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Lists that rank the greatest works, composers, and musicians by instrument. 

Opera

Lucia di Lammermoor

List of the best operas of all time - a comprehensive greatest opera list that includes work that includes works from all over the world by Italian, French, German, Austrian, Russian, Czech, and American composers, and many more. This list features a variety of operatic genres and styles, including opera seria, opera buffa, opera comique, as well as bel canto and Singspiel styles of singing. Be sure to vote for the famous operas you believe are the greatest of all time, and vote down any you don't like. You can also re-rank this list in any order you want.What makes a great opera so great? A compelling storyline is certainly important, but it's the music that keeps us enraptured. Some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-opera-songs/bustermcdermott" target="_blank">best opera songs</a> of all time are included in these operas listed here, including &quot;Habanera&quot; from 'Carmen,' &quot;Nessun dorma&quot; from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/giacomo-puccini-operas/reference" target="_blank">Giacomo Puccini's</a> 'Turandot' and &quot;Celeste Aida&quot; from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/giuseppe-verdi-operas/reference" target="_blank">Guiseppe Verdi's</a> 'Aida.' The operas listed here are classics. Many have been enjoyed by opera lovers for centuries, in fact. Some are tragedies, and they'll <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/operas-that-will-bring-tears-to-even-the-driest-of-eyes/sarahmarie" target="_blank">bring tears to even the driest of eyes</a> (Puccini's 'La boheme' comes to mind, as does his 'Madame Butterfly' and Verdi's 'La traviata'). Wipe those tears away, and start voting for the best operas, right here and right now.

Classical

What are the best opera songs of all time? With so many possibilities and choices, it's hard to come up with a definitive list, but that's exactly what's going on here. This list includes some of the most popular opera arias from <a href="/list/best-operas/bustermcdermott" target="_blank">the best operas</a> ever, complete with videos, wherever possible. Vote for the opera songs you love the most, vote down any you don't like and please, do add any choices that might be missing. You can also re-rank this list of the best opera songs any way you like. From classic opera to Italian operatic songs, this list has them all!&nbsp;If you're an opera aficionado, most if not all of these great opera songs will be instantly familiar to you. If you're sitting there thinking, &quot;I don't know the first thing about opera,&quot; you might be wrong. Many of the most famous opera arias are used in popular culture. Some are used as background music for commercials and certainly for movie trailers.One big example of an opera song used in pop culture is &quot;The Flower Duet,&quot; from the <a href="/list/french-operas/reference" target="_blank">French opera</a>&nbsp;Lakme. This song can be found in several commercials and movies, including ads for British Airways and the films The Hunger, The American President and Meet the Parents, among others. And <a href="/list/richard-wagner-operas/reference" target="_blank">Richard Wagner's</a> &quot;Ride of the Valkyries,&quot; from his famous opera Die Walk&uuml;re, can be heard in several major films, including Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now.See? Even if you think you don't know opera, you do, sort of. You will after perusing this list and watching some of the videos, too.No list of the best opera songs would be complete without songs from one of the most famous operas ever, George Bizet's Carmen. Of those songs, &quot;Habanera&quot; is probably the most well-known, but there are many others. If your favorite Carmen aria isn't listed, again, feel free to add it.A truly outstanding opera song is memorable, emotional and very personal. Not everyone likes the same things – that's part of what makes music so wonderful, after all. Everyone has differing opinions, so enjoy giving yours with your votes here.

Jussi Björling

Opera isn’t a genre with which the average person is very familiar. In modern entertainment, opera and theatrical drama has drawn smaller audiences than it once did years ago. However, opera can be a beautiful experience, there’s nothing quite the raw power of the skilled human voice filling an entire room, communicating <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-romance-drama-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">drama and romance</a>. It takes an incredibly well-trained voice to sing opera, but the musicians on this list have mastered the craft.Who are the best opera <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rolling-stones_-100-greatest-vocalists-of-all-time/rolling-stone-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">singers of all time</a>?&nbsp;The opera singers on this list are history’s all time best performers. They come from a variety of backgrounds and time periods, but the effect they had on the world of music and opera is incredible. An opera singer is a finely-tuned, highly skilled musician who has a unique, powerful voice, and can deliver a breathtaking live performance.This list features the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/notable-opera-singer_s)/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best opera singers</a> in the world's history, ranked by the community. Some of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-operas/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the great opera</a> singers on this list include Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Maria Callas, Pl&aacute;cido Domingo, and Mario Lanza. Vote up the best opera singers in history below, or add a talented opera singer who isn't already on the list.

