Armida al campo d’Egitto
An opera about Armida, with a version that begins with events before the war against the Crusaders. The original Act II is lost; a restored version is available in a complete recording.
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During the First Crusade, the sorceress Armide captures Christian knights. When she raises her dagger to kill their defender Renaud, she falls in love with him instead and uses magic to make him love her. Unable to bear that his feelings are enchanted, she asks the Goddess of Hate to restore her hatred, but cannot escape her love. Two of Renaud’s fellow soldiers arrive and break the spell. Renaud escapes, leaving Armide enraged and despairing.
Armide
Gluck set the same libretto Philippe Quinault had written for Jean-Baptiste Lully’s 1686 opera Armide, based on Torquato Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered. Gluck removed the allegorical prologue and added lines to the end of Act Three.
Arminio
Set in Rome under Tiberius, the opera centers on Segesta, the wife of Arminius, who becomes a prisoner of Germanicus.
Arminio
Arminio, a Germanic leader fighting Rome, is captured through the treachery of Segeste, his father-in-law. Segeste hopes to marry his daughter Thusnelda to the Roman general Varo, who desires her, but Varo eventually frees Arminio to fight. Arminio defeats the Romans, kills Varo, and forgives Segeste; he and Thusnelda are reunited.
Arnljot
The opera draws on the saga figure Arnljot Gelline and the history of Jämtland. In an Act I speech, the chieftain Sigurd urges the people to reclaim their independence and elect a leader.
Aroldo
After returning from the Crusades, Aroldo discovers that his wife Mina has been unfaithful with Godvino. Her father Egberto urges her to hide the affair and later challenges Godvino, while Aroldo struggles with his response. Aroldo offers Mina a divorce, but when she explains that Godvino deceived her, Egberto kills him. Aroldo retreats to Scotland with his companion Briano. Mina and Egberto are shipwrecked nearby, and Briano’s appeal to forgive leads Aroldo to reunite with Mina.
Arrighetto
Nobleman Arrighetto hides under the name Tebaldo, working as gardener in Corrado’s household while awaiting news that he can safely reveal himself. Corrado intends his daughter Despina to marry Count Ludovico, but she loves Giannotto, who is Arrighetto’s elder son; Ludovico is the younger son, raised by another family. When Ludovico recognizes Giannotto and gives up his claim to Despina, news of the defeat of Charles I allows Arrighetto to disclose his identity, reunite with his sons, and bless Giannotto’s marriage.
Arshak II
King Arshak II returns victorious to his capital and falls in love with Parandzem, who is betrothed to Gnel. Gnel is mortally wounded while trying to protect her from the king’s guards. Arshak later regrets imprisoning his wife, Queen Olympia, but a reconciliation feast ends with her death from poisoned wine and an uprising against the king.
Arsilda, regina di Ponto
A dramma per musica whose controversial plot involves Queen Arsilda falling in love with another woman disguised as a man.
Arsinoe, Queen of Cyprus
An English-language, Italian-style opera staged at Drury Lane in 1705. Peter Anthony Motteux adapted a libretto by Tommaso Stanzani for the London production. The title character was fictional and unrelated to historical women named Arsinoe. No plot description is available in the reviewed text.
Artamene
A three-act opera by Tomaso Albinoni with a libretto by Bartolomeo Vitturi. Composed in 1740 and premiered in Venice during the 1741 Carnival season, the music is now lost.
Artaserse
Set in the Persian court, Artabano murders King Serse and accuses the king’s son Dario. He seeks to eliminate the rest of the royal family and persuades Artaserse to avenge the murder. A succession of events exposes the treason.
Artaserse
After Artabano murders King Serse, he frames his son Arbace and helps secure Artaserse’s succession. Arbace refuses to join his father’s plot and is condemned, while Artabano continues conspiring against the royal family. Arbace escapes, prevents Artaserse from drinking a poisoned cup, and exposes the truth; Artaserse pardons Artabano and reunites Arbace with Mandane.
Artaserse
Artabano murders King Serse and frames his son Arbace, who is in love with Mandane. Artaserse doubts Arbace’s guilt and frees him; when a rebellion threatens, Arbace defeats the traitors. Artabano confesses to the murder and an attempted poisoning, and Artaserse condemns him to exile while the two couples reunite.
