A Pastoral Ode, Biblical Plot, Spanish Brouhaha and Mad Sister

On March 9, many wonderful (and diverse) compositions had their first performance. Celebrating those works are some audio clips below.

1740: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (Händel) at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre

"But oh, sad virgin, that thy pow'r" sung by Kathleen Battle

1842: Nabucco (Verdi) at Teatro alla Scala

"Ben io t'invenni o fatal scritto...Salgo già del trono aurato" sung by Maria Callas

1844: Ernani (Verdi) at Teatro La Fenice

"Sorta la notte...Ernani, involami" sung by Leona Mitchell

1868: Hamlet (Thomas) at Paris Opéra

"A vos jeux, mes amis...Partagez-vous mes fleurs!...Et maintenant écoutez ma chanson!"
sung by June Anderson
[Click photo to launch audio]