Good Opera?
 

Ok, well i'm not sure its even opera, but in one of my college classes there was a girl that got up infront of the class and sang this BEAUTIFUL opera sounding music. (is pavariti opera? cause thats what it sounded like)

well i was wondering if there are any opera fans out there that know the names of some good stuff?

any help would be great, thanks!

i am not an opera fan in general.
the exception is alban berg's woyzeck.

This is your chance to talk to this girl. Go for it. "Hey, you sounded great. I've never listened to any music like that. Could you suggest any recordings for me? Are you performing anywhere? Are you single?"

/ not an opera fan, can't suggest anything

lol thanks lemon, but i wasn't really interested in her, i just wanted her for her music!

I love La Traviata by Verdi. It has some of the most recognizable opera pieces you've ever heard. Anything by Verdi is good, really. :) I think he's a good starting point for those new to opera.

Berlioz and his Symphonie Fantastique especially
La Mamma Morta, you might know it if you've ever seen "Philadelphia"

Just to clarify, while Symphony Fantastique is an awesome piece, it is not opera.

Zxello, if you are curious to hear more opera, go to the record store and get a "greatest hits" sort of album. Opera in its entirety is sort of an acquired taste - really wonderful, but not always easy for beginners. Pay special attention to Italian opera - you'll like find it to be the most accessible (toe-tapping, whatever).

Puccini, Rossini, Verdi, etc.

If you're not into opera at all, the best place to start would probably be Gilbert & Sullivan. They're all light, funny, catchy, and in English.

From there, I would move toward Mozart's operas.

After that, the Italian operas of the 19th century.

Next step would be Wagner.

Final step would be Baroque operas.

This progression is from easiest on the ears to heaviest.

Mozart's opera's are the most easily accessible and enjoyable for an opera newbie, I would suggest starting there. Opera recordings can be very expensive though, so perhaps check one out from your local library first, see if you really like it or not.

And like Redlemon said, use this as a chance to talk to this girl. I'm sure she would be happy to know you were touched by her voice, and also let you know what she was singing. :)

Good point with the Gilbert and Sullivan - more than a contemporary Broadway show but less than an opera...

Not sure what's "good for opera newbies" but here are some good operas....

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Le Nozze Di Figaro
Mascagni, Pietro - Cavalleria Rusticana
Donizetti, Gaetano - Lucia di Lammermoor
Puccini, Giacomo - Madama Butterfly
Verdi, Giuseppe - La Traviata
Verdi, Giuseppe - Aida

Oh and I'll echo ono's suggestion to get recordings from the library. Good opera recordings are very expensive.

Not a big opera fan, but one tune that I love with a passion is "L'air de la 'La Wally", from the 1981 French film 'Diva', sung by Wilhelmenia Fernandez. It is simply divine.

For cool style opera, check out Modeste Mussorgsky's Boris Gudenov, it's really dark and serious...very awesome

My all time favorite is "Carmen" by Georges Bizet.

I also love "Les Contes D'Hoffman" by Jacques Offenbach (translated it's "Tales of Hoffman")