Metalluk's Thirty Best Operas of the 20th-Century, on DVD
Jul 14 '09 (Updated Jul 28 '09)
The Bottom Line Here's thirty excellent DVD recordings for 20th-century operas
New operas composed during the 20th-century are far more diverse in their characteristics than those of previous centuries. Composers began to experiment with a wide variety of new approaches to harmony. Enhancing chromatic embellishments was initially the main harmonic device used to enrich the musical vocabulary, but the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg and Berg) took a far more radical approach, abandoning the diatonic scale altogether. Avant-garde composers were soon challenging virtually every conventional precept about the nature of opera, including subject matter, length, musical style, and extent of incorporation of ironic, farcical, or satirical elements. Some of the more conservative composers, however, maintained basic connections with operatic traditions.
Even in Italy, the birthplace of opera and the bastion of operatic traditionalism, a great schism developed around the time of the fin de siècle based on a profound ideological divide. The first post-Verdian generation of Italian composers, born around 1860 (who came into prominence around 1890), such as Cilea, Giordano, Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo, adhered fundamentally to the melodramatic operatic tradition and the primacy of vocal performance, and were satisfied to make their generational mark mainly by expanding the musical vocabulary, a bit, with such devices as chromaticisms, allusions to folk music, exotic subject matter or musical textures for atmospheric effects, and touches of modality or polytonality. Verismo ran its course and, later, Wolf-Ferrari's experiments with neoclassicism. By contrast, the second generation of post-Verdian composers, born around 1880 (who came into prominence around 1910), such as Casella, Malipiero, and Pizzetti, demanded a more radical reappraisal or even, in the case of Casella and Malipiero, a complete rejection of the received traditions of opera. The public, however, was unprepared or unwilling to follow the course set by these avant-garde composers, with the result that Puccini's Turandot (1924) became the last Italian opera to establish itself firmly in the standard performance repertoire of the international opera houses.
Another reason opera has become more varied in style is the increase in the geographical spread of interest in opera performance and opera composition. In the 20th-century, opera composition was no longer limited to Italy, Germany, Austria, France, England, Czechoslovakia, and Russia. New national schools of opera composition arose in such diverse nations as Argentina, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and China.
For those who claim that no great operas have been written since Turandot in 1924, I believe that the weight of evidence stands clearly against them. Such folks are overlooking such incontrovertibly great, though modern, operas as Szymanowski's King Roger (1926), Weill's Three-Penny Opera (1929), Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mzensk (1932), Hindemith's Mathis der Maler (1934), Berg's Lulu (1935), Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (1935), Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac (1936), Prokofiev's War and Peace (1941/2), Britten's Peter Grimes (1944), and Menotti's The Consul (1949). For those who, on the other hand, maintain that no great operas have been written since 1950 – their argument is more difficult to convincingly refute. The contrary case can point to such works as Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites (1956) and Penderecki's The Devils of Loudun (1969), but otherwise the landscape of operas written after 1950 is noticeably barren.
This list is in two parts: (1) a listing of the thirty operas placing them in a nationalist perspective; and (2) a rank-ordered listing of the operas with the most recommended opera listed first. Both lists contain some basic information about the operas and links to detailed reviews.
Selection Guidelines: In the interest of usefulness and variety, no opera appears twice, even though some operas have two or three different recordings that are better than another opera's best recording. This list is therefore a list of the best recordings for the thirty best operas from the period, not the thirty best recordings. Also for variety, the representation of composers who wrote many excellent operas (e.g., Strauss, Britten, and Puccini) is restricted to their best ones, even when one of their lesser operas might be better than the best opera of a lesser composer. The assumption is that music lovers who work their way through the best works of a prolific composer and still yearn for more will be fully equipped to direct their own further exploration.
