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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.

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.

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>.

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!

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.

Maximilian Steinberg

These are the best Russian composers, ranked from best to worst by users. This is truly some of the most interesting music ever written and has more than left an indelible mark on the world of Classical music. Some of the more famous Russian composers gained popularity during the Renaissance while some other great musicians on this list are still making music to this day.So, let's get into some specifics about some of the composers you can expect to find on this list. With compositions like “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake” to his name, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stands out as one of the greatest Russian composers of all time. He rose to popularity during the later years of the Romantic period. Mily Balakirev is another extremely talented composer who hailed from Russia.Igor Stravinsky's “The Rite of Spring” remains a popular piece with leading orchestras across the world. Other good musicians who are featured on this best Russian composers list include Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.Who are the best Russian composers of all time? Be sure to vote up your favories.

poll

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

William Grant Still

Ever since the mid 1800s and the birth of the American culture, America has produced some of the greatest and unique (European Classical mixed with Black Folk) Classical music of all time, here are just some of Americas greatest composers.

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.

Barbara Strozzi

These are the greatest B<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-baroque-composers/zachthemusicmage?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">aroque composers</a> ranked from best to worst by classical music fans and just music lovers in general. When it comes to the best Baroque composers, they came from various backgrounds and from countries all over the world. Some of these musicians, a couple of the more <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-baroque-composers/zachthemusicmage?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous Baroque composers</a> have even written music that is still popular to this day.What names will you find on this best Baroque composers list? Johann Sebastian Bach is a composer synonymous with the baroque period. He was famous for incorporating four part harmonies and modulations into his <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-popular-broadway-musicals-ever/constance-bennet?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous musical</a> masterpieces. Henry Purcell is another one of the most famous baroque composers who appears on this list. George Frideric Handel is best known for his famous Messiah, which is still performed by orchestras all over the world. Other talented baroque composers featured on this list include Antonio Vivaldi, Domenico Scarlatti and Jean-Baptiste Lully.Which baroque composer do you think wrote the most beautiful music? Take a look at this list and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

Classical Music & Opera

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List of classical and contemporary operas performed in Russian, listed alphabetically with photos when available. The operas listed below were all either performed or composed in Russian. The names of these Russian operas include information like who the composer of each opera was. You can also filter this list of historic Russian operas for specific information, such as when it was first performed. List features items like War and Peace and Boris Godunov. This list answers the questions, "What are the best Russian operas?" and "What operas were composed in the Russian language?"Use this list to find out which operas were composed in Russian. If you're writing a research paper about famous Russian operas then this list is the perfect resource for finding useful information.

Russian Operas List | Operas Performed in Russian

List of Famous Russian Operas

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A Life for the Tsar

A Life for the Tsar, as it is known in English, although in Soviet times its name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Baron Egor Fyodorovich Rozen, Vladimir Sollogub and Vasily Zhukovsky. It premiered on 27 November 1836 OS at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg. The historical basis of the plot involves Ivan Susanin, a patriotic hero of the early 17th century who gave his life in the expulsion of the invading Polish army for the newly elected Tsar Mikhail, the first of the Romanov dynasty, elected in 1613.

Aleko

Aleko is the first of three completed operas by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The Russian libretto was written by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and is an adaptation of the poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin. The opera was written in 1892 as a graduation work at the Moscow Conservatory, and it won the highest prizes from the conservatory judges that year. It was first performed in Moscow 19 May 1892.

Angelo

Angelo is an opera in four acts by César Cui, composed during 1871-1875, with a libretto by Viktor Burenin based on Victor Hugo's prose play, Angelo, Tyrant of Padua. This same play formed the basis of Saverio Mercadante's Il giuramento of 1837, Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda, which premiered in the same year as Cui's opera, and Alfred Bruneau's Angelo, tyran de Padoue of 1928.

Anyuta

Anyuta is a one-act comic opera to a libretto by Mikhail Popov. First performed in 1772, it was one of the first operas written in the Russian language.
The collection of Popov's poems, translations and plays called Dosugi was published at the request of Empress Catherine II. This collection also contained the libretto to the opera Anyuta.
The music hasn't survived and its composer is not known, however it has sometimes been attributed to Vasily Pashkevich or even to Yevstigney Fomin although at that time he was just 11 year old. It is known that the music was a selection of popular songs as specified in the libretto.

Askold's Grave

Askold's Grave is an opera in 4 acts by Alexey Verstovsky to a libretto by Mikhail Zagoskin.
It was the most successful of Verstovsky's six operas, and its popularity even overshadowed Glinka’s two operas. It is a romantic opera with spoken dialogue, influenced by Weber's Der Freischütz, the latter having become popular in Russia after its first Russian performance in 1824. The role of Torop was created specifically for Alexander Bantyshev.

