Doomed Divas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carmen

Based on the eponymous novella by French author Prosper Mérimée, "Carmen" is by far the best-known work by French composer Georges Bizet (1838-1875). The opera, set in Seville, is influenced by traditional Spanish music. The titular character is a strong-willed, free-loving gypsy woman who sets her sights on a young soldier, Don José, in spite of his being engaged to the shy Micaela.

The story ends tragically when Don José, who has jeopardized his military career for the flighty Carmen, kills her in a jealous rage when she refuses to go back to him. "Carmen" was first performed at Paris' Opéra-Comique in March 1875, a few months before Bizet's untimely death.

The role of Carmen requires strong acting as well as singing skills; though written for a mezzo-soprano, it has also been interpreted by famous sopranos such as Leontyne Price and Jessye Norman.

Answer: Norma

Inspired by a tragedy by French poet Alexandre Soumet, Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma" is set in Roman-occupied Britain. The protagonist is a high priestess of the Druids in love with Roman proconsul Flavio Pollione, who - in spite of the two children he has had with her - falls for her fellow priestess Adalgisa.

This love triangle ends in tragedy, when the repentant Pollione joins Norma on the pyre where the priestess was ready to sacrifice herself in atonement for breaking her vows. The opera, premiered at the end of 1831 at Milan's famed Teatro alla Scala, features the beautiful aria "Casta Diva", a prayer to the moon sung by Norma in Act I.

The role of Norma, regarded as one of the leading examples of "bel canto", is forever linked to the great Greek-American soprano Maria Callas, who brought the doomed character to the stage for 89 times.

Answer: Brünnhilde

The valkyrie Brünnhilde, daughter of the god Wotan, is one of Richard Wagner's great tragic heroines. Her character, based on the events in the Norse "Volsungasaga", plays a major role in three out of the four operas that compose the Ring Cycle - "Die Walküre", "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung".

In the latter, she is the love interest of the hero Siegfried, who awakened her from an enchanted sleep. When he marries another woman under the influence of a love potion, Brünnhilde retaliates by revealing Siegfried's weak spot to his enemies.

At the end of the opera, she self-immolates on a pyre whose flames burn down the Valhalla and all the gods in it. Interestingly, the common saying "it ain't over until the fat lady sings" has its origins in Brünnhilde's character, who was often performed by very buxom sopranos (such as Amalie Materna, who sang the role in the first complete performance of the Ring Cycle in 1876), and her 20-minute farewell scene at the end of "Götterdämmerung". Brünnhilde was one of great Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson's signature roles.

Answer: Liù

Based on a play by 18th-century Venetian author Carlo Gozzi, "Turandot" was Giacomo Puccini's last work, left unfinished by his sudden death in 1924, and completed by Franco Alfano. The opera's two female characters are polar opposites: cold-hearted, man-hating Chinese princess Turandot is contrasted with slave girl Liù's caring, selfless nature. Liù's secret love for Calaf, the exiled prince of Tartary (for whose blind father, Timur, she devotedly cares) leads her to commit suicide rather than surrender the prince's name to her torturers.

Her final, heartbreaking plea to Turandot, "Tu che di gel sei cinta", occurs shortly after the iconic tenor aria "Nessun dorma". Both Turandot and Liù are soprano roles, allowing two equally high-profile singers to share the stage. For instance, in a famous 1972 recording, Dame Joan Sutherland appears as Turandot, Montserrat Caballé as Liù, and Luciano Pavarotti as Calaf.

Answer: Abigaille

Though "Nabucco" (loosely based on the books of Daniel and Jeremiah in the Old Testament) is named after the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II (Nabucodonosor in Italian), Abigaille - a slave believing she is the king's eldest daughter - is the true star of Giuseppe Verdi's first successful work.

Her character, not mentioned in the Bible, is rather based on a French play read by librettist Temistocle Solera. "Nabucco" premiered at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 1842, with Verdi's future wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, as Abigaille.

Many celebrated sopranos, such as Maria Callas and Ghena Dimitrova, have tackled this very demanding role. The opera's best-known number, however, is the chorus "Va' pensiero", sung by the Hebrew slaves at the end of Act III.