Historical Perspective:
Austrian:
Berg: Wozzeck (1921)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Bruno Maderna
Principal Vocalists: Tom Blankenheim, Sena Jurinac, Richard Cassilly, Hans Sotin
Performance Year: 1970
Bottom-Line: This is an opera like none other in history. It is one of the few 20th-century operas widely acknowledged to be a masterpiece and it was the first successful avant-garde opera. This brilliant production from 1970 is an historic treasure. Both the acting and the vocal performances are strong and the cinematography is exceptional.
Berg: Lulu (1934)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Andrew Davis
Principal Vocalists: Christine Schäfer, Kathryn Harries, Wolfgand Schöne, David Kuebler, Stephan Drakulic
Performance Year: 1996
Bottom-Line: This recording won the 1997 U.K. Grammophon Award for Best Video and it's easy to see why. Lulu, an amazing opera, is given a powerful performance and staging in this Glyndebourne Festival production.
Chinese:
Dun: Marco Polo (1995)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Tan Dun
Principal Vocalists: Sarah Castle, Charles Workman, Zhang Jun, Nancy Allen Lundy, Stephen Richardson, Tania Kross, Stephen Bryant
Performance Year: 2008
Bottom-Line: Marco Polo has had remarkable success for a contemporary opera, appearing in opera houses worldwide and winning the Grawemeyer Award, making Dun the youngest person ever to receive that honor. This opera is something of a testament to globalization, with its remarkable synthesis of Western and Eastern arts. It's as visually spectacular as it is sonorously magnificent. The opera's only shortcoming is that it attempts too much and really doesn't quite manage to pull it all off successfully. Most viewers are likely to walk away feeling that Marco Polo was an extraordinary audiovisual synthesis, but will be left wondering what it was precisely that they experienced.
Czech:
Dvorak: Rusalka (1900)
Star Rating: * * *
Conductor: James Conlon
Principal Vocalists: Renée Fleming, Larissa Diadkova Sergei Larin, Eva Urbanova
Performance Year: 2002
Bottom-Line: Musically, this is a five-star production, with an excellent cast of vocalists and a strong orchestra making the most of Dvorák's finest opera score. Unfortunately, this production is as visually weak as it is aurally strong, exhibiting the worst kind of directorial excess and disregard for the essence of an artwork. The staging and costumes are ridiculously inappropriate, all the more so because the fairytale nature of this opera's libretto provides plenty of opportunity for beautiful staging. Still, the musical quality of this particular rendition of Rusalka is unequalled on either CD or DVD today.
Janacek: From the House of the Dead (1930)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Pierre Boulez
Principal Vocalists: Olaf Bär, Eirc Stoklossa, Stefan Margita, John Mark Ainsley, Gerd Grochowski
Performance Year: 2007
Bottom-Line: This is an award-winning 2007 production of a rarely heard opera by Leoš Janáček, which premiered in 1930. It represents the final synthesis of Janáček's lifetime of experience as a composer. The music is dissonant and astringent, but exciting in its primitivism. The libretto paints a vivid picture of the squalor and despair of a Siberian prison. Though the subject matter is bleak, Janáček imbues the story with a humanism that leaves viewers with a sense of hope.
English:
Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet (1901)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Principal Vocalists: Helen Field, Arthur Davies, Thomas Hampson
Performance Year: 1992
Bottom-Line: The vocal performances are not up to the standard set by the best audio-only version of this opera, but the performance for the present recording by the Orf Symphonie Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras was excellent. There are lots of gorgeous musical interludes, but the famous Walk to Paradise Garden is the highlight of the entire opera. This is a fully opened-up cinematographic rendition, not a performance on a stage. Most of the scenes are out-of-doors although two scenes take place within country dwellings – a farmhouse and an inn. The cinematography is truly magnificent, most especially in the two final scenes – at the Berghald Fair and in The Paradise Garden. Only one of the five main roles is both sung and acted by the same person. All of the other characters are played by an actor who lip-synchs music prerecorded by an operatic vocalist.
