Favorite aria?

The Jewel Aria from Gounod’s Faust.

The Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes.

Largo al Factotum from Rossini’s Barber of Seville. (More a patter song than an aria so I will add, from Mozart’s Don Giovanni the duet between the Don and Zerlina:
Là ci darem la mano)

The entire score of Bizet’s Carmen , everything from Mozart’s The Magic Flute amd all the other arias from The Barber, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni.

Very tough choice. “Che gelida manina” would be one. “O mio babbino caro” is another. “Dove sono.” “Quando men vo.” “Di quella pira.” “Di Provenza il mar, il suol.” I can’t do it, can’t pick one. (And how could I forget “Velia”?)

Actually most of my favorites are not arias but duets (“Au fond du temple saint,” “Ai nostri monti,” the Flower Duet from Lakme), quartets and sextets (e.g., from Rigoletto and Lucia), ensembles (“Miserere” from _Il Trovatore), and big choruses (Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco).

La Boheme-Musetta’s walz. I know that’s an obvious go to. The first opera I saw was La Boheme at the San Francisco opera house, and I have been addicted ever since. I saw La Boheme and La Traviata at the Sidney Opera House. I think I still have the Librettos from every opera I have ever seen. Any aria from Madame Butterfly is also a favorite. Ah heck, pick one, any one. I can be drawn into opera faster than any other type of music.

I’m a little surprised no one chimed in with Mozart’s Queen of the Night
aria from The Magic Flute.

^^Probably because unless you have a really good coloratura soprano, there is a lot of shrieking and ear popping events on the high notes.

(Good to see you, Chuckie)