Last year, Desplat's The King's Speech soundtrack was nominated for an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe.  Though Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' The Social Netowork took home both the Academy Award and Golden Globe, this year, Desplat walked out with the Grammy for Best Original Score.  Congratulations, Mr. Desplat.  It's certainly an award-winning score!  View the 2012 Grammy Nominees for best film score.

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Puccini's Gianni Schicchi was loosely based on Fanfani's The Divine Comedy, which in turn made reference to Dante's Inferno.  Dante's Inferno characters Giani Schicchi and Buoso Donati were based on actual historical figures from 13th century Florence.  Puccini's Gianni Schicchi was composed in 1918, and is his only comic opera.  Learn the story of this one-act opera in this Gianni Schicchi synopsis.

Sadly, over the weekend, the world lost another great singer - Whitney Houston.  However, the shocking news didn't stop the show from going on.  With several moving remembrances and tributes, it was a special evening for millions of people around the world.

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Arguably, one of Mozart's most famous operas is Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro).  Taking place two years later, it is a continuation of the Barber of Seville. The Count, who once had eyes for his wife, Rosina, now seems to take interest in many women, especially his servant Figaro's fiancé, Susanna.  Figaro, Susanna, and Rosina devise a plan to embarrass and restore the Count's love to his wife, while the Count simultaneously tries to delay Figaro's marriage.  Learn how the farcical story unfolds in this synopsis of Le Nozze di Figaro.

Here's another famous Mozart aria from Le Nozze di Figaro: "Voi che sapete che cosa e amor."  Learn the Italian lyrics and English translation to this beautiful song.  Follow along with this YouTube video of Federica Von Stade.

Four years ago, the classical music publishing giant, Gramophone, created a list ranking twenty of the world's best orchestras.  That list has garnered many reactions, both positive and negative, from classical music fans from around the world.  Many orchestras were missing from the list, while others were ranked incorrectly - or at least that's how many people felt.  I'm curious to know what you think.  After you read the list of the world's best symphony orchestras, share your opinions or your ideal rankings.

You know how much I love a great film score.  And I'm sure many of you do too.   Here are the five 2012 Academy Award nominated original film scores.  This year's awards will be presented on February 26th at 7 PM eastern, on ABC.

Jacques Offenbach's famous opera, Le Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) is one of my favorite operas due to its unique story.  Based on several of E.T.A. Hoffmann's short stories, the opera focuses on a poet who tells three stories of his past loves.   It also has one of my favorite arias "Les oiseaux dans la charmilla."  Read the synopsis of Le Contes d'Hoffmann today!

Carmen wasn't the only opera written by Georges Bizet.  Djamileh tells the story of a "playboy's" monthly slave, Djamileh.  She falls in love with him, but he trades in his mistresses every month for a "new model."  The playboy's servant loves Djamileh and the two make a deal that if she can't make the playboy love her, she will marry him instead.  Learn how the story ends in this synopsis of Bizet's Djamileh.

After watching ABC's hit television show, Once Upon a Time, I fell in love with the fairy tales of my childhood all over again.  Not only that, I remembered that the famous story of Hansel and Gretel was adapted for an opera composed by Englebert Humperdinck.  It's a fantastic opera that premiered on December 23, 1893.  To this day, it is traditionally performed during Christmastime.  Read the full synopsis of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.  Then watch the opening scene to the final act of the opera on YouTube.