May I borrow some more of your opera knowledge and ask if there are other pieces you think Vincent and/or Brahms would listen to, or pieces that come to mind when you think of them?

Hello! For Vincent I've already half done the work on this: I answered my own ask on my partner's Vincent blog and some of the heroines are from opera (though after learning more about Princess Turandot, I think she'd be one of his favorites, too).

Anyway.

I'm just gonna do a list and add commentary if I think it's necessary!

The main difference I sense between them is that Vincent listens to opera to calm down/entertain himself and Brahms listens to opera to feel something. So naturally, Vincent gravitates toward the less bombastic but meaningful arias, and Brahms tends to like the ones that are extreme in complexity, agility, or just plain loudness. I think Vincent would be the type to just listen to whatever's on the radio (though he does have favorites) and enjoy it, while Brahms is particular as with everything, and only wants to listen to his favorites.

I've tried to select versions of these pieces that are shorter so they're more accessible, but a lot of these pieces are much longer and I encourage you to listen to the full things if you're interested. Also, these are in no particular order.

I've stuck mainly to opera for this, but there are some general classical pieces sprinkled throughout. I don't feel as qualified when it comes to classical music, but we know Vincent has a piano and Brahms can play at least the violin.

Vincent

Brahms