This is a list of operas specifically written for radio performance.
Broadcast premiereComposedComposerOpera titleLibrettist and/or source(s)Radio station 24 March 1925"Broadcasting", The Times, 24 March 1925, p. 23 Geoffrey Toye The Red Pen A. P. Herbert British Broadcasting Company Gustav Kneip Christkinds Erdenreise (The Christ-child's journey on Earth) WERAG May 1931"Malpopita", review in Time, 11 May 1931. Walter Goehr Malpopita Berlin July 1931"The King Can Do No Wrong", Radio Times, Issue 408, 26th July 1931, p. 40 Mark Lubbock The King Can Do No Wrong C Denis Freeman British Broadcasting Corporation 25 October 1931Was wollen wir hören? Auslandsendungen vom 25. bis 31. Oktober 1931, Radio Wien, Year 8 No 4, 18th October 1931, p. 48 Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli L'ospite inatteso Carlo Veneziani Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche 26 April 1932Thomas Warburton: Cadman, Charles Wakefield, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 676. Charles Wakefield Cadman The Willow Tree Nelle Richmond Eberhart NBC 13 July 1933Erik Levi: Egk, Werner, in Sadie, vol 2, pp. 22–24. 1932 Werner Egk Columbus, Bericht und Bildnis (Columbus, report and portrait) Bayerischer Rundfunk 6 October 1935Jan Smaczny: Martinů, Bohuslav, in Sadie, vol. 3, pp. 237–239. Bohuslav Martinů Hlas lesa (The Voice of the Forest) Vítězslav Nezval Czech Radio 15 October 1936Erik Levi: Sutermeister, Heinrich, in Sadie, vol. 4, pp. 610–611. Heinrich Sutermeister Die schwarze Spinne (The Black Spider) Albert Rösler, after Jeremias Gotthelf's Die schwarze Spinne Radio Bern 1937Harry Haskell, Walter Simmons: Giannini, Vittorio, in Sadie, vol. 2, p. 405. Vittorio Giannini Flora CBS Radio 18 March 1937 Bohuslav Martinů Veselohra na mostě (Comedy on the Bridge) Martinů, after Václav Kliment Klicpera Czech Radio 17 October 1937Robert F. Nisbett: Gruenberg, Louis, in Sadie, vol. 2, pp. 555–556 Louis Gruenberg Green Mansions after the novel Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson Columbia Broadcasting Company 1938 Vittorio Giannini Beauty and the Beast R. Simon CBS Radio 3 April 1939Cosma, Viorel: Mihalovici, Marcel, in Sadie, vol. 3, p. 386. 1928 Marcel Mihalovici L'intransigeant Pluton Jean-François Regnard RTF 22 April 1939Bruce Archibald: Menotti, Gian Carlo, in Sadie, vol. 3, pp. 332–334. Gian Carlo Menotti The Old Maid and the Thief Gian Carlo Menotti NBC 2 November 1939 Vittorio Giannini Blennerhassett Norman Corwin, Phillip Roll CBS Radio 29 March 1942Elliot Forbes: Thompson, Randall, in Sadie, vol. 4, p. 729. Randall Thompson Solomon and Balkis after The Butterfly that Stamped by Rudyard Kipling CBS 15 September 1942"The Rose and the Violet", Radio Times, Issue 989, 13 September, 1942, p. 10 Mark Lubbock The Rose and the Violet Barbara Cartland British Broadcasting Corporation 10 October 1943Richard Langham Smith: Ibert, Jacques, in Sadie, vol. 2, pp. 779–780 Jacques Ibert Barbe-bleu W. Aguet Radio Lausanne 1949Arthur Hoérée: Harsányi, Tibor, in Sadie, vol. 2, p. 651. Tibor Harsányi Illusions, ou l'histoire d'un miracle P. Brive, after E. T. A. Hoffmann RTF 1 December 1949Anthony Sellors: Dallapiccola, Luigi, in Sadie, vol 1, pp. 1050–1051. 