Chamber opera
Opera for small forces and a small performance setting.
What it means
A chamber opera is an opera conceived for small forces and a small performance setting. Instead of a large orchestra and many singers, few solo voices and a small instrumental ensemble are used, often in an intimate space rather than a large opera house.
Musical use
The chamber opera developed above all in the 20th century as a counter-design to the large repertoire opera and made it possible to perform new or experimental works with less expense. Well-known examples are Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw and many works by contemporary composers who write deliberately for small ensembles and small stages. Historical forerunners too, such as early Baroque operas for courtly chambers, are occasionally called chamber operas.
The chamber opera should be distinguished from the large repertoire opera with orchestra and chorus, and from the chamber symphony, which likewise means small forces but is a purely instrumental work without singing and plot.
Performance practice
In a chamber opera, listen especially for the intelligibility of the text and the transparency of the individual instruments, made possible by the small forces. If you take part yourself, use the closeness to the audience for particularly nuanced, intimate shaping.