Ysotta, Ysotte, ..], Jazzlyn [Jazzy, Jazzalyn, ..], Jessenia [Yessenia, Yessenya, ..], Jessie ▼ [Jessye, Jeziree, ..], Julia ▼ [Yulia, Yuliya, ..], Kiri , Leonora ▼ [Ora, Norah, ..], Leontyne [Leontina, Leontine], Ligia [Lygia, Eligia], Lirit [Liri, Leerit], Llesenia 4.

Macy [Maicy, Maicey, ..], Mamie ▼ [Mame, Mayme], Marilyn ▼ [Marylyn, Marylynn, ..], Marina ▼ [Maryn, Marnie, ..], Melba ▼ [Melva, Mellba], Melody ▲ [Melodia, Melodie, ..], Mignon [Minyonne, Minyonette, ..], Mimi [Mim, Meemee], Monserrat ▲ [Montserrat], Nelly [Nellwin, Nellwyn, ..], Norma ▼ [Normie, Normina], Olivia ▲ [Olva, Ollie, ..], Ophelia ▼ [Ubelia, Uvelia, ..], Pamina , Philomela [Philomella], Philyra [Phillira, Phillyra], Risa [Rise, Rysa, ..], Roxanne ▼ [Ruksane, Ruksanna, ..], Sabrina ▼ [Sebrina, Zabrina, ..], Sevilla 5.

Top 50 operas | Music | The Guardian Top 50 operas These operas span four centuries and give a flavour of repertoire's huge range and variety • Listen to a Guardian playlist of these operas Score cover for Puccini 's La Boheme Photograph: Lebrecht Music & Arts Friday 19 August 2011 19.18 EDT First published on Friday 19 August 2011 19.18 EDT 1 L'Orfeo Claudio Monteverdi Mantua, Italy, c1607 With a mythological musician as hero, L'Orfeo ranks as the first great opera. Monteverdi was the "founding father" of operatic form. Euridice dies from a snake bite. The sorrowful Orpheus, through his music, tries to save her from the Underworld. A popular operatic subject (Gluck, Jaques Offenbach, Philip Glass), L'Orfeo is emotional, melancholy and transcendent.

2 Dido and Aeneas Henry Purcell London, UK, 1689 A lone English operatic success until the 20th century, Dido recounts the tale of the tragic Queen of Carthage and her love for Aeneas, inconveniently en route to found a new Troy. In addition to sailors and witches, Purcell gave us one of the most sublime laments in opera: Dido's When I Am Laid in Earth. 3 Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) George Frideric Handel London, UK, 1724 An epic of love and war often considered Handel's finest work, Giulio Cesare has a richly intricate plot and the bonus of a brilliantly characterised and outrageously seductive Cleopatra (see Glyndebourne's Opus Arte DVD with the dancing Danielle de Niese as Cleo). Caesar, written for castrato, is often sung by a countertenor. Other good Handel: Rinaldo, Radamisto, Tamerlano, Rodelinda, Ariodante, Alcina.

4 Serse (Xerxes) Handel London, UK, 1738 Opens with one of Handel's best known arias, Ombra Mai Fu, sung by Serse, King of Persia, in honour of a plane tree and its shade. A plot of jealousy, infidelity and treachery results in a cocktail of bravura music. ENO's 1992 production by Nicholas Hytner helped put Handel's operas back on the map. 5 Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus and Eurydice) Christoph Willibald Gluck Vienna, Austria, 1762 Written in Italian, this intense drama was later revised as the French Orphée. A mix of old and new styles, poised at the birth of Romanticism, this is regarded as one of the key operas of the 18th century. Maria Callas made J'ai Perdu Mon Eurydice a stand-alone hit.

6 Idomeneo Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Munich, Germany, 1781 Not one of the composer's best known, this opera seria is treasured by Mozartians as containing some of his greatest operatic music, hinting at glories yet to come. Despite its imperfections as drama and a too neat happy ending, Mozart's retelling of the story of the King of Crete forced to sacrifice his son has slowly earned its status as a masterpiece. 7 Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) Mozart Vienna, Austria, 1786 Together with Don Giovanni and Cosi fan Tutte, which make up Mozart's trio of masterpieces with libretti by Da Ponte, Figaro is for many the perfect opera: a balance of wit, humanity and astounding, glorious music. Others find it too long, and the garden scene dreary. The Queen called it "the one about the [lost] pin". 8 Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) Mozart Vienna, Austria, 1791 The monstrous Queen of the Night, the birdcatcher Papageno, lovers, philosophy, Freemasonry – The Magic Flute has it all.

