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opera seria

[ op-er-uh seer-ee-uh, op-ruh; Italian aw-pe-rah se-ryah ]

noun

plural opera serias, operas seria, Italian opere serie [aw, -pe-, r, e , se, -, r, ye].
  1. Italian dramatic opera of the 18th century based typically on a classical subject and characterized by extensive use of the aria da capo and recitative.


opera seria

/ ˈopera ˈsɛːrja; ˈsɪərɪə /

noun

  1. a type of opera current in 18th-century Italy based on a serious plot, esp a mythological tale
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of opera seria1

1875–80; < Italian: literally, serious opera
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Word History and Origins

Origin of opera seria1

from Italian: serious opera
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Example Sentences

My dating history featured a catalog of opera seria, each ending more tragic than the last.

Taken together, it’s a nearly 12-hour commitment, sure, but it’s a stationary hike that offers a panorama of wildly diverse music: David McVicar’s new production of Luigi Cherubini’s “Medea”; a lively revival of Mozart’s opera seria underdog “Idomeneo”; and a revival of the late Graham Vick’s madcap treatment of Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,” a staging I can only sum up as absolutely bonkers.

Night two for me was Mozart’s 1781 opera seria “Idomeneo,” set on the island of Crete in the aftermath of the Trojan War.

For Currentzis, the work’s female characters reflect different styles of female singer: Donna Anna, for example, seems to have arrived from an opera seria and Zerlina, a peasant girl, from an opera buffa.

“It’s a polystylistic opera,” he added, referring to the score’s combination of tropes from severe opera seria and jovial opera buffa, added to orchestrations that recall religious music.

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