Betrothal in a Monastery

Betrothal in a Monastery, Op. 86 is an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, his sixth with an opus number. The libretto, in Russian, was by the composer and Mira Mendelson, after Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto for Thomas Linley the younger's The Duenna.
Prokofiev began the work in 1940, and it was in rehearsal that year, but World War II halted production of the opera. The first performance did not occur until 3 November 1946 at the Kirov Theatre with Boris Khaikin conducting.
Commentators have noted that, given the context of its creation in the 1940s in the Soviet Union, this opera lacks any particular political or social comment, except perhaps for a scene involving drunken monks.

Boris Godunov

Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles, and his nemesis, the False Dmitriy. The Russian-language libretto was written by the composer, and is based on the drama Boris Godunov by Aleksandr Pushkin, and, in the Revised Version of 1872, on Nikolay Karamzin's History of the Russian State.
Boris Godunov, among major operas, shares with Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos the distinction of having the most complex creative history and the greatest wealth of alternative material. The composer created two versions—the Original Version of 1869, which was rejected for production by the Imperial Theatres, and the Revised Version of 1872, which received its first performance in 1874 in Saint Petersburg. These versions constitute two distinct ideological conceptions, not two variations of a single plan.

Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost, an opera by the Russian composer Alexander Knaifel in three acts for 18 singers and chamber orchestra, also in an abridged version for two soloists and chamber orchestra.
Composed in 1965–66 to the libretto by Tatiana Kramarova after "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde. Text Russian

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, is an opera in four acts with music and libretto by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Composed between 1894 and 1895, Rimsky-Korsakov based his opera on a short story, "Christmas Eve", from Nikolay Gogol's Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. The story had been used as the basis for an opera at least three times previously, including for Tchaikovsky's Vakula the Smith. Oliver Knussen writes that "Rimsky is only interested in recreating the atmosphere of the folk-tale, fleshing it out for his stage pageant in a comparable way to Humperdinck in Hansel.

Devil in Love

The Devil in Love is an opera in three acts by the Russian composer Alexander Vustin. The Russian libretto was written by Vladimir Khachaturov after the novel The Devil in Love by Jacques Cazotte.

Dubrovsky

Dubrovsky is an opera in four acts Op. 58, by Eduard Nápravník, to a Russian libretto by Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky after the novel of the same title by Alexander Pushkin.

Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto, organised by the composer and Konstantin Shilovsky, very closely follows certain passages in Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse, retaining much of his poetry. Shilovsky contributed M. Triquet's verses in Act 2, Scene 1, while Tchaikovsky wrote the words for Lensky's arioso in Act 1, Scene 1, and almost all of Prince Gremin's aria in Act 3, Scene 1.
Eugene Onegin is a well-known example of lyric opera, to which Tchaikovsky added music of a dramatic nature. The story concerns a selfish hero who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman's love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend.
The opera was first performed in Moscow in 1879. There are several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed. The work's title refers to the protagonist.

Feast in Time of Plague

Feast in Time of Plague is an opera in one act by César Cui, composed in 1900. The libretto was taken verbatim from one of the four Little Tragedies by Aleksandr Pushkin. The title has been translated also as Feast in the Time of the Plague and Feast during the Plague.
Cui composed and published the two songs in the play separately in the decade before the opera was formally composed.

Fevey

Fevey is an opera by Vasily Pashkevich to a Russian libretto by Catherine II of Russia.
Empress Catherine II had literary ambitions and wrote nine opera librettos. This one, an allegorical fairy tale, was called The Story of Tsarevich Fevey. She asked Vasili Pashkevich, a Russian composer of Polish origin, to set it to music.
This is the first example of a Russian fairytale opera, a genre that eventually flourished in the 19th century. The plot of the opera is quite absurd, used as an instruction for the heir of her throne. However the intention was to amuse the audience, because people who cheer have no evil.
The premiere took place on April 30 [OS April 19], 1786 at the Hermitage Theatre in St Petersburg. The lavish opera production evoked widespread admiration.

Francesca da Rimini

Francesca da Rimini, Op. 25 is an opera in a prologue, two tableaux and an epilogue by Sergei Rachmaninoff to a Russian libretto by Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is based on the story of Francesca da Rimini in the fifth canto of Dante's epic poem The Inferno. The fifth canto is the part about the Second Circle of Hell. Rachmaninoff had composed the love duet for Francesca and Paolo in 1900, but did not resume work on the opera until 1904. The first performance was on 24 January, 1906 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, with the composer himself conducting, in a double-bill performance with another Rachmaninoff opera written contemporaneously, The Miserly Knight.

Graf Cagliostro

Graf Cagliostro is a comic opera in two acts by Mikael Tariverdiev, written in 1981 to a libretto by Nikolai Kemarsky, after the tale of the same name by Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy.
Tolstoy's novella, based on the quack Cagliostro, was updated by composer and librettist so that it impinges on the modern world,. Tariverdiev wrote:
In writing 'Graf Cagliostro' I wanted to create a brand new genre of comic opera. I decided to return to the standard voices and traditional forms of opera buffa, with arias, secco recitative, developed in lively acts - but, of course, in a contemporary way.