The music is ravishing, some of it probably familiar. Its prominent use of dialogue makes it a challenge to stage. Despite appearances, it's not as easy for children as it may look; wait a while. Mozart died only weeks after completing it. 9 Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) Gioachino Rossini Rome, Italy, 1816 Pure, inane, fizzing delight, ferociously difficult to sing: The Barber of Seville, written in a fortnight by a composer who had penned 35 operas by the age of 37 then abruptly retired, tops the list of all operatic comedies. It includes the famous Figaro-here, Figaro-there Largo Al Factotum. Check out the Royal Opera House DVD with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. 10 Guillaume Tell (William Tell) Gioachino Rossini Paris, France, 1829 The William Tell overture is one of the most famous pieces of classical music. Yet Rossini's enormous, final opera, involving the fight for Swiss freedom, remains a rarity – despite thrilling arias and exciting choruses.

A BBC Proms performance and a new EMI CD conducted by Antonio Pappano may restore interest. 11 Norma Vincenzo Bellini Milan, Italy, 1831 Boasting the famous Casta Diva aria, Norma is the ultimate bel canto tragedy about a druid priestess who, secretly, has two children and an erring lover, with catastrophic results. Bellini's extravagant, melodic operas – Il Pirata, La Sonnambula – provide a musical stepping stone from Rossini to Verdi. 12 L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love) Gaetano Donizetti Milan, Italy, 1832 Frequently performed and a cheerfully reassuring first step into opera, this is the comic tale of the fraudulent quack Dulcamara who dupes the poor, lovesick Nemorino with his "elixir"; melodic, witty, heart-warming and touchingly silly. The exuberant and prolific Donizetti's sharp humour is at play in the shrewish character of the love object, Adina.

13 Lucia di Lammermoor Gaetano Donizetti Naples, Italy, 1835 No one provides a better coloratura "mad scene" – a 19th-century Romantic opera habit – than Donizetti in Lucia, based on Walter Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor. Scott's novels were all the rage in Europe, with 16 turned into operas by, among others, Bellini, Rossini and Bizet. 14 Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi Venice, Italy, 1851 Verdi, one of opera's greats, had a long career. For many his Egyptian Aida is an ideal first opera. For dramatic intensity, Rigoletto – compact, tuneful, melodramatic – is even better. The hunchback prompts pity when he tries to protect his daughter. It's never been the same since ENO's 1982 "Mafioso" staging had the Duke singing La Donna e Mobile at a jukebox in a diner.

15 La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi Venice, Italy, 1853 Perhaps Verdi's most performed work, La Traviata contains all the elements of operatic addiction: a beautiful, consumptive, fallen-woman heroine, grand Parisian party scenes, the travails of love, a troubled father and a deathbed scene, all set to Verdi's faultless score. Hard to beat. 16 Don Carlos/ Don Carlo Giuseppe Verdi Paris, France, 1867 Known in both its French and Italian versions, this enormous five-act work based on Schiller shows Verdi at the height of his powers. Politics, kingship, heresy, adultery and love combine with incomparable pomp and solemnity, with a score to match. The bass role of King Philip II of Spain is one of opera's loneliest. 17 Falstaff Giuseppe Verdi Milan, Italy, 1893 Like Otello (written in a final, brilliant outpouring in 1887), Falstaff – after Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor – is a Verdian favourite among buffs, though some find its quixotic, quick-fire charms less beguiling.

Knowledge of the final fugue, celebrating the folly of the human condition (Tutto nel Mondo) is essential to any opera lover's armament. 18 Pagliacci Ruggero Leoncavallo Milan, Italy, 1892 Considered the stronger half of the popular "Cav and Pag" double bill, Pagliacci (the clowns) is Leoncavallo's one surviving hit, usually paired with Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Pag cleverly uses a commedia dell'arte troupe to enact a verismo tragedy. Top tenors love to sing the broken-hearted clown's Vesti la Giubba (Put On the Motley). 19 La Bohème Giacomo Puccini Turin, Italy, 1896 If Puccini himself cried after composing the final scene of Bohème, one of the most adored of all operas, how can the rest of us resist? Mimi, the Bohemian seamstress of the title, her poet lover Rodolfo and their destitute Parisian friends capture the pains and pleasures of young love in an attic.

