Carmen
-Georges Bizet
-1845
-The story is set in Seville, Spain, c. 1830, and concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful Gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she woos the corporal Don Jose, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, and joining a gang of smugglers. His jealousy when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo leads him to murder Carmen.
Aida
-Giuseppe Verdi
-1871
-The title character is an Ethiopian princess who loves an Egyptian warrior, Radames. He accidentally reveals Egyptian military secrets to her and is condemned to death by live burial in a tomb. Aida flees but rejoins Radames to die with him.
The Ring of the Nibelung
-(Wilhelm) Richard Wagner
-1876
-Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)
-Die Walkure (The Valkyrie)
-Siegfried
-Gotterdammerung (The Twilight of the Gods)
-The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold he stole from the Rhinemaidens in the river Rhine. Several mythic figures struggle for possession of the Ring, including Wotan (Odin), the chief of the gods. Wotan’s scheme, spanning generations, to overcome his limitations, drives much of the action in the story. His grandson, the hero Siegfried wins the Ring, as Wotan intended, but is eventually betrayed and slain. Finally, the Valkyrie Brunnhilde, Siegfried’s lover and Wotan’s estranged daughter, returns the Ring to the Rhinemaidens. In the process, the Gods and their home, Valhalla, are destroyed.
Messiah
-George Frideric Handel
-1741
-Messiah presents an interpretation of the Christian view of the Messiah, or “the anointed one” as Jesus the Christ. Divided into three parts, the libretto covers the prophecies concerning the Christ, the birth, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and finally the End Times with the Christ’s final victory over death and sin.
Symphony No. 9, “Choral”
-Ludwig van Beethoven
-1823
-The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral” is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire. It is considered one of Beethoven’s most highly regarded masterpieces.
Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
-Ludwig van Beethoven
-1808
-Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major (Op. 68), known as the Pastoral Symphony, was completed in 1808. One of Beethoven’s few works of program music, the symphony was labeled at its first performance with the title “Recollections of Country Life”.
Symphonie fantastique
-(Louis-)Hector Berlioz
-1830
-An Episode in the Life of an Artist, (‘Episode de la vie d’un Artiste…en cinq parties’) Op. 14, usually referred to by its subtitle Symphonie fantastique (Fantastic Symphony) is a symphony written by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences worldwide. The first performance took place at the Paris Conservatoire in December 1830. The work was repeatedly revised between 1831 and 1845.
The Nutcracker
-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
-1892