The Classical Era

The Classical era · roughly 1750 to 1820 · saw opera tighten its musical architecture and turn its dramatic gaze on more recognisably human characters. Gluck's reform operas, the comic genius of Mozart and Da Ponte, and the rise of the Singspiel produced a body of work that remains the cornerstone of every major house's repertoire. The orchestra grew in size and assertiveness, ensembles became more dramatically supple, and the relation between recitative and aria was renegotiated.