An aria is a fairly encompassing term that captures music across operas, oratorios, cantatas and musicals. Arias are defined by the emotional content as opposed to their musical form and are designed to communicate the thoughts, situation or environment in which a character finds themselves through musical illustration. In context, arias tend to stand on their own.
When auditioning, artists have a variety of musical works in their repertoire, however, each season has a different list of popular arias. Nonetheless, there are some arias that tend to pop up on the list regardless of opera season.
Some well-known soprano arias include: “Der Hölle Rache” from Mozart’s Queen of the Night “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi “Casta diva” from Bellini’s Norma “Sempre Libera” from Verdi’s La Traviata.
Popular mezzo-soprano arias include: “Habanera” also known as “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” from Bizet’s Carmen “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah “When I am laid in earth” from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas “D’amour l’ardente flamme” from Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust.
Some notable contralto arias include: “Una voce poco fa” from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia “Non piu mesta” from Rossini’s La Cenerentola “Voce di donna o d’angelo” from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda “Weiche, Wotan, weiche!” from Wagner’s Das Rheingold.
Some popular countertenor arias include: “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s Serse “Que ce sejour est agreable” from Rameau’s Platée “Champs paternels” from Méhul’s Joseph in Egypte “Va tacito e nascosto” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Handel’s Rinaldo.
Common tenor arias include: “La donna è mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot “Una furtiva lagrima” from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore “Inbrunst im Herzen” from Wagner’s Tannhäuser “Vesti la giubba” from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
Popular baritone arias include: “Largo al factotum” from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia “Hai gia vinta la causa” from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro “Te deum” from Puccini’s Tosca “Ja vas lyublyu” from Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades.
Some well-known bass-baritone: “Non più andrai” from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro “Votre toast” from Bizet’s Carmen “Le veau d’or” from Gounod’s Faust “Scintille diamant” from Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann.
Common bass arias include: “Madamina, il catalogo è questo” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni “Ella giammai m’amò” from Verdi’s Don Carlos “I am a Pirate King” from Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance “Son lo Spirito” from Boito’s Mefistofele “Sempre in contrasti” from Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona.
For opera fans simply interested in hearing the “biggest hits”, attending an opera gala or concert usually provides a varied programme that includes famous arias sung by top performers. These galas showcase musical highlights from popular productions. Glitzy galas are a regular feature of the opera calendar and tickets usually sell out quickly.
There are alternative means to access arias via streaming playlists such as Spotify’s “The 50 Greatest Opera Arias”, Apple’s “Opera Favourites by Naxos” and others.
