Heart Chamber
An English-language two-act music-theatre opera for five vocalists, five instrumental soloists, choir, orchestra, and electronics.
Operas
3280 shows
Clear filtersHeart of Darkness
Marlow recalls a voyage into Central Africa to find Kurtz, an ivory trader whose remote station has become violent and lawless. As the steamboat travels upriver, Marlow learns about Kurtz’s growing power and the Company’s attempts to reach him. Kurtz returns downriver with Marlow but dies on the journey. Back in London, Marlow gives Kurtz’s fiancée his letter and hides the truth of his final words.
Hedy
A four-act Czech-language opera based on Lord Byron’s poem Don Juan.
Helen Retires
After Menelaus’s death, Helen descends to the underworld to find Achilles. They return to the living world, but an old fisherman persuades Helen that love cannot last, and she sends Achilles back to Hades; a young fisherman then convinces her to try love again.
Hellé
Neptune, disguised as Arsame, courts the Colchian princess Hellé, while her guardian Ino also loves him. Ino and the magician Elphingor disrupt the wedding by making Hellé believe Arsame has betrayed her; she flees by ship, which Elphingor wrecks in a storm. Neptune discovers Ino’s role and reveals himself; Ino kills herself. He brings Hellé to his underwater palace and makes her ruler of the sea named the Hellespont after her.
Help, Help, the Globolinks!
Alien creatures called Globolinks invade Earth and threaten children returning from vacation. Music repels them, so Emily ventures through the forest with her violin while a music teacher leads the other children and teachers to safety. The dean is touched and begins transforming into a Globolink, but learns to sing one note to hold them back before joining the creatures.
Helvellyn
On a Lake District farm, the orphan Hannah and foundling Martin fall in love amid the household’s rivalries. Luke, seeking the estate and revenge, stirs suspicion between Hannah, Martin and the widowed Mabel. Hannah discovers Luke caused the fire that killed her father; he falls to his death during a storm, her father’s name is cleared, and Hannah and Martin are united.
Henrico Leone
A three-act opera based on the life of the German prince Henry the Lion.
Henry Clifford
A three-act grand opera set in 15th-century England during the Wars of the Roses and based on historical figures and events surrounding Henry Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford.
Henry VIII
The opera depicts Henry VIII’s attempt to divorce Catherine of Aragon so that he can marry Anne Boleyn, a move opposed by the Church. Its libretto is based on Calderón’s play El cisma en Inglaterra.
Herculanum
At Herculaneum in 79 AD, Queen Olympia desires Christian Hélios, while her brother Nicanor pursues Lilia. Satan deceives Lilia with a vision of Hélios and Olympia together. Hélios agrees to marry Olympia to save Lilia, but as Vesuvius erupts Satan reveals himself and the city is destroyed.
Hercule mourant
Hercules returns from his labors with captives, and his son Hyllus falls in love with Iole. Believing Hercules intends to leave her for Iole, Deianira sends him a robe dipped in the blood of the dying centaur Nessus. The robe burns and poisons Hercules; Deianira dies by suicide, and Hercules asks Hyllus to marry Iole and light his funeral pyre. Jupiter’s lightning ignites it, and Hercules ascends to heaven.
Hermione
Four-act opera by Max Bruch based on Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
Het Rattenkasteel
De Smet and Sierens adapted Marc Sleen's comic-book album Het Rattenkasteel, from The Adventures of Nero, as a short avant-garde comic opera. Its arias pastiche film music, schlager, rock, and traditional African music.
Het pand der goden
When Haika Marghanold prefers an adopted boy born the same day as his daughter, the gods curse the girl with irresistible beauty, and she disappears during a storm. Her father dies in grief, leaving his wife and their son Olindo isolated. Years later Olindo travels north to find his lost sister, survives a shipwreck, and undertakes penance before eventually finding her.
Highway 1, USA
Bob and Mary have sacrificed to educate Bob’s younger brother Nate, expecting him to build an independent life. A year after graduation, Nate remains idle and makes advances toward Mary; she rebukes him, and he stabs her. Bob initially takes the blame to shield Nate, but Mary survives and identifies the attacker.