Iolanta

Iolanta, Op. 69, is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, his last. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz, a romanticised account of the life of Yolande de Bar. In the original Danish play, the spelling of the princess's name was "Iolanthe", later adopted for the otherwise unrelated Gilbert and Sullivan operetta of that name. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov. The opera received its premiere on 18 December 1892 in Saint Petersburg.

Ivan the Fool

Ivan the Fool is an opera-fairytale for children in three tableaux, by César Cui, composed in 1913. The libretto was written by Nadezhda Nikolaevna Dolomanova, using Russian folk tales.
The title can be rendered in English in a number of ways, depending upon whether one wishes to consider the diminutives involved: Foolish Ivan, Ivan the Little Fool, Johnny the Little Fool, etc.
The performance history of this opera has yet to be traced.

Judith

Judith, is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1861–1863. Derived from renditions of the story of Judith from the Old Testament Apocrypha, the Russian libretto, though credited to the composer, has a complicated history. The premiere took place in 1863 in Saint Petersburg. This stage debut, supplemented with his next opera Rogneda, made Serov the most important Russian opera composer of the 1860s.

Kashchey the Immortal

Kashchey the Deathless, aka Kashchey the Immortal, is a one-act opera in three scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, and is based on a Russian fairy tale about Koschei the Deathless, an evil, ugly old wizard, who menaced principally young women. A similar fairy tale was also used by Igor Stravinsky and Michel Fokine to create their iconic ballet, The Firebird.
The opera was composed during 1901–1902 and the work was completed in 1902. It was first performed the same year in Moscow.

Khovanshchina

Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. Khovanskygate, the name given to a 2014 production in Birmingham, UK, is a modern equivalent. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources. The opera was unfinished and unperformed when the composer died in 1881.
Like Mussorgsky's earlier Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina deals with an episode in Russian history, first brought to the composer's attention by his friend Vladimir Stasov. It concerns the rebellion of Prince Ivan Khovansky, the Old Believers, and the Streltsy against Peter the Great, who was attempting to institute Westernizing reforms to Russia. Peter succeeded, the rebellion was crushed and the Old Believers committed mass suicide.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov completed, revised, and scored Khovanshchina in 1881–1882. Because of his extensive cuts and "recomposition", Dmitri Shostakovich revised the opera in 1959 based on Mussorgsky's vocal score, and it is the Shostakovich version that is usually performed. In 1913 Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel made their own arrangement at Sergei Diaghilev's request.

Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is an opera in four acts by Dmitri Shostakovich, his Op.29. The libretto was written by Alexander Preys and the composer, and is based on the novel Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov. The opera is sometimes referred to informally as Lady Macbeth when there is no confusion with Verdi's Macbeth. It was first performed on 24 January 1934 at the Leningrad Maly Operny. Shostakovich dedicated the opera to his first wife, the physicist Nina Varzar.
The work incorporates elements of expressionism and verismo. It tells the story of a lonely woman in 19th century Russia, who falls in love with one of her husband's workers and is driven to murder.
Despite great early success, on both popular and official levels, Lady Macbeth was the vehicle for a general denunciation of Shostakovich's music by the Communist Party in early 1936. After being condemned by an anonymous article in Pravda, the Communist Party newspaper, it was banned in the Soviet Union for almost thirty years. Many people thus know the opera primarily for its role in the history of censorship.

Life with an Idiot

Life with an Idiot is an opera by the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke to a Russian libretto by Viktor Erofeyev. An allegory of Soviet oppression, the opera was first performed at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, on 13 April 1992.

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is an opera-fairytale for children in two acts by César Cui, composed in 1911. The libretto was written by Marina Stanislavona Pol', based on Charles Perrault's fairytale of the same name.
The printed score from 1912 bears a dedication to Crown Prince Alexey of Imperial Russia.
The earliest date of a performance for this opera has yet to be established. However, it is known to have been staged in 1921, in Gomel, in the Byelorussian SSR, by students from the People's City Conservatory and the Technical School.

Mademoiselle Fifi

Mademoiselle Fifi is an opera in one act, composed by César Cui during 1902-1903. The libretto was adapted by the composer from the short story Mademoiselle Fifi by Guy de Maupassant and the dramatized version Mlle Fifi by Oscar Méténier.
The opera was premiered on 4 November 1903 at the Hermitage Theatre by the Moscow Private Opera. During its performing history it was also known under the title Женщина из Руана [Ženščina iz Ruana) = The Woman from Rouen]. The opera was widely performed in Imperial Russia and had special significance during World War I, largely because of its patriotic connotations in the struggle against Germany. Despite this success and an adaptation produced during World War II, this opera seems not to have remained in the standard operatic repertoire afterwards in Russia and not to have been performed in the West.
In the music for the opera Cui borrows some French and German tunes, including the tune of the refrain from "Die Wacht am Rhein" for the German soldiers.

List of classical and contemporary operas performed in Russian, listed alphabetically with photos when available. The operas listed below were all either ...