# The Essential Music Library: Opera/Choral music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867 "2005-11-07T04:06:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/21 "2005-11-07T19:20:22Z")
Not sure where we are with the division/classification of things, but IMHO Gilbert & Sullivan belong with stage musicals, not opera. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/22 "2005-11-07T21:07:28Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > If you’re going to include light opera, there are the “Big Three” from Gilbert & Sullivan: _H.M.S. Pinafore_, _The Pirates of Penzance_, and _The Mikado_. And I would give honorable mention to my personal favorite, _The Gondoliers_. In the non-English section we have _Die Fledermaus_ by Johann Strauss and _The Merry Widow_ by Lehar. _Fledermaus_ and \*The Merry Widow \* definitely belong. Regardless of their opera/operetta classification, they are part of the mainstream opera culture. The G&S have been embraced more by Musical Theater culture than by the opera world, so they probably belong on a MT list instead. But that’s debatable… Mozart’s \*The Magic Flute \* was a big omission from my last list, by the way. (but I see it’s already been mentioned), as was Carl Maria von Weber’s _Die Freischütz_. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/23 "2005-11-07T21:09:49Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Well, the only opera that I take out and listen to repeatedly is _Nixon in China._ ROFL! Um, as to everyone else, the key word should be “essential.” It isn’t “essential” if it includes everything written in the way of opera during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/24 "2005-11-07T22:05:29Z")
Lakme - Delibes. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/25 "2005-11-07T22:43:50Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > The segment of _Carmina Burana_ that everyone has heard. In fact there are many other parts of \*Carmina Burana \* that are much better than _O Fortuna_, such as _Ecce Gratum_, _Were diu werlt alle min_, _In taberna_, _Veni venias_. > [@Kalhoun](#): > > The Pearl Fisher. It’s simply beautiful. The whole thing? Or just the duet _Au fond du temple_? I know people who have heard and loved the duet, rushed out and bought a recording of the full opera, and then been sadly disappointed with the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/26 "2005-11-08T00:41:28Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > In fact there are many other parts of \*Carmina Burana \* that are much better than _O Fortuna_, such as _Ecce Gratum_, _Were diu werlt alle min_, _In taberna_, _Veni venias_. > > The whole thing? Or just the duet _Au fond du temple_? I know people who have heard and loved the duet, rushed out and bought a recording of the full opera, and then been sadly disappointed with the rest. The duet is my favorite part, but I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed by the rest. I’m not a big fan of opera to begin with. I morsel them. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/27 "2005-11-08T14:54:23Z")
> [@Feydeau](#): > > Not sure where we are with the division/classification of things, but IMHO Gilbert & Sullivan belong with stage musicals, not opera. As someone who has performed G&S for over ten years, I must respectfully disagree. The collaborations of Gilbert and Sullivan are every bit as worthy as many other works that reside quite comfortably in the operatic canon. I have heard many express the opinion that G&S is not opera. Part of the reason that this opinion holds sway is that the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company held an exclusive monopoloy on professional productions for nearly a hundred years. Therefore, while the world of opera was establishing its standards and preferences, the only productions of _The Pirates of Penzance_ or _Patience_ that most people ever saw were from amateur companies. So even though the monopoloy no longer holds, most people in operatic circles regard G&S as only _worthy_ of amateurs. The Metropolitan Opera of NY, for example, has never performed a single production of a G&S opera. The NY Philharmonic actually played a piece composed by Sullivan this past year – something that had never happened before. So at least some have awakened to the startling realization that G&S, while not, perhaps, as clever as Mozart or as tuneful as Strauss, are worthy to be in the same classification. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/28 "2005-11-08T15:11:38Z")
A strong second or third for **Puccini’s** _Tosca_. A beautiful aria for the soprano, two arias for the tenor, and a duet. It don’t get better than that. 🙂 I like Shaw’s [recording](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003CUH/qid=1131462423/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9029472-4817667?v=glance&s=classical) of **Verdi’s** _Requiem_. For lieder, may I suggest \*\*Strauss’ \*\* _Four Last Songs_? I highly recommend [this recording](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001GQF/qid=1131461896/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/002-9029472-4817667?v=glance&s=classical) with Gundula Janowicz as soloist. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/29 "2005-11-08T21:53:05Z")
