opera / opera house
Loading your saved state.
opera
A musical genre of theater in which the plot is presented mainly through singing and orchestral accompaniment.
Mozarts „Die Zauberflöte“ ist eine der berühmtesten Opern der Welt.
Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' is one of the most famous operas in the world.
opera house
The building in which operas are performed; an opera house.
Die Semperoper in Dresden wurde im Zweiten Weltkrieg zerstört und später wieder aufgebaut.
The Semperoper in Dresden was destroyed in the Second World War and later rebuilt.
opera performance
The specific performance of a musical stage work. Often used in the phrase 'in die Oper gehen' (to go to the opera).
Wir gehen heute Abend in die Oper, um uns „Carmen“ anzusehen.
We're going to the opera tonight to see 'Carmen'.
The preposition 'in' helps distinguish the meanings. 'In die Oper gehen' (to go to the opera; accusative) means to attend a performance. 'In der Oper sein' (to be in the opera house; dative) describes being inside the building.
Am Samstag gehen wir in die Oper.
On Saturday we're going to the opera.
When 'Oper' (opera) refers to the musical genre, it often appears together with composers or verbs like 'komponieren' (to compose) and 'schreiben' (to write). It then describes the work itself, not the place or the performance.
Diese Oper wurde von einem berühmten italienischen Komponisten geschrieben.
This opera was written by a famous Italian composer.
The meaning 'building' becomes clear through verbs like 'bauen' (to build), 'besichtigen' (to visit/tour), or 'renovieren' (to renovate). Location phrases like 'vor der Oper' (in front of the opera house) or 'neben der Oper' (next to the opera house) also refer to the opera house.
Die neue Oper der Stadt ist architektonisch sehr beeindruckend.
The city's new opera house is architecturally very impressive.
performance / listing
For a visit to the opera, both die Oper and die Aufführung can be meant. Here, die Oper refers to the musical stage work or the event, while die Aufführung emphasizes the individual act of presenting it to the public. Use „Oper“ when the work or the event is the focus, and „Aufführung“ when you mean the specific performance date.
Wir gehen heute Abend in die Oper und sehen „Die Zauberflöte“.
We’re going to the opera this evening to see The Magic Flute.
Die heutige Aufführung von „Die Zauberflöte“ beginnt um 19 Uhr.
Tonight’s performance of The Magic Flute begins at 7 p.m.