Artaxerxes
After King Xerxes is murdered, his general Artabanes frames his own son Arbaces and seeks the throne for Artaxerxes. Artaxerxes frees his friend, who defeats a rebellion and exposes Artabanes as the killer; the king exiles the general and reunites two pairs of lovers.
Artemisia
Set in the Venetian Republic, the story centers on love, betrayal, virtue, and honour. Two pairs of crossed lovers are reunited by a benevolent monarch.
Artemisia
Artemisia, Queen of Caria and widow of Mausolus, faces a variety of unwanted suitors.
Arvire et Évélina
On the isle of Mona, Roman general Messala tries to capture British king Arvire with help from his sons Irvin and Vellinus. Irvin reveals the plot and leads the British defense, while Vellinus first betrays Arvire and later repents. The Britons defeat the Romans and free Évélina from captivity; Arvire releases Messala and his men and promises Évélina to Irvin in marriage.
As One
Portrayed by two singers as Hannah Before and Hannah After, Hannah discovers her gender identity amid isolation and rejection. Through high school, college, hormone therapy, and a complicated relationship with her family, she learns to accept and love herself.
As Variedades de Proteu
The Portuguese puppet opera treats the complications of marriage and love, with mythological figures Proteus and Nereus and the witty character Caranguejo. The entry does not provide further plot details.
Ascanio
In 1539 Paris, sculptor Benvenuto Cellini and his apprentice Ascanio love Colombe, while Scozzone loves Cellini and the Duchess admires Ascanio. Cellini steps aside for the young couple and hides Colombe in a reliquary to protect her from the Duchess’s jealousy. The Duchess diverts it to her estate, intending to suffocate Colombe, but Scozzone secretly takes Colombe’s place. The king approves Ascanio and Colombe’s marriage, but Scozzone is found dead.
Ascanio in Alba
Venus sends her son Ascanio to rule the future Alba and orders him to conceal his identity while testing his betrothed Silvia’s virtue. Silvia recognizes him from a dream but is later convinced he is not Ascanio and despairs. Venus finally reveals the test, unites the lovers and blesses the future city.
Ashig Garib
An Azerbaijani opera based on motifs from the Ashig Garib dastan.
Ashmedai
In a story based on the Talmud, a peace-loving country is corrupted by the devil.
Askold’s Grave
In early Kyiv, orphan Vseslav prepares to marry fisherman’s daughter Nadezhda. The Unknown Man, seeking revenge for the murder of Prince Askold, tells Vseslav that he is Askold’s grandson and urges him to betray Prince Sviatoslav and seize power. Vseslav rejects the scheme; the romantic plot unfolds amid folk songs and dances.
Asle og Alida
Pregnant Alida and Asle arrive in Bjørgvin seeking shelter and are turned away until Asle takes an old woman’s house by force; Alida gives birth to their son, Sigvald. Later Asle travels to buy wedding rings and is arrested for murder and theft from his former home. Alida learns that Asle has been hanged, receives a bracelet from Asleik, and hears Asle’s voice telling her he will remain with her through the wind, music and their son.
Asli and Kerem
A mugham opera based on motifs from the South Caucasus poem Kerem and Aslı. It celebrates love and spiritual beauty while criticizing feudal relations and nationalist tendencies promoted by clerical circles.
Asrael
The opera portrays a conflict between the spirit of evil, represented by Asrael, and the spirit of Christian love, represented by Nefta.
Assassinio nella cattedrale
A two-act opera with intermezzo, adapted from T. S. Eliot’s play Murder in the Cathedral.
Astarto
A three-act opera by Giovanni Bononcini to a libretto by Paolo Rolli, after Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati.
Astarté
Heracles sets out to destroy the cult of Astarte and punish its priestess, Queen Omphale, but falls under her spell. When Omphale refuses to marry him, Iole arrives with Deianira’s magical tunic; its burning curse consumes Heracles and the city, while Omphale returns to Lesbos with her followers.
Astrée
A three-act tragédie lyrique based on Honoré d’Urfé’s romance L’Astrée.
