Opera Trivia

31. The 1651 opera "La Calisto" tells the story of the unfortunate Arcadian nymph who gave her name to the second largest moon of the planet Jupiter. Who was the composer of "La Calisto"?

From Quiz "Moonstruck" at the Opera

Answer: Francesco Cavallo

Calisto was seduced by Jupiter, who took the form of the goddess Diana (Calisto had been Diana's favorite). As a result of this, she was banished from Diana's entourage and subsequently transformed into a bear by the envious Juno. Ultimately, however, Jupiter placed her in the heavens as the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Cavalli was a student of Claudio Monteverdi; this delightful opera is one of his most celebrated works. The balance between the often reprehensible behaviour of the various deities and the low-comedy antics of the servants prefigures the similar depiction of the servants and aristocracy in the Mozart-Da Ponte operas of the following century.

From Quiz Operatic Fundamentals

Answer: Jacopo Peri

Born in Rome in 1561 (d. Florence 1633), Jacopo Peri is considered the father of opera, as his "Dafne", composed in 1597, was the first musical work which fused together music and drama in a staged setting. Unfortunately, the manuscript has been lost. His second opera, "Euridice" was composed in 1600. He also composed madrigals, ballet music, and collaborated on other operas; most of these manuscripts are also lost. Monteverdi (1567-1643) DID NOT compose the first opera, although his first opera, "La favola d'Orfeo," composed in 1607 and sharing the same plot as Peri's "Euridice", is considered the first opera to be performed outside of Italy on an 'international' scale.

From Quiz A Variety of Operas

Answer: La Juive

Fromental Halevy's opera centres on a young "Jewess" in the 15th century.

From Quiz Name That Opera! (19th & 20th century)

Answer: Fidelio

First performed in Vienna in 1805 (with a final revised version first performed there in 1814), Beethoven's "Fidelio" is one of a handful of operas which portrays a woman as its heroine (and she lives!). Marzelline, the jailer Rocco's daughter, was happy with Jaquino (her father's assistant) and was going to marry him (they end up back together at the end of the opera). Well, that was until 'Fidelio,' who is actually Leonora in disguise coming to free her unjustly imprisoned husband, shows up on the scene. She sings about 'him' in Act I: "Oh, if I were already united with you, and could call you husband!"

From Quiz "Opera, or the Undoing of Women"

Answer: The Queen of the Night & Queen of the Night & Koenigin der Nacht

As you will learn further in this quiz, high coloratura in opera is associated with madness. It is so odd that the 'dark' Queen of the Night has the highest music in the opera (the F above high or top C in both arias is actually the second highest sung note written for the human voice as of 2000; the highest was the concert aria "Popoli di Tessaglia" also by Mozart, which has 2 G's!), while the good or enlightened Sarastro's music is the lowest. Though I love to sing this role, this, in my opinion, is the one Mozart character that is very undeveloped and one-sided. She shows up, sings two fiery arias, and is killed. Why? Because she wants to kill the man who kidnapped her daughter, since he thinks she is an unfit mother and dares to question his authority. As I am sure you have read many times, this character not only represents Mozart's mother-in-law, but also the Empress Maria Theresa, and the Catholic Church.

From Quiz What Opera Is This Aria From?

Answer: Turandot

Puccini's last work, Turandot, was unfinished when the composer died after a battle with throat cancer. This last work is usually performed today with the ending written by Franco Alfano. Chief Characters: Turandot, Calaf, Liu, Ping, Pang, Pong.

From Quiz Opera Since the Second World War

Answer: Peter Grimes

The first performance of "Peter Grimes" took place at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London on the 7th June 1945, only a month after VE Day (8th May). It was conducted by Reginald Goodall, who is now best remembered for his Wagner performances with English National Opera in the 1970s and 80s. Another conductor involved in the premiere was Edward Downes, who played the horn in the orchestra.

From Quiz Aria Lyrics

Answer: Batti, Batti --- Don Giovanni

"Batti, Batti o Bel Masetto" is from "Don Giovanni" by Mozart. The title translated means "beat me, beat me, oh dear Masetto." Zerlina (the peasant girl who performs this aria) is pleading with Masetto to beat her if that is what he wants, but maintains that she is innocent of any wrongdoings with the title character, Don Giovanni.

From Quiz Operatic multiplicity

Answer: Armida and Rinaldo during the crusades

Most of these operas have the name "Armida" (or "Armide" where the libretto is in French). Handel's opera is called "Rinaldo".

From Quiz Name That Aria

Answer: "Eri tu"

This aria from "Un Ballo in Maschera" by Verdi is a baritone's dream.

From Quiz Popular Opera Characters And Arias

Answer: Figaro himself

"Non piu andrai, farfallone, notte e giorno d'intorno girando" = "You won't go anymore, amorous butterfly, Fluttering around inside night and day" is what Cherubino gets as a comment on his being sent to the war after his "amorous enterprises" had disturbed both men and women at Count Almaviva's court. Cherubino is a travesti role: a boy's character being played by a woman.

