When it comes to building your repertoire for auditions, competitions and performances, choosing the right arias is important.
By carefully selecting a diverse range of arias, languages and styles you can create a well-rounded repertoire package that showcases your full range of vocal skills and provides a clear picture of who you are as an artist.
In this blog post, I’ve listed 72 opera arias for bass, by Fach, to create and/or renew your repertoire.
Opera Arias for Lyric Bass
Bravo signor padrone! / Se vuol ballare - Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Ehi capitano / Non più andrai – Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Tutto è disposto / Aprite un po’ quegl’occhi – Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Eh consolatevi / Madamina, il catalogo è questo – Don Giovanni (Mozart)
O sancta justitia! – Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing)
Fünftausend Taler! – Der Wildschütz (Lortzing)
Auch ich war ein Jüngling mit lockigem Haar – Der Waffenschmied (Lortzing)
A un dottor della mia sorte – Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Miei rampolli femminini – La cenerentola (Rossini)
Udite, udite, o rustici – L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti)
Cessi, ah cessi / Dalle stanze ove Lucia – Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)
Ah! un foco insolito – Don Pasquale (Donizetti)
Cinta di fiori – I puritani (Bellini)
Voici des roses – La damnation de Faust (Berlioz)
De son cœur j’ai calmé la fièvre! – Mignon (Thomas)
Je comprends que la belle aime le militaire! – Le Caïd (Thomas)
Heraus zum Kampfe mit uns allen – Tannhäuser (Wagner)
Toh, toh! Poffare il mondo! – La forza del destino (Verdi)
Au bruit des lourds marteaux – Philémon et Baucis (Gounod)
Každý jen svou má za jedinou – Prodaná nevesta (Smetana)
Lakmé, ton doux regard – Lakmé (Delibes)
Quand la flamme de l’amour – La jolie fille de Perth (Bizet)
Les grands mots que voilà ! / Épouse quelque brave fille – Manon (Massenet)
Les femmes, Chevalier – Don Quichotte (Massenet)
Ça, vous commettez / Riez, allez, riez – Don Quichotte (Massenet)
Vecchia zimarra, senti – La bohème (Puccini)
Opera Arias for Lyric-Dramatic Bass
Wer ein Liebchen hat gefunden – Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart)
O, wie will ich triumphieren – Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart)
La vendetta – Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
O Isis und Osiris – Die Zauberflöte (Mozart)
In diesen heil’gen Hallen – Die Zauberflöte (Mozart)
Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben – Fidelio (Beethoven)
La calunnia – Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Eterno! immenso! / Celeste man placata! – Mosè in Egitto (Rossini)
Vieni! la mia vendetta / Qualunque sia l’evento – Lucrezia Borga (Donizetti)
Als Büblein klein – Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Nicolai)
Lasst mich euch fragen – Martha (Flotow)
Mögst du, mein Kind – Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner)
Das schöne Fest, Johannistag – Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner)
Ella giammai m’amò! / Dormirò sol – Don Carlo (Verdi)
Studia il passo / Come dal ciel precipita – Macbeth (Verdi)
Vous qui faites l’endormie – Faust (Gounod)
Que les songes heureux – Philémon et Baucis (Gounod)
Kak vo gorode bylo vo Kazani – Boris Godunov (Mussorgskij)
Ljubvi vse vozrasty pokorny – Evgenij Onegin (Tschaikowsky)
Ecco il mondo – Mefistofele (Boito)
Dors, ô cité perverse! – Hérodiade (Massenet)
Wie schön ist doch die Musik – Die schweigsame Frau (Strauss)
Opera Arias for Dramatic Bass
Voici donc les debris / Nonnes qui reposez - Robert le diable (Meyerbeer)
Volontiers, un vieil air huguenot / Piff, paff - Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer)
Cujut pravdu! / Ty prijdes moja zarja! - Zizn' za carja (Glinka)
Gar viel und schon - Tannhauser (Wagner)
Gott gruss euch - Lohengrin (Wagner)
Mein Herr und Gott - Lohengrin (Wagner)
Hoiho! Hoiho hoho! - Gotterdammerung (Wagner)
Tatest du's wirklich - Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)
Titurel, der fromme Held - Parsifal (Wagner)
Vieni, o Levita! / Tu sul labbro de' veggenti - Nabucco (Verdi)
E ancor silenzio! / Ma quando un suon terribile - I Lombardi all prima crociata (Verdi)
Che mai vegg'io! / Infelice! e tuo credevi - Ernani (Verdi)
Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima - Attila (Verdi)
Vous priez / Oh! dans l'ombre - Jerusalem (Verdi)
Grace, mon Dieu! / A ce front pale - Jerusalem (Verdi)
Ah! tutto m'arride / Il mio sangue - Luisa Miller (Verdi)