At the Boar’s Head
At the Boar’s Head Inn in Eastcheap, Falstaff recounts a robbery to Prince Hal and Poins, who reveal that they themselves took the stolen money. Hal rehearses his response to the King with Falstaff, then disguises himself with Poins to observe Falstaff and Doll Tearsheet. News of civil war and a summons to court draw Hal away. Pistol and Doll quarrel, and Falstaff and his companions prepare to leave for war; the Hostess sends Doll out to meet Falstaff once more.
Atalanta
Princess Atalanta and King Meleagro, each disguised in the countryside, fall in love without recognizing one another. Meanwhile, the shepherd Aminta and Irene conceal their mutual love behind jealousy and teasing. Their identities and feelings are revealed, and Mercury brings Jove’s blessing on the two couples before a celebratory finale.
Atenaide
A Vivaldi opera using a revised version of Zeno’s libretto, with characters based on historical figures including Theodosius II and Aelia Eudocia. The character list identifies romantic rivalries around Atenaide and Pulcheria.
Atide
An Italian opera seria in three acts by Josef Mysliveček, set to Tommaso Stanzani’s Italian adaptation of Philippe Quinault’s Atys libretto, originally composed by Lully.
Atlas
As a teenager, Alexandra dreams of distant places and leaves home to explore the world with companions. The travelers face ordeals that test their inner resources; one succumbs to a militaristic society while the survivors reach a timeless place of spiritual knowledge. Older and wiser, Alexandra returns to Earth and finds meaning in ordinary life.
Atlántida
A boy Columbus survives a shipwreck, and an Old Man tells him how Hercules destroyed Atlantis. As an adult, Columbus travels to the Pillars of Hercules, dreams of crossing the ocean, receives support from Queen Isabella and discovers the New World.
Atmen gibt das Leben
A choral opera in three parts for a cappella choir and, in later sections, orchestra or playback. Its texts draw on an aphorism by Inayat Khan and quotations from Japanese haiku, Socrates, the Gospel of Thomas and Meister Eckhart; Stockhausen describes the result as a musical meditation rather than a plotted drama.
Attila
After Attila destroys Aquileia, Odabella asks for a sword so she can avenge her father, whom Attila killed. Roman general Ezio proposes dividing the empire, while Foresto and survivors arrive in the lagoon and plan a new city. Odabella and Foresto reunite. Attila dreams that Pope Leo warns him not to march on Rome. Foresto later plots to poison Attila, but Odabella intervenes. When the Romans ambush the Huns, Odabella stabs Attila with the sword he gave her, and the conspirators declare their people avenged.
Attilio Regolo
Regolo returns from Carthaginian captivity to urge Rome to reject peace, bound by an oath to return if his mission fails. His daughter Attilia and others try to save him, but he refuses to put family affection above civic duty; when the Senate rejects the offer, he prepares to return to Carthage, though Romans prevent his departure and bid him farewell.
Atys
Atys and Sangaride love each other, though she is betrothed to King Celenus. The goddess Cybèle, secretly in love with Atys, appoints him high priest and attempts to keep the couple apart. When Atys cancels Sangaride’s wedding, Cybèle punishes them with a spell: Atys mistakes Sangaride for a monster and kills her. Cybèle reveals the truth; Atys stabs himself, and she transforms him into a pine tree.
Atys
Atys and the nymph Sangaride secretly love each other, although she is promised to Atys’s friend, King Célénus. Cybèle also loves Atys; after Morpheus warns him in a dream, Atys hides his feelings and Sangaride thinks he loves the goddess. When the lovers reconcile, jealous Cybèle enchants Atys into madness. He kills Sangaride, mistaking her for a monster, then commits suicide after Cybèle restores his sanity.
Au monde
The children of an ailing wealthy businessman gather as the family awaits the return of the younger son, to whom their father has decided to transfer his businesses.
Aucassin et Nicolette
Aucassin and Nicolette love each other, but his father Garins opposes their marriage because her parentage is unknown. After Aucassin is imprisoned and Nicolette escapes, they flee to the forest. Bongars makes peace with Garins and reveals that Nicolette is his daughter, clearing the way for the lovers to marry.
Aucassin et Nicolette
A prologue and three-act shadow-puppet opera after the medieval chantefable of the same name; it incorporates references to Breton music.
