European Operas

Opera is an expensive spectacle that impresses the viewer. Today, more than ever, opera attracts more and more art lovers, who recognize it as one of the leading expressions of Western culture. 

One of the main characteristics of this special art is the language - Italian, French and German. In the beginning, there was no problem in the princely salons, as they were all well-educated and knowledge of these languages was taken for granted. However, in the 18th c. the ever-rising bourgeoisie wanted to become autonomous based on a system of commonly accepted values, independent of the power of both church and state. They wanted to understand what they saw in the theater, they asked for texts in their language and a spectacle less stereotypical than that offered by the serious Italian opera with its strictly geometric structure and mythological themes. 

The answer was given through what was called comic opera and was developed in all European countries. Its main features were the short dialogues in the respective national language, topics related to everyday life, much less elaborate music and singers with voices that corresponded to their gender. 

In the 19th c. opera shows gained unexpected power and therefore a new role. The new ideals that swept Europe like a storm facilitated the development of national music schools. The creation of nation-states presupposed common cultural origins. The comic opera of the 18th c. had paved the way that Romanticism made the most of. Adapted, the subject matter left the world of Greco-Roman antiquity and turned to historical or contemporary themes. In 1818 Munich, with a population of 54,000, acquired a new National Theater with 2,000 seats, the most modern European opera scene of the time.

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