Vaughan Williams: Riders to the Sea (1937)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Bryden Thomson
Principal Vocalists: Sarah Walker, Yvonne Brennan, Kathleen Tynan, Hugh Mackey
Performance Year: 1988
Bottom-Line: This is a touching rendition of Vaughan Williams' finest operatic work, with a production of the highest possible artistic integrity: strong musical performances, outstanding sets and costumes, wonderful casting, and skillful direction. In my opinion, Vaughan Williams doesn't quite make the A-tier of composers but certainly qualifies for the A minus or B plus categories. In Riders to the Sea, we have a poignant musical drama in which the music truly supplements the drama rather than standing out on its own. It's a fine example of the vocal style developed by Vaughan Williams from his meticulous studies of traditional English music and speech forms.
Britten: Peter Grimes (1945)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Colin Davis
Principal Vocalists: Jon Vickers, Heather Harper, Norman Bailey
Performance Year: 1981
Bottom-Line: Peter Grimes remains Britten's most popular opera, despite being followed by fifteen others. It's a good starting place for getting to know Britten, along with his choral piece, Ceremony of Carols. This opera continues to rank among the very most popular written after 1925.
French:
Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (1902)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Pierre Boulez
Principal Vocalists: Alison Hagley, Neill Archer, Donald Maxwell
Performance Year: 1992
Bottom-Line: This is not an opera for every opera lover. It is, however, an opera for lovers of Debussy's exquisitely beautiful impressionistic style, complete with rich and evocative orchestration. The music is the thing, here; the dramatic element is sub-par. Judge accordingly. If you're satisfied with having your aural faculties thoroughly ravished for 158 minutes while your eyes settle for taking in a somewhat spiritless, sluggish, and unoriginal story, give it a go!
Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites (1957)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Jan Latham-Koenig
Principal Vocalists: Anne-Sophie Schmidt, Hedwig Fassbender, Patricia Petibon, Nadine Denize
Performance Year: 1999
Bottom-Line: Although this opera tells a story that is inherently dramatic, it deals primarily with intimate dialogues among the major characters concerning attitudes towards death and fear of dying. It is therefore heavy subject matter and requires a great deal of concentration to extract value from the opera, other than as a build-up to the final dramatic episode. The opera is rooted in Poulenc's Catholicism yet it strikes me as less an advertisement for the value of faith than a study of the range of neurotic views we humans harbor in relation to death and dying. Musically, this opera is a masterpiece.
Messiaen: Saint François d'Assise (1983)
Star Rating: * * *
Conductor: Ingo Metzmacher
Principal Vocalists: Rod Gilfry, Henk Neven, Tom Randle, Donald Kaasch, Armand Arapian, Camilla Tilling
Performance Year: 2008
Bottom-Line: The script is devoid of drama and jam-packed with religiosity. Messiaen's brilliant orchestral coloring and harmonic innovations are there, but the orchestra music is badly fragmented by plodding, uninflected, and inane vocal lines, much of the time. The music only truly soars during a few extended orchestral or choral passages, when uninterrupted by the soloists. Saint François d'Assise is certainly a novel opera, but mostly unsuccessful in the ways it deviates from effective operatic practices. Unfortunately, the opera genre turns out to accentuate the worst of Messiaen (self-indulgent Catholicism; lack of understanding of drama) while diluting the greatness of his musical talent (brilliant writing for orchestra and piano).
German:
Strauss, R.: Salome (1905)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Principal Vocalists: Teresa Stratas, Bernd Weikl, Astrid Varnay, Hans Bierer
Performance Year: 1976
Bottom-Line: Salome is a great work of art with a fundamentally grotesque and repulsive story line. You have to have a strong stomach and some courage to wallow around in the perversity of this opera's script for 101 minutes, but the music, acting, costumes, and staging make this a magnificent presentation of a powerful artwork. The performance by Teresa Stratas is one for the ages.
Strauss, R.: Elektra (1908)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Principal Vocalists: Leonie Rysanek, Astrid Varney, Catarina Ligendza, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Performance Year: 1981
Bottom-Line: This recording brings to DVD a justly legendary performance of a spell-binding, heart-rending, and disturbing opera. The performances by Leonie Rysanek and Astrid Varnay are utterly riveting. The musical performance by Karl Böhm and the Wiener Philharmoniker is impeccable.