Hin und zurück
Robert comes home unexpectedly and discovers that his wife Helene has received a letter from a lover. In a jealous rage he shoots her, and then jumps from the window. A wise man deplores the tragedy and turns time backward; the text and music replay in reverse order, restoring the scene to before the murder and ending happily.
Hipermestra
An opera based on the ancient myth of Hypermnestra, whose story later also inspired Metastasio's distinct libretto Ipermestra.
Hippodamie
A tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts concerning the Greek legend of Hippodamia, based on a dialogue by Lucian of Samosata.
Hippolyte et Aricie
Hippolyte and Aricie love each other, but Aricie is held captive by Theseus and forbidden to marry. When Theseus journeys to the Underworld, Phaedra reveals her desire for her stepson Hippolyte, who rejects her. On his unexpected return, Theseus believes Phaedra’s false accusation and asks Neptune to punish Hippolyte. A sea monster appears to kill him, and Phaedra dies by suicide. Diana later reveals Hippolyte alive and reunites him with Aricie, while Theseus is left unable to see his son again.
His Excellency
In Elsinore, the governor Griffenfeld’s practical jokes anger the townspeople and damage his daughters’ romantic prospects. The Prince Regent arrives in disguise and joins one of Griffenfeld’s schemes, pretending to issue false honors. When Griffenfeld reveals the supposed visit as a joke, the Regent exposes himself as real and makes the honors permanent, while confirming Griffenfeld’s demotion. The couples are united.
His Majesty
King Ferdinand loves Felice, the adopted daughter of a woodman, while Princess Chloris loves Prince Max. Max devises a plan for Chloris to elope with him and for Felice to take her place. A trunk carried by Felice contains proof that she is Chloris’s older sister and the person originally intended to marry Ferdinand.
Historia von D. Johann Fausten
Faustus makes a blood pact with Mephistopheles in exchange for knowledge and power. He seeks pleasure and tours Hell and Paradise, but is coerced into renewing his pact with Lucifer. Twenty-four years later, his students urge repentance, but Mephistopheles claims his soul and destroys him; the chorus warns against evil.
Hlas lesa
A bride forced into an unwanted marriage is captured in a forest by bandits. She finds the man she loves among their captives and frees him; when he does not recognize her, she unties the cloth over his eyes, and the pair reunite.
Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies
An eight-scene German operetta with a book by Heinz Hentschke, lyrics by Gunther Schwenn and music by Friedrich Schröder.
Holger Danske
Oberon and Titania have vowed to reconcile only if they find a human couple who remain faithful through danger and temptation. They choose Holger, a knight of Charlemagne, and Rezia, daughter of the Sultan of Baghdad. Holger must fulfill a punishment by cutting a lock from the sultan’s beard and kissing Rezia. After the couple recognize each other, they are shipwrecked, enslaved and threatened with death, but Oberon and Titania free them. Holger uses a magic horn to overcome their enemies, and both couples are reunited.
Honzovo království
Otakar Ostrčil’s three-act Czech opera adapts Leo Tolstoy’s short story Tale of Ivan the Jester.
Hopscotch
An experimental, site-specific opera inspired by the Orpheus myth. Its October 2015 Los Angeles performances carried audiences between locations in 24 cars, with scenes and musicians appearing inside the limousines. The reviewed entry does not name individual composers or librettists.
Horatius Coclès
During an Etruscan siege, Horatius vows to defend Rome’s new republic. He guards the bridge while Roman forces cut it down, plunging into the Tiber but surviving. Mucius Scaevola recounts his failed assassination attempt and self-punishment; impressed, Porsenna abandons his conquest, and Publicola returns with the freed captives, including Horatius’s son.
Horia
During the 1784 Transylvanian peasant revolt, Horia first seeks reforms from the governor, then becomes commander of the uprising. He urges the serfs to resist vengeance, but the revolt is defeated. Horia and Cloșca are captured and sentenced to death; Ileana’s plea for clemency is rejected.
Hry o Marii
A four-part cycle of religious tales: wise and foolish virgins await a bridegroom; Mary of Nijmegen marries the devil but is redeemed by the Virgin Mary; the Nativity story includes a miracle that restores a blacksmith’s daughter’s hands; and Sister Pasqualina leaves her convent, is accused of murder, and is saved from execution by Mary before returning to the convent and dying.