Aureliano in Palmira
Queen Zenobia and her lover, Prince Arsace, prepare to defend Palmyra from the Roman army led by Aureliano. After the Persians are defeated, Arsace is captured. Aureliano offers to free him if he abandons Zenobia, but Arsace refuses. When the Romans conquer Palmyra, Aureliano offers Zenobia rule beside him, and she refuses as well. Arsace escapes with help from Oraspe and sets out to free her, but both are captured again. Moved by their devotion, Aureliano releases the couple on condition that they swear allegiance to Rome; they accept and are restored to rule Palmyra.
Auringon talo
Subtitled tragedia buffa, the Finnish chamber opera draws on the story of two elderly sisters, daughters of a family that fled the Russian Revolution, who withdrew from Finnish society and died in their home.
Aurora
Set in Córdoba during the May 1810 independence movement, the opera follows novice Mariano as he joins the patriotic cause and falls in love with Aurora, daughter of a royalist leader.
Autumn Sonata
Opera about the strained relationship between Charlotte, a celebrated pianist, and her daughter Eva, with Eva’s sister Helena and husband Viktor also among the central characters. The source supplies no full plot synopsis.
Avalon
An unperformed two-act music drama about Avalon, one of the separately titled works in Boughton’s Arthurian cycle.
Awakenings
An opera based on Oliver Sacks’s account of his efforts to help people affected by an encephalitis epidemic.
Axur, re d'Ormus
King Axur abducts Aspasia, wife of his commander Atar, but Atar learns the truth and disguises himself to reach her in the harem. After Axur sentences him to death, the people demand Atar’s release so he can defend the kingdom. Axur sees that he has lost their support, abdicates and commits suicide; Atar is proclaimed king.
Ayiguli
Ayiguli, a Kazakh women’s troupe leader, seeks to educate her husband Asihar and struggles against anti-revolutionary elements fighting with the masses.
Ayodhya
Somtow Sucharitkul’s opera distills the Ramayana epic into a single evening.
Azora, the Daughter of Montezuma
During the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, Tlascalan prince Xalca and Montezuma’s general Ramatzin compete for Azora’s hand. Xalca prevails, but Montezuma condemns the lovers to death. At dawn, as they gather at the sacrificial stone, Cortés and his priests arrive and set them free.
Ba-ta-clan
In the court of an imagined Chinese emperor, princess Fé-an-nich-ton and courtier Ké-ki-ka-ko discover they are French captives. The emperor, Fé-ni-han, reveals that he too is a Frenchman forced to assume the ruler’s role. Their would-be conspirator Ko-ko-ri-ko is also French and offers them a means of escape in exchange for becoming emperor. They prepare to return to France.
Baal
Cerha adapts Bertolt Brecht’s play about Baal, an outsider who refuses to accept society’s expectations; this leads to violence, inner emigration and self-destruction.
Babylon
Tammu, a Jewish exile, falls in love with Inanna, a Babylonian priestess. Amid tensions between Jewish and Babylonian communities, Tammu is chosen for human sacrifice. Inanna enters the underworld and rescues him; their return brings a new covenant. The original and revised versions have different epilogues.
Bacchus
In ancient India, the gods appear in human form to challenge the spread of Buddhism. Ariane follows Bacchus, believing him to be Theseus, the man she loves. She sacrifices herself to save humanity, and Bacchus becomes a god.
Bajazet
Captured Ottoman ruler Bajazet and his daughter Asteria are held by Tamerlane, who loves Asteria; she, in turn, loves Andronicus. As Tamerlane threatens her father, Asteria pretends to accept him but later tries to poison him. Bajazet takes poison and dies, softening Tamerlane’s anger toward Asteria; the opera closes with appeals for mercy and peace.
Ball im Savoy
Aristide de Faublas plans to meet dancer Tangolita at the Savoy's annual ball, hiding his purpose from his wife Madeleine. Madeleine recognizes the deception and seeks revenge by flirting with Célestin; after she claims publicly to have betrayed Aristide, the couple's friends intervene, and Daisy reveals the truth so they can reconcile.
Bandanna
On the US–Mexico border in 1968, police chief Miguel Morales’s lieutenant Jake secretly helps people cross illegally. Jake and labor organizer Kane plant Mona’s bandanna on Cassidy to make Morales believe his wife is unfaithful. At Jake’s wedding, Morales sees Mona dance with Cassidy and later tracks her to a hotel, where he strangles her; he then shoots Jake and himself.
