Operas · aftercurtain

3280 shows

Philémon et Baucis

Opera · 1860

Jupiter visits the poor but contented couple Philémon and Baucis during a storm he has caused. Pleased by their kindness and angered by the impious people nearby, he spares them and destroys the others. He grants the couple youth again, then pursues Baucis, who remains faithful despite being tempted by his attention. Philémon curses the gift and leaves. Baucis begs Jupiter to punish her instead, and asks to grow old again with her husband. Philémon joins her plea, and Jupiter blesses their marriage and promises not to disturb their happiness.

Phou-oibi, the Rice Goddess

Opera · 2009

This Meitei-language ballad opera draws on Meitei mythology and folklore. It presents divine narratives of goddesses associated with fish, land, metal, water, wealth, and rice, sent to earth to help human civilization. Rice goddess Phouoibi meets Akongjamba in the ancient kingdom of Moirang, and they fall in love.

Phèdre

Opera · 1786

A three-act opera based on Phaedra’s obsessive love for her stepson Hippolytus in Greek mythology.

Pia de' Tolomei

Opera · 1837

Ghino desires Pia, the wife of his cousin Nello, and uses a discovered message to accuse her of infidelity. He finds her helping her brother Rodrigo escape, and Nello imprisons her; Ghino later learns the truth and confesses, but Nello’s order to poison Pia has already been carried out. As she dies, Pia forgives Nello and reconciles him with Rodrigo.

Pickwick

Opera · 1889

Mrs Bardell loves Pickwick, while Baker competes for her affection. Pickwick’s suggestion that he employ a manservant is mistaken for a marriage proposal, leading to a sequence of misunderstandings and a confrontation with Baker.

Pierre le Grand

Opera · 1790

Tsar Peter disguises himself as a carpenter to work in a Russian shipyard, where he falls in love with and marries the peasant Catherine, later Empress Catherine I. The opera presents the royal couple as ideal rulers concerned with ordinary people, reflecting hopes during the French Revolution that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette would follow their example.

Pierrette et Jacquot

Opera · 1876

Button merchant Cyrille Durand has taken in Jacquot and helped Pierrette, unaware that Jacquot arranged for Pierrette to come to Paris so they could marry. They dress as Savoyards to win Durand’s consent, but he plans to marry Pierrette himself. A false report of a drowning sends Durand rushing out; after he returns soaked, Madame Patacha persuades him to approve the young couple’s marriage and marry her himself.

Pigmalion

Opera · 1748

The sculptor Pigmalion falls in love with the statue he has made and asks Venus to bring it to life, spurning his girlfriend Céphise. The statue animates, sings, and dances; Cupid praises Pigmalion’s artistry and finds another lover for Céphise. The work ends with celebrations of love.

Pimmalione

Opera · 1809

The sculptor Pygmalion falls in love with his statue Galatea. Venus and Cupid bring the statue to life; Galatea returns his love and they celebrate their wedding.

Pimpinone

Opera · 1725

The chambermaid Vespetta wheedles her way into marrying her employer, the elderly Pimpinone. After the marriage, she reveals a sharp temper and completely dominates him.

Pinocchio

Opera · 2017

Philippe Boesmans’s French-language opera adapts Carlo Collodi’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. The available text does not provide further plot details.

Pinotta

Opera · 1932

Baldo, a worker, and Pinotta, a hand-spinner in Andrea’s workshop, fall in love and marry.

Pique Dame

Opera · 1864

Impoverished composer Emil loves Hedwig, daughter of a wealthy widow. Hedwig is also pursued by her guardian Fabian Muker, who wants her fortune. With help from Judith, a fortune-teller and Emil’s foster mother, Emil and Hedwig marry, and Fabian is revealed to be Emil’s uncle.

Pirame et Thisbé

Opera · 1726

A prologue and five-act tragédie en musique based on the story of Pyramus and Thisbe in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Piramo e Tisbe

Opera · 1768

Based on the Pyramus and Thisbe story, this opera presents their love as a sentimental tragedy. After Tisbe’s father forbids their relationship, both lovers kill themselves. The father, blaming himself for their deaths, also takes his own life.

Pirithoüs

Opera · 1723

A prologue and five-act tragédie en musique named for Pirithous, king in Greek mythology.

Pizarre, ou La conquête de Pérou

Opera · 1785

On her wedding day to Zamore, Alzire has an ominous dream before Spanish ships arrive. Pizarro’s forces defeat the Peruvians and destroy their temple. Pizarro, who loves Alzire, offers her father Atabaliba restoration as king in exchange for her hand and threatens captive Zamore. Atabaliba and Zamore plot revolt. In the final confrontation, Alzire protects Pizarro and threatens suicide; Pizarro grants her to Zamore, and the opera ends in reconciliation and celebration.

