Poll for your Favorite Operatic Composer

I was wondering, since opera is such a huge genre in music, what would your preferences mostly go to. I read there are operas and opera composers most likely to be enjoyed, so I would like to see how far that goes. Thanks :glare:

How the Hell can you not have Puccini on the list? Pucinni, the God of Opera... LA BOHEME! TURANDOT! MADAME BUTTERFLY!

His music is so Italian, so passionate, so beautiful. He's like the first guy that comes to mind when opera is brought up. He's the guy that basically MADE romantic Italian opera, alongside that other Titan, Verdi.

I love Italian opera above all the rest, particularly that of Wagner. And no, it's not because Wagner was an Anti-Semite. I don't know, it just seems to me that Wagner's music is too...over the top in presenting exciting mythological dramas. I prefer the romantic stories of the Italians more so.

Two other operatic composers I adore are Bizet and Gershwin. Carmen - it's such a sexy opera. Although Gershwin is more famous for his musicals, he earlier on in his life attempted a blues opera, which later became the Rhapsody in Blue. Also, Porgy and Bess is my all-time favorite opera.

"Bess, you is my woman now."

"Old man shadows."

"Summertime"

"Oh I got plenty of nothin'" ect.

I'm not much of one for those dramatic mythological dramas. I'm more for the dramatic, romantic operas where the main characters are human beings and the settings are on Earth.

How the Hell can you not have Puccini on the list? Pucinni, the God of Opera... LA BOHEME! TURANDOT! MADAME BUTTERFLY!

Seriously... Puccini is one of the most influencial opera composers ever. On top of those operas, Tosca, La Rondine, Gianni Schicchi, Manon Lescaut, Suor Angelica!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For funk's sake..... you left off the best operatic composer!!! What is this??!?!?! :P This poll has no validity.

His music is so Italian, so passionate, so beautiful. He's like the first guy that comes to mind when opera is brought up.

Seriously... I already knew I was going to vote for him before I opened the thread.

Is there any way of asking a moderator to change the poll?

Meanwhile, just vote for Other.

Yet, he has debussy, who only has one opera in his repetoire. AND AMAZING IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have only heard 2/3's of act 1.

You can only have 20 options, and including "Other" there were already 20 there, so I took the liberty of repacing Lully with Puccini. The latter is far more likely to get votes here than the former.

Not surprisingly, Mozart got my vote. Verdi and Puccini would be close behind in the running.

Fully Wagner out of the lot. Brilliant orchestration and brilliant use of a simple motif, especially in stuff like Die Walkure. You can't ignore the Ring cycle at 16 hours long, I mean I'm not many other people would have the motivation or the skill to undertake such a task. And as regards being anti-semitic - we're after the music here people not the political beliefs (otherwise we'd be worshipping prime ministers and presidents ... what a thought! :P)

The Kirov Opera right now is in production of the entire Ring Cycle, which will be performed over the course of four days at the Mariinsky Theatre. Then they're taking it on tour, and it's going to be in my hometown in October 2006. Yet, I must miss it. Damn the fact that I can't just magically appear in the middle of Russia...

It recently got performed in Toronto, this past year.

I voted "other" for Berg. I absolutely love wozzeck and lulu.

Mussorgsky. Boris Godunov is without a doubt my favourite opera.

Then Wagner, although I have to admit he often rambles and would have done well to learn the value of conciseness.

There are a lot of wonderful opera composers, although I tend to prefer the one hit wonders as opposed to those who composed many operas.

Guess the source of the sole vote for Berlioz...

Guess the source of the sole vote for Berlioz...

:P you're really Berlioz all the way. Perhaps you'll name your children after him.

Evidently noone likes the Baroque geniuses in Opera.... or at least I think they're geniuses. Seriously, the Arias of Alcina and Rinaldo from Handel are pure amazement, emotion. Handel may have written them in a few weeks, but he certainly didn't get rid of quality from his amazing quantity.

I couldn't vote as I am not a fan of Opera at all,

I love the Canatas of Bach alot though.

I couldn't vote as I am not a fan of Opera at all,

That's what I thought, until I started listening to it. My vote goes to Haendel.

Perhaps in time I may grow to like some of them... Maybe not.

If it had been to pick my most liked composer out of the bunch I would have probably picked Handel being I favor the Baroque above all others.

My vote went to Puccini, of course. Bizet a close second. Tchaikovsky should be included, as Onegin and Queen of Spades are both superb masterworks.

I had to work my way into Wagner's world, but I didn't dislike it as I initially feared. Like Verdi, Mozart and Haendel better, thought.

It's really a pity that Mahler, being such a huge opera conductor, did never undertake an opera himself.

I voted other. My favourite opera composer is by far Benjamin Britten, who I am surprised is not up there as a selection. Britten has an amazing gift of being able to write for any instrument as if he was a master of it. His vocal and dramatic writing is the best I have seen out of all of the other opera composers in the repertoire and his chamber operas have really influenced some of my own compositions.

Wagner, Glass, Adams, Ligeti, and Nyman come close though.

Ah! How could I forget Stockhausen!?!? Although not my favourite opera composer, his 29 hour opera cycle "Licht" is pretty amazing.

I'm a bit of a sap when it comes to opera, so I'll vote Puccini. For more contemporary: liked (not loved) Adams' Doctor Atomic, and I guess Einstein counts.