The craziness: Listen to every opera (at least those that still exist on some form of recording). In order. From Peri to….now. Or, as the project is shaping up to be, several years or so from now. I’m on no gimmicky time frame with this, so it’ll happen when it happens. The goal: to track opera musically in its organic shift from one form to the next.
The list: In progress, but when finished will be what I believe to be the most comprehensive list of surviving operas on recording, listed in chronological order. With links to posts as I listen to them. If I’m wrong on something, please correct me below. (Nicely, if possible—I’m a neurotic French-Italian-Syrian-Jew whose mother didn’t love her enough).
Got a rare recording? Want to send it over? E-mail me (oliviagiovetti {at} gmail {dot} com). I love getting mail that I can listen to.
1600s
- Peri — Euridice (1600)
- Caccini — Euridice (1602)
- Monteverdi — L’Orfeo (1607)
- Monteverdi — L’Arianna (1608)
- da Gagliano — La Dafne (1608)
- Landi — La morte d’Orfeo (1619)
- Kapsperger — Apotheosis sive Consecratio SS Ignatii et Francisci Xaverii (1622)
- Caccini — La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina (1625)
- Cornacchioli — Diana Schernita (1629)
- Landi — Il Sant’Alessio (1632)
- Monteverdi — Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (1640)
- Cavalli — Gli amori d’Apollo e di Dafne (1640)
- Cavalli — La Didone (1641)
- Monteverdi — L’incoronazione di Poppea (1642)
- Cavalli — L’Ormindo (1644)
- Staden — Seelewig (1644)
- Rossi — Orfeo (1647)
- Cavalli — Giasone (1649)
- Cavalli — La Rosinda (1651)
- Cavalli — La Calisto (1652)
- Cavalli — L’Orione (1653)
- Cavalli — Xerse (1654)
- Cavalli — Statira: Principessa di Persia (1655)
- Cesti — Orontea (1656)
- Cavalli — L’Artemisia (1657)
- Cavalli — Ercole amante (1662)
- Cesti — Le disgrazie d’Amore (1667)
- Sartorio — L’Orfeo (1672)
- Pasquini — La forza d’amore (1672)
- Lully — Cadmus et Hermione (1673)
- Lully — Alceste (1674)
- Lully — Thésée (1675)
- Lully — Atys (1676)
- Lully — Isis (1677)
- Lully — Psyché (1678)
- Lully — Bellérophon (1679)
- Lully — Proserpine (1680)
- Lully — Persée (1682)
- Charpentier — Les plaisirs de Versailles (1682)
- Lully — Phaëton (1683)
- Blow — Venus and Adonis (1683)
- Lully — Amadis (1684)
- Charpentier — Acteon (1685)
- Charpentier — Les Arts Florissants (1685)
- Lully — Roland (1685)
- Charpentier — La descente d’Orphée aux enfers (1686)
- Lully — Armide (1686)
- Lully — Acis et Galatée (1686)
- Charpentier — David et Jonathas (1688)
- Purcell — Dido and Aeneas (1689)
- Purcell — Dioclesian (1690)
- Purcell — King Arthur (1691)
- Steffani — Orlando Generoso (1691)
- Purcell — The Fairy Queen (1692)
- Charpentier — Medée (1693)
- Didon — Desmarets (1693)
- de la Guerre — Céphale et Procris (1694)
- Purcell — The Indian Queen (1695)
- Didon — Vénus et Adonis
- Eccles — The Judgement of Paris (1701)
- Campra — Tancrède (1702)
- Mattheson — Cleopatra (1704)
- Handel — Almira (1705)
- Marais — Alcyone (1706)
- Keiser — Masaniello Furioso (1706)
- Handel — Rodrigo (1707)
- De Literes — Acis y Galatea (1708)
- Handel — Agrippina (1709)
- Mattheson — Boris Godunov (1710)
- Vivaldi — Bajazet (1711)
- Keiser — Croseus (1711)
- Handel — Rinaldo (1711)
- Handel — Il Pastor Fido (1712)
- Campra — Idoménée (1712)
- Scarlatti — Tetide in Sciro (1712)
- Handel — Silla (1713)
- Handel — Teseo (1713)
- Vivaldi — Ottone in Villa (1713)
- Orlandini — Il Marito Giocatore e la Moglie Bacchettona (1715)
- Handel — Amadigi di Gaula (1715)
- Scarlatti — Dirindina (1715)
- Vivaldi — Arsilda (1716)
- Vivaldi — L’incoronazione di Dario (1717)