Plameny

Opera · 1932

In a surreal sequence of scenes, Don Juan seeks to seduce women while longing for Death, personified as La Morte. He kills the Commendatore and loses Donna Anna, then embraces La Morte, who finally passes his test but curses him to eternal life. Don Juan shoots himself, transforms into a young man, and returns to the opening scene to repeat his cycle.

Platée

Opera · 1745

To cure Juno’s jealousy, the gods arrange for Jupiter to pretend to love Platée, an ugly marsh nymph who believes everyone is attracted to her. Jupiter disguises himself as animals before appearing as a god, and a mock wedding is arranged. Juno discovers the ruse and realizes her jealousy was misplaced; the gods return to heaven and the humiliated Platée dives back into her pond.

Plutus

Opera · 1886

In ancient Greece, Xinthias loves Myrrha, but her father intends her to marry the wealthy older Xénon. Following an oracle’s advice, Xinthias shelters Plutus, god of wealth, who makes him rich by diverting a gold-bearing river through his house and village. The new wealth corrupts the villagers and leads Xinthias’s father to forbid his son’s marriage. Plutus ultimately restores the lovers and their neighbors to poverty and happiness.

Poet Li Bai

Opera · 2007

A Chinese-language chamber opera on the subject of poet Li Bai, with fragmentary allusions to his poetry.

Polifemo

Opera · 1735

Polifemo desires Galatea, who loves the mortal Aci. He kills Aci, but the gods restore him as a river deity. Meanwhile, Calipso helps Ulisse escape Polifemo’s control; Ulisse blinds the sleeping cyclops. Polifemo wanders in rage while Aci, Galatea, and Ulisse celebrate.

Poliuto

Opera · 1848

In Roman-ruled Melitene around 259 CE, magistrate Poliuto joins the Christians and is baptized. His wife Paolina, who had been told her former lover Severo died in battle, learns that Severo has returned. Poliuto suspects an affair but turns from revenge when his fellow Christian Nearco is arrested. At the Temple of Jupiter, Poliuto reveals his faith and smashes the pagan altar. Facing execution, he and Paolina reconcile; she converts and asks to die with him. They go with the condemned Christians to the arena.

Polixène

Opera · 1763

After the Trojan War, Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, wants to marry the Trojan princess Polyxena. Juno and Polyxena’s mother, Hecuba, oppose the match, and Hecuba urges Pyrrhus’s rival Telephus to kill him. Telephus refuses, so Hecuba has him killed instead. She is eventually reconciled to Pyrrhus and consents to the marriage.

Polly

Opera · 1777

Polly Peachum travels to the West Indies in search of Macheath, now a pirate living with Jenny Diver. Mrs Trapes kidnaps Polly to sell her to planter Mr Ducat; Polly disguises herself as a young man. After pirates are defeated and identities exposed, Macheath is executed and Polly marries Cawwawkee, son of the Indian king.

Polydore

Opera · 1720

Based on the legend of Polydorus, youngest son of Priam, who is murdered by Polymestor, King of Thrace, for his treasure. The original ending shows Polymnestor committing suicide onstage; after this shocked audiences, a chorus about Deidamie and Polydore’s love was inserted.

Polydorus

Opera · 1726

A five-act opera by Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Samuel Müller, with characters including Polydorus, Andromache and Polymestor. The entry does not describe the plot.

Polyeucte

Opera · 1878

In Melitene, Armenia, Pauline is married to Polyeucte but once loved Roman general Sévère. When Sévère returns, Pauline confides in him that Polyeucte is in danger because Christians are to be executed. Polyeucte becomes a Christian despite the threat of persecution. Governor Félix orders vengeance, and Sévère cannot persuade Polyeucte to deny his faith. Polyeucte remains imprisoned and appears with Pauline in the arena as the lion’s den is opened.

Polyphème

Opera · 1922

Polyphème is embittered because Galatée, whom he loves, now loves Acis. He tries to renew his bond with her but lets her go when she rejects him. As the lovers grow closer, Polyphème obsessively questions the boy Lycas about their intimacy. When he sees them sleeping together, he chooses not to crush them with a boulder, blinds himself, and walks toward the sea, with Lycas helping him touch Galatée one last time.

Polyxène et Pirrhus

Opera · 1706

A prologue and five-act tragédie lyrique concerning the mythological figures Polyxena and Pyrrhus (Neoptolemus).

Pomme d'api

Opera · 1873

Rabastens disapproves of his nephew Gustave’s romance with Pomme d’api and cuts off his allowance. When Catherine arrives as a new maid, Gustave recognizes his former beloved, who tests his devotion by letting Rabastens court her. Gustave prepares to leave, Catherine embraces him, and Rabastens relents and blesses their marriage.

