Opera Libretti, Translations, and Opera History
Explore opera libretti, composer biographies, historical milestones, and professionally formatted side-by-side translations.
A curated guide to the world’s most important operas, composers, and libretto traditions.
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Faust: French–English Side-by-Side Libretto With Translation
A new side-by-side French–English libretto is now available on LibrettoArchive, along with the German text, a new paperback, and a PDF preview.
Janáček’s Jenůfa in Czech and English
New on LibrettoArchive: Jenůfa by Leoš Janáček, with a new Czech–English side-by-side translation. The Czech text was carefully checked and restored from multiple sources.
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Macbeth
Giuseppe Verdi · 1847
Explore Verdi’s Macbeth with the complete Italian libretto and a new English translation by Dmitrii Murashev, presented side by side on LibrettoArchive. A good time to revisit the opera: the Metropolitan Opera opens its 2026–27 season with a new production of Macbeth on September 22, with performances through October 20.
Jenůfa
Leoš Janáček · 1904
New on LibrettoArchive: Jenůfa by Leoš Janáček — a new Czech–English side-by-side edition with a newly prepared English translation. With a new production of Jenůfa coming to the Metropolitan Opera in November 2026, explore the opera in advance and follow Janáček’s original Czech line by line alongside the English.
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Today in Opera History — September 29
All1732
World premiere of Johann Adolf Hasse’s opera "Siroe re di Persia" in Dresden’s Court Theatre.
1827
"Egilida di Provenza" by João Evangelista Pereira da Costa was first performed; it was the first full-length opera by a Portuguese composer to be staged since the works of Marcos Portugal.
1949
Arthur Bliss's opera "The Olympians", with a libretto by J. B. Priestley, received its world premiere at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
1968
Luigi Dallapiccola's opera "Ulisse" received its world premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin during the Berliner Festwochen, conducted by Lorin Maazel.
1970
Alan Bush's opera "Joe Hill, the Man Who Never Died" was first performed at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin as part of the East Berlin Arts Festival.
The Daily Opera Chronicle
Selected premieres and milestones from the world of opera — published daily.
The complete archive remains here on the website.