- Handel — Acis and Galatea (1718)
- Bononcini — Griselda (1718)
- Vivaldi — Il Teuzzone (1719)
- Vivaldi — Tito Manilo (1719)
- Handel — Radamisto (1720)
- Vivaldi — La verità in cimento (1720)
- Handel — Muzio Scevola (1721)
- Destouches — Les Élémens (1721)
- Handel — Floridante (1721)
- Telemann — Der geduldige Socrates (1721)
- Scarlatti — Griselda (1721)
- Handel — Flavio (1723)
- Handel — Ottone (1723)
- Vivaldi — Ercole su’l Termodonte (1723)
- Handel — Tamerlano (1724)
- Handel — Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724)
- Telemann — Pimpinone (1725)
- Handel — Rodelinda (1725)
- Francoeur — Pirame et Thisbé (1726)
- Handel — Alessandro (1726)
- Vivaldi — Dorilla in Tempe (1726)
- Handel — Scipione (1726)
- Handel — Admeto (1727)
- Vivaldi — Orlando Furioso (1727)
- Handel — Riccardo Primo (1727)
- Vivaldi — Farnace (1727)
- Vivaldi — Atenaide (1728)
- Gay — The Beggar’s Opera (1728)
- Handel — Siroe (1728)
- Handel — Tolomeo (1728)
- Handel — Lotario (1729)
- Vivaldi — Catone in Utica (1729)
- Handel — Partenope (1730)
- Handel — Poro (1731)
- Hasse — Cleofide (1731)
- Handel — Ezio (1732)
- Pergolesi — Lo Frate ‘nnamorato (1732)
- Montéclair — Jephté (1732)
- Handel — Sosarme (1732)
- Pergolesi — La Serva Padrona (1733)
- Rameau — Hippolyte et Aricie (1733)
- Vivaldi — Motezuma (1733)
- Caldara — L’Olimpiade (1733)
- Handel — Orlando (1733)
- Handel — Oreste (1734)
- Vivaldi — L’Olimpiade (1734)
- Pergolesi — Adriano in Siria (1734)
- Pergolesi — Livietta e Tracollo (1734)
- Handel — Arianna in Creta (1734)
- Pergolesi — L’Olimpiade (1735)
- Handel — Alcina (1735)
- Handel — Ariodante (1735)
- Vivaldi — Griselda (1735)
- Vivaldi — Bajazet (1735)
- Rameau — Les Indes Galantes (1735)
- Handel — Atalanta (1736)
- Handel — Arminio (1737)
- Handel — Berenice (1737)
- Handel — Giustino (1737)
- Handel — Faramondo (1738)
- Handel — Xerxes (1738)
- Handel — Giove in Argo (1739)
- Rameau — Les Fetes d’Hebe (1739)
- Leo — Amor vuol Sofferenza (1739)
- Rameau — Dardanus (1739)
- Boyce — Peleus and Thetis (1740)
- Handel — Imeneo (1740)
- Handel — Deidamia (1741)
- Mouret — Les Amours de Ragonde (1742)
- Handel — Semele (1744)
- Handel — Hercules (1745)
- Rameau — Platée (1745)
- Rameau — La Princesse de Navarre (1745)
- Lampe — Pyramus and Thisbe (1745)
- Rebel — Zélindor, roi des Sylphes (1745)
- Leclair — Scylla Et Glaucus (1746)
- Galuppo — L’Olimpiade (1747)
- Rameau — Pigmalion (1748)
- Rameau — Les Surprises de l’Amour (1748)
- Rameau — Zoroastre (1749)
- Rameau — Naïs (1749)
- Galuppi — Il Mondo della Luna (1750)
- Jommelli — L’Uccellatrice (1750)
- Rameau — Acante et Céphise (1751)
- Rousseau — Le Devin du Village (1752)
- Rameau — Anacreon (1754)
- Gluck — Le Cinesi (1754)
- Galuppi — Il Filosofo di Campagna (1754)
- Graun — Montezuma (1755)
- Galuppi — La Diavolessa (1755)
- Traetta — Ippolito ed Aricia (1759)
- Rameau — Les Paladins (1760)
- Galuppi — L’Amante di Tutte (1760)
- Piccinni — La Buona Figliuola (1760)
- Arne — Artaxerxes (1762)
- Rameau — Les Boreades (1763)
- Gluck — Les pèlerins de la Mecque ou la Rencontre imprévue (1764)
- Sacchini — La Contadina in Corte (1765)
- Philidor — Tom Jones (1765)
- Haydn — La Canterina (1766)
- Gluck — Alceste (1767)
- Mozart — Apollo et Hyacinthus (1767)
- Hasse — Piramo e Tisbe (1768)
- Mozart — Bastien und Bastienne (1768)
- Haydn — Lo Speziale (1768)
- Dibdin — The Ephesian Matron (1769)
- Monsigny — Le Déserteur (1769)
- Mozart — La Finta Semplice (1769)
- Mozart — Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770)
- Jommelli — Armida Abbandonata (1770)
- Schuster — Demofoonte (1770)
- Gluck — Paride ed Elena (1770)