20 Tosca Giacomo Puccini Rome, Italy, 1900 Dubbed a "shabby little shocker", Tosca opens with three crashing orchestral chords and never lets up until the opera-singer heroine, having stabbed the villain Scarpia and watched her artist-lover Cavaradossi die, leaps to her own death. Her Vissi d'arte and Cavaradossi's E Lucevan le Stelle epitomise opera's power to stir passion. Famous Toscas: Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Angela Gheorgiu. 21 Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini Milan, Italy, 1904 Puccini first saw David Belasco's hit play Madame Butterfly in London in 1900. The teenage Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San) falls in love with an American naval lieutenant in Nagasaki. He abandons her, then returns with a wife. Catastrophe ensues. After a first-night disaster, it became one of the best-loved operas. One Fine Day, the Stars and Stripes music and the Humming Chorus are highlights.

22 Turandot Giacomo Puccini Milan, Rome, 1926 Football fans know Nessun Dorma thanks to Pavarotti and the 1990 World Cup. Puccini's final opera is about the man-hating Chinese queen Turandot, and Calaf, the man who finally melts her icy heart. When Puccini died leaving the opera incomplete, it was finished by a composer friend, Alfano. Others have also tried, but Alfano's is the version commonly used. 23 Fidelio Ludwig van Beethoven Vienna, Austria, 1805 Written to a backdrop of revolution, Beethoven's only opera is a hymn to freedom and marital love. Leonora dresses as a man, Fidelio, to rescue her husband Florestan from imprisonment. The spoken dialogue and huge orchestra present performance challenges but the rewards – the Mir ist So Wunderbar ensemble, the Prisoners' choruses, Florestan's cry of "Gott!" – are unrivalled.

24 Der Freischütz Carl Maria von Weber Berlin, Germany, 1821 The title of this opera translates as The Marksman and it is set in a Bohemian forest during the 30 years war. It concerns the shooting trials of young hunters to win their lovers. The hero Max transgresses by using "free" magic bullets. Good and evil struggle in a vivid, tuneful display of high German Romanticism. Not often staged. Catch it when it is. 25 Lohengrin Richard Wagner Weimar, Germany, 1850 Wagner's last "early" work (after Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser) before his mature masterpieces. This is perhaps the last great Romantic opera, rich with symbolism, myth, taboo: the innocent Elsa of Brabant is accused of murdering her brother. A knight in shining armour arrives in a swan-drawn boat. He will help her so long as she doesn't ask his name. She does. You can guess what it is.

26 Tristan und Isolde Richard Wagner Munich, Germany, 1865 The ultimate, transcendent, no-holds-barred "love in death" experience, ending with Isolde's Liebestod. As usual, Wagner wrote his own libretto. Isolde is betrothed to King Mark. After a mix-up, she and Tristan drink a love potion and fall cataclysmically in love. This is "extreme opera", full of ecstatic thrills in very slow motion, but worth every note. Be prepared. 27 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Richard Wagner Munich, Germany, 1868 Written over two decades, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg is Wagner's only "comic" opera, full of generous humanity, especially in the great figure of the cobbler-poet Hans Sachs. The plot revolves around a song contest, and celebrates all art, especially German. Meistersinger may have been Hitler's favourite but don't be deterred. The music is uplifting, the choruses magnificent.

28 Der Ring des Nibelungen Richard Wagner Bayreuth, Germany, 1876 The Ring Cycle, a pinnacle of the genre, consists of four operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdammerung – which last about 15 hours in total and took Wagner 28 years to write. The story of gold, gods, giants, dragons, once you sort it all out, is really an epic exploration of man's desire, greed and folly. By any reckoning The Ring is among the mightiest single monuments of art created by one person. 29 Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) Franz Lehár Vienna, Austria, 1905 Together with Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, Lehár's Die Lustige Witwe sums up the joys of Viennese operetta: infectiously, waltzingly melodic, with dinners chez Maxim, dancing girls and a glimpse of Balkan Europe in the last days of old aristocracy. The eponymous widow, Hanna Glawari, is not only merry but fabulously rich. Too much fun for some tastes.

