Hello all, and welcome to another edition of What I'm Listening To! While I was trying to come up with a theme for this quarter's blog post, I watched the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Olympics being held in Milan, Italy. During the ceremony the best (in my opinion) opera singer in the world, Andrea Bocelli, sang a rendition of "Nessun Dorma". It was so beautiful that it inspired me to do a list of my favorite top 5 opera songs.
"Nessun Dorma" - Andrea Bocelli (Viaggio Italiano)
Yeah, so this is my favorite of all time. No question, Andrea Bocelli is the best male opera singer alive (ALIVE. Pavarotti is the best one EVER). I believe he is an inspiration for everyone, just like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, as he has been blind since age 12. He didn't let his circumstances determine his outcome. He took charge and became an icon. This song itself is older than Andrea, but the way he belts this song out is so, so good. You'll hear this in many movies, like The Sum of All Fears. Enjoy!
"Habanera" - Emil Tabakov (Essential Opera: The Best Love Songs Ever)
Another classic opera song! This one comes from the opera "Carmen", and if you start to hear the opening, you know exactly what song this is. It's been portrayed in cartoons, movies, and television. The vocals paired with the orchestra in the background really make this track what is the most iconic song from the opera itself.
Essential Opera: the Best Love Songs Ever
"Largo al factorum" - Gioacchino Rossini (The barber of Seville)
I first learned of this song at a young age. My grandma used to let us watch Looney Tunes growing up when she'd take care of us. There is a Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs actually sings this song, which is funny when thinking about how his talking voice is compared to his singing. Elmer Fudd is also in the cartoon, and it is quite enjoyable. You might remember the song by a word: Figaro!
"La donna è mobile" - Giuseppe Verdi (Famous Tenor Arias by Verdi)
I love the swing of the orchestra on this one. It guides you from side to side as the vocalist does the heavy lifting. It is a verbose punchy song that I very much enjoy. Another one of those "you've heard it a bajillion times in pop culture multimedia".
"Libiamo ne' lieti calici" - Mozart (Great Opera Arias)
Just like the last song, the orchestra really shines in the background. I would highly recommend looking up The Three Tenors version on Youtube. I'd say they're the best opera group of all time, but again, I'm biased with Pavarotti.
Even if you're not an opera fan, I hope you recognized or appreciated hearing this music! Remember, if it sounds good, listen to it!