Bang!
Narrated by Jesuit leader Father Garnet, the opera is based on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which Catholics planned to blow up the Palace of Westminster under James I.
Barbara von Tisenhusen
Three-act opera based on Aino Kallas’s novel about events and human life in Tallinn in 1551.
Barbe-bleue
King Bobèche’s daughter Hermia grows up as the shepherdess Fleurette and falls in love with Saphir, who is secretly a prince. Bluebeard chooses Boulotte as his sixth wife, then orders his alchemist Popolani to kill her so he can marry Hermia. Popolani reveals he only gave the wives sleeping potions. Boulotte leads them in a march on the palace, and the supposedly dead lords marry them; Bluebeard stays with Boulotte while Hermia marries Saphir.
Baron Trenck
In Austria in 1743, tenants Nikola and Mariza marry without Baron Trenck’s permission. The Baron rescues Countess Lydia from a kidnapping attempt, and she flees on horseback with the tenants’ help. At the Empress’s chateau, Lydia is pressured to marry an elderly French ambassador, but the opera ends with her joining the Baron.
Baron Trenck (English adaptation)
English-language adaptation of the 1908 comic opera with additional music. Countess Lydia escapes a forced marriage and joins Baron Trenck after he rescues her from kidnappers.
Bastien und Bastienne
The shepherdess Bastienne fears that Bastien has lost interest in her and asks the village magician Colas for help. Colas advises her to act aloof; after mutual jealousy and feigned rejection, Bastien and Bastienne reconcile, and all three praise the magician.
Batavia
This opera is based on the 1629 sinking of the Dutch ship Batavia and the massacre of survivors after the shipwreck.
Bay Önder
A Turkish-language opera commissioned by Atatürk as part of his cultural transformation program.
Beatrice Cenci
Count Cenci abuses his family and rapes Beatrice. Orsino arranges for assassins to kill Cenci, with Lucrezia’s help. Beatrice and Lucrezia are implicated in the murder, tried, and sentenced to death. Their pleas for papal clemency fail, and they are executed.
Beatrice Chancy
In 19th-century Nova Scotia, Beatrice is the multiracial daughter of slave owner Francis Chancy and Mafa, a Guinean enslaved woman whom Francis raped. After Francis forces Beatrice into an incestuous encounter, Beatrice and Mafa conspire to murder him.
Beatrice di Tenda
Duke Filippo envies the influence his wife Beatrice holds over his subjects and pursues Agnese, who mistakenly believes Orombello loves her. When Beatrice and Orombello are discovered together, they are accused of adultery and tortured; Orombello recants his confession and Beatrice forgives him. Agnese confesses her role in the false accusation, but Filippo signs their death warrants when a rebellion threatens, and Beatrice faces execution with dignity.
Beatrix Cenci
Count Francesco Cenci celebrates the death of his sons with a masked ball, while his daughter Beatrix and second wife Lucrecia fear him. Beatrix asks Orsino to deliver a plea to the Pope, but he destroys her letter and falsely says the Pope refused. After the guests leave, Cenci rapes Beatrix. Later, Beatrix and her brother Giacomo arrange for assassins to kill their father, with Lucrecia giving him a sleeping potion. When the body is discovered, Beatrix is arrested, tortured, and executed.
Becoming Santa Claus
Adamo's one-act English-language opera, commissioned by Dallas Opera, premiered at the Winspear Opera House in 2015. Its cast includes Queen Sophine, Prince Claus, a donkey/messenger, and four elves.
Behold the Man, La Ópera de Cecilia
In recession-hit Borja, Cecilia accepts a request to restore the Ecce Homo fresco, despite doubts about her skill. Her botched restoration goes viral, drawing ridicule and tourists. As townspeople debate how to respond, Cecilia accepts responsibility, the mayor and community forgive her, and her son Marcos reconciles with her after repaying her loan. The ghost of the original artist then moves on.
Behold the Sun
Set in Münster in 1543, this opera focuses on the Anabaptists Jan Matthys and John of Leiden as they attempt to transform the town into a “City of God” in anticipation of the Second Coming. The people of Münster form a central musical protagonist. The German-language premiere was abridged; the complete English version was later broadcast by the BBC.