30 Salome Richard Strauss Dresden, Germany, 1905 Still considered shocking by some, and certainly startling, Salome, after Wilde's play, leads the way to modern opera: its radical harmonies, its vocal challenges and its violent biblical story revisited in the age of Freud. Salome desires John the Baptist. After dancing naked for Herod, she only gets his head but that's enough. 31 Der Rosenkavalier Richard Strauss Dresden, Germany, 1911 The title – The Knight of the Rose – gives no hint as to why this enormous, voluptuous, waltz-laden operatic concoction has become a favourite of connoisseurs. In this bitter-sweet comedy an older woman (the Marschallin) sees she must send her young lover into the arms of another. The final trio sends opera-buffs into an ultimate swoon. 32 Les Troyens Hector Berlioz Paris, France 1863 & 1890 Opera hardly comes more grand than Berlioz's five-act retelling of Virgil's Aeneid: 22 roles, a huge orchestra, large chorus, ballet, battles, bloodshed and high emotion.

Immensely expensive to stage, The Trojans is sometimes split across two evenings. Witness the fall of Troy and the tragic love of Didon and Enée in full operatic Technicolor. Never pass up a chance to see it. 33 Carmen Georges Bizet Paris, France, 1875 Is there an opera more popular, sexy, scandalous or with better tunes? The Gypsy dancer at the cigarette factory who breaks hearts and meets her doom outside the bullring offers an ideal start to opera. It's long, but the action is thrilling, the music infectious. Don José's Flower Song, the Toreador Song and Carmen's Habanera are the best known of the many spectacular set pieces. 34 Manon Jules Massenet Paris, France, 1884 The prolific and melodic Massenet is best known today for Manon, a linchpin of French 19th-century opera (from Abbé Prévost's novel Manon Lescaut, also set by Puccini). The heroine can't choose between love and money, until too late. Confusingly called an opéra comique because it has spoken dialogue, its subject is tragic.

35 Pelléas et Mélisande Claude Debussy Paris, France, 1902 This sensuous, Symbolist tragedy in 12 tableaux marks a radical departure: instead of arias and set pieces, the text is declaimed, inspired by Wagner, over an ever-moving orchestration. The story of the frail Mélisande and her adulterous love for her brother-in-law is a mix of reality and interior mystery. An acquired taste – but well worth acquiring. 36 The Bartered Bride Bedrich Smetana Prague, Czech Repulbic, 1866 Smetana took several attempts to get his gentle, catchily tuneful comedy right. Folk-inspired dances, a drinking song and a story of young lovers thwarted by an official betrothal make this an engaging Czech tale of village life. That said, for today's tastes the stammering simpleton Vasek, butt of village humour, may be seen as too mean a characterisation for comfort. 37 Boris Godunov Modest Mussorgsky St Petersburg, Russia, 1874 Experts still argue over which version of Mussorgsky's historical epic is definitive.

The reluctant Boris, filled with foreboding and guilt for a murder, is appointed tsar. The people grow hungry and rebellious. Pretenders vie for the throne. Boris becomes deranged, the soul of Russia – expressed through anguished choruses – troubled. This is one of the Russian operatic greats. 38 Eugene Onegin Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Moscow, Russia, 1879 Among the most intimate and heart-rending of operas, this setting of Pushkin's verse tale has a spectacular birthday ball, a duel and, early on, the Letter Scene, in which the impetuous young Tatyana pours out her heart to the cold Onegin. Tchaikovsky's understanding of the human heart is all-encompassing, his music full of warmth and pathos. 39 The Queen of Spades Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky St Petersburg, Russia, 1890 After Pushkin's story, complete with two suicides and a ghost, the former gambler of the title, an old woman now close to death, holds the secret of winning at cards.

Her granddaughter Lisa falls in love with a young officer, Hermann, who is desperate to learn that secret. A hot-blooded thriller set to impassioned music. 40 Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Dmitri Shostakovich Moscow, Russia, 1934 Attacked in a Pravda article as being "chaos instead of music", Lady Macbeth was forgotten until the 1960s, but its vital importance to modern opera is now recognised. While her husband is away, the bored, frustrated Katerina Izmailova murders her father-in-law and takes a lover. A tragic soap opera unfolds. Only a remote connection with Shakespeare. 41 War and Peace Sergei Prokofiev Moscow, Russia, 1944 Oppressed by the Soviet authorities as so often in his career, Prokofiev had to add heroic choruses and marches to satisfy his political overlords, and never lived to hear a complete performance of his opera in five acts, based on Tolstoy's epic novel. Despite the attractions of The Fiery Angel, and the comic Love for Three Oranges, this is his most successful opera.

