Presented in the upcoming 2012-13 season at the Met, is a new production of Handel's famous opera, Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar).  For those of you unable to make it to New York City, you'll have the chance to see it in the theater on April 27, 2013  as part of the Met's popular Live in HD broadcasts.  (View the full 2012-13 HD listings.)  If you are not familiar with the story of Julius Caesar, or at least the librettist's take on how he came to fall in love with Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra, read the synopsis of Giulio Cesare today.

A few days ago, I was listening to the famous Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's one-act opera, Cavalleria Rusticana. (Listen to Intermezzo on YouTube. It's really quite beautiful.) The opera was written in the short period of two months after Mascagni learned of an opera contest.  He submitted his finished opera on the very last day entries were accepted and won (along with two other operas).  Cavalleria Rusticana was Mascagni's first opera, and subsequently, his most popular.  The world premier garnered him 40 curtain calls and thunderous applause.   Since its creation, the opera has been performed thousands of times.  It is often double billed with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.  Learn the synopsis of Mascagni's opera, Cavalleria Rusticana.

Here's an opera everyone is familiar with - at least a bit of its music, that is.  The famous bridal chorus to which almost every bride walks down the aisle was actually written by Wagner for this opera.  I just hope no one's marriage turns out as sad as the couple in the story.  Learn the synopsis of Lohengrin to find out what happens.

Having posted the lyrics to Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" just last week, I thought I'd share the synopsis to its operatic home, Rusalka. The opera's libretto was based on the fairy tales of fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová.  However, most of you may be familiar with the story if you've seen Disney's The Little Mermaid. However, Dvorak's Rusalka, is a much sadder tale - not everyone lives happily ever after.  Learn the story of Rusalka in this opera synopsis.