Bel Canto
The opera adapts Ann Patchett's novel Bel Canto. The libretto uses nine languages: Spanish, English, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Latin, Italian, and Quechua.
Belfagor
The demon Belfagor tests whether marriage is hell by marrying Candida in disguise as a wealthy nobleman. Candida escapes with her lover Baldo, but Belfagor sows doubt between them until a plea to the Madonna and miraculous bells restore their trust.
Belisa
Poul Rovsing Olsen’s four-scene opera is based on Federico García Lorca’s play Amor de don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín.
Belisario
After Belisario returns victorious to Byzantium, his wife Antonina falsely accuses him of treason, and Emperor Justinian imprisons and blinds him. Belisario’s daughter Irene guides him out of prison. The captive Alamiro, whom Belisario had adopted, is revealed to be his long-lost son. When Alamiro joins an enemy army against Byzantium, Belisario persuades him to withdraw. Belisario leads the Byzantine forces to victory but is mortally wounded; Justinian promises to care for his children.
Belle Lurette
In eighteenth-century Paris, laundress Belle Lurette accepts a duke’s marriage proposal after fortune-telling predicts a wedding, unaware he plans to abandon her after marriage. She escapes with help from the soldiers. At the laundresses’ carnival, the duke learns she once saved his life and comes to love her; Marceline also reconciles with the man who wronged her and accepts his proposal.
Bellérophon
Queen Sténobée, spurned by Bellérophon, asks the magician Amisodar to transform the garden into a barren desert and summon a chimera that terrorizes Lycia. Bellérophon loves Princess Philonoé. The short synopsis states that Apollo appears and resolves the danger, but gives no further plot detail.
Benedetto Marcello
The lyric opera is loosely based on the life of composer Benedetto Marcello. The entry does not describe its dramatic action.
Benvenuto Cellini
In Rome during Carnival, sculptor Benvenuto Cellini plans to elope with Teresa, daughter of the Pope’s treasurer, while his rival Fieramosca makes a competing attempt to abduct her. During a Carnival performance, Cellini fatally stabs Fieramosca’s accomplice Pompeo and escapes arrest in the darkness. The Pope gives Cellini one night to cast a bronze Perseus statue, promising to pardon him and allow his marriage to Teresa if he succeeds. Cellini rallies his workers, melts down metal from his studio, completes the statue, and wins the Pope’s pardon and Teresa’s hand.
Benzin
Zeppelin captain Ulysses Eisenhardt lands on an island to obtain its fuel reserves, but the enchanting Gladys Thunderbolt ensnares his crew. The comic opera combines material from the Odyssey and Calderón’s El mayor encanto, amor.
Berenice
Queen Berenice is in love with Demetrio but is pressed to marry the Roman Alessandro. Unknown to her, Demetrio and her sister Selene are in love and plotting against her. When Berenice discovers the betrayal, she orders Demetrio’s execution, then relents after Alessandro demonstrates that he loves her without seeking political advantage. She releases Demetrio to marry Selene and agrees to wed Alessandro.
Bernarda Albas Haus
Aribert Reimann’s German-language opera adapts Federico García Lorca’s play La casa de Bernarda Alba, through Enrique Beck’s German translation. The available text does not provide plot details.
Bertha
Queen Bertha of Oslo leads her garrison in repelling barbarians, then orders a teacher executed for questioning whether her subjects are themselves barbarians. After peace returns, Bertha declares war on Scotland and dismisses a council member who objects to her wars. She has two young lovers shot for meeting in her garden. As Bertha ages and grows more mad, she gives Norway to the barbarians so she can reconquer it. She regains the throne, collapses, and dies; the people praise her as a great queen.
Betly
Daniele believes Betly has accepted his marriage proposal, but she rejects him when she discovers the villagers’ prank. Sergeant Max, Betly’s long-absent brother, disguises himself and arranges for his troops to frighten her; Betly claims Daniele is her husband to save him from a duel. Max reveals himself, signs the marriage contract, and Betly declares her love for Daniele.