While opera isn’t a genre too many people are very familiar with, opera can be the most amazing experience of in the world; there’s nothing quite like the passion of the well-trained human voice filling an entire room such a powerful way. Some great, well-known operas are in Italian, but what are the best Italian operas of all time? &nbsp; The operas on this list include some of history’s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-operas/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest operas of all time</a>. Many well-known composers wrote these incredible Italian operas, including Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. All of these composers were of Italian birth and forever changed the course of music history in their time periods. In fact, their works are still being celebrated and performed across the globe today. &nbsp; This list features the best Italian operas, ranked by voters, including: Aida, Cavalleria Rusticana, Il Barbiere De Siviglia, La Gioconda, La Traviata, L’elisir D’amore, Madama Butterfly, La boh&egrave;me, and Turandot. Vote up the best Italian operas below.

Composers

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The best classical composers of all time ranked from best to worst. These classical composers are some of the best musicians in history, and are responsible for some of the greatest works of classical music the world has ever heard. Though these were men of a classical era of music, their concertos, sonatas, and movements are present in everything from rock concerts to blockbuster movies and are some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/classical-music-most-popular-top-100/kickassclassical">most popular classical songs</a>.These top classical composers have written some of the most relaxing music, the most inspirational music, and the most beautiful music in the world. They are the greatest composers who ever have lived. Who are the greatest classical composers? What are the characteristics of the best classical composers? Who wrote the best classical music? This list of the top classical composers aims to answer these questions and others that have to do with determining who the best composers of classical music were and are. If your favorite classical composer isn't on the list of the best If classical music is your thing (and you're checking out a list of the best classical composers, so it probably is), check out the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/hottest-male-classical-musicians/barbara-gaston">hottest men in classical music</a> and the hottest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hottest-female-classical-musicians/dude?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">women in classical music</a>.

Leontyne Price

While opera isn't the most popular for of modern entertainment, it is still a significant cultural staple in many countries, and can be an incredibly moving experience. An opera singer is skilled in the art of singing, acting, and most importantly, projecting their voice in a powerful way to a live audience, filling the entire theatre with music. <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-opera-singers/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Female opera singers</a> can hit the high notes with ease.Who are the best female opera singers of all time?&nbsp;The talented women featured on this list have made a significant impact in the world of opera, and are incredibly talented. Female opera singers are usually sopranos or altos. If you’re interested in opera and want to see these female singers in action, but can't afford to attend, there are many operas available on DVD as well.The greatest female opera singers on this list include Maria Callas, Renee Fleming, and Anna Gottlieb. Vote up the best of the best below or add the top female opera singers you think are the best if they aren't already on the list.

Anna Netrebko

While modern entertainment is drastically different than it was in history, art forms like ballet, theatre, and the opera are still some of the most moving experiences in live entertainment. Opera is a powerful performance that typically combines incredible singing and drama. It is still a popular form of entertainment today, and there are many highly skilled performers singing opera for modern audiences.Who are the best living opera singers?&nbsp;This list features the most popular current opera singers in the world, ranked by the community. Some of the great, modern opera singers on this list are also among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-opera-singers-of-all-time/bustermcdermott">best opera singers of all time</a>.The best living opera singers on this list range every voice type and include talented musicians like Roberto Alagna, Pl&aacute;cido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Angela Gheorghiu, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman, and Cecilia Bartoli. Vote up the best living opera singers below or add an opera singer you think is great, who is still alive, but isn't already on the list.

poll

Nicolai Gedda

When a tenor sings, it sounds so crystal clear and powerful it’s hard to imagine anything sounding more profound. Tenor is the singing voice between baritone and alto, and is the highest voice of the ordinary adult male range. Since it is such a rare gift to not only have the ability to become an opera singer, but to also have such a high singing range, tenors are highly sought after and are some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-opera-singers-of-all-time/bustermcdermott">greatest opera singers in history</a>.Who are the best tenors of all time?&nbsp;This list features the greatest tenors of all time, and they have all forever shaped the world of opera. Many of them also ended up recording music other than just opera and some of them have bestselling records as well.The great and famous tenors on this list have been ranked by the community and include Pl&aacute;cido Domingo, Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, Fritz Wunderlich, Jussi Bjorling, Lauritz Melchior, and Beniamino Gigli.Vote up the top operatic tenors you think are the best below or add a tenor who isn't already on the list.

