Don Giovanni
1787
Mozart is said to have written the overture the night before the Prague premiere, and the orchestra sight-read it at the first performance.
★ 9.2
The Albums canon
Sourced and spun.
Every record chosen by hand and annotated for why it matters.
Browse all 542 records or filter by genre, artist, and year.
Browse all 542 records or filter by genre, artist, and year.
Tristan und Isolde
1865
Seventy-seven rehearsals in Vienna ended with the opera abandoned as unperformable. It waited six years for a stage willing to try it.
★ 8.7
L'Orfeo
1607
The first performance was in a room at the Mantuan court for a few dozen listeners, and the printed score names every instrument required.
★ 7.3