W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) created a piece of music history with this unique stage work, which since its premiere in September 1791 has become one of the most popular and most performed operas worldwide.When the theater and bon vivant Emanuel Schickaneder approached the financially and psychologically troubled composer in 1790 and presented him with a fairy-tale libretto, Mozart was immediately taken with it and added the masonic ideals and rites that were fashionable at the time. These gave the “Magic Flute” a completely different meaning and transformed the piece from a colorful magic pose into an almost testamentary appeal to humanity - entirely in the style of the spirit of the Viennese Classicism. Musically, this great German opera or Singspiel unites different styles such as opera seria, opera buffa and tragédie lyrique. Mozart’s genius united the French romance, the Italian aria and the German Lied to a fascinating kaleidoscope that inspires young and old alike. Popular arias from the "Magic Flute" such as “The Birdcatcher I am”, “Hell’s Revenge is boiling in my Heart”, or “This Portrait is Enchantingly Beautiful” are easily accessible to everyone. Goethe attested that this music alone would have provided a worthy accompaniment to his Faust.

"Il trovatore" was premiered with triumphant success in 1853 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome and is Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) second opera from the so-called "trilogia popolare" ("Rigoletto" / "Il trovatore" / "La traviata").The plot is set in medieval Spain and is based on the play "El trovador" by Antonio Garcìa Gutiérrez. The libretto, which remained fragmentary due to the unexpected death of Salvadore Cammarano, was completed by Leone Emmanuele Bardare. Although this circumstance causes the plot to have breaks and flaws, Verdi composed splendidly melodious arias for his protagonists Manrico (= il trovatore) and Leonore that are among the most beautiful in his repertoire.Overall, the instrumentation within the trilogia reaches an extremely high artistic level, which is expressed particularly clearly in the musical characterization of the multi-layered characters. Thus the dark character of Azucena is transformed from a vengefully tormented one into a loving mother who sings with the most tender and heartfelt feelings about her son who was mistakenly sacrificed. Rich in somber soundscapes and extreme contrasts, this dramma lirico, whose main motif is revenge, is now regularly performed at all major opera houses.

"Tosca" was first performed on January 14, 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi, now the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, symbolically on the spot. The evening was a major social event, and in addition to the Prime Minister and the Queen, the composers Pietro Mascagni and Francesco Cilea were also present. With his "Tosca" Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) entered a new century and, with his highly theatrical and effective scenes, he committed himself to Verist opera on the one hand and to the tragic-heroic grand opera on the other.After seeing the drama of the same name by Victorien Sardous, which was a huge international success with Sarah Bernhardt in the leading role, the composer successfully applied to Sardou for the rights to create a libretto. The wealth of musical ideas (more than 60 themes appear as leitmotifs) and the breathless sequence of events are largely responsible for the immense tension and drama of the opera. By focusing on the main character, the work is considered a "prima donna opera" par excellence. Although it has always been suspected that a historical figure is behind Tosca, the characters and plot are freely invented.However, the background against which the plot unfolds is historically determined by the Second Coalition War and the Battle of Marengo in 1800 between French and Austrian troops. Napoleon’s supposed defeat and his final victory over the coalition troops are reported in the first and second act of the opera.Today "Tosca" is one of the most popular and most performed operas of all.