Hugh the Drover
In an 1812 Cotswolds town, Mary falls in love with Hugh, a travelling drover, though her father wants her to marry John the butcher. Hugh wins a prizefight against John, who accuses him of being a French spy, and Hugh is put in the stocks. Mary frees him, and they are recognized by soldiers as loyal Britons. Mary and Hugh leave together.
Hulda
Aslak and his sons murder Hulda’s family, and she vows revenge. Two years later, she is to marry Gudleik, but she falls in love with the king’s emissary Eiolf; Gudleik is killed in a fight with him. Aslak later kills another son, Arne, after finding him with Hulda. Eiolf leaves Hulda and reconciles with Swanhilde, so Hulda recruits the remaining Aslak brothers to murder him. After they kill Eiolf, the brothers turn on Hulda. She welcomes death and throws herself into the fjord.
Hunyadi László
After the death of military leader János Hunyadi, his son László and brother Mátyás face hostility from the weak king László V and regent Ulrik Cillei. Cillei plots against them but is killed by László’s followers. The king pardons the brothers, then falls in love with Mária, László’s fiancée. Mária’s father Gara falsely accuses László of plotting to kill the king. Though Mária urges him to escape prison, László trusts the king’s promise. Gara orders the executioner’s fourth strike, and László is beheaded.
Hydaspes
Persian brothers Artaserse and Idaspe are rivals for Berenice’s love. The king condemns Idaspe to fight a lion in the amphitheatre while Berenice watches. Idaspe strangles the lion, and the people call for mercy, leading to a general reconciliation.
Hydrogen Jukebox
Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg’s chamber opera presents a portrait of America from the 1950s through the late 1980s through Ginsberg’s poems. Its themes include war, sexual revolution, drugs, Eastern philosophy, and environmental issues. Six vocal parts represent archetypal American characters, while Ginsberg narrates the work.
Hypermnestre
A tragédie en musique based on the Greek myth of Hypermnestra.
Háry János
At a village inn, veteran soldier Háry János recounts fantastic exploits to his listeners. He claims to move a frontier gate to help Marie Louise cross into Hungary, then joins the imperial court with his sweetheart Örzse. He describes riding a wild horse, becoming a captain, and defeating Napoleon single-handedly. Though the princess wants to marry him, Háry and Örzse return to their village. In the epilogue, the innkeeper says he never received the gold watch Háry claims was sent to the village.
Hänsel und Gretel
Hansel and Gretel are sent into the forest after their mother accidentally breaks the milk jug they were meant to watch. As night falls, the Sandman puts them to sleep, and angels guard them. In the morning they find a gingerbread house and are captured by a witch who plans to eat them. Gretel steals the witch’s wand, frees Hansel, and tricks the witch into the oven. The gingerbread children are restored to human form, and the children reunite with their parents.
Hélène
Paris comes to Sparta to marry Helen, whom Venus promised him after he chose her as the most beautiful goddess. Venus urges Helen to leave Menelaus for Paris, while Pallas warns her of the devastation that will follow if she leaves for Troy. Helen follows Venus’s counsel and sails away with Paris.
Héléna
Constantin, count of Arles, is falsely accused of murdering his father. He and his wife Héléna flee, entrusting their young son to a farmer. Héléna later hides with the farmer in disguise, while Constantin returns to Arles and is hunted by the new count Edmond. The people threaten Héléna and her son unless Constantin surrenders. Edmond then reveals that his own father, Romuald, confessed to the murder on his deathbed, clears Constantin's name, and the opera ends happily.
Hérodiade
In Jerusalem, Salomé searches for her absent mother and loves the prophet Jean. King Hérode is also in love with Salomé, while his wife Hérodiade wants Jean punished for insulting her. Jean is arrested and refuses to help Hérode against Rome. Hérode condemns Jean and Salomé to death after she rejects him. After Jean is executed, Salomé asks Hérodiade to let her die too. Hérodiade’s silence enrages Salomé, who tries to kill her; the queen reveals she is Salomé’s mother, and Salomé stabs herself.