Strauss, R.: Der Rosenkavalier (1911)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Carlos Kleiber
Principal Vocalists: Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth
Performance Year: 1979
Bottom-Line: This production of Der Rosenkavalier will quite simply blow you away with admiration. The sets are excellent and the cast is superlative.
Weill: Threepenny Opera (1928)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Theo Mackeben
Principal Vocalists: Rudolph Forster, Lotte Lenya, Carola Neher, Reinhold Schnüzel, Fritz Rasp, Ernst Busch
Performance Year: 1931
Bottom-Line: If you love modern classical music, Kurt Weill, Bertold Brecht, Berlin theater of the 1920’s and early 1930’s, or social satire combined with brilliant entertainment, this film is bound to please. I’ve loved the Threepenny Opera for years and will go back to it over and over again every now and then. I highly recommend this film and – yes – it is an unqualified masterpiece even if a tad less than the great stage version. This is a blue ribbon film all the way. The restored print from the 1960’s is comfortably watchable – not perfect but close enough.
Hungarian:
Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle (1911)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: George Solti
Principal Vocalists: Silvia Sass, Kolos Kováts
Performance Year: 1981
Bottom-Line: Bluebeard's Castle is a 20th-century masterpiece that is, in my judgment, most thoroughly appreciated in a cinematic version, rather than by either CD or live theatrical performance. This particular version of the opera strikes me as fully consonant with the essence and brilliance of both the script and the music. If you enjoy Bartók and/or intensely symbolic psychodrama, you'll most likely treasure this recording.
Italian:
Puccinii: Tosca (1900)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti
Principal Vocalists: Raina Kabaivanska, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes
Performance Year: 1975
Bottom-Line: Opera DVD's just don’t get any better than this one: exquisite music, great cast, on-location shooting, authentic sets and costumes, fantastic acting and singing, and well-directed. True, there's the kind of quintessential villain who will show up in your nightmares, but you'll get over it! So, don't miss this great recording!
Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (1902)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Principal Vocalists: Mirella Freni, Peter Dvorský, Fiorenza Cossotto
Performance Year: 1989
Bottom-Line: This recording provides an exceptionally strong cast for an opera outside the mainstream repertoire. The opera itself is the most popular work by a B-tier composer, Francesco Cilèa. I adore Mirella Freni and her performance here did not disappoint. She was coupled with three other world-class vocalists, Peter Dvorský, Fiorenza Cossotto, and Ivo Vinco, and the venerable Gianandrea Gavazzeni conducting the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala. The sets and costumes are terrific and there's a superlative ballet segment in Act III.
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (1903)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Maurizio Arena
Principal Vocalists: Raina Kavaivanska, Nazzareno Antinori, Eleonora Jankovic, Lorenzo Saccomani
Performance Year: 1983
Bottom-Line: In my opinion, this is the best currently available DVD version of Madama Butterfly. From a purely musical point of view, there are superior CD recordings.
Zardonai: Francesca da Rimini (1904)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: James Levine
Principal Vocalists: Renata Scotto, Cornell MacNeil, Plácido Domingo
Performance Year: 1984
Bottom-Line: The Metropolitan Opera clearly went all out in staging this opera, with superlative sets and costumes, great stage action, and an excellent cast. Zandonai is not a name that most Americans will recognize, but this is his masterpiece and one of the best Italian operas of the 20th-century, behind, of course, three or four of Puccini's post-1899 offerings. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the music, especially in the soft passages, and the appealing orchestration. You'll be wowed by the production!
