Voices of Spring: Opera picks from Minnesota Opera's Dale Johnson

Dale Johnson, Minnesota Opera's artistic director, shares his favorite opera highlights with us for Voices of Spring. Enjoy!

Dale Johnson's Opera Highlights:

Christoph Willibald Gluck: O Malheureuse Iphigenie! from Iphigenie en Tauride
Conductor: Marc Minkowski
Soprano: Mireille Delunsch
"I believe Gluck is such an important composer, a great reformer of the classical style. This opera is my go to opera when I need to clear out relax and clear my head."

Giuseppe Verdi: Celeste Aida from Aida
Conductor: Georg Solti
Tenor: Jon Vickers
"Verdi was one of the great melodists and this difficult aria starts one his greatest and grandest operas."

Antonio Vivaldi: Come in vano il mare irato from Catone in Utica
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Mezzo-soprano: Vivica Genaux
"Vivica is one of my favorite singers. She appeared in many Mn Opera productions. She can sing coloratura better than anyone since Marilyn Horne."

Gioachino Antonio Rossini: Una Voce Poco Fa from The Barber of Seville
Conductor: Alexander Gibson
Mezzo-soprano: Teresa Berganza
"I love the sound of Berganza, so elegant effortless and stylish. Rosina is the smart one in Barber of Seville and Berganza shows us how it goes."

Richard Wagner: Hojotoho! from Die Walkure
Conductor: Karl Böhm
"What can I say? Is there anything more fun that this?"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Atchevo eta prezhde ne znala from Iolanta
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Soprano: Anna Netrebko
"I have begun to hear this aria more since the Met produced it. It's truly a great piece and isn't it a treat to hear a Russian sing Russian."

Reinhard Keiser: Mir gefallt in seimen Munde from Croesus
Conductor: René Jacobs
Soprano: Dorothea Röschmann
"I discovered this opera a while back and it became one of my favorites. Keiser was a great composer writing during Handel's time. In fact, He was a great influence on Handel. Roschmann is exquisite."

Scott Joplin: Real Slow Drag from Treemonisha
Conductor: Gunther Schuller
Soprano: Carmen Balthrop
"I think we forget about Joplins's most famous opera. He was quite prolific. This piece I find so important in that is about education and learning about the world around us."

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Ich soll ihn niemals, niemals mehr sehn from Die Kathrin
Soprano: Renée Fleming
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
"I read about this opera some years ago and decided to find it. The story is something like a mashup of Tosca and Madama Butterfly. Korngold's music is magnificent. Late Romantic at its best."

Vincenzo Bellini: Ah! Non Credea Mirarti from La Sonnambula
Conductor: Antonino Votto
Soprano: María Callas
"My favorite aria sung by my favorite singer. Callas shows us all how to sing a legato line and color the words in the most expressive way."

Jules Massenet: "Don César De Bazan from Sevilliana
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Soprano: Sumi Jo
"This is just fun stuff! And Mn Opera had the great pleasure to have both of these amazing artists here."

George Frideric Handel: Or la Tromba" from Arie Di Rinaldo
Conductor: Claudio Scimone
Mezzo-Soprano: Marilyn Horne
"I mentioned that Vivica Genaux sings coloratura better than anyone since Horner. Well here she is singing one of her most famous arias.

Giuseppe Verdi: No fu sogno!" from I Lombardi
Conductor: Anton Guadagno
Soprano: Montserrat Caballé
"The Caballe sound is breathtaking. I saw her do many roles at the Met when I lived in NYC. This is a gorgeous aria sung with here characteristic beauty.

Giacomo Puccini: Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso from La Rondine
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Soprano Angela Gheorghiu
Tenor: Roberto Alagna
"This piece is a great Puccini chorus. I am also giving a plug that Mn Opera is opening their 2018/2019 with a new production of La Rondine."

Richard Strauss: Aber der Richtige, wenn's einen gibt fur mich from Arabella
Conductor: Georg Solti
Sopranos: Lisa Della Casa and Hilde Gueden
"This piece makes me cry. How did Strauss do it?

Christoph Willibald Gluck: Ahimè! Dove Trascorsi? And Che Farò from Orfeo Ed Euridice
Conductor: Harry Bicket
Countertenor: David Daniels
"Sometimes the simplest of arias can be the most moving. David Daniels is one of our generations' great singers. MN Opera was honored to have him sing this role for us back in 2011."

Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Conductor: Gorg Solti
Sopranos: Regine Crespin and Helen Donath
Mezzo-Soprano: Yvonne Minton
"Once again Richard Strauss writes some amazing music for women's voices. This incredible mix of mezzo lyric and coloratura can't be beat."

Jules Massenet: Dis-moi que je suis belle from Thaïs
Conductor: Yves Abel
Soprano: Renée Fleming
"I think Massenet is underappreciated and this was one of the first arias I learned of his. I love the sweep and glamor of it. And Mn Opera is producing it in May!!!"