Pomone

Opera · 1671

Vertumne loves Pomone while her nurse Beroé loves Vertumne. Vertumne attempts to win Pomone through disguises as a dragon, Pluto and Bacchus, succeeding only when he appears as Beroé, whom Pomone cannot refuse a kiss.

Pompeo Magno

Opera · 1666

This three-act Italian dramma per musica features Pompey the Great and other historical figures, including Sextus Pompey, Mithridates, Julius Caesar, and Crassus.

Pontalba

Opera · 2003

The opera loosely dramatizes the life of Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba, including her marriage to Célestin, confinement at the de Pontalba château, survival of her father-in-law’s shooting attack, legal separation and return to New Orleans. The work also includes fictional characters and changes historical details.

Por amor y por lealtad recobrar la majestad

Opera · 1736

A distinct setting or adaptation of Pietro Metastasio’s Demetrio libretto by Giovanni Battista Mele. Two-act adaptation premiered on 31 January 1736 at Teatro de la Cruz, Madrid; libretto adapted by D. Vincente de Camacho. No version-specific plot is supplied.

Porgy and Bess

Opera · 1935

In Charleston, disabled street beggar Porgy tries to protect Bess from Crown, her violent lover, and Sportin’ Life, a drug dealer. After Crown kills Robbins and flees, Bess takes shelter with Porgy. She later encounters Crown on Kittiwah Island, then returns to Porgy; during a hurricane, Crown reappears and Porgy kills him. When Porgy is released from jail, he learns Bess has left for New York with Sportin’ Life and sets out to find her.

Porin

Opera · 1897

A Croatian grand opera by Vatroslav Lisinski to a text by Dimitrija Demeter.

Poro, re dell’Indie

Opera · 1731

After Alexander conquers India, King Poro disguises himself to avoid capture, while his wife Cleofide seeks mercy and his sister Erissena attracts Alexander and his general. Jealousy, disguises, attempted suicide, and shifting alliances lead to Cleofide’s planned self-immolation; Poro returns, and Alexander forgives the couple and makes peace.

Postcard from Morocco

Opera · 1971

Passengers waiting in a train station reveal what they do but keep the contents of their luggage secret. A puppet master who seems to live in the station tries to manipulate them. The passengers leave one by one, except Mr. Owen, who acts out a story about sailing away and breaks the puppet master’s hold. The puppet master retains control of the Foreign Singer in the final moments.

Powder Her Face

Opera · 1995

In a hotel in 1990, staff mock the Duchess and later evict her for unpaid bills. Earlier scenes revisit her marriage, affairs, and sensational 1950s divorce proceedings. In the final scene she attempts to seduce the hotel manager but fails; after she leaves, the electrician and maid emerge from under the bed and destroy the room.

Pozdvižení v Efesu

Opera · 1943

Iša Krejčí’s Czech opéra bouffe adapts Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. The work was written between 1939 and 1943 and received wartime radio performances.

Preußisches Märchen

Opera · 1952

An opera buffa with simultaneous ballet by Boris Blacher, based on the real-life Captain of Köpenick story and Carl Zuckmayer’s play. Heinz von Cramer wrote the libretto. No plot description is available in the reviewed text.

Prima Donna

Opera · 2009

On Bastille Day 1970, opera soprano Régine Saint Laurent prepares to return to the stage after six years away, following a vocal failure during a performance of an opera composed for her. Her butler Philippe encourages the comeback and an interview. Journalist and aspiring singer André Le Tourner arrives; the maid Marie distrusts him. Régine notices André resembles the tenor who sang opposite her in her earlier opera. As Régine and André become infatuated and sing selections from that score together, she relives the premiere and her later breakdown, reaching a decision about her return.

Prima la musica e poi le parole

Opera · 1786

A composer has completed music for a new opera, but its poet cannot finish the words. Their work is disrupted by a prima donna and a comic singer competing for the opening aria; the composer and poet resolve the quarrel by combining seria and buffa styles.

Prince Igor

Opera · 1890

Prince Igor sets out from Putivl to fight the Polovtsians despite a solar eclipse that Yaroslavna sees as a bad omen. His army is defeated, and Igor and his son Vladimir are captured. In Khan Konchak’s camp, Vladimir falls in love with Konchakovna; Igor refuses an offer of freedom in exchange for a promise not to fight again. Igor escapes with help from Ovlur, while Vladimir stays behind and marries Konchakovna. Igor returns to Putivl and reunites with Yaroslavna.

Princess Ida

Opera · 1884

Prince Hilarion travels to Castle Adamant with friends Cyril and Florian to claim Princess Ida, to whom he was betrothed in infancy. Ida has founded a women’s university and rejects men. The three men disguise themselves as female students, but Cyril’s drunken song exposes them. After Hilarion rescues Ida from a stream, she still refuses him. King Hildebrand arrives and threatens war unless Ida marries Hilarion. Ida’s students are too frightened to fight, so she agrees to a contest between Hilarion and his friends and her three brothers. The princes win, and Ida accepts Hilarion, acknowledging that she loves him.

