First and foremost, anything by Fromental Halévy (1799-1862) that isn't La Juive. Halévy was the leader of the French school of opera composers; he was praised for his profound science (sometimes too advanced for contemporaries used to simpler stuff), his dramatic understanding, and his penetrating melancholy. At the very least L'Eclair (1835) (a musical tour de force with … Continue reading Top 10 unfairly neglected operas →