A rock opera, like a traditional opera, is a dramatic work in which nearly all of the lines are sung. Unlike traditional operas, which rely on classical music to tell their stories, rock operas use rock music to do so. They frequently start out as conceptual albums before being adapted into stage plays. The two most famous rock operas are arguably Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and The Who’s Tommy, which were both very popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Rock operas are divided into two categories: symbolic and full. The symbolic rock opera has no cast and is only available as an audio recording. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Pink Floyd’s The Wall are examples of these types of rock operas, which are usually released by a band or a singer. Full rock operas have a cast and are staged as a play, incorporating both visual and auditory elements. To be considered a rock opera, the work must have distinct characters and tell a story, whether symbolic or complete.
Though the style was popular for nearly a decade, the number of operas produced was limited, and there are few examples of this genre compared to others. This style is credited to the British rock band The Who. Tommy is a documentary that follows the life and recovery of a mentally ill boy. It is often cited as the first example of a rock opera, having been released in 1969. Tommy began as a symbolic opera that only existed on The Who’s album, but it was later adapted into a play, as well as a film and a ballet.
Tommy, on the other hand, was far from the first rock opera released by The Who. In 1966, they released “A Quick One While He is Away,” a nine-minute track that has been compared to a mini rock opera. However, due to its brevity, most people dismiss it as the first rock opera.
Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar premiered on Broadway in 1971. It was a fully realized rock opera that ran on Broadway for eight years and was adapted into a film. Jesus Christ Superstar depicts Jesus Christ’s final days leading up to his crucifixion. Judas, the disciple who eventually betrayed him, tells the story. Despite the fact that it was only released as an album and received some religious backlash, Jesus Christ Superstar is widely regarded as one of the best examples of a rock opera ever created.