Prinsessan av Cypern

Opera · 1860

Lemminkäinen travels to Cyprus and carries Princess Chryseis back to Finland. A blind shepherd later kills him, and his mother restores him to life through prayer.

Prinsessan av Cypern

Opera · 1937

Lemminkäinen abducts Princess Chryseis from Cyprus, and she becomes Kyllikki in his northern home. Their strained marriage ends when she leaves for Medon’s ship and Lemminkäinen goes to battle; after he is murdered, his mother descends to Tuonela and frees him through her song.

Prinzessin Brambilla

Opera · 1909

A German-language opera by Walter Braunfels, adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s novella of the same name. Its roles include the actor Claudio and young seamstress Giazinta.

Prism

Opera · 2018

Bibi, a sickly child, lives in a seemingly safe room with her protective mother Lumee. In fragmented memories of their past, the audience sees that Lumee abandoned Bibi in a club, where Bibi was sexually assaulted. The final act reveals the first act’s sanctuary as a fabrication: both women are traumatized, and Lumee tries to make Bibi forget. Bibi wants to face what happened and leave the room, beginning a process of healing.

Proces Kafka

Opera · 2005

Poul Ruders’s opera combines scenes from Franz Kafka’s unfinished novel The Trial with letters from Kafka’s life concerning Felice Bauer and Grete Bloch. The libretto was written by Paul Bentley and translated into Danish by Karen Hoffmann.

Prometheus

Opera · 1959

A five-scene scenic oratorio in which Prometheus, chained to a rock by Zeus, prophesies that a savior of mankind will appear after ten generations.

Prometheus

Opera · 1968

Chained to a rock in the Caucasus for giving fire and knowledge to humanity, Prometheus refuses to tell Zeus the secret that could threaten his rule. He recounts his gifts to humankind and foretells Zeus’s eventual fall. Io visits and learns of her future journey; when Prometheus continues to refuse Hermes’s demand, Zeus’s thunderbolt sends him into Hades.

Prométhée

Opera · 1900

After Prométhée gives humanity fire, Zeus condemns him to be chained to a rock. Pandore initially opposes Prométhée, then revives after being carried in a funeral procession. In the final act, she accepts a box from Zeus despite Prométhée’s warning and discovers that her tears have become a healing balsam.

Proserpin

Opera · 1781

In Sicily, Pluto abducts Proserpin, daughter of Ceres. Ceres’s grief disrupts the harvest, and the mortal Atis and nymph Cyane journey to the underworld. Jupiter decrees that Proserpin will alternate between living with him and her mother, then blesses her marriage to Pluto and restores reconciliation.

Proserpina rapita

Opera · 1630

At the request of an enamored shepherd, Pluto turns Pachino into a mountain and promises him a place in Elysium. Cupid’s arrow then makes Pluto fall for Proserpine, whom he claims as queen. When her protector Ciane is transformed into a spring, Proserpine submits; Pluto is softened by her beauty and promises to treat lovers less harshly.

Proserpine

Opera · 1680

Based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Lully and Quinault’s opera centers on Pluto’s abduction of Proserpine. It also includes subplots involving Ceres and Jupiter, and Alpheus and Arethusa.

Proserpine

Opera · 1803

The opera concentrates on Pluto's abduction of Proserpine. Guillard's libretto reduces Quinault's five-act source to three acts and focuses on the main plot.

Proserpine

Opera · 1887

A four-act French drame lyrique by Camille Saint-Saëns based on Auguste Vacquerie’s play, with a story set in Italy.

Psohlavci

Opera · 1898

The opera is based on Alois Jirásek’s Psohlavci, concerning the Dogheads of Chodsko and their 1695 rebellion over ancient privileges.

Psyché

Opera · 1678

Venus sends Cupid to punish Psyché, whom mortals revere as a rival. Cupid falls in love with her instead, but Venus later reveals his identity and drives Psyché from her palace. She sends her to the underworld for Proserpine’s beauty, and Psyché is killed by a poisonous vapour from the box she brings back. Jupiter restores her to life and makes her immortal, uniting the lovers.

Puck

Opera · 1949

Loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Delannoy’s stage work combines opera-comique elements, dance and spoken theatre. Puck is danced, while Titania, Oberon and the lovers and craftsmen populate the vocal and acting roles.

Puntila

Opera · 1966

An opera by Paul Dessau based on Bertolt Brecht’s play Mr Puntila and His Man Matti.

Puss in Boots

Opera · 1915

A three-act fairytale opera for children, closely following Charles Perrault’s story. It follows the Cat and Jean, the miller’s youngest son, who becomes the Marquis de Carabas; the characters also include a King, a Princess, an Ogre, and Jean’s two older brothers.