Answer: Tosca

Based on the play of the same title by French author Victorien Sardou, Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" (premiered in 1900) is undoubtedly one of the most popular of all operas, full of passion and tragedy. The action, set in Rome in the year 1800, takes place during one single day.

The titular character, Floria Tosca (portrayed by Sarah Bernhardt in Sardou's play), is a famous singer who loves painter Mario Cavaradossi, but is lusted after by Baron Scarpia, the chief of the police. In the opera's iconic finale, Cavaradossi is executed, and Tosca leaps to her death from the battlements of Castel Sant'Angelo before the soldiers can arrest her for Scarpia's murder.

Initially criticized for its strongly melodramatic content, "Tosca" has become a staple of opera houses worldwide, and the title role one of the most coveted by high-profile sopranos.

In 1992, a film production of the opera was broadcast live from its actual settings: it starred Catherine Malfitano as Tosca, Placido Domingo as Cavaradossi, and Ruggero Raimondi as Scarpia.

Answer: Donna Elvira

Though Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Don Giovanni" (1787) is not a tragedy like the other operas featured in this quiz, there is plenty of mayhem to be found alongside its more lighthearted moments. Donna Elvira, a Spanish noblewoman abandoned by Don Giovanni, at first attempts to get even, then tries to persuade him to change his wicked ways for the good of his soul.

When the unrepentant libertine is dragged to Hell following his encounter with the Stone Guest (the statue of a man he had murdered), Donna Elvira removes herself from society, spending the rest of her life in a convent.

In Joseph Losey's 1974 film version of Mozart's opera, famed New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa appears as Donna Elvira.

Answer: Gilda

Based on Victor Hugo's 1832 play "Le roi s'amuse", Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto" tells the tragic tale of the titular court jester and his beautiful daughter, Gilda. When the hunchback Rigoletto makes fun of an elderly courtier whose daughter has been seduced by the lecherous Duke of Mantua, the man curses him.

Unfortunately, soon afterwards Gilda encounters the same fate. Rigoletto swears vengeance, enlisting the services of a notorious assassin to murder the Duke - only to realize that Gilda, in love with the Duke in spite of his unfaithful nature, has sacrificed herself to save her lover's life. Premiered in 1851 at Venice's Teatro La Fenice, "Rigoletto" was a great box-office success, and is still frequently performed worldwide - sometimes with drastically changed settings.

Interpreted by most of the world's greatest sopranos, Gilda is a moving example of doomed romantic heroine, an innocent victim of circumstances.

Answer: Santuzza

Unlike most of the operas mentioned so far, Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" (premiered in 1890 at Rome's Opera House) is set in a humble milieu, and its characters are peasants - following the tenets of Verismo, the Italian answer to French realism.

In fact, the opera is based on the short story of the same title by Sicilian author Giovanni Verga, one of the founders of Verismo. This tale of jealousy and revenge takes place on Easter Sunday in a Sicilian village, involving two men, Turiddu and Alfio, and two women, Santuzza and Lola.

When his beloved Lola marries Alfio, Turiddu seduces Santuzza out of spite, but then takes up with Lola once again. Poor Santuzza, neglected and humiliated, betrays her lover to Alfio; a duel ensues, in which Turiddu is killed. Santuzza's ultimately tragic role has been interpreted by many famous sopranos. Due to its short duration, "Cavalleria rusticana" is often performed together with Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci", another one-act opera inspired by Verismo.

Answer: Salome

Richard Strauss' one-act opera "Salome" (1905) is based on the German translation of Oscar Wilde's French-language play of the same title. Just like Wilde's play, the opera caused a scandal for its unabashed eroticism and violence combined with a Biblical theme.

The role of Salome, considered one of the most demanding for a dramatic soprano, has been performed by world-class singers such as Birgit Nilsson and Montserrat Caballé. The opera's most famous number, the "Dance of the Seven Veils", also requires remarkable dancing skills. For this reason the role is often split between a singer and a professional dancer, though a number of famous sopranos have chosen to perform the dance themselves, even appearing naked on stage at the end of the dance.