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 70 opera arias for mezzo soprano, by Fach, to create and/or renew your repertoire.
Opera Arias for Lyric Mezzo-Soprano
Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio – Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Voi che sapete - Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
Ah scostati / Smanie implacabili – Così fan tutte (Mozart)
Nobles seigneurs, salut! – Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer)
Una voce poco fa - Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Nacqui all’affanno / Non più mesta – La cenerentola (Rossini)
O patria! / Di tanti palpiti – Tancredi (Rossini)
È sgombro il loco / Un bacio ancora – Anna Bolena (Donizetti)
Ascolta! Se Romeo t’uccise un figlio – I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini )
Dopo l’oscuro nembo – Adelson e Salvini (Bellini)
Connais-tu le pays – Mignon (Thomas)
C’est moi / Me voici dans son boudoir – Mignon (Thomas)
Faites-lui mes aveux – Faust (Gounod)
Vois sous l’archet frémissant – Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach)
Vous aimez le danger / Ah! que j’aime les militaires – La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (Offenbach)
Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein – Die Fledermaus (Strauss Jr. )
Parto, ma tu ben mio - La clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
Deh per questo istante solo – La clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
Werther! Werther! – Werther (Massenet)
Va! laisse couler mes larmes – Werther (Massenet)
Buon giorno, Fritz! / O pallida – L’amico Fritz (Mascagni)
Wie du warst! – Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss)
Sein wir wieder gut – Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss)
Opera Arias for Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano
Fia dunque vero / O mio Fernando – La favorita (Donizetti)
Entweihte Götter! – Lohengrin (Wagner)
Einsam wachend in der Nacht – Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)
Wo in Bergen du dich birgst – Die Walküre (Wagner)
Stride la vampa – Il trovatore (Verdi)
Condotta ell’era in ceppi – Il trovatore (Verdi)
Nei giardin del bello – Don Carlo (Verdi)
O don fatale – Don Carlo (Verdi)
Al suon del tamburo – La forza del destino (Verdi)
Rataplan – La forza del destino (Verdi)
Me violà seule enfin / Plus grand, dans son obscurité – La Reine de Saba (Gounod)
Ho il cor gonfio di lagrime / Stella del marinar! La Gioconda (Ponchielli)
Quand je vous aimerai ? / L’amour est un oiseau rebelle – Carmen (Bizet)
Près des remparts de Séville – Carmen (Bizet)
Voyons, que j’essaie / En vain pour éviter – Carmen (Bizet)
Oui, Dieu le veut! / Adieu, forêts – Jeanne d’Arc (Tschaikowsky)
Aj, aj, už jsi se navrátila? – Rusalka (Dvořák)
Venge-moi / Hérode! Ne me refuse pas – Hérodiade (Massenet)
Repose, ô belle amoureuse – Le roi de Lahore (Massenet)
Voi lo sapete, o mamma – Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni)
Acerba voluttà - Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea)
Ich habe keine guten Nächte – Elektra (Strauss)
Hab Erbarmen! – Frau ohne Schatten (Strauss)
Give him this orchid – The Rape of Lucretia (Britten)
Opera Arias for Contralto
Ahimè! Dove trascorsi? / Che farò senza Euridice – Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck)
Va, l’error mio palesa – Mitridate (Mozart)
Ah giacché son tradito / Son reo – Mitridate (Mozart)
Perché tacer degg’io? / Cara, lontano ancora – Ascanio in Alba (Mozart)
Ah ! mon fils – Le prophète (Meyerbeer)
Ah! quel giorno ognor rammento – Semiramide (Rossini)
In sì barbara sciagura – Semiramide (Rossini)
Cruda sorte! – L’italiana in Algeri (Rossini)
Mura felici / Oh quante lagrime – La donna del lago (Rossini)
Ballade vom Jäger Herne – Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Nicolai)
Weiche, Wotan, weiche! – Das Rheingold (Wagner)
Höre mit Sinn - – Götterdämmerung (Wagner)
Re dell’abisso affrettati – Un ballo in maschera (Verdi)
Voce di donna – La Gioconda (Ponchielli)
Samson, recherchant ma présence – Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns)
Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix – Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns)
Gadan’e – Chovanščina (Mussorgskij)
Ach, Tanja, Tanja! – Evgenij Onegin (Tschaikowsky)
Johannes schläft – Der Evangelimann (Kienzl)
Voici ce qu’il écrit à son frère Pelléas – Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy)
Daphne! Wir warten dein – Daphne (Strauss)
As I was saying – The Rake’s Progress (Strawinsky)
Was für ein Lärm – Bernarda Albas Haus (Reimann)
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 Mezzo-Soprano, Vol.1: Lyric
OperAria Mezzo-Soprano, Vol. 2: 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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