Puccini: La Fanciulla del West (1910)
Star Rating: * * *
Conductor: Lorin Maazel
Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Mara Zampieri, Juans Pons, Luigi Roni
Performance Year: 1991
Bottom-Line: The good news is that this opera is emotionally touching, even if it lacks the saccharine lyricism of Puccini's better known operas. Minnie, Johnson/Ramirez, and, even, Jack Rance are among Puccini's best developed operatic characters. The music is mainly Puccini's version of mood invoking impressionism, rather than in-your-face and in-your-mind's-ear melody. Domingo owns the role of Johnson/Ramirez among modern tenors and Juan Pons is highly effective as Rance. The one major problem with this production is that Zamapieri's acerbic voice just isn't very pleasing. That's too bad, because her acting was excellent and touching.
Puccini: Turandot (1924)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: James Levine
Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Éva Marton, Leona Mitchell, Paul Plishka
Performance Year: 1988
Bottom-Line: This recording is altogether as fine a piece of work as you'll ever discover when it comes to filmed versions of operas. It's one of the most spectacular operas, here given a staging that is equal to the sublime majesty of the music. The principals seem to have been born for their parts, especially Éva Marton, Plácido Domingo, and Leona Mitchell. Don't for any reason miss out on this recording!
Alfano: Cyrano de Bergerac (1936)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Marco Guidarini
Principal Vocalists: Roberto Alagna, Nathalie Manfrino, Richard Troxell
Performance Year: 2003
Bottom-Line: This is a gorgeous production, highlighted by a brilliant performance by Alagna, but supported as well by luxurious sets and costumes and fine performances by two co-stars, Manfrino and Troxell. The script is far better than for most operas and the score is never less than effective.
Menotti: The Consul (1949)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Werner Torkanowsky
Principal Vocalists: Patricia Neway, Chester Ludgin, Leon Lishner, Regina Sarfaty
Performance Year: 1960
Bottom-Line: This DVD is a rare treat because it presents an historic performance of a great opera with the original lead singer reviving her interpretation of the role of Magda Sorel. Don't be put off by the black-and-white cinematography or the monaural sound. This DVD is technically good especially considering its vintage nature. The performance by Patricia Neway is riveting.
Polish:
Penderecki: The Devils of Loudun (1969)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Marek Janowski
Principal Vocalists: Tatiana Troyanos, Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Ladysz, Hans Sotin
Performance Year: 1969
Bottom-Line: First off, this opera is not for timid spirits. It is emotionally draining and graphic in its portrayals of torture, exorcism, forced enema, insanity, deformity, and burning at the stake. In its own way, the music is as graphic in representing these disturbing ideas as are the visual images. That said, for those who have the stomach, this is a powerful condemnation of torture and the other kinds of violence and oppression too often perpetrated in the name of conformity, religious institutions, and official justice. I feel certain that if every American were forced to watch this opera, we would not have reelected known torturers in 2004. This is a film that reveals the darkest landscapes of human nature as well as the state of grace required to stand tall against such evils.
Russian:
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (1919)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Stéphane Denève
Principal Vocalists: Anna Shafajinskaja, Sir Willard White, Martial Defontaine, Natascha Petrinsky, Marianna Kulikova, Sandrine Piau
Performance Year: 2005
Bottom-Line: This is a stellar production of a great opera. If you love opera, you don't want to miss this gem! The costumes are outstanding, most especially the makeup and wardrobe for the two magical characters, Fata Morgana and Tchélio. These two very nearly steal the show. The choreography is scintillating at times and good throughout. This is an altogether creative, imaginative, and spirited production.
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1932)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
Principal Vocalists: Galina Vishnevskaya, Nicolai Gedda, Dimiter Petkov, Werner Krenn
Performance Year: 1992
Bottom-Line: First off, potential viewers need to be aware that this film features a lot of nudity, frontal and backside, both genders, at roughly the level of soft-core porn. There's also a simulated gang-rape scene. The sexuality is entirely appropriate, given the fact that Shostakovich's music in one scene was clearly intended as a graphic audio representation of the sex act. Second, opera purists need to be forewarned that this recording includes only about two-thirds of the musical score for the opera. One of the major cuts, however, corresponds to one also made by Shostakovich himself in filming the 1966 version of the opera. Nevertheless, some scenes important to the understanding of the drama are missing. On the other hand, this film reveals the sexual motivations of the principal characters better than alternative versions.