Betrothal in a Monastery
Don Jerome plans to marry his daughter Louisa to the wealthy fishmonger Mendoza, though Louisa loves Antonio. The Duenna helps Louisa escape by switching clothes with her, and Louisa borrows her friend Clara’s identity. Meanwhile, Clara has fled home and hopes to enter a convent. Confusions and mistaken identities lead Mendoza and Antonio to pursue the women they love, while Ferdinand searches for Clara. At the monastery the truth is revealed and three marriages are arranged; Don Jerome is surprised by the newlyweds at his feast.
Bettina
Chamber opera about the relationship between Bettina von Arnim and Karoline von Günderrode, viewed in retrospect after Günderrode’s suicide. A single mezzo-soprano performs both women, accompanied by children’s chorus, tape, and ensemble.
Bianca
A one-act English-language opera adapted from Carlo Goldoni’s comedy The Mistress of the Inn.
Bianca e Falliero
To reconcile a feud between rival Venetian families, Contareno promises his daughter Bianca to Capellio. Bianca loves Falliero, who is believed to have died defending Venice. Falliero returns, and Bianca refuses to sign the marriage certificate. He flees when Contareno threatens him, but is captured and charged with treason after being found in the Spanish Embassy. Bianca pleads for him before the Council of Three, whose members include Contareno, Capellio and Loredano. Capellio is moved by her appeal and agrees that the lovers belong together.
Bianca e Fernando
Fernando returns to Agrigento in disguise to avenge his father, Duke Carlo, whom he believes dead and whose throne was seized by Filippo. His sister Bianca, unaware of Filippo’s crimes, is preparing to marry him and at first fails to recognize Fernando. The siblings reunite, expose Filippo, and free Carlo; when Filippo threatens Bianca’s infant son, Fernando’s allies disarm him and the tyrant is overthrown.
Biblis
A tragédie en musique based on the myth of Byblis as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Biedermann und die Brandstifter
Šimon Voseček’s two-act German-language operatic adaptation of Max Frisch’s play, written for eight voices and orchestra.
Bilby's Doll
Doll Bilby, a French orphan raised in a Puritan colony, rejects a marriage proposal because she fears her parents’ fate as accused witches may await her. She marries a man who claims to be a demon, only to learn that he is the opportunistic son of the minister who befriended her. As she dies in childbirth in jail, Doll again believes her husband is supernatural.
Billy Budd
On board HMS Indomitable during the French Revolutionary Wars, the cheerful sailor Billy Budd attracts the attention and hostility of Master-at-Arms John Claggart. Claggart arranges a false accusation of mutiny. When Billy is confronted with the charge, his stammer prevents him from answering and he strikes Claggart, killing him. A court-martial sentences Billy to hang. He refuses to support a mutiny in his defense, is executed, and blesses Captain Vere, who later recalls his own failure to save Billy.
Bion
On Salamis, the poet Bion welcomes Agénor and Cratès to his home. Agénor and Nysa, whom Bion freed from slavery and raised, fall in love, though Nysa worries that she owes Bion a debt. Bion pretends to leave and says he will marry Nysa on his return. When he interrupts their wedding, he reveals that he knew of their love and staged events to test them. He blesses their marriage.
Birutė
In a medieval Lithuania threatened by the Teutonic Order, Winrich von Kniprode seeks to marry Birutė by force if needed. A pagan priest declares she must become a priestess, but prophecy foretells she will bear a leader who defeats the Order. Grand Duke Kęstutis arrives, falls in love with her, interrupts her initiation, and proposes; Birutė accepts as the chorus praises the homeland.
Birzhan and Sara
At a fair, singers Birzhan and Sara fall in love, while Altynay loves Birzhan and the local chief's brother wants Sara as his fourth wife. The chief abducts Sara, and Birzhan is arrested when he tries to stop her wedding. Sara frees him, but she is sentenced to death. Villagers free the couple; Altynay stabs Sara, who dies as Birzhan grieves beside her. Some versions instead have Birzhan die.
Black Widow
Raquel, a young widow unable to have a child, believes motherhood will give her immortality. She forces her lover Juan to marry Berta so that they can have a child for her to take. After Juan gives her the baby, he kills himself. Berta becomes insane, and Raquel triumphantly cares for both Berta and the child.
Blaise le savetier
The penniless young couple Blaise and Blaisine face the advances of their landlady and her husband. The landlady tries to buy Blaise’s favors while her husband pursues Blaisine, setting up a farce.