Hésione
Télamon and Anchise both love Hésione. Venus tries to win Anchise and then drives a wedge between the lovers, while Neptune punishes Hésione’s father Laomédon by destroying Troy’s walls and sending a sea monster. Télamon defeats the monster and wins Hésione; Venus takes Anchise for herself.
Hôtel de Pékin – Dreams for a Dragon Queen
An English-language opera built around Empress Dowager Cixi’s deathbed reminiscences.
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
In thirteenth-century Verona, Giulietta is betrothed to Tebaldo but loves Romeo, leader of the rival Montecchi. Romeo offers peace and asks Capellio for Giulietta’s hand, but the family rejects him. Giulietta’s doctor, Lorenzo, gives her a potion that makes her appear dead so she can escape with Romeo. Romeo, unaware of the plan, finds her in the tomb and takes poison. Giulietta awakens too late, and the lovers die together.
I Lituani
Walter, a Lithuanian disguised as a Teutonic Grand Master, secretly turns the Order’s strength against itself to free Lithuania. His wife Aldona finds him after the plot is exposed; rather than face capture, he takes poison and dies as Lithuania celebrates victory.
I Lombardi alla prima crociata
In Milan, Pagano is reconciled with his brother Arvino but still desires Arvino’s wife, Viclinda. During an attack on the family palace, Pagano mistakenly kills his father and is exiled. Years later, as a hermit in the Holy Land, he helps the Crusaders capture Antioch, where Arvino’s daughter Giselda is held. Giselda falls in love with Oronte, the son of Antioch’s ruler; after Oronte is wounded, he converts and dies. Pagano’s guidance leads the Crusaders to water and victory, and he dies after revealing his identity and receiving Arvino’s forgiveness.
I Medici
Giuliano de’ Medici loves Simonetta Cattanei, who warns him of a conspiracy against his family. Simonetta is killed by the conspirators, who also kill Giuliano. Lorenzo escapes with the poet Poliziano’s help, wins the people’s support, and the conspirators are lynched.
I Mori di Valenza
Set in Valencia in the early 17th century during Philip III’s expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain.
I Rantzau
A four-act Italian opera by Pietro Mascagni, based on Erckmann and Chatrian’s play Les Rantzau. The central lovers are first cousins who marry.
I Shardana
Ennio Porrino’s opera imagines a mythic tale of the Bronze Age Nuragic people of Sardinia, inspired by the island’s megalithic nuraghes. The available text does not give a fuller plot.
I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky
Set in Los Angeles after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the song play follows seven young Americans from different social and ethnic backgrounds as they react to the disaster.
I briganti
Saverio Mercadante’s three-act opera is based on Friedrich Schiller’s play Die Räuber. The available text does not describe its plot.
I cavalieri di Ekebù
An Italian opera based on Selma Lagerlöf’s novel Gösta Berling’s Saga.
I cherusci
Set amid conflict between the Marcomanni and Cherusci, the opera includes Treuta, leader of the Marcomanni; Tusnelda, a Cheruscan enslaved by him and due to be sacrificed; and Tamaro, leader of the Cherusci. Tusnelda’s adoptive father discovers that Treuta is her father.
I disingannati
A three-act comic opera based on Molière’s play Le Misanthrope.
I due Figaro, o sia Il soggetto di una commedia
A two-act comic opera and homage to Mozart, it follows Cherubino after his return from twelve years in the army. The available text does not provide further plot details.
I due Figaro, o sia Il soggetto di una commedia
At Count Almaviva’s castle near Seville, Torribio schemes to marry Inez using the assumed identity Don Alvaro, with Figaro’s help. Inez loves Cherubino, who disguises himself as another Figaro and enters the Count’s service. After misunderstandings and confrontations, Cherubino reveals that Torribio is a former servant and exposes the deception. Almaviva agrees to Inez and Cherubino’s marriage and forgives Figaro.
I due Foscari
In 1457 Venice, Jacopo Foscari, son of Doge Francesco, is tried by the Council of Ten and sentenced to further exile for murder. His wife Lucrezia pleads with the Doge to intervene, but he insists he must uphold Venetian law. Jacopo is sent away; before departure, he dies. Evidence later arrives proving his innocence, but the Council orders Francesco to surrender his office. He renounces the trappings of power and dies as the bell announces his successor.