Putao xianzi

Opera · 1923

Li Jinhui’s Chinese children’s opera, titled The Grape Fairy; a revised and expanded version was staged in Shanghai in 1927.

Pygmalion

Opera · 1779

Pygmalion, having renounced women, falls in love with the statue he has made, Galatea. Venus brings Galatea to life, giving Pygmalion happiness.

Pyramus and Thisbe

Opera · 1745

Pyramus and Thisbe arrange a meeting through a chink in the Wall, at Ninus’s tomb. Thisbe arrives first but is frightened away by the Lion. Pyramus finds her scarf, assumes she is dead, and stabs himself; Thisbe returns and does likewise. The impresario, Mr Semibrief, revives them in time to sing the epilogue. Spoken comments by Semibrief and two gentlemen interrupt the burlesque of Italian opera.

Pyrrhus

Opera · 1730

A tragédie en musique about Pyrrhus, also known as Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, based on Greek myth.

Pyrrhus and Demetrius

Opera · 1708

Demetrius seizes the Macedonian throne after murdering Alexander and plans to invade Asia. Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Lysimachus form an alliance against him, joined by Pyrrhus of Epirus. Pyrrhus drives Demetrius from the throne and replaces him, but Lysimachus later drives Pyrrhus away.

Pénélope

Opera · 1785

A three-act tragédie lyrique based on the story of Odysseus and Penelope in Homer’s Odyssey.

Pénélope

Opera · 1913

Penelope has waited ten years for the return of Ulysses, King of Ithaca, while suitors press her to marry. She says she will choose once she finishes weaving a shroud for Laertes, but unpicks it every night. Ulysses returns disguised as a beggar and is recognized by his nurse Euryclea. He tells Penelope’s suitors they must win her hand by drawing his bow. None succeeds; Ulysses draws it easily and kills the suitors with help from the shepherds. He and Penelope reunite.

Pépito

Opera · 1853

In a Basque village, innkeeper Manuelita waits for her fiancé Pépito, away in military service. Her childhood friend Miguel returns and falls for her. He tries to court her, but she rejects him out of loyalty to Pépito. Impressed by her virtue, Miguel decides to enlist so Pépito can return. Vertigo then delivers a letter revealing that Pépito has married his canteen keeper. Manuelita accepts Miguel, and Vertigo agrees to play his serpent at their wedding.

Queen of Knives

Opera · 2010

Set in a traveling carnival during early-1960s student protests in Birmingham, Alabama, this two-act opera follows a brother and sister who perform as a knife-throwing act.

Queenie Pie

Opera · 1962

Harlem beautician Queenie Pie, named best in town, faces a challenge from Café O’Lay, who wins the love of Queenie’s manager Holt Faye and kills him in a quarrel. Queenie travels to a magic island seeking a flower, meets a king and witch doctor, and eventually reconciles with Café O’Lay.

Radamisto

Opera · 1720

Tiridate, king of Armenia, wages war to possess Zenobia, wife of Prince Radamisto. Radamisto and Zenobia flee, are captured, and face repeated threats as Tiridate pursues her. When his army and people rebel, Tiridate releases the couple, seeks his wife Polissena’s forgiveness, and promises to rule justly.

Radvila Perkūnas

Opera · 1937

Set during the life of Krzysztof “Piorun” Radziwiłł, the four-act opera concerns rivalry between Lithuania’s powerful Radvila and Chodkiewicz families, which nearly leads to civil war. The entry does not supply further plot details.

Ragnheiður

Opera · 2013

In seventeenth-century Skálholt, bishop Brynjólfur makes his daughter Ragnheiður publicly swear she is a virgin despite rumors of her affair with her teacher Daði. After she becomes pregnant, Daði leaves to plead his case, and Ragnheiður is publicly absolved but separated from her child; she dies in 1663. Ten years later, Daði learns at her grave that their son has also died.

Rain

Opera · 1997

An opera by Richard Owen based on Somerset Maugham’s short story Rain. Its original 1997 version was titled Sadie Thompson; a revised version titled Rain premiered in 2003.

Ran

Opera · 1903

Three-act opera named for the Norse sea goddess Rán and drawing on Nordic mythology. The entry does not provide a plot summary or premiere information.

Raphael

Opera · 1894

A one-act opera depicting the Renaissance artist Raphael, with Fornarina, his model and mistress, among the central characters.

Rappaccini's Daughter

Opera · 1980

In Padua, Giovanni rents a room and falls in love with Beata, daughter of Dr. Rappaccini, who has experimented on her with poisonous plants. Giovanni falls ill, and his friend Baglioni gives him a potion intended to cure both Giovanni and Beata. Beata knows the cure will kill her, but drinks it and dies as her father returns.

