Kalmus Opera Library

NABUCCO, a retelling of the biblical story of Jewish exile under the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, was Giuseppe Verdi's (1813-1901) first major operatic success, and was written reluctantly, followi...

Composed by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) in 1830, the two-act opera I Capuletti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Mantagues) stands as one of only two successful opera adaptations of Shakespeare's R...

Premiering on May 22, 1813, at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was a success, with subsequent performances in Vi...

Premiering on May 22, 1813, at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was a success, with subsequent performances in Vi...

The first performance of I Vespri Siciliani (The Sicilian Vespers), a five-act opera by Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901), took place at the Paris Opera on June 13, 1855, under the direction of Narcisse Gira...

The first performance of I Vespri Siciliani (The Sicilian Vespers), a five-act opera by Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901), took place at the Paris Opera on June 13, 1855, under the direction of Narcisse Gira...

Based on Norse heroic legends, the sprawling operatic drama DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN took Richard Wagner (1813-1883) over twenty-five years to complete. Through a vast web of leitmotifs, melodic fragme...

While librettist W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) had worked previously in 1871-72 to write Thespis, a work for the Christmas season, the 1875 one-act comic opera Tria...

While librettist W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) had worked previously in 1871-72 to write Thespis, a work for the Christmas season, the 1875 one-act comic opera Tria...

Gianni Schicchi is a one-act comic opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). The final and most popular opera in a trio known as Il trittico (The Triptych), each one dealing with the concealment of a deat...

Gianni Schicchi is a one-act comic opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). The final and most popular opera in a trio known as Il trittico (The Triptych), each one dealing with the concealment of a deat...

DER GRAF VON LUXEMBURG (The Count of Luxemburg) is a three-act operetta that tells the story of an impoverished aristocrat and a glamorous opera singer who enter into a fake marriage without ever seei...

Madama Butterfly, one of the most popular operas of Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), is the story of the conflicting expectations of Lieutenant Pinkerton, an American naval officer, and Madame Butterfly (...

Madama Butterfly, one of the most popular operas of Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), is the story of the conflicting expectations of Lieutenant Pinkerton, an American naval officer, and Madame Butterfly (...

VESTAS FEUER (LA FLAMME VESTALE) pour quatuor vocal et orchestre est le seul fragment conservé d'un projet d'opéra de Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), sur un livret du dramaturge et impresario Emanue...

Le Cid by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is an opera in four acts with ten tableaux. It tells the the story of the historical Spanish knight Rodrigue, who led Spain's army to victory of the Moors, earning...

Le Cid by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is an opera in four acts with ten tableaux. It tells the the story of the historical Spanish knight Rodrigue, who led Spain's army to victory of the Moors, earning...

Le Cid by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is an opera in four acts with ten tableaux. It tells the the story of the historical Spanish knight Rodrigue, who led Spain's army to victory of the Moors, earning...

Hamlet was written by French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) in 1868, two years after the completion of his other well-known opera, Mignon. Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based their libretto on...

Hamlet was written by French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) in 1868, two years after the completion of his other well-known opera, Mignon. Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based their libretto on...

Hamlet was written by French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) in 1868, two years after the completion of his other well-known opera, Mignon. Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based their libretto on...

Hamlet was written by French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) in 1868, two years after the completion of his other well-known opera, Mignon. Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based their libretto on...

Norma is a two-act lyric tragedy by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). A leading example of the bel canto genre, the opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on December 26th, 1831. The story tells of a love t...

The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia) was written by Giocchino Rossini (1792-1868) in 1816. The two-act comic opera is considered one of the greatest opera buffas ever written, and it remain...

The three-act operetta LA RONDINE (The Swallow) by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was first completed in 1916 and premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo on March 27, 1917. It tells the story of Ma...