Béla Bartók

Opera artists list, with photos, ranked best to worst by votes. List of good opera bands includes a filter so you can sort by the groups’s label and what albums they've put out. This list of the top opera <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-famous-rock-bands-right-now/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">bands in the world</a> includes all musicians who have released recordings that have gotten distribution, and is an up-to-date list. Opera groups and artists are shown below along with any additional genres in which their music belongs. If available, you can also see information about where all opera bands on this list got started. These are truly the greatest opera bands of all time, since the most famous opera artists ever are listed, and the order is decided by actual fans of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-opera-songs/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best opera music</a>. You can click on the opera band names to see more information about that particular notable opera group. If they're near the top of the best opera artist list, though, then they should have at least some information available. All the top opera bands named on the list also have discographies on their pages if you click on the opera band names themselves. This list includes Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Pavarotti and more artists. Vote for the best artists on the list to see them rise to the top. The most fun part of this is deciding to vote on artists like George Gershwin and Samuel Barber.All important, significant and iconic names in opera music history deserve your votes, so make sure to choose wisely. You can only vote once on this list. The list includes all new opera bands, and if there are any missing on the list, you can always add them yourself. Just make sure they aren't already on the list and check your spelling, because this is already an accurate compilation of the best examples of opera, as well as a good place to start if you're asking yourself, or friends, exactly how to get into opera music. Especially since the bands at the top of the list will at the very least be the best choices if you're looking for a list of good opera bands with which to start out. No point in listening to them if they aren't actually good or even half-way decent opera bands.This list answers the questions "who are the best opera bands of all time?" and "who is the greatest opera musician ever?"If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band's music instead of just voting for the most popular opera bands that you might've heard of, but not really listened to closely enough to cast an informed vote.Re-rank this entire page then share it to see what your friends think. {#nodes}

A list of absolute best symphonies of all time, ranked as the best by music lovers and the Ranker community. Featuring some of the best pieces of classical music ever written, this list hass the best symphonies of all time, with video of great performances of each symphony. What are the absolute best symphonies of all time?This list features the best symphonies from history’s <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-classical-composers-of-all-time">greatest classical composers</a>, such as Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Mozart, and Sibelius. Musicians such as <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-violinists-of-all-time/ranker-music"></a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-classical-violinists-of-all-time/ranker-music">great violinists</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-classical-pianists-of-all-time/ranker-music">best classical pianists</a> have performed these symphonies, including&nbsp;Beethoven's 9th (Choral) Symphony, Dvorak's 9th (New World) Symphony, Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, Mozarts 40th (Great) Symphony, and Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony. Vote up the best symphonies in music history below, or add any famous or popular symphony you think is great if it isn't already on the list.

Anton Rubinstein

Is there any sound more beautiful than a piano composition? Almost every piece from composers in early classical music featured this powerful instrument to strike the perfect chords. The piano is extremely versatile, and unlike the guitar, cello, or violin, the strings on the piano are located inside and played with the keys. Many musicians have some knowledge of the piano, even if it isn't their primary instrument. But who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-pianists-of-all-time/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest pianists of all time</a>? Classical and Baroque periods of music history definitely increased the popularity of the piano and almost every genre of music in today’s culture also uses it! It’s no wonder that mastering the art of playing the piano is such a desirable goal. It is also an instrument that once learned, makes it easier to learn other instruments and is popular among young music students. This list features the all time greatest piano players, includin, Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Vote up the best pianists below, and see where the musicians you think are the greatest of all time rank!

