A Guide to Opera Music

The world of opera music is not a popular one. Most people think it is for old people or weirdos. This guide will help bring you into this strange world and hopefully give you a deeper appreciation for the art of opera.

The Big Names

Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras are three opera singers everyone should know. They make up the Three Tenors and are the most widely recognized opera singers of today.

Luciano Pavarotti is the biggest opera singer in terms of popularity and girth. This hefty Italian has been singing opera since the 1960's and still sings to this day. His voice has diminished a bit over the years but he still has a commanding presence. He used to hit high C's with little effort. He has had a lot of cross genre success while singing with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Deep Purple, Eric Clapton, and Barry White. His signature song is "Nessun Dorma". It is a beautiful aria from the final act of Puccini's Turandot.

Spaniard Placido Domingo has a great, versatile voice that produces a ringing, clear tone when he sings. He is multi-talented, singing many leads and conducting other operas. Of note, Domingo recorded every one of Verdi's arias. Popularity is familiar to Domingo. He has appeared in many movies, sang with numerous popular artists, and even appeared on The Cosby Show once.

Jose Carreras has had a great career. He has been the lead in over 60 operas and has appeared in numerous movies. Carreras has also had a struggle with leukemia. A 1 in 10 chance of living, he survived after extensive treatment that slowed him for awhile. He is said to be one of the most expressive opera singers in the business.

Five good performances to start with....

1. Luciano Pavarotti Sings "Nessun Dorma": I really like this performance. This song represent everything beautiful about opera. He sings it with incredible power and passion. The best in the business sings the best of all the arias. This is a must listen for ANY music fan.

2. Domingo Performing Verdi: This is an exceptional performance of "Celeste Aida" from Verdi. In this performance you can really hear how unique and great Domingo's voice is.

3. Carreras with a beautiful performance: This version of "Che gelida manina" shows how multi-talented these performers are. Not only is he belting out some pretty sweet tunes; he is also doing a great acting job.

4. The Three Tenors Do "La Donne E Mobile": I really love this song. They do a really good job with this song. You may remember this song from Grand Theft Auto 3.

5. Pavarotti and Barry White: I threw this little gem in there because it makes me chuckle. This is a very interesting video to watch no matter what kind of music you like. They are performing White's "My First, My Last, My Everything". Pavarotti sings his part in Italian.

A great art form...

The beauty of opera is hard to match. The opera singers have voices like none other. Their singing fills opera rooms without the aid of amplifying devices. Italian born opera has been around since the 1600's and has still stood the test of time. Try out these videos and let me know what you think!