Blenda
According to the Swedish legend, Blenda gathers an army of women who defeat the Danes while their men are away. In a later battle, she sacrifices herself by placing herself between Danish leader Nils Dotta and her betrothed Harald.
Blennerhassett
On Blennerhassett Island, Stephen plans to join Aaron Burr’s forces. His fiancée Madeleine inadvertently reveals the plan to General Wilkinson; Stephen is mortally wounded in the resulting fight and dies in Madeleine’s arms.
Blind Injustice
The opera follows six Ohioans who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated, alongside the lawyers and law students working on their cases through the Ohio Innocence Project. Among them are Clarence Elkins, convicted of rape and murder after a weak identification; Nancy Smith, convicted of child-abuse charges; the East Cleveland Three, who served 20 years after convictions based on tainted evidence and misidentification; and Rickey Jackson, who served 39 years for a murder he did not commit. Their stories trace the alleged crimes, imprisonment, legal advocacy, and eventual release.
Bliss
Set in Brisbane in the early 1980s and based on Peter Carey’s novel Bliss.
Blodwen
In fourteenth-century Wales, Blodwen and Hywel fall in love as English forces threaten their community. After the Welsh defeat, Hywel is captured and awaits execution; Blodwen’s father, long thought dead, arrives with news that the king’s death has freed the prisoners.
Blond Eckbert
Berthe tells Walther about her childhood with an old woman, a gem-laying bird and a dog, and how she stole the gems and fled. Eckbert becomes alarmed when Walther knows the dog’s name and later kills him. After the old woman reveals that she was also Walther and Hugo, and that Berthe was Eckbert’s half-sister, Eckbert goes insane and dies.
Blue
In Harlem, the Mother and her friends celebrate her pregnancy but fear the danger her son may face; the Father, a police officer, welcomes the child. Sixteen years later, their son is an artist and activist who clashes with the police and his father. After the Son is fatally shot at a protest, the Father struggles with grief and anger; the family and community gather for the funeral, and an epilogue imagines the Son reconciled with his parents and continuing his studies and peaceful activism.
Blue Monday
At a Harlem café, gambler Joe hides from his sweetheart Vi that he plans to travel South to visit his mother. Tom tells Vi that Joe’s telegram is from another woman. When Joe opens it, Vi shoots him. She discovers the telegram was from Joe’s sister and that their mother died years earlier. Joe forgives Vi as he dies.
Blue Steel
In a mythical swamp, Blue Steel from Birmingham and Neola of a voodoo cult struggle between black magic and materialism. Blue shoots Neola’s father, the high priest, after he tries to prevent their elopement. As the couple flee, the chants and drums affect Blue, who leaps to his death in the river’s quicksand.
Bluebeard’s Castle
Judith enters Bluebeard’s dark castle with him and insists that he open its seven locked doors. They reveal a torture chamber, an armory, a treasury, a garden, and Bluebeard’s vast kingdom; blood marks each of these. The sixth door reveals a lake of tears. Judith then demands that Bluebeard open the final door, which he says must remain shut. Behind it are his three former wives, alive and wearing crowns and jewels. Bluebeard names Judith his fourth wife, dresses her in their jewelry, and leads her away through the door. The castle fades into darkness, leaving him alone.
Bluthochzeit
A two-act German-language lyrical tragedy based on Federico García Lorca's play Bodas de sangre.
Blühen
An opera adapting Thomas Mann’s seven-scene short story Die Betrogene, also translated as The Black Swan. The entry does not describe the opera’s plot.
Boccaccio
In Florence in 1331, the erotic stories of poet Boccaccio provoke the city’s husbands, who plot to drive him out and have him imprisoned. Boccaccio has his own plans: he courts Fiammetta, the Duke’s daughter, and ultimately wins the Duke’s favor and her hand.
Bomarzo
The hunchbacked Duke Pier Francesco Orsini drinks a potion his astrologer says will grant him immortality. As the poison takes effect, he recalls episodes from his life: the death of his father and brothers, his troubled courtship and marriage to Julia Farnese, and his suspicion that she is betraying him with his brother Maerbale. He orders his slave Abul to kill Maerbale. The astrologer prepares the potion again as Bomarzo’s nephew Nicolás watches; Nicolás poisons it, and the Duke dies after drinking.
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