1944–48 Luigi Dallapiccola Il prigioniero (The Prisoner) after stories by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam and Charles De Coster. RAI 18 April 1950 Marcel Mihalovici Phèdre Yvan Goll, after Jean Racine RTF 21 July 1950Henri Vanhulst: Chevreuille, Raymond, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 838. Raymond Chevreuille D'un diable de briquet Chevreuille, after Hans Christian Andersen Belgian radio 3 October 1950Guido M. Gatti, John C. G. Waterhouse: Pizzetti, Ildebrando, in Sadie, vol. 3, pp. 1025–1027. Ildebrando Pizzetti Ifigenia Pizzetti and A. Perrini RAI 15 November 1950Giordano Montecchi: Rota, Nino, in Sadie, vol. 4, pp. 68–69. Nino Rota I due timidi (The Two Timid Ones) Suso Cecchi d'Amico RAI 21 August 1951Kókai Rezső-daljátékai: a Fülemüle, a Lészen ágyú és a Hét-falu kovácsa, pp. 38–39 Rezső Kókai Lészen ágyú (There shall be guns) Péter Halász and József Romhányi Magyar Rádió 11 October 1951John C. G. Waterhouse: Bossi, Renzo, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 566. 1950 Renzo Bossi Il principe felice (The Happy Prince) Bossi, after Oscar Wilde RAI 19 November 1951Andrew Clements Henze, Hans Werner, in Sadie, vol. 2, pp. 695–697 Hans Werner Henze Ein Landarzt after Franz Kafka Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk 5 March 1952Hugo Cole: Reizenstein, Franz, in Sadie, vol. 3, p. 1287. Franz Reizenstein Anna Kraus Christopher Hassall BBC Third Programme 5 May 1952 Raymond Chevreuille L'elixir du révérend père Gaucher Chevreuille, after Alphonse Daudet Belgian radio 12 June 1952 Bernd Alois Zimmermann Des Menschen Unterhaltsprozeß gegen Gott (The People's Maintenance Suit Against God) Pedro Calderón de la Barca, adapted by Matthias Bungart WDR 5 November 1952 Ildebrando Pizzetti Cagliostro Pizzetti RAI 1953Vogt, Hans, in Sadie, vol. 4, p. 1037. Hans Vogt Die Stadt hinter dem Strom (The City Beyond the River) Hermann Kasack Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, BBC 4 December 1953 Hans Werner Henze Das Ende einer Welt (The End of a World) Wolfgang Hildesheimer Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk 10 January 1954 Raymond Chevreuille Atta Troll Chevreuille, after Heinrich Heine Atta Troll, ein Sommernachtstraum Belgian radio24 September 1954Jos Wouters, Leo Samama: Badings, Henk, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 275. Henk Badings Orestes Florence 9 November 1954Lionel Salter: Radio, Early History, in Sadie, vol. 3, p. 1212 Marcel Mihalovici Die Heimkehr (The Homecoming) K. H. Ruppel, after Guy de Maupassant Hessischer Rundfunk 15 November 1954Emily Butter Donald Swann, channelling Dame Hilda Tablet Emily Butter Henry Reed BBC Third Programme 9 August 1955Adrian Wright: The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn (2008), pp. 152–5 William Alwyn Farewell Companions H. A. L. Craig BBC 28 December 1955Tailleferre catalogue at Gérard Billaudot Editeur, December 1996 Germaine Tailleferre Monsieur Petit Pois achète un château Denise Centore Radio France 28 December 1955 Germaine Tailleferre Le bel ambitieux Denise Centore Radio France 28 December 1955 Germaine Tailleferre La pauvre Eugénie Denise Centore Radio France 28 December 1955 Germaine Tailleferre La Fille d'opéra Denise Centore Radio France1957 Henk Badings Asterion Johannesburg 28 February 1957Andres Wiklund: Bäck, Sven-Erik, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 272. 1956 Sven-Erik Bäck Tranfjädrarna (The Crane Feathers) Bertil Malmberg, after Junji Kinoshita Swedish Radio 1957Andreas van Leeuwen: Winfried Zillig (1905-1963): Die Verlobung in St. Domingo. Analyse und Interpretation einer vergessenen Funkoper, in Acta Musicologica, Vol. 72, Fasc. 2 (2000), pp. 189-218 (30 pages) 1956 Winfried Zillig Die Verlobung in St. Domingo (The engagement in St. Domingo) After Heinrich von Kleist Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk30 July 1959Fetzers Flucht - Eine Funkoper wird zur Fernsehoper, at mdr archives, visited 20.11.2024 Kurt Schwaen