From Quiz 20th Century Opera

Answer: United States

The opera is set in a rural Appalachian town. The opera was written by Carlisle Floyd.

From Quiz Which Opera Are They From? 2

Answer: Boris Godunov

By Modest Mussorgsky. It exists in an unusually large number of versions, including two by the composer himself dating from 1869 and 1874, as well as later revisions and re-orchestrations by Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich. Ippolitov-Ivanov also had a go at parts of it. Present day opinion is much more favourable towards the raw power and concision of Mussorgsky's first version, which was originally rejected by the Imperial Theatres and not performed until 1980.

From Quiz Which Opera are they from?

Answer: The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart really was a genius - he composed a sequel to "The Barber of Seville" thirty years before Rossini got round to the original! Don Basilio and Doctor Bartolo also appear in "The Barber"; the other two don't.

From Quiz Operas Based on Shakespeare's Plays

Answer: The Comedy of Errors

First performed in 1786, it has a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, librettist of Mozart's "Don Giovanni", "Marriage of Figaro" and "Cosi Fan Tutte".

From Quiz 'Cavalleria Rusticana' and 'I Pagliacci'

Answer: Cavalleria Rusticana & 'Cavalleria Rusticana' & Cav & 'Cav'

'Pagliacci' came two years later in 1892.

From Quiz Roles for Mezzo Sopranos

Answer: Dido

Henry Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' was first performed at a Mr. Josias Priest's Boarding-School for girls at Chelsea in 1689.

From Quiz Opera Trivia

Answer: Emanuel Schikaneder

From Quiz Characters

Answer: Mozart

Donna Anna was a character in Don Giovanni--composed by Mozart.

From Quiz The World Of Opera Man

Answer: Beethoven

Beethoven's only opera was 'Fidelio' which was first performed in Vienna in 1805.

From Quiz Opera Plots

Answer: Aida

So the reference to the 'basement' is 'Cryptic'! Aida and Radames might have lived longer in the tomb if they hadn't used up all the air by singing so much.

From Quiz The Wonderful World of Opera

Answer: Gilda

Rigoletto is the hunchbacked court jester to the womanising Duke of Mantua whom he assists in his amorous exploits, thus bringing upon himself the curse of the cuckolded Count Ceprano. Unbeknown to Rigoletto, the Duke in disguise has wooed his daughter Gilda who thinks he is a young student and duly falls in love with him. After much intrigue and mistaken identity, during which Rigoletto plans to murder the Duke, it finally transpires that it is Gilda who dies. The most well known aria of this opera is the Duke's 'La donna è mobile' (Woman is fickle).

From Quiz Pushkin-Based Operas

Answer: In neither the book nor the opera

Count Tomsky never displays any romantic interest towards Liza. In the book, Hermann flirts with her to achieve his own goals and she later marries another, unnamed man. In the opera, she has two people deeply in love with her, but Tomsky isn't one of them.

From Quiz It Ain't Over Until The Fat Lady Sings

Answer: Madam Butterfly

"Madam Butterfly" was first performed in Milan in February 1904, but was so badly received that Puccini made significant changes to it. When the modified version was first performed two months later it was a massive success, and it's now one of the world's most popular operas.

From Quiz Extra Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: The Cunning Little Vixen

Janacek's titular vixen, Sharp Ears, has lost her tail but not her spunk. A human is determined to keep her after capturing her, but she escapes, finds a nice fox, and has a large family. The opera doesn't condemn or praise the life cycle of animals: the circle of life and death simply exists, and while the humans have troubles, the animals accept the good and bad.

From Quiz Greatest Hits by Maria Callas

Answer: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Callas played in at least three of the about forty operas by Gioacchino Rossini. Besides the role of Rosina in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" ("The Barber of Seville"), she also took up the title role in "Armida" and the role of Donna Fiorilla in "Il Turco in Italia". In "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", Rosina was a wealthy heiress wooed by Count Almaviva (who disguised himself as the poor student Lindoro). In the aria "Una Voce Poco Fa" ("A Voice a Little While Ago") Rosina mused on a song she heard recently, a serenade performed by Almaviva/Lindoro (although at that time she didn't know his name or alias yet). In this aria originally for mezzo-soprano, Callas reached the very high notes of a true coloratura soprano. Later in the opera, Rosina showed up for her singing lesson, and Almaviva aka Lindoro had replaced the music teacher - leading up to a marvellous aria in which one character after another joined the singing, up to a quintet. The most important soprano roles in the red herrings are Myriam in "Mose in Egitto" ("Moses in Egypt"), Mathilde in "Guillaume Tell" ("William Tell") and Ninetta in "La gazza ladra" ("The Thieving Magpie").

From Quiz Travesti Is No Travesty!

Answer: The Composer

The male Composer (no name given) of Strauss's work is played by a woman. He is upset that a burlesque routine is to play at the same time as his serious opera and absents himself from the drama in the second act. The Village Drunk is a character from "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk".

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Last Updated Nov 09 2024 5:44 AM

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