Ah, Mozart. Darling of the 18th century music scene, he has quickly gained an immortal place in the classical music pantheon as the people's composer, no matter who you are, everybody likes Mozart. Perhaps his most best compositions are his 22 operas, and Mozart certainly thought they were. He was, at his core, a man of the theater, and loved to use his musical powers to enchant, amuse, and even provoke his audience. To any newbies out there, here's a guide to six of Wolfie's most famous operatic works.

1. Idomeneo, Re Di Creta (Idomeneo, King of Crete)

This work represents the pinnacle of the 18th century genre of opera seria (serious opera), which featured stories taken from classical mythology or history. This one's a real corker, featuring sea monsters, insane princesses, human sacrifice, and tense dramatic situations. The Cretian King Idomeneo has returned from the Trojan War, having promised the god Neptune during a storm to sacrifice the first person he sees onshore in return for a safe trip home. The first person he sees turns out to be the king's own son, Idamante (whoops. Nice going, Dad), so this presents a grave problem. The opera also features Electra, a princess who is in love with Idamante and goes insane when he rejects her, and asks serpents and demons to whip her and torment her in a quasi-BDSM kind of way. And you thought opera was boring.

2. Die Entfurhung Aus Dem Sereil (The Abduction from the Harem)

This opera comes from the German-language genre of singspiel (sing-play), a more lighthearted sort of opera with spoken dialogue in between the numbers. This one takes place in Turkey, and tells of the struggle of the Spanish nobleman Belmonte to rescue his wife Konstanze, his servant Pedrillo, and Pedrillo's sweetheart, Blonde, all of whom have been captured by pirates and sold into slavery in the palace of the Turkish Pasha Selim. Konstanze is one of Mozart's difficult parts, especially in this aria, where she swears to Selim that, even if he tortures her to death, she will never renounce her love.

3. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

This is the first in a series of three operas that Mozart wrote with texts by Lorenzo Da Ponte, and they're considered his greatest works. Figaro is a comedy of manners telling of one insane day at the household of the Count Almaviva, who is making sexual advances on his servant Susanna, even though she's getting married to the Count's valet, Figaro, that very afternoon. In the midst of all the disguises, mistaken identities, and humorous hi-jinks, this one has some of Mozart's most heartfelt music, and is probably my favorite opera of the bunch. My favorite scene is at the end, when the plots and trickery is all revealed, and the philandering count begs forgiveness from his long-suffering wife, which she readily grants, and all join in a celebration of life, love, and the power of forgiveness. Try not to tear up. I dear you.

4. Don Giovanni (Don Juan)

This dark and electrifying tale of hedonism, retribution, and talking statues is Da Ponte and Mozart's darkest work. Don Giovanni,the infamous seducer/serial rapist, spends his time traipsing around the European continent bedding various women he comes across, with the assistance of his reluctant servant Leoprello. At the beginning of the opera he kills an old captain whose daughter he had just sexually assaulted (great start), who later comes back as a talking statue who Giovanni jokingly invites out to dinner. In the opera's harrowing finale, Giovanni is dragged to hell by the statue to punish his crimes. The opera is full of fascinating and psychologically complex characters and moments, but as drama goes, nothing beats this scene.

5. 5. Cosi fan tutte (All women do it)

Cosi while one of Mozart's most masterful creations, is perhaps his most misunderstood. The thing that "all women do" is cheat on their husbands, and the story is about two men who make a bet with their old friend Don Alfonso to test the fidelity of women by pretending to go off to war, coming back in disguise, and attempting to seduce each other's fiancees. This may seem like a misogynistic tirade about the inconstancy of women, but its actually a funny, poignant examination of relationship dynamics and how young people misunderstand what love is supposed to be with plenty of hilarity and heartbreak along the way. In this scene, the two disguised men stage a ruse where they pretend to kill themselves over the rejection of their lovers, and the girls start to take a liking to their new suitors as well...

6. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

This singspiel fairy tale is a favorite with both children, first-time opera goers, and classical music vetrans alike. Rooted in European folklore and Masonic undertones (both Mozart and his librettist were Freemasons), it is the story of the innocent Prince Tamino and his quest for truth and love, accompanied by his bird-man friend, Papageno, his one true love, Pamina, her evil mother, the Queen of the night, and the wise masonic priest, Sarastro. It is at once mysterious, bizarre, surreal, endearing, and heartwarming, and provides a powerful message of the triumph of the forces of good in a dark world. I'll close this article with this duet between the bird-man Papageno and his hard-gotten girlfriend, Papagena, who, after the trials have concluded, are free to start an adorable family of bird-children, and steal the hearts of the audience in the process.