This post is simulcast from my blog “The Annals of Opera”.
This is the third in my series on my favourite operas of all time – a deep passion of mine that is, sadly, not one shared by a great deal of my generation. So, I hope that this ongoing list may be of interest to newcomers or opera amateurs like myself.
In Week One, I explored the origins of opera, while Week Two delved into the “golden era” of opera in the 19th century. This week, I take a look at the maturation of these forms throughout Europe as the 19th century came to its end. It is one of the defining periods of the artform, and a time of great… well, not fun exactly, but certainly brilliance. Let’s dive in!