- Haydn — Le Pescatrici (1770)
- Mozart — Ascanio in Alba (1771)
- Grétry — Zémire et Azor (1771)
- Mozart — Il Sogno di Scipione (1772)
- Mozart — Lucio Silla (1772)
- Traetta — Antigona (1772)
- Dibdin — The Brickdust Man (1772)
- Dibdin — The Grenadier (1773)
- Haydn — L’Infedelta Delusa (1773)
- Mozart — La Finta Giardiniera (1774)
- Paisiello — La Frascatana (1774)
- Gluck — Iphigénie en Aulide (1774)
- Gluck — Orphee et Eurydice (1774)
- Benda — Medea (1775)
- Mozart — Il Re Pastore (1775)
- Haydn — L’Incontro Improvviso (1775)
- Benda — Ariadne auf Naxos (1775)
- Paisiello — Le Due Contesse (1776)
- Haydn — Die Feuersbrunst (1776)
- Benda — Romeo und Julie (1776)
- Holzbauer — Günther von Schwarzburg (1777)
- Haydn — Il Mondo della Luna (1777)
- Bach — La Clemenza di Scipione (1778)
- Piccinni — Roland (1778)
- Gluck — Echo et Narcisse (1779)
- Gluck — Iphigenie en Tauride (1779)
- Haydn — L’Isola disabitata (1779)
- Haydn — La Fedelta Premiata (1781)
- Sarti — Giulio Sabino (1781)
- Mozart — Idomeneo, re di Creta (1781)
- Piccinni — Iphigénie en Tauride (1781)
- Mozart — Zaide (1781)
- Mozart — Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782)
- Paisiello — Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1782)
- Haydn — Orlando Paladino (1782)
- Grétry — La Caravane du Caire (1783)
- Mozart — Lo Sposo Deluso (1783)
- Haydn — Armida (1784)
- Salieri — Les Danaïdes (1784)
- Mozart — L’Oca del Cairo (1784)
- Paisello — Il re Teodoro in Venezia (1784)
- Grétry — Richard Coeur de Lion (1784)
- Salieri — La Grotta di Trofonio (1785)
- Cimarosa — Il Marito Disperato (1785)
- Cimarosa — Il Maestro Di Cappella (1786)
- Mozart — Le Nozze di Figaro (1786)
- Sacchini — Oedipe à Colone (1786)
- Salieri — Prima la Musica e Poi le Parole (1786)
- Naumann — Gustaf Wasa (1786)
- Martin y Soler — Una Cosa Rara (1786)
- von Dittersdorf — Doktor und Apotheker (1786)
- Mozart — Der Schauspieldirektor (1786)
- Salieri — Tarare (1787)
- Rameau — Castor et Pollux (1787)
- Gazzaniga — Don Giovanni (1787)
- Mozart — Don Giovanni (1787)
- Salieri — Axur, Re d’Ormus (1788)
- Paisiello — Fedra (1788)
- Paisiello — La Molinara (1788)
- Paisiello — Nina (1789)
- Mozart — Cosi fan Tutte (1790)
- Haydn — L’Anima del Filosofo (1791)
- Mozart — La Clemenza di Tito (1791)
- Mozart — Die Zauberflöte (1791)
- Cherubini — Lodoiska (1791)
- Paisiello — I Giuochi d’Agrigento (1792)
- Cimarosa — Il Mattrimonio Segreto (1792)
- Reichardt — Erwin und Elmire (1793)
- Cimarosa — Le Astuzie Femminili (1794)
- Süßmayr — Der Spiegel von Arkadien (1794)
- Martin y Soler — La Capricciosa Corretta (1795)
- Cimarosa — Gli Orazi ed i Curiazi (1796)
- Cherubini — Médée (1797)
- Fioravanti — Le Cantatrici Villane (1799)
- Salieri — Falstaff (1799)
1800s



You definitely have your work cut out for you. Wow…wow..wow!
Question: what do you mean by “polyglot”? I’ve never heard that term before. And that’s just the 17th century! I love the idea, but I’m not sure I would have the stamina, not to mention the free time. lol
You should be commended..so.. i commend thee.
I want to join you! Then we could blog about our joint experiences of discovering these, and the differences in our backgrounds & living on opposite sides of the country, in different but similar music scenes! Come on, it’ll be fun
Before anyone comments, no, the 1700s are not complete–that’s just volume 1 of the New Grove. Gimme some time.
And now the 1700s are done. 1800s will go up as soon as I pull myself off from the floor, where I’m currently curled up in fetal position muttering “So…much…Handel…”
[...] Project [...]
HOLY CRAP. You crazy. And awesome.