12 ESSENTIAL Operettas, Zarzuelas and Musicals for Beginners

12 ESSENTIAL Operettas, Zarzuelas and Musicals for Beginners

Gilbert and Sullivan: The HMS Pinafore
Gilbert and Sullivan: The Mikado
Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphée aux enfers)
Offenbach: La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus
Lehár: The Merry Widow
Federico Moreno Torroba: Luisa Fernanda
Amadeo Vives: Doña Francisquita
Sigmund Romberg: The Student Prince
Kern and Hammerstein: Show Boat
Rogers and Hammerstein: Carousel
Bernstein: West Side Story

[fuguetaboudit]

I got here from the Offenbach video and am thrilled you did this list. I guess my eventually becoming an opera head was inevitable because I grew up on watching American musicals with my father. One of our perennial, consensual family favorites is Showboat. The version with Grayson and Keel was one of the first musicals I saw. Thanks again!

[richardallen]

I’m addicted to the world of operetta. I travel to Vienna once a year to indulge my passion at the Volksoper and have seen some rare pieces on their all done in a loving and mostly way. I especially love Lehar and Kalman and saw a terrific CountessMaritza last year . I saw do West Side Story where it was sung in English but the dialogue was all in German. It was fabulous.

[josecarmona]

Thanks so much for talking about Zarzuelas and promote them. Here in Spain, not only people, but also cultural institutions, just despise them. I think they are one of our national treasures... And they are just incredibly FUN!!

May the spanish Columbia release all those amazing recordings in optimal sound conditions...

[jaumemoletibrun]

Last day when you hinted about this video, I thought for a moment to ask you to include zarzuela, but eventually managed to refrain myself - who am I to constraint an artist's creativity?

But you did anyway? ❤
Thanks, Dave,
We don't deserve you, but omg!, do we/I enjoy your work. Best

[BytomGirl]

I absolutely love operettas... have many CDs and DVDs, love also operettas as ballet

[morrigambist]

Karajan's Fledermaus has an unbelievable gala, including Birgit Nilsson singing 'I Could Have Danced All Night".

[bobleroe]

Growing up in Heidelberg, I've always been fond of The Student Prince.

[michaelsmith]

I have a recording of Die Fledermaus from 1960 conducted by Karajan, the gala scene has opera singers singing "Anything you can do I can do better" which I always find amusing for the wrong reasons 😂

[charlesschlotter]

Excerpts from Pnafore (with Martyn Green) and Fledermaus got me started., then some excerpts from Mikado.(also with Martyn Green, although uncredited.)

[bbailey]

Rossini called Offenbach the Mozart of the Champs Elysees. Perhaps if he'd lived long enough, he'd have termed Sullivan the Mozart of the Strand. It pains me when performers substitute his orchestration and harmony for pop arrangements. 😢 Those should be avoided.
This is a great list for starters. I'd love to hear more complete zarzuela. A very fine composer like Victor Herbert was undermined by sometimes mediocre lyrics and poor libretti.
Puccini wanted the rights to Molnar's play, which was later to become Carousel. He was refused, but imagine what that would have been like!

[JereSurber]

Dave, any reason you left out Porgy and Bess? Too close to being an opera? Just curious…

[WesSmith-mi]

I was hoping that this entree into operetta would feature a duet between you and Finster, but she must have had other ideas.