The MTV era needed some grounding with an MTV version for opera arias, and Aria here was the answer. Whether these ten chosen arias are the best of the best is arguable, I can personally attest that after hearing these, I went out of my way to seek the operas where several came from (those that I wasn't familiar with, at least) and bought those operas to enjoy in their entirety.
The "Die Tote Stadt" duet was the most compelling and mystical for me. That aria (and not the nudity involved) compelled me to seek out the opera and it is now one of my favorites.
The "La Vergine degli angeli" by Verdi is also a most mesmerizing aria, although the opera itself, "La Forza del Destino" is rather boring. This aria did compelled me to seek out the opera to experience it in full.
The best segment, for me, was the Ken Russell interpretation of "Nessun Dorma" (Let no one sleep). Using the imagery of a near-fatal car accident and the need to not let the victim die was both poignant and novel. I had heard Nessun Dorma before seeing the movie, but did not know of its context. This aria interpretation was very novel and was deeply moving.
Equally deeply moving was the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolda. Lastly, how can one dismiss Julien Temple's "La Donna e Mobile" with Buck Henry and Beverly D'Angelo. It was quite comical.
The "Die Tote Stadt" duet was the most compelling and mystical for me. That aria (and not the nudity involved) compelled me to seek out the opera and it is now one of my favorites.
The "La Vergine degli angeli" by Verdi is also a most mesmerizing aria, although the opera itself, "La Forza del Destino" is rather boring. This aria did compelled me to seek out the opera to experience it in full.
The best segment, for me, was the Ken Russell interpretation of "Nessun Dorma" (Let no one sleep). Using the imagery of a near-fatal car accident and the need to not let the victim die was both poignant and novel. I had heard Nessun Dorma before seeing the movie, but did not know of its context. This aria interpretation was very novel and was deeply moving.
Equally deeply moving was the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolda. Lastly, how can one dismiss Julien Temple's "La Donna e Mobile" with Buck Henry and Beverly D'Angelo. It was quite comical.