I due timidi
One-act radio opera, also described as a commedia lirica, composed by Nino Rota to a libretto by Suso Cecchi d’Amico. The entry records its broadcast and stage history but gives no plot synopsis.
I fuorusciti di Firenze
Bandit Umberto holds Isabella prisoner, and her husband Edoardo’s attempt to rescue her fails. Isabella is ultimately revealed to be Umberto’s daughter.
I gioielli della Madonna
In Naples, Gennaro is in love with his adoptive sister Maliella. Rafaele, leader of a Camorra band, pursues Maliella and promises to steal the Madonna’s jewels for her. Gennaro warns Maliella about Rafaele, but she rejects him and prepares to leave home. Gennaro steals the jewels and brings them to her; in a trance, Maliella mistakes him for Rafaele and yields to him. When Rafaele learns what happened, he rejects her. Maliella drowns herself, and Gennaro finds a knife and stabs himself.
I giuochi d'Agrigento
Set during athletic games at ancient Agrigento, Giovanni Paisiello’s opera draws in part on Metastasio’s L’Olimpiade. The available text does not provide further plot details.
I masnadieri
Carlo Moor, the elder son of Count Massimiliano, joins a band of robbers after believing that his father has rejected him. His brother Francesco has intercepted Carlo’s plea for forgiveness and plots to inherit the estate, telling their father and Carlo’s beloved Amalia that Carlo is dead. Servant Arminio later reveals that Carlo and the Count are alive. Carlo reunites with Amalia and discovers his father, but when the robbers capture Amalia and she insists she still loves him, Carlo kills her rather than draw her into his criminal life.
I pazzi per progetto
At a Paris mental hospital, Norina and her husband Blinval pretend to be mad to test each other’s feelings after separation and jealousy. Their deceptions intersect with a trumpeter posing as a doctor and Cristina’s guardian, who wants her dowry; the farce ends with the misunderstandings resolved.
I puritani
During the English Civil War, Puritan Elvira is to marry Riccardo, but she loves the Royalist Arturo. Arturo helps the captured Queen Henrietta Maria escape on their wedding day, causing Elvira to lose her sanity. Months later Arturo returns, and their reunion restores her reason. A pardon from Oliver Cromwell saves Arturo from execution, and the lovers are reunited.
I quatro rusteghi
In eighteenth-century Venice, four curmudgeonly husbands try to keep their wives and daughters under control. The women decide to defy them by arranging for Lucieta to meet Filipeto, her intended husband, before their arranged marriage.
I riti d'Efeso
Two-act Italian dramma eroico per musica in 26 scenes.
I've Got the Tune
Composer Mr. Musiker searches for words to fit a tune, accompanied by his secretary Beetzie. They encounter an avant-garde artist, a fascist group, and a woman who attempts suicide; each gives the tune a different form. At a school field day, students adapt the melody for their own song, and Musiker recognizes that it belongs to them.
IYOV
The opera-requiem juxtaposes recitatives based on the Book of Job with parts of the Catholic Mass. It follows Job through pride and disbelief, his search for meaning, and themes of death, hope, and regret.
Ib and Little Christina
As children, Ib and Christina love each other, and a gypsy woman grants Ib three wishes. Fifteen years later Christina chooses the prosperous John, and Ib lets her go. Years afterward, Christina has died in poverty; the gypsy brings her daughter to Ib, and the two live together happily.
Idaspe
A baroque opera by Riccardo Broschi featuring the Persian king Artaserse, his brother Dario, and nephew Idaspe, along with Berenice and Mandane.
Idomeneo
After escaping a storm at sea, the Cretan king Idomeneo remembers his vow to sacrifice the first person he meets to Neptune. That person is his son Idamante, who loves the Trojan princess Ilia. Idomeneo tries to send Idamante away with Electra, but Neptune sends a sea monster to ravage Crete. Idamante kills the monster and accepts his fate; Ilia offers her life in his place. Neptune instead orders Idomeneo to abdicate in favor of Idamante and Ilia, while Electra is consumed by despair.