42 The Rake's Progress Igor Stravinsky Venice, Italy, 1951 To a libretto by WH Auden and Chester Kallman, Stravinsky's opera is inspired by William Hogarth's engravings. Tom Rakewell falls under the spell of Nick Shadow, and opts for a sybaritic life of easy riches. But Nick is the devil. Tom ends up penniless and mad in Bedlam. Watch the DVD of Glyndebourne's 1975 staging with sets by David Hockney. 43 Jenůfa Leoš Janáček Brno, Czech Republic, 1904 Together with Katja Kabanova, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Makropoulos Case, Jenůfa has been restored to the mainstream repertoire. Janáček's singular musical style and piercing understanding of his female heroines, who face shocking dilemmas, has struck a chord today. In Jenůfa, a child is born in secret; a stepmother (Kostelnička) fearing scandal, drowns the baby. Guilt rips through a Czech village community.

44 Bluebeard's Castle Béla Bartók Budapest, Hungary, 1918 Chilling and enigmatic, Bluebeard is a psycho-drama for two voices about a lonely man who brings home his new bride, Judith, but will not reveal his past. She demands that he unlock the doors of his castle. Blood, money, a lake of tears and other wives lurk behind them. The score is ravishing, the impact disturbing. 45 Wozzeck Alban Berg Berlin, Germany, 1925 The subject matter – based on Georg Büchner's play Woyzeck about a victimised soldier – is brutal, dark and modernist in mood. Yet Berg's score glitters with a warmth and lyricism, which has established it as a masterpiece of the early avant garde. In 2001, Birmingham Opera Company mounted a community version in a warehouse, renaming it Votzek; it was a sellout, its story instantly comprehensible.

46 Porgy and Bess George Gershwin New York, US, 1935 Hailed as a true American opera, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, the plot is about the crippled Porgy and his Bess in the poor American deep south. Every folk-jazz inspired number is a hit: A Woman is a Sometime Thing, Leavin' for the Promised Land, Bess, You is My Woman Now and, best known of all, Summertime. Confused issues of racism linger. 47 Peter Grimes Benjamin Britten London, UK, 1945 Ranked by many as one of the best operas of the 20th century, Britten's tale of the violent social-outcast fisherman, taken from George Crabbe's poem The Borough, is heart-rending and majestic. The orchestral Sea Interludes are frequently heard separately as concert pieces. The title role was created for Britten's partner, tenor Peter Pears.

48 The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten Venice, Italy, 1954 It's hard to choose a second representative Britten opera, from the equally enjoyable Billy Budd, Midsummer Night's Dream, Albert Herring or Death in Venice. But his setting of Henry James's ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw, about a governess, the two children in her care and two dead servants, makes this chamber opera one of the most dramatically appealing. It also makes you think twice about seeing and believing. (Don't miss Glyndebourne Festival's live-streaming of The Turn of the Screw on theguardian.com/glyndebourne , Sunday 21 August from 6pm) 49 King Priam Michael Tippett Coventry, UK 1962 Tippett's operas to his own libretti – including Midsummer Marriage and The Knot Garden – haven't yet found their way back into fashion but there's some exquisite music; their time will come. His retelling of the tragedy of Priam, King of Troy, is intense, violent, poignant and highly original.

50 Le Grand Macabre György Ligeti Stockholm, Sweden, 1978 Opening with a blast of four car horns, Ligeti's farce is mercurial, fast moving and eclectic. The Grand Macabre announces that at midnight the world will end. When the time arrives, no one is quite sure whether Armageddon has occurred or not so they party on, accepting there's no escape from death. Topics It's thrilling, vibrant, versatile – and thriving. There has never been a better time to fall in love with opera, says Simon Callow Published: 19 Aug 2011 Join the UK's seven main opera companies from 2-6pm (BST) on 10 May and get inside the world of opera in this unprecedented live event. Join the conversation on twitter via #insideopera Published: 9 May 2014

Question: In which opera is the heroine a Druid priestess?
Answer: 'NORMA'