Rasputin

Opera · 2003

After Rasputin comforts the hemophiliac Tsarevich Alexei, Tsarina Alexandra sees him as a healer and his influence grows. Felix Yusupov and allies plot to kill him, while Rasputin’s power and behavior provoke fear and hostility. He survives a stabbing and poisoning before being shot by the conspirators; Alix foresees the Romanovs’ fate.

Raymond and Agnes

Opera · 1855

Raymond seeks to rescue Agnes from her guardian, the Baron of Lindenberg, who plans to marry her. Raymond discovers the Baron murdered his father and imprisoned his mother; he and Agnes escape, but are recaptured. In the final confrontation, the Baron is accidentally shot, and the mute Ravella regains her speech and is revealed as Raymond’s mother.

Raymond, ou Le Secret de la reine

Opera · 1851

Raymond, a young peasant in love with the orphan Stelle, is discovered to be the twin brother of Louis XIV and persecuted as a threat to the king’s reign. Raymond and Stelle escape when the Chevalier de Rosargues sacrifices himself by taking Raymond’s place behind the iron mask.

Re Enzo

Opera · 1905

Set in Bologna in the second half of the 13th century, the opera centers on Enzo, King of Sardinia, captured by Bologna’s army at the Battle of Fossalta and held in the palace later named Palazzo Re Enzo. The city’s women fall in love with him and wish to free him, creating conflict with their husbands.

Red Guards on Honghu Lake

Opera · 1956

When a landlord and Kuomintang forces attack the Honghu base, Han Ying and Liu Chuang lead the Red Guards in retreat and counterattack. Han is arrested while rescuing villagers, but escapes with help from Lieutenant Zhang, who is killed; she later leads the Guards to victory.

Regina

Opera · 1899

Workers strike at Simon’s factory, where his daughter Regina is betrothed to foreman Richard. Another foreman, Stephan, joins political insurgents and occupies the factory. Fighting sets the factory ablaze, and Stephan kidnaps Regina. She tries to change his mind, but he later threatens to blow up an ammunition dump where they are hiding. Regina shoots him before he can act. The workers celebrate liberty, and Richard and the chorus close with a song for a united democratic Germany.

Regina

Opera · 1949

In the Deep South in 1900, Regina Giddens schemes with her brothers for wealth and power. Her husband Horace opposes their plans, so Regina withholds his heart medicine and he dies. Their daughter Alexandra realizes what happened and leaves Regina, who is left rich but isolated after also double-crossing her brothers.

Regina Diaz

Opera · 1894

In Naples around 1700, rebel Mario Sanseverino entrusts compromising letters from his lover Regina, wife of Spanish governor Ferrante Diaz, to Friar Benedetto. After the rebellion is uncovered, Ferrante first offers Mario exile, but later discovers Regina’s betrayal. Ferrante kills Mario in a duel and sends Regina to a convent.

Reigen

Opera · 1993

A ten-scene chain of encounters between a sex worker, soldier, parlor maid, young gentleman, young wife, husband, young woman, poet, singer, and count, ending where the cycle began.

Rembrandt’s Wife

Opera · 2009

The opera explores Rembrandt’s relationships with Saskia van Uylenburgh, Geertje Dircx, and Hendrickje Stoffels: his wife’s death, his former lover’s madness, and the arrival of his future muse.

Renard

Opera · 1922

In this burlesque farmyard tale, the Fox deceives and captures the Cock twice, but the Cat and Ram rescue him each time. After the second rescue, the three friends strangle the Fox and celebrate. The Fox wears a nun’s black gown in an ironic allusion to religious inviolability.

Renaud

Opera · 1783

Princess and sorceress Armide loves the crusader Renaud and uses magic to make him love her. When he is freed from her spell, she first vows revenge, then warns him of an ambush. After battle, Armide attempts suicide, but Renaud saves her and reconciles with her when her father reveals that Renaud spared his life.

Renaud, ou La suite d’Armide

Opera · 1722

A prologue and five-act tragédie en musique, sequel to Lully’s Armide and based on Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata.

Resurrection

Opera · 1987

A mute child is subjected to pressure from his family, authority figures and television advertisements until his head explodes. Surgeons then attempt to reconstruct him and reshape his social, religious and sexual attitudes. When the Antichrist appears and the child is resurrected, he turns against the surgeons.

Reuben, Reuben

Opera · 1955

Reuben, a suicidal veteran unable to speak, wanders through Little Italy during one night. He meets Nina, who thinks he is trying to rescue her from a bridge jump; their relationship grows as the manipulative bartender Bart tries to push Reuben toward suicide. After a dangerous encounter and time in a mental institution, Reuben and Nina confront Bart and decide to begin again.