Elisabeth Swarzkopf

When a soprano sings, it is so elegant, yet powerful, that it’s hard to imagine anything sounding more incredible. Soprano is the highest of the four standard singing voices. It is a rare ability to not only have the talent to become an opera singer, but to also have such a high singing range. Sopranos are highly sought after and are some of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-female-singer-of-the-year?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous female singers</a> in history – and true divas in the world of opera. Who are the best sopranos of all time?&nbsp;The greatest sopranos of all time are featured on this list, and all had such unique voices that they have helped shape opera as we know it.This list has been ranked by the community and includes the best sopranos of all time such as&nbsp;Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Victoria De Los Angeles, Leontyne Price, Birgit Nilsson, Montserrat Caball&eacute;, Lucia Popp, and Margaret Price.Vote up the best sopranos of all time below, or add the opera singing soprano you think is the greatest if she isn't already on the list.

Beethoven's nine symphonies are the greatest and most majestic collection of work in history and here is me trying to rank them.

Robert Alexander Schumann

The Romantic Era was a cultural and artistic revival that started in the early 1800s and lasted until the early 20th century (right before WWl). There was a fascination with the past, particularly the Middle Ages and legends of medieval chivalry. This movement was extremely evident in not only literature and painting but also music, with more of an emphasis on originality then tradition and pieces with more of a fantasy theme. This era also produced the great majority of well known and great composers. This list includes the top famous composers of the Romantic period. Upvote your favorite musicians based on their bodies of work from this time.

Voting is now open for the Virtuoso Channel Hall of Fame: World's Greatest Violinists! 1. User voting changes list order. Vote for your favorite artists - you decide who's the best! 2. User submissions allowed. The list we've drawn up includes about 70 great performers. We'd like you to help us choose a further select group of entrants. Who do you think should join? To add your nomination, please scroll down to the end of this page.

Martha Argerich

Classical music forever shaped the future of music. Most of contemporary music has influences from classical music in some way. Becoming a professional pianist is much more than just hitting the right note. It involves comprehensive music theory, having an ear for rhythm, and the passion for music that simply can't be taught. &nbsp; The piano is one of the most powerful instruments in the music world. Classical composers like Bach and Beethoven used the piano to build the parts for all of the other instruments in their symphonies and other works. Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-pianists-of-all-time/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest classical pianists of all time</a>? &nbsp; This list features the all time greatest classical pianists, ranked by the community's votes and including Aaron Copland, Jacques Abram, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lang Lang, and George Frideric Handel. Vote up the best classical pianists below or add one you think is the greatest who isn't already on the list.

Henry Purcell

Sorry for being gone so long, college sure does get busy. But I'm back and here's my newest list :DThe Baroque era was a period of Classical music that lasted from around 1600 till the mid 1700s and was characterized by composers leaving the church to be either self-employed musicians or (more famously) court musicians. And you can really hear that lavish influence from the aristocracy in some composers work (especially Handel and Lully)

The world of opera isn’t a world that the average person is too familiar with. In the modern world of musicals and movies, singing and modern dance, entertainment like opera and ballet have become less popular than they were decades ago. Still, an opera can be the most beautiful experience of a lifetime; there’s just nothing like the power of the mastered human voice filling an entire room in such an elegant way. France is a country known for great operas, but what are the best French operas?The operas on this list range in genre – some are romance, others drama, and there are even a few comedies featured here. These are the best French operas, and they have been ranked by voters. Even if you haven’t had the luxury of experiencing an opera in person there are several ways to see them online.This list features the best French operas including The Tales of Hoffman, Carmen, Faust, Le Devin Du Village, Guillame Tell, Cadmus Et Hermione, Iphigenie En Tauride, Rom&eacute;o et Juliette, de la Haine &agrave; l'Amour, and Hippolyte Et Aricie. Vote up the best French operas below.

Krystian Zimerman

The piano is one of the most popular and most diverse musical instruments in the world. The instrument has permeated through dozens of genres of music, lending itself to help create some of the most moving and emotional pieces of music in history. The people on this list are masters of the piano and are considered giants in the musical world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether you recognize these musicians or not, they've all carved a place out for themselves in the classical music world and have become influential and prominent figures in the industry. If you love geeking out on music, we definitely recommend finding some of their music.&nbsp;This list is votable and rerankable, so take a look through and vote up your favorite <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-classical-pianists/stevie-wonder-on-a-keytar">famous classical pianists</a> in the world. If you don't see someone on here who should be, feel free to add them, but this list is for living musicians only.

