Famous Operas

Famous operas have been thrilling audiences and shaping world culture ever since 1597, when Jacopo Pier's Dafne became the first recognized opera.

Throughout the centuries, patrons from many cultures have supported and inspired the works of opera composers; today, many of these operatic masterpieces are repeatedly performed at the world's great opera houses.

A short listing of famous operas shows a wide range of styles, types of operas and composers.

• Don Giovanni, 1787. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, first performed at the Estates Theatre in Prague now known as the National Theatre. Don Giovanni was based on the fictional character, Don Juan.
• The Barber of Seville, 1816. Composed by Gioacchino Rossini, written by Cesare Sterbini, first performed at the Teatro Argentina, Rome. Performed at the Park Theater in New York in 1824 becoming one of the first Italian operas performed in English in the US. The Barber of Seville was based on the play by Pierre Beaumarchais.
• Lucia di Lammermoor, 1835. Composed by Gaetano Donizetti, written by Salvatore Cammarano, first performed at Teatro San Carol, Naples. Lucia di Lammermoor was based on Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Bride of Lammermoor.
• La Traviata, 1853. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi, written by Francesco Maria Piave, first performed at the Teatro la Fenice, Venice. La Traviata was based on the Alexandre Dumas novel, La Dame aux camellias.
• Carmen, 1875. Composed by Georges Bizet, written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris. Based on Prosper Mérimée's novel, Carmen.
• Otello, 1887. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi, written by Arrigo Boito, first performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Otello was based on William Shakespeare's play, Othello. 
• La Boheme, 1896. Composed by Giacomo Puccini, written by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, first performed at Teatro Regio, Turin. La Boheme was based on Henri Murger's novel, Scenes of the Bohemian Life.
• Tosca, 1900. Composed by Giacomo Puccini, written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, first performed at Teatro Constanzi, Rome. Tosca was based on Victorien Sardou's play, La Tosca.
• Madame Butterfly, 1904. Composed by Giacomo Puccini, written by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, first performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Madame Butterfly was based on the story by John Luther Long.
• Salome, 1905. Composed and written by Richard Strauss, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Dresden. Based on Oscar Wilde's play, Salome.