Prokofiev: War and Peace (1941)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Gary Bertini
Principal Vocalists:Olga Guryakova, Nathan Gunn, Robert Brubaker, Elena Obratsova, Vassili Gerello
Performance Year: 2000
Bottom-Line: The story per-se is better told in the wonderful movie version of War and Peace, but Prokofiev's music adds an entirely new dimension to the beauty of the overall experience. The choral segments that close each act create fitting and moving conclusions. The cast is superlative and deep, all the way down to the many minor parts. This is a stunning performance from beginning to end. If you enjoy Prokofiev, epic films, or opera, you simply must see this recording. This is an operatic masterpiece, plain and simple.
Stravinsky: Rake's Progress (1950)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Principal Vocalists: Leo Goeke, Felicity Lott, Samuel Ramey, Rosalind Elias, Richard Van Allen
Performance Year: 1975
Bottom-Line: This recording brings to DVD the legendary 1975 Glyndebourne performance of Stravinsky's only full-length opera, a performance that had been long available on VHS but in need of DVD release. It's a justifiably acclaimed production.
Shostakovich: Katerina Izmailova (1963)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Konstantin Simeonov
Principal Vocalists: Galina Vishnevskaya, Vladislav Tretyak, Ismailov Radziyevsky, Alexander Vedernikov
Performance Year: 1966
Bottom-Line: Herbert Von Karajan once called this film the greatest opera film ever made. That may overstate the case for this DVD a bit, but it is certainly a splendid product. This film was famous when it was made in 1966, but this restored DVD version extended its availability for the first time outside of Russia. Galina Vishnevskaya, singing and performing the lead role, is magnificent.
Rank Order (best first):
1. Puccini: Turandot (1924)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1988
2. Strauss, R.: Der Rosenkavalier (1911)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1979
3. Puccini: Madama Butterfly (1903)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1983
4. Puccinii: Tosca (1900)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1975
5. Strauss, R.: Elektra (1908)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1981
6. Weill: Threepenny Opera (1928)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1931
7. Prokofiev: War and Peace (1941)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2000
8. Berg: Wozzeck (1921)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1970
9. Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (1902)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1989
10. Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle (1911)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1981
11. Strauss, R.: Salome (1905)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1976
12. Zardonai: Francesca da Rimini (1904)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1984
13. Berg: Lulu (1934)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1996
14. Menotti: The Consul (1949)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1960
15. Alfano: Cyrano de Bergerac (1936)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2003
16. Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (1919)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2005
17. Vaughan Williams: Riders to the Sea (1937)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1988
18. Britten: Peter Grimes (1945)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1981
19. Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites (1957)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1999
20. Janacek: From the House of the Dead (1930)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2007
21. Penderecki: The Devils of Loudun (1969)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1969
22. Shostakovich: Katerina Izmailova (1963)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1966
23. Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (1902)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1992
24. Dun: Marco Polo (1995)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 2008
25. Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1932)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1992
26. Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet (1901)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1992
27. Stravinsky: Rake's Progress (1950)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1975
28. Puccini: La Fanciulla del West (1910)
Star Rating: * * *
Performance Year: 1991
29. Messiaen: Saint François d'Assise (1983)
Star Rating: * * *
Performance Year: 2008
30. Dvorak: Rusalka (1900)
Star Rating: * *
Performance Year: 2002
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You can easily access my other opera reviews using the following lists:
Top-Twelve Film Versions of Operas
Metalluk's Twenty Best Pre-Romantic (Baroque & Classicism) Operas, on DVD
Metalluk's Twenty-five Best Italian Romantic Period Operas, on DVD
Metalluk's Twenty Best Non-Italian Romantic Period Operas, on DVD
Metalluk's Thirty Best Operas of the 20th-Century, on DVD
Metalluk's Best Opera from Each Decade of the 20th-Century, on DVD
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