Rhapsody

Opera · 1944

A two-act operetta set at the court of Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa.

Riccardo primo, re d’Inghilterra

Opera · 1727

Shipwrecked in Cyprus on her way to marry Richard I, Costanza hides her identity at Governor Isacio’s court. Isacio plans to seduce her and substitute his daughter Pulcheria as Richard’s bride. Richard, disguised as an ambassador, uncovers the plot and later defeats Isacio’s forces when the governor captures Costanza. Isacio is allowed to live but loses power, and Pulcheria rules with Oronte.

Ricciardo e Zoraide

Opera · 1818

King Agorante of Nubia, who desires Zoraide, has defeated her father Ircano and taken her captive. Zoraide’s lover Ricciardo arrives with an emissary to plead for her release. Agorante’s jealous wife Zomira arranges Ricciardo’s capture and plots to have the lovers executed. An army of Christian knights rescues Ricciardo and Zoraide, and Ricciardo spares Agorante.

Richard Coeur de Lion (Burgoyne and Linley semi-opera)

Opera · 1788

An English semi-opera adaptation of Sedaine’s Richard Coeur-de-lion. The source identifies its authors and 1788 Drury Lane performance but gives no separate plot synopsis.

Richard Cœur-de-lion

Opera · 1784

Blondel, Richard the Lionheart’s faithful squire, searches for the imprisoned king disguised as a blind troubadour. In Linz he learns from Sir Williams and his daughter Laurette of a prisoner in the nearby castle; singing a tune known to Richard confirms the king’s identity. With help from Countess Marguerite and Williams’s men, Blondel exploits Laurette’s relationship with the governor Florestan to free Richard during a celebration.

Rickshaw Boy

Opera · 2014

Guo Wenjing’s Chinese contemporary opera adapts Lao She’s novel Rickshaw Boy, also known by its Chinese title 骆驼祥子 (Luòtuo Xiángzi).

Riders to the Sea

Opera · 1937

Maurya and her daughters fear that Bartley will be claimed by the sea after the family has already lost several men. While Maurya goes to bless his journey, they identify the body of her son Michael; Bartley then dies in a fall into the sea, and Maurya accepts that the sea has taken all her sons.

Rienzi, der letzte der Tribunen

Opera · 1842

Patricians attempt to kidnap Rienzi’s sister Irene, but Rienzi stops them and rallies the Roman people, who make him their tribune. Adriano, son of patrician Stefano Colonna, loves Irene. The nobles plot against Rienzi, who survives an attempted stabbing and grants them mercy at Adriano’s request. When the nobles raise an army, Rienzi leads the people to victory, and Stefano is killed. The Church later excommunicates Rienzi and his associates. Irene stays with him, despite Adriano’s plea that she flee. The crowd turns against Rienzi and attacks the Capitol. As it burns, Rienzi, Irene, and Adriano are killed.

Rigoletto

Opera · 1851

At the Duke of Mantua’s court, Rigoletto mocks Count Monterone after the Duke has seduced Monterone’s daughter, and Monterone curses them both. The courtiers abduct Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, whom the Duke has deceived into loving him. Rigoletto hires an assassin to kill the Duke, but Gilda sacrifices herself in his place. When Rigoletto finds her dying in the sack, he recognizes the curse has come true.

Rinaldo

Opera · 1711

During the First Crusade, knight Rinaldo loves Almirena, daughter of the Crusader commander Goffredo. The Saracen king Argante seeks help from the sorceress Armida, who abducts Almirena. Rinaldo leaves his companions to pursue her, while Argante’s love for Almirena leads to conflict with Armida. With a Christian magician’s help, Goffredo and Eustazio reach Armida’s palace and free Almirena. The Crusaders capture Jerusalem; Rinaldo captures Argante, and Armida and Argante accept Christianity. Goffredo forgives them, and the victors and vanquished reconcile.

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

Opera · 1930

Fugitives Begbick, Fatty, and Moses found Mahagonny, a pleasure city where “do what you want” becomes its law. Lumberjack Jimmy Mahoney arrives with friends, but after the hurricane misses the city, the residents embrace unrestrained consumption and violence. Jimmy is arrested for being unable to pay his bills and is sentenced to death; after his execution, factional conflict destroys the city.

Risorgimento!

Opera · 2011

At La Scala in February 1842, a rehearsal of Nabucco leads singers and theatre figures to debate the opera’s artistic merits and political implications. Impresario Merelli defends Verdi while worrying about Austrian censorship. Strepponi’s rehearsal of music from Nabucco and Saffo turns into a dream of her attraction to Verdi. After a political dispute with Count Belgioioso, the rehearsal resumes; Bellinzaghi’s prayer as Fenena becomes a vision of Nabucco’s triumph and the Risorgimento. An older Verdi appears as a senator of unified Italy, reflecting on the past and an uncertain future.