O patria / O tu, Palermo - I vespri siciliani (Verdi)
A te l'estremo addio / Il lacerato spirito - Simon Boccanegra (Verdi)
Zdorov li, knjaz'? - Prince Igor (Borodin)
Si, morir ella de'! - La Gioconda (Ponchielli)
Esce odno pslednee skazan'e - Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky)
Cto skazet on? / Gospod' moj, esli gresen ja - Iolanta (Tchaikovsky)
O skaly groznye drobjatsja - Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Zabylasja / Ne dumal - The Tsar's Bride (Rimsky-Korsakov)
How to Choose the Right Arias
When it comes to choosing the right arias, there are a few key factors to consider:
Choose Arias you Love to Perform
Everyone will have different opinions regarding what arias best suit your voice.
And welcome repertoire advice and suggestions from teachers you trust.
But by choose repertoire that really resonates with you vocally, emotionally, and dramatically you’ll deliver an outstanding performance that won’t go unnoticed.
Choose Arias that Suit your Vocal Abilities
It is important to choose arias that you can sing right now.
Present repertoire that shows your current strengths and abilities and highlights your vocal and performance skills that make you stand out.
Ideally, arias should be taken from roles you are ready to perform in full.
But it can be tempting to choose a difficult aria but if for example, an aria has notes that are too high or too low for you to sing comfortably, this can be a big risk.
You’re far more likely to be successful, particularly with audition and competition panels, if you sing a beautifully performed and confidently executed piece than something difficult.
Choose Arias that show your full range of vocal skills
A well-rounded repertoire package should also represent the languages, musical styles and technical skills for the types of roles your best suited for.
Consider your Fach and the qualities of your voice and how they match the style of an aria.
For example, if you have a light, agile voice, you might feel comfortable singing bel canto arias, which are known for their ornate, florid melodies.
On the other hand, if you have a darker, more powerful voice, you might feel more at home singing verismo arias, which are known for their emotional intensity and dramatic flair.
Avoid repertoire that cannot be performed confidently or accurately or exposes technical flaws and weaknesses.
Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias by Richard Boldrey is a great resource for breaking down the Fach system and providing helpful repertoire sections.
Choose Arias that show Personal style and character
Choose arias that match your personal style and the characters you feel most comfortable portraying.
If you enjoy, and vocally well-suited to singing more lighthearted, playful roles, you might look for arias that reflect that.
On the other hand, if you prefer more dramatic, emotional roles, you might look for arias that allow you to delve into those depths.
The difficulty here is that the arias are performed out of context. You have no set, costume or other characters to help you tell the story.
Choose repertoire where you're familiar with the character and dramatic interpretation, where you can present your storytelling skills and deliver a compelling performance.
By considering these factors, you can find arias that suit your vocal range, style, and character, and that will allow you to give a confident and authentic performance.
Recommended Songbooks
OperAria Bass, Vol. 1: Lyric
OperAria Bass, Vol. 2: Lyric-Dramatic
OperAria Bass, Vol. 3: Dramatic
It is also important to remember that finding the right arias is a process, and it may take some experimentation to find the arias that showcase your vocal abilities.
Don't be afraid to try out different arias and see what works best for you.
With time and practice, you will be able to create a well-rounded repertoire package that will help you showcase your unique strengths, allow you to give your best performance, and help you stand out as a performer.
Found this blog post helpful? Give it a like, share it with your friends, and leave a comment below to let me know how it benefited you!
* Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional or medical advice. Singers and professional voice users should always consult with qualified professionals, such as singing teachers or medical practitioners before making any decisions or taking any actions related to their vocal health and wellbeing.
Further Reading
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