Idoménée
On his return from Troy, Idoménée survives a shipwreck after promising Neptune to sacrifice the first person he meets on Crete. That person is his son Idamante. As Ilione and Idamante love one another and Electre schemes against them, Idoménée struggles between his vow, jealousy, and his desire to save his son; the gods’ anger ultimately drives him to kill Idamante.
Ifigenia
Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Ifigenia to secure fair winds for the Greek fleet bound for Troy. Believing she is to marry Achilles, she arrives with her mother; after the truth is revealed, Ifigenia accepts her fate and approaches the altar, while the epilogue questions the perpetuation of war and prays for all its victims and perpetrators.
Ifigenia in Tauride
Leonardo Vinci’s five-act opera is based on the story of Iphigenia in Tauris. The available text does not provide the plot.
Ifigenia in Tauride
Tommaso Traetta’s three-act Italian opera draws on the story of Iphigenia in Tauris. Its roles include Oreste, Pilade, Ifigenia, Toante, and Dori.
Ifigenia in Tauride
Gian Francesco de Majo’s three-act opera, commissioned by Elector Palatine Carl Theodor, is a distinct setting of Ifigenia in Tauride. The available text does not provide a plot summary.
Ifigenia in Tauride
Italian opera seria based on Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris.
Ihitai 'Avei'a – Star Navigator
The opera follows Tahitian navigator and high priest Tupaia and British captain James Cook on the Endeavour’s 1769 maiden voyage. Their encounters with Tahitians and voyage to Batavia unfold amid a cultural clash between Polynesian navigation lore and Western scientific knowledge.
Il Bellerofonte
Bellerofonte, whose birthright to the throne of Corinth has been usurped, is separated from Argene because her father Ariobate considers him an unsuitable match for a princess without a kingdom. Bellerofonte proves his worth by killing the monster that demands a noble virgin as a yearly sacrifice. When news arrives that the usurper Clearco has been overthrown, Bellerofonte can reclaim Corinth and Ariobate agrees to his marriage with Argene. Briseide, who was to be sacrificed, also finds a husband.
Il Cambise
Alessandro Scarlatti’s opera with a libretto by Domenico Lalli premiered at Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples in 1719.
Il Cid della Spagna
Two-act Italian opera based on Pierre Corneille’s play Le Cid.
Il Diamante
For the wedding feast of Joanna von Stein and Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski, Terra offers Juno a gemstone as a marriage pledge. Juno calls on Hymen and Cupid to bless the couple; Venus's final aria says that she alone can perfect their love.
Il Flaminio
An opera buffa centered on the young widow Giustina and her lover Flaminio, who disguises himself under the name Giulio.
Il Giustino
The opera follows Giustino's rise from a poor farmer to emperor.
Il Giustino
A Vivaldi setting of Nicolò Beregan’s libretto, distinct from Legrenzi’s 1683 setting and later settings by Albinoni and Handel.
Il Guarany
Set near Rio de Janeiro in 1560, the opera centers on the love between Pery, a Guarani prince, and Cecilia, daughter of a Portuguese nobleman.
Il Medonte
A three-act opera seria set among rulers and royal figures of Epirus, Argos, Dodone, and Larissa.
Il Neo
Henrique Oswald’s one-act Italian musical novelette in three tableaux adapts Alfred de Musset’s novella La mouche. The comic subject led contemporary press to describe the work as an operetta.
Il Palazzo incantato
The magician Atlante traps Christian and pagan knights and ladies in his palace of illusions. Orlando, Ferraù, and Sacripante enter searching for Angelica. Bradamante finds Ruggiero with Angelica and threatens him, but Atlante reminds Angelica that she loves Medoro. When Astolfo arrives immune to magic, Atlante persuades the captives he is their enemy. Ruggiero breaks the spell; Atlante disguises himself as Ruggiero but loses a duel to the real knight. The palace vanishes and the captives are freed.
Il Paride
A five-act opera centered on the mythological abduction of Helen by Paris.
Il Parnaso confuso
The one-act azione teatrale features Apollo, Melpomene, Erato, and Euterpe.