The absolute best Beethoven symphonies of all time, ranked by music lovers and the Ranker community. This list features all nine of Ludvig van Beethoven's symphonies, and includes the approximate date each was written, and videos of performances for each piece. Beethoven is regarded as one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-classical-composers-of-all-time">best classical composers</a> of all time and is known for his great symphonies. But which are the absolute best Beethoven symphonies of all time?Each of Beethoven's symphonies rank among the<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-symphonies-of-all-time/ranker-music"> best symphonies of all time</a>, and for good reason. Though he went deaf in the 1800s, Beethoven's works stand out in the history of classical music.This list ranks Beethoven's nine symphonies, to determine which is truly the best. Vote up the Beethoven symphony you think is the greatest below, and read through some of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/a-list-of-famous-ludwig-van-beethoven-quotes/reference">Beethoven's best quotes</a>&nbsp;as well.

Classical Music & Opera

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For opera lovers, here's an alphabetical list of popular Giacomo Puccini operas, with photos when available. This Giacomo Puccini <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/english-operas/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">operas list</a> includes the names of all Puccini operas, a great resource for his most recognizable historic shows.This Giacomo Puccini operas list contains various bits of information, such as what language his <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-operas/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most popular operas</a> were composed in and what genres they fall under. Also, this list goes beyond the most well-known Puccini operas - it may introduce you to a few you aren't familiar with yet.Our list features compositions like Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica, and more. It will help you answer the question, &quot;Which operas did Giacomo Puccini write?&quot;If you're new to opera or writing a research paper about historic Giacomo Puccini operas, then this is the perfect jumping off point.&nbsp;With so many great works composed by Puccini, you're sure to find some interesting characters and beautiful stories to enthrall you.

Famous Giacomo Puccini Operas | List of Popular Operas by Giacomo Puccini

List of Giacomo Puccini Operas

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Edgar

Edgar is an operatic dramma lirico in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, freely based on the play in verse La Coupe et les lèvres by Alfred de Musset.
The first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 21 April 1889. The opera was not a success. Puccini repeatedly revised it, before eventually giving up in frustration, declaring the work irredeemable.

Gianni Schicchi

Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with contrasting themes, originally written to be presented together. Although it continues to be performed with one or both of the other trittico operas, Gianni Schicchi is now more frequently staged either alone or with short operas by other composers. The aria "O mio babbino caro" is one of Puccini's best known, and one of the most popular arias in opera.
Puccini had long considered writing a set of one-act operas which would be performed together in a single evening, but faced with a lack of suitable subjects and opposition from his publisher, he repeatedly put the project aside. However, by 1916 Puccini had completed the one-act tragedy Il tabarro and, after considering various ideas, he began work the following year on the solemn, religious, all-female opera Suor Angelica. Gianni Schicchi, a comedy, completes the triptych with a further contrast of mood.

Il tabarro

Il tabarro is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico. The first performance was given on 14 December 1918 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Il trittico

Il trittico is the title of a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. The work received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918.

La bohème

La bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. The world premiere performance of La bohème was in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio, conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. Since then, La bohème has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide. In 1946, fifty years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a performance of it on radio with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. This performance was eventually released on records and on Compact Disc. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera by its original conductor.

La fanciulla del West

La fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by the American author David Belasco. Fanciulla followed Madama Butterfly, which was also based on a Belasco play. The opera has fewer of the show-stopping highlights that are characteristic of other Puccini works, but is admired for its impressive orchestration and for a score that is more melodically integrated than is typical of his previous work. Fanciulla displays influences from composers Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss, without being in any way imitative. Similarities between the libretto and the work of Richard Wagner have also been found, though some attribute this more to the original plot of the play, and have asserted that the opera remains quintessentially Italian.
The opera had a successful and highly publicised première at the Met in 1910. Nevertheless, while Puccini deemed it one of his greatest works, La fanciulla del West has become a less popular opera within the composer's repertoire, drawing a mixed public reception overall.

La rondine

La rondine is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo on 27 March 1917.