Randall Thompson, _The Last Words of David_ and _Alleluia_. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/30 "2005-11-08T23:56:46Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > The Essential Music Library project is an attempt to get the many musical minds of the SDMB to sit down and discuss what works are absolutely necessary for a well-stocked musical library. There will be roughly 20 threads detailing a variety of genres so that we can get the depth that would be missing from a single-threaded discussion and the breadth necessary to cover what’s out there. > > This thread’s topic is opera. > > Previous threads: [Project Planning](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335665) | [Classical](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336834) | [Rock](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337956) | [Jazz](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339051) | [Modern Rock](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340081) | [The Blues](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=341203) | [Punk/Post-Punk/New Wave](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=342310) Will there be one for Classical Choral? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/31 "2005-11-09T00:05:21Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Will there be one for Classical Choral? No. Any choral music you want to list will fit in here, in Classical, or in Contemporary Classical (coming soon). ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/32 "2005-11-09T02:40:13Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > No. Any choral music you want to list will fit in here, in Classical, or in Contemporary Classical (coming soon). I’m not sure that if fits here, but it is choral music. Hildegard of Bingen’s “A Feather on the Breath of God” the Gothic Voices recording with Emma Kirby [http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/details/66039.asp](http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/details/66039.asp) is sublime music. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/33 "2005-11-12T00:38:20Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > No. Any choral music you want to list will fit in here, in Classical, or in Contemporary Classical (coming soon). So Comtemp Class it is… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/34 "2005-12-01T13:42:01Z")
Didn’t suggest it earlier since I didn’t know where to put it, but since nobody seems to have suggested it anywhere the two Stabat Maters by Pergolesi and Vivaldi. Because they’re both excellent, and because Vivaldi deserves to be remembered for something _other_ than the Four Seasons. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/35 "2005-12-02T19:54:45Z")
Arvo Part, _Te Deum_ Padilla, _Ego Flos Campi_ mass Any men’s chorus work from Georgian Republic, e.g. that of the Rustavi Choir ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/36 "2006-01-09T05:47:09Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > In fact there are many other parts of \*Carmina Burana \* that are much better than _O Fortuna_, such as _Ecce Gratum_, _Were diu werlt alle min_, _In taberna_, _Veni venias_. I was thinking that, if you wanted to get a newbie into choral music, it would be a really effective hook to play that song that they’ve heard in this commercial and that commercial, this movie and that movie. I approached the question as if I were assembling a CD for sale. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/37 "2006-01-09T11:42:52Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I was thinking that, if you wanted to get a newbie into choral music, it would be a really effective hook to play that song that they’ve heard in this commercial and that commercial, this movie and that movie. I approached the question as if I were assembling a CD for sale. Oh, there’s endless CDs on the market using this ploy. The trouble is, this doesn’t work as a hook. They’ll include O Fortuna, but not the rest of Carmina Burana (which would take up half a CD by itself). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867/38 "2006-01-09T21:29:42Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I was thinking that, if you wanted to get a newbie into choral music, it would be a really effective hook to play that song that they’ve heard in this commercial and that commercial, this movie and that movie. I approached the question as if I were assembling a CD for sale. As \*\*GorillaMan \*\* notes, there’s already a huge market for compilation “Best of” CDs. Every now and again our choir does concerts where the program consists solely of the well-known “hummable” bits of choral music that people know from television advertisements, films etc. The idea of course is to get the audience interested enough to come back later to hear some more challenging works. Interestingly enough the most successful concerts we’ve done in recent years from this point of view (i.e. attracting non-musical punters) have been the performances of \*The Lord of the Rings \* Symphony. They came in their millions for that and I gather that we picked up quite a few new subscribers as a result. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-opera-choral-music/329867.md?page=1)