Fetzers Flucht (Fetzer's Escape) Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DDR 1)10 November 1959Adrian Thomas: Bacewicz, Grażyna, in Sadie, vol 1, p. 268. Grażyna Bacewicz Przygoda Króla Artura (The Adventure of King Arthur) Polish Radio 19 November 1959 Nino Rota La notte di un nevrastenico R. Bacchelli RAI 12 July 1960 1959 Germaine Tailleferre Le Maître Eugène Ionesco Radio France 30 September 1960 1957 Germaine Tailleferre La petite sirène Ph. Soupault after H. C. Andersen' "The Little Mermaid" Radio France 1961Niccolò Castiglioni: biography at Allmusic Niccolò Castiglioni Attraverso lo specchio (Through the Looking-Glass) after Lewis Carroll and also his Alice in Wonderland RAI 1961Piotr Perkowski: Information, Videos, News and Images Piotr Perkowski Girlandy (Garlands) 14 February 1961 Sven-Erik Bäck Fågeln (The Bird) P. Verner-Carlson, after A. Obrenovic Swedish Radio 27 August 1961Janos Kárpáti: Petrovics, Emil, in Sadie, vol. 3, p. 988 Emil Petrovics C'est la guerre Miklos Hubay Hungarian Broadcasting Corporation 12 August 1962Raymond Fearn: Maderna, Bruno, in Sadie, vol. 3, pp. 140–141. Bruno Maderna Don Perlimplin Bruno Maderna, after Federico García Lorca RAI 8 March 1964Hugo Cole: Humphrey Searle, in Sadie, vol. 4, p. 281. Humphrey Searle The Photo of the Colonel Searle, after Eugène Ionesco BBC 1968Breitkopf & Härtel Catalogue, Nr. 2313 Hans Ulrich Engelmann Der Fall van Damm (The Case van Damm) Markus Kuttner Westdeutscher Rundfunk 16 December 1969Jens Brincker: Lorentzen, Bent, in Sadie, vol. 3, p. 45. Bent Lorentzen Euridice Bent Lorentzen DR (broadcaster) 17 May 1971 Hans Werner Henze Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer (The Tedious Way to Natascha Ungeheuer's Apartment) Gaston Salvatore RAI 1972Adrian Thomas: Matuszczak, Bernadetta, in Sadie, Vol. 3, p. 273 1970–71 Bernadetta Matuszczak Humanae voces after Genesis, Saint John, Mahatma Gandhi, Anne Frank, etc. Polish Radio 1973About Little Warsaw Autumn: Sinbad the Sailor by Tomasz Sikorski, after Bolesław Leśmian Tomasz Sikorski Sinbad the Sailor after a poem by Bolesław Leśmian Polish Radio 1975Otomar Kvěch: List of Works Otomar Kvěch Jaro je tu (Spring Is Here) (1975) 14 January 1977Hugo Cole: Gilbert, Anthony, in Sadie, vol 2, pp. 413–414. Anthony Gilbert The Chakravaka-Bird after poems by Mahadevi Varma, translated by A. K. Ramanujan, Daniel H. H. Ingalls Sr. and Anthony Gilbert BBC 1978 Otomar Kvěch Před vánocemi (Before Christmas) (1978) 3 July 1979 1976–77 Bernadetta Matuszczak Apocalypsis after Revelation Polish Radio 1980 Otomar Kvěch Jak přišel podzim (When Autumn Came) 2 September 1982 Karl Aage Rasmussen Historien om Jonas (The story of Jonah) Poul Borum DR 14 September 19821982 Thea Musgrave An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Musgrave BBC Radio 3 4 January 1989Christopher Wintle: LeFanu, Nicola, in Sadie, vol. 2, p. 1122. 1986 Nicola LeFanu The Story of Mary O'Neill S. McInerney BBC 1991Castagnoli, Giulio at Operone.de Giulio Castagnoli Al Museo in volo & a zompi (To the Museum) Ugo Nespolo Rai Radio 3 1996 Giulio Castagnoli Lontananze vicino a noi Dario Voltolini RAI 14 April 2004FIMIC (Finnish Music Information Centre): Jüri Reinvere: The Opposite Shore Jüri Reinvere The Opposite Shore Tamu Tohver, Jüri Reinvere Eesti Raadio 8 July 2005WNYC: Spinning on Air, Amy Kohn's radio opera 1 Plum Sq. Amy Kohn 1, Plum Square Amy Kohn WNYC 9 July 2010BBC Radio 3: World premiere of The Wandering Jew, 9 July, 2010 Robert Saxton The Wandering Jew Robert Saxton BBC Radio 3
See also Radio opera List of television operas
References Notes
Sources