La rondine by Giacomo Puccini - Third version completed by Lorenzo Ferrero

The opera "La rondine" by Giacomo Puccini was left unfinished at the composer's death in 1924. As often in his life, he was dissatisfied with the result of his work and revised it many times, to the point of making three versions with two different endings. The orchestration of the third version was completed in authentic Puccinian style almost 80 years later by Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero at the request of Teatro Regio di Torino and subsequently premiered there on March 22, 1994."I consider it a restoration and, as such, creative. I tried to respect the Puccinian sensibility and I hope that it emphasises above all the different, finer dramaturgic structure of the third act."Lorenzo Ferrero

Le villi

Le Villi is an opera-ballet in two acts composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, based on the short story Les Willis by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. Karr's story was in turn based in the Central European legend of the vila, also used in the ballet Giselle. The opera, in its original one act version, was first performed at the Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, on 31 May 1884.
Le Villi is Puccini's first stage work. It was written for an 1883 competition of one-act operas by the publisher Sonzogno in his periodical Il teatro illustrato, but did not even earn an honourable mention. According to Mosco Carner, this may have been because it was written in such haste that the score was all but illegible. His supporters, who included Arrigo Boito, funded the first production, whose favorable reception led to publication by Giulio Ricordi. Puccini's mother received the following telegram on the night of premiere at the Teatro dal Verme on 31 May 1884: "Theatre packed, immense success; anticipations exceeded; eighteen calls; finale of first act encored thrice"'.

Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The libretto of the opera is based in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long—which in turn was based partially on stories told to Long by his sister Jennie Correll and partially on the semi-autobiographical 1887 French novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti.
Long's short story was dramatized by David Belasco as a one-act play, Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan. After premiering in New York, Belasco's play moved to London, where Puccini saw it in the summer of 1900.
The original version of the opera, in two acts, had its premiere on 17 February 1904 at La Scala in Milan. It was very poorly received despite the presence of such notable singers as soprano Rosina Storchio, tenor Giovanni Zenatello and baritone Giuseppe De Luca in the lead roles. This was due in large part to the late completion and inadequate time for rehearsals. Puccini revised the opera, splitting the second act into two acts and making other changes. On May 28, 1904, this version was performed in Brescia and was a huge success.

Manon Lescaut

Manon Lescaut is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini. The story is based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost and should not be confused with Manon, an 1884 opera by Jules Massenet based on the same novel.
The libretto is in Italian, and was cobbled together by five librettists whom Puccini employed: Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica. The publisher, Giulio Ricordi, and the composer himself also contributed to the libretto. So confused was the authorship of the libretto that no one was credited on the title page of the original score. However, it was Illica and Giacosa who completed the libretto and went on to contribute the libretti to Puccini's next three – and most successful – works, La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly.
Puccini took some musical elements in Manon Lescaut from earlier works he had written. For example, the madrigal Sulla vetta tu del monte from Act II echoes the Agnus Dei from his 1880 Messa a quattro voci. Other elements of Manon Lescaut come from his compositions for strings: the quartet Crisantemi, three Menuets and a Scherzo.

Suor Angelica

Suor Angelica is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as Il trittico. It received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918.

Tosca

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, La Tosca, is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias.
Puccini saw Sardou's play when it was touring Italy in 1889 and, after some vacillation, obtained the rights to turn the work into an opera in 1895. Turning the wordy French play into a succinct Italian opera took four years, during which the composer repeatedly argued with his librettists and publisher. Tosca premiered at a time of unrest in Rome, and its first performance was delayed for a day for fear of disturbances. Despite indifferent reviews from the critics, the opera was an immediate success with the public.
Musically, Tosca is structured as a through-composed work, with arias, recitative, choruses and other elements musically woven into a seamless whole.

Turandot

Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco Alfano, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.
Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot by Carlo Gozzi. The original story is based on the epic Turan-Dokht from the book Haft-Peykar, work of 12th-century Persian poet Nizami. The opera's story is set in China and involves Prince Calàf, who falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot. To obtain permission to marry her, a suitor has to solve three riddles; any wrong answer results in death. Calàf passes the test, but Turandot still refuses to marry him. He offers her a way out: if she is able to learn his name before dawn the next day, then at daybreak he will die.
The opera was unfinished at the time of Puccini's death in 1924, and was completed by Franco Alfano in 1926. The first performance was held at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 25 April 1926 and conducted by Arturo Toscanini. This performance included only Puccini's music and not Alfano's additions.

For opera lovers, here's an alphabetical list of popular Giacomo Puccini operas, with photos when available. This Giacomo Puccini operas list includes the ...