Opera's Greatest Moments

I can think of at least three things wrong with this title. Ok not really. But I just checked this CD out of the library and was surprised by the selections found on and omitted from this album. The description reads, "Favorite selections from the world's best-loved operas." (Please excuse all lack of accents, umlauts, etc.)

1. Verdi: La Traviata: Libiamo, ne' lieti calici

2. Puccini: Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro

3. Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Largo al factotum

4. Bizet: Les Pecheurs des perles: Au fond du temple saint

5. Puccini: La Boheme: Mi chiamano Mimi

6. Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame: Yeltsky's Aria

7. Catalani: La Wally:Ebben? Ne andro lontano

8. Donizetti: L'elisir D'amore: Una furtiva lagrima

9. Wagner: Die Walkure: Du bist der Lenz

10. Verdi: La Forza del Destino: Pace, pace, mio Dio

11. Leoncavallo: Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba

12. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro: Dove sono i bei momenti

13. Verdi: Rigoletto: La donna e mobile

14. Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo

15. Mozart: Die Zauberflote: Ach, ich fuhl's

16. Verdi: Aida: Se quel guerrier io fossi; Celeste Aida

17. Bizet: Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)

18. Puccini: Turandot: Nessun Dorma

Well, whose favorite selections? How are these operas valued? Frequency of production? Most recorded? Highest ticket sales? Highest record sales? Top opera house's most frequent productions? I don't really want to argue the popularity of moments chosen because I can't deny their brilliance. Yet how can you decide to include Bizet's Habanera but leave off Saint-Saens' Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix? I'll be the first to agree that such a compilation should contain Pucinni's Un bel di vedremo, but why leave off his E Lucevan le Stelle? I guess the answer is that there is room for 18 selections. 18 tracks to sum up 400 years of opera. I guess if I was making the cd it would be called Stephanie's Favorite Opera Moments. I am by no means an opera aficionado, but here are the 18 of my favorite opera moments. (I'm going to try to include some non-Pucinni.)

1. Leoncavallo: Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba

2. Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo

3. Puccini: Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro

4. Verdi: Il Trovatore: Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie (Anvil Chorus)

5. Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalilah: Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix

6. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro: Sull'aria

7. Puccini:Tosca: E Lucevan le Stelle

8. Puccini: Tosca: Vissi D'arte

9. Pucinni: Tosca: Recondita Armonia

10. Puccini: La Rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta

11. Dvorak: Rusalka: Song to the Moon

12. Verdi: La Traviata: Libiamo Ne'lieti Calici

13. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Mild und Leise

14. Donizetti: La fille du regiment: A mes amis

15. Bizet: Carmen: Votre Toast (Toreador's Song)

16. Bizet: Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avis jetee

17. Verdi: Il Trovatore: Stride la vampa

18. Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Belle Nuit, O Nuit d'Amour

19. Mozart: Die Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache

20. Puccini: La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla

Ok so a lot are the same, and I ended up with 20, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for the big emotional moments. I don't get all weepy in movies since I started watching opera. When a movie reaches that point where it's trying to make me cry all I can think is "are they serious?" There is no comparison. (I would also recommend watching entire operas, not relying on the best of opera cds to aquire an appreciation.)What would you include on your favorite opera moments cd? Tune in next week for 18 best oratorio moments, followed by 18 best sacred choral and ballet moments.