Risurrezione

Opera · 1904

Prince Dimitri seduces Katiusha before leaving for war, then abandons her. Pregnant and expelled, she later sees him with another woman, falls into hardship and is wrongly convicted of murder. Dimitri offers to marry her, but she refuses. On the way to Siberia, Katiusha chooses to marry the political prisoner Simonson and devote herself to helping other prisoners, though she still loves Dimitri.

Ritratto

Opera · 2020

Luisa Casati, a wealthy Italian heiress, turns herself into a living work of art and surrounds herself with leading artists, including her lover Gabriele D’Annunzio. As the First World War begins, she distances herself from her friends’ enthusiasm for war and ultimately sacrifices herself to her artistic ideal.

Ritter Blaubart

Opera · 1920

Reznicek’s three-act opera focuses on the psychology and pathological character of its title figure, Knight Bluebeard. Herbert Eulenberg revised his earlier five-act play for the opera, condensing its structure and removing scenes.

Robert Bruce

Opera · 1846

Robert the Bruce leads the Scots in a struggle against Edward II of England; the English forces are defeated.

Robert le diable

Opera · 1831

Robert seeks the hand of Princess Isabelle while his mysterious companion Bertram leads him into ruin. Bertram is revealed as Robert’s father and a servant of hell. Robert uses a magic branch to disrupt Isabelle’s arranged marriage, but breaks its spell; after Alice brings his mother’s warning, Robert rejects Bertram’s oath, Bertram is taken to hell, and Robert reunites with Isabelle.

Roberto Devereux

Opera · 1837

Queen Elizabeth agrees to see Roberto Devereux, Earl of Essex, who has returned from Ireland under accusation of treason. She still loves him and offers him a ring as a pledge of safety. Roberto, however, loves Sara, Duchess of Nottingham. When they meet privately, Sara gives him a blue shawl as a token of their love. At Westminster, Elizabeth learns that Roberto has the shawl and demands the name of his beloved. He refuses, and she signs his death warrant. Sara receives Roberto’s ring and letter asking her to seek mercy, but her husband Nottingham prevents her from reaching the Queen. Elizabeth receives the ring too late to stop the execution. After Roberto’s death, she names James Stuart as king.

Robin Hood

Opera · 1934

A ballad opera based on the Robin Hood legend, composed for performances at North Yorkshire work camps during the Great Depression. The libretto reflected Michael Tippett’s socialist views and the difficulties faced by unemployed miners.

Robinson Crusoé

Opera · 1867

Robinson leaves his family home in Bristol to seek his fortune at sea. Six years later, shipwrecked on an island near the Orinoco, he lives with Vendredi, whom he rescued from a cannibal tribe. Robinson’s fiancée Edwige, Suzanne, and Toby arrive on the island but are captured by the cannibals, along with their former Bristol neighbor Jim Cocks. Vendredi rescues them. Robinson tricks the pirates into leaving their ship, and the group sails back to England, with Robinson and Edwige married at sea.

Rocking Horse Winner

Opera · 2016

A boy discovers that riding his rocking horse helps him predict race winners. His effort to earn his mother’s love through money becomes an increasingly dangerous fixation.

Rockland the Opera

Opera · 2011

In 1960, elderly Alfred Laakso leads visitors through Rockland and recalls the 1906 miners’ strike. The scenes follow miners’ lives, an underground fatality, union organizing and a strike that ends in gunfire, killing Puna-Pekka and later Kova Kivi. Alfred recounts the arrests, trials and release of the miners; Johanna leaves for Finland while William hopes to remain with her, and the opera returns to Alfred’s tour.

Rodelinda

Opera · 1725

After Grimoaldo usurps the throne of Milan, Queen Rodelinda and her son Flavio are held captive, while her husband Bertarido is believed dead. Grimoaldo offers to marry Rodelinda and restore her throne, but she refuses. When he threatens Flavio, she agrees only on condition that Grimoaldo kill the boy himself. Bertarido watches in hiding, then secretly reveals he is alive. He is imprisoned but escapes with help from his sister Eduige and counsellor Unulfo. In the palace garden, Bertarido kills Garibaldo, who is about to murder Grimoaldo, but spares the usurper. Grimoaldo gives up the throne and returns to Eduige; Bertarido is restored to Rodelinda and their son.

Rodrigo

Opera · 1707

After deposing the corrupt king Vitizza, Rodrigo repeats his predecessor’s wrongdoing by seducing Florinda and promising to marry her, despite being married to Esilena. A rebellion led by Evanco defeats Rodrigo. Florinda prepares to kill him, but Esilena brings Florinda’s son and persuades her to spare him. Rodrigo abdicates and goes into exile with Esilena; Evanco marries Florinda, and Giuliano becomes regent.

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