Il Pigmalione
Pigmalione, a king and sculptor, despairs of finding his ideal woman and creates a statue. He falls in love with it and prays for it to come alive; Venus answers his prayer.
Il Pirro e Demetrio
Demetrius seizes the Macedonian throne after murdering Alexander. He plans to invade Asia, but Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Lysimachus join forces against him, joined by Pyrrhus of Epirus. Pyrrhus drives Demetrius from the throne, takes his place, and is then driven away by Lysimachus.
Il Pompeo
A three-act dramma per musica by Alessandro Scarlatti using Nicolò Minato’s libretto, previously set by Francesco Cavalli in Pompeo Magno.
Il Postino
On a fictional Italian island in the 1950s, postman Mario becomes friends with exiled poet Pablo Neruda and asks for help writing poetry to court Beatrice. Mario and Beatrice marry. Inspired by Neruda, Mario records island sounds and writes political poetry; violence erupts at a communist demonstration, and he is shot. Neruda later receives Mario’s farewell recording.
Il Ruggiero
Ruggiero, missing after defending Bulgaria, returns to Paris after being rescued by Leone, the Greek emperor. Leone loves Bradamante, who vows to marry only a man who can defeat her in combat, while Ruggiero is torn between his love for her and his debt to Leone. Leone asks Ruggiero to fight Bradamante in disguise. After Leone wins the contest, Bradamante believes she has lost Ruggiero, but Leone reveals Ruggiero’s sacrifice and confesses that he had already pledged his heart to Clotilde. Emperor Carlo blesses both couples: Ruggiero and Bradamante, and Clotilde and Leone.
Il Sant'Alessio
Saint Alexius returns to Rome disguised as a beggar and secretly lives in poverty beneath his father’s house. He resists the Devil’s temptations with an angel’s help; after his death, a letter reveals his identity to his family.
Il Telemaco nell’isola di Calipso
An opera by Fernando Sor based on the story of Telemachus on the island of Calypso.
Il Trespolo tutore
Artemisia loves her tutor Trespolo, who is too dull to notice and instead loves the servant Despina. Brothers Ciro and Nino also love Artemisia; one goes mad while the other is cured of insanity. After the farcical complications, Trespolo marries Despina and Artemisia marries Ciro.
Il Trionfo di Camilla, regina de' Volsci
Camilla, heir to the Volsci throne, hides as a shepherdess while plotting against the usurper Latinus. Prenesto falls in love with her after she saves him from a boar. Lavinia hides her lover Turnus, and their political conflicts unfold alongside Camilla’s effort to reclaim the throne. The opera ends with marriage between Camilla and Prenesto, reconciling their rival families.
Il Vologeso
A setting of the Vologeso story in which the Parthian king, deposed by Lucio Vero, is restored by Flavio.
Il Xerse
This Italian dramma per musica concerns Xerxes I. Its libretto draws on Book 7 of Herodotus's Histories and is more directly based on Raffaele Tauro's comedy L'ingelosite speranze, itself adapted from Lope de Vega's Lo cierto por lo dudoso.
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Comic opera based on Beaumarchais’s play Le Barbier de Séville; this entry does not supply a plot summary.
Il barone di Trocchia
A two-act Italian intermezzo with four named characters: Fulvia, Luigi, Cilla Panarella, and Nardone.
Il borgomastro di Saardam
Peter the Great works incognito as a carpenter in Saardam alongside the Russian defector Flimann, who hopes to marry the mayor’s daughter Marietta. The mayor mistakes Flimann for the Tsar. When Peter is called home to suppress a revolt, he reveals his identity and grants Flimann a title that enables him to marry Marietta.
Il bravo
Carlo becomes an assassin in the service of Venice to save his father's life. Ordered to kill Teodora, he recognizes his former wife, whom he once tried to kill after mistakenly believing she betrayed him. Foscari loves Teodora and later her daughter Violetta, who loves the exiled patrician Pisani. The lovers escape. Teodora kills herself in an attempt to save Carlo's father, but Carlo discovers that his father is already dead.
