# Opinin' on Opera **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 24, 2005, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645 "2005-06-24T08:44:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645/21 "2005-06-25T12:02:14Z")
> [@Rainbowthief](#): > > Add _Turandot_ to the list simply because “Nessun dorma” is such a famous aria. If people can’t name the opera the aria comes from (as is the case with most people who ‘like that nessum dorna tune’), is the opera really gaining any fame? Re. Carmen - how common are performances in, say, Prague, or St Petersburg? I’ve got a suspicion that it may be far less so than in English-speaking countries. No idea _why_ I suspect this, I’m just wary of a claim that it’s really _that_ popular. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645/22 "2005-06-25T15:30:42Z")
> [@choie](#): > > I’m with **twickster** – gotta be _Carmen_ by a longshot. Not only has it been performed skillions of times, but if you take someone who’s never seen an opera and play a CD of _Carmen_ for him, odds are he’ll recognize 75% of the score. Even Oscar Madison likes it! What’s strange is I’ve seen and heard a lot of opera, but I’ve never seen or heard “Carmen.” I know some of the music, but I’ve never heard the actual opera. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645/23 "2005-06-25T20:54:32Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Re. Carmen - how common are performances in, say, Prague, or St Petersburg? I’ve got a suspicion that it may be far less so than in English-speaking countries. No idea _why_ I suspect this, I’m just wary of a claim that it’s really _that_ popular. Heh. It’s always wise to be wary, grasshopper. Still, in the upcoming 2005-06 season, Prague folks can see _Carmen_ about 24 times, between performances at the Prague State Opera and the Prague National Theatre according to [this ticket purchasing site](http://www.ticketsonline.cz/opera.php?akce=operas&t=schedule&kod_dila=3&strana=4). Meanwhile, this and next month, visitors to St. Petersburg’s [Mussorgsky theater](http://www.visitrussia.com/price-0/mussorgsky.htm) will get three chances to see the shady lady from Seville. Not too shabby! Its popularity makes a lot of sense to me – in fact, I always advise people who are unfamiliar to opera to see _Carmen_. Georges Bizet’s instantly recognizable music and Prosper Merimee’s erotic, _Film Noir_-esque storyline (sexy & dangerous woman seduces a highly principled lawman and leads him down a path of thievery, betrayal and murder) provide an irresistable introduction to a theatrical form that has an unjustified rep for being stuffy. ---
**Author:** ![Rainbowthief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@Rainbowthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rainbowthief)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645/24 "2005-06-26T04:22:18Z")
> [@IAMBIC](#): > > _Fidelio_? How many people can hum a few bars from it? We’re talking _popular_, right? > > Carmen, yes. After all, the music was used in an episode of Gilligan’s Island. The OP asks which operas are the most popular of all time, not which ones are most recognizable to modern mainstream music fans. _Fidelio_ is 200 years old, but is still performed in major opera houses and numerous recordings of it are still for sale on CD. Back when I lived in New York I attended a couple of operas a year and had several friends who were also into opera and _Fidelio_ was frequently mentioned as a favorite. I agree it’s not as well known as _Carmen_, but among opera fans, I certainly think it’s popular. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645/25 "2005-06-26T08:34:13Z")
> [@Rainbowthief](#): > > _Fidelio_ is 200 years old, but is still performed in major opera houses and numerous recordings of it are still for sale on CD What has age got to do with it? L’Orfeo is twice as old, and also still in the mainstream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinin-on-opera/309645.md?page=1)