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.
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.
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. Meanwhile, this and next month, visitors to St. Petersburg’s Mussorgsky theater 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.
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.
What has age got to do with it? L’Orfeo is twice as old, and also still in the mainstream.