Il burbero di buon cuore
Ferramondo, a wealthy and bad-tempered old man, lives with his niece Angelica and nephew Giocondo. Angelica loves Valerio, but Giocondo’s wife Lucilla has spent the money needed for Angelica’s dowry. Giocondo proposes that Angelica enter a convent, while Ferramondo considers arranging her marriage to his friend Dorval. Misunderstandings about Angelica and Valerio fuel Ferramondo’s suspicions. Eventually Giocondo admits that Lucilla’s spending depleted their funds, and Ferramondo agrees to pay the dowry, let Lucilla stay in the household, and allow Angelica to marry Valerio.
Il campanello
On the night of his wedding, apothecary Don Annibale is repeatedly called to the door by Serafina’s cousin Enrico, disguised as a series of patients. Enrico’s interruptions keep the groom from his bride until dawn, when Annibale must leave for Rome to attend to his aunt’s will.
Il campiello
In a small Venetian square in the mid-eighteenth century, visiting Neapolitan gentleman Astolfi flirts with several women, provoking jealousy among their suitors. Haberdasher Anzoleto and Luçieta plan to marry, though their relationship is marked by quarrels. Gasparina’s uncle Fabrizio discovers that Astolfi is bankrupt and that he himself is a lottery winner; Astolfi asks to marry Gasparina. As Anzoleto and Luçieta’s neighbors quarrel, Astolfi invites them all to dinner and announces that he and Gasparina will marry and leave Venice.
Il cappello di paglia di Firenze
On his wedding day, Fadinard’s horse eats a straw hat belonging to Anaide, whose jealous husband will punish her if she returns without it. Fadinard and his wedding party search across Paris, causing misunderstandings and chaotic encounters while pursuing a replacement. His deaf uncle’s wedding gift turns out to be the needed hat, and Anaide returns home reconciled with her husband as Fadinard’s marriage finally proceeds.
Il caso Mortara
A two-act opera inspired by David Kertzer’s account of the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. Its characters include Edgardo and his parents, Salomone and Marianna Mortara, Pope Pius IX, and Inquisitor Feletti.
Il castello di Kenilworth
Queen Elizabeth plans to visit Leicester’s castle, but he hides his new bride Amelia to avoid the Queen’s anger. Amelia escapes and reveals her troubles; Leicester confesses the marriage, and the Queen dismisses him. Warney plots against Amelia, but Fanny thwarts his attempt to poison her. Elizabeth arrests Warney, pardons Leicester and Amelia, and approves their marriage.
Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
Christian knight Tancredi and Saracen Clorinda, who are lovers, meet in battle without recognizing one another because their faces are covered by armor. Tancredi mortally wounds Clorinda and learns her identity only after removing her helmet. He baptizes her before she dies, and she sees Heaven open. A narrator recounts most of the action, while the combatants also act.
Il convitato di pietra
Don Giovanni is rescued from drowning and seduces the fisherwoman Elisa, then attempts to seduce Donna Anna and kills her father, the Commendatore. Later, the Commendatore’s statue appears at Don Giovanni’s supper and demands repentance; Don Giovanni refuses and is condemned to the abyss.
Il corsaro
The corsair Corrado leaves his island to attack the Pasha Seid, leaving his lover Medora behind. After rescuing Gulnara and the harem women from a fire, Corrado is captured. Gulnara kills Seid and helps him escape. They return to the island, where Medora, believing Corrado dead, has taken poison. She dies after they reunite, and Corrado leaps from a cliff.
Il crociato in Egitto
During the Sixth Crusade, Armando, a presumed-dead Knight of Rhodes living under an assumed name, has secretly married the Sultan’s daughter Palmide, who has borne him a son and converted to Christianity. Their identities are exposed, and Christian prisoners face death. Armando uncovers the vizier Osmino’s plot, kills him, and secures peace and reunion with Palmide.
Il curioso indiscreto
Curious Marchese Calandrano, betrothed to Clorinda, asks Count Ripaverde to test her fidelity. Ripaverde and Clorinda fall in love; Aurelio consoles Calandrano’s niece Emilia and they fall in love, as do maid Serpina and steward Prospero. Three couples celebrate together, while Calandrano is left without a fiancée.
Il diluvio universale
An opera by Gaetano Donizetti depicting the biblical story of Noah and the great flood.
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