Empedocles Goes Classic - Fire Quiz

Answer: Manuel de Falla

"El amor brujo" tells the story of a gypsy widow who falls in love with another man, but the ghost of her deceased husband continues to harass them. To get rid of the influence of the ghost of her dead husband, the widow performs a ritual fire dance.
Traditional fire dances consist of dancing with flaming implements. You can find some impressions on internet. Nowadays the "Ritual Fire Dance" by De Falla is mostly performed in its pure orchestral version.
"El amor brujo" was composed by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946). He completed at least one full opera, seven zarzuelas and three ballets.
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999) is best known for his guitar concerto "Concierto de Aranjuez".
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) was a Spanish violinist and composer. He is most famous for his work "Gypsy Airs".
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer. He created at least five operas and five zarzuelas. His best known work is perhaps the opera "Merlin", first part of an opera trilogy based upon Arthurian legend.

Answer: Joan of Arc

All of these have inspired opera composers. But only one of these young women died on a pyre, namely Joan of Arc.
The Swiss Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) composed the cantata "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" ("Joan of Arc on the Pyre") in 1935. He also created at least seven operas (including "Antigone") and at least three operettas.
The Russian Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is famous for his three ballets "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker". His opera "Orleanska Demja" ("The Lady of Orleans") relates the life and death of Joan of Arc. Besides these four works, he left us at least ten other operas, symphonic music and a famous overture.
The Irish composer Michael Balfe (1808-1870) completed at least 30 operas, including "Joan of Arc" (1837).
Rusalka is a water nymph or water sprite that inspired Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) and Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869).
Antigone, the Greek daughter of Oedipus, inspired composers such as Carl Orff (1895-1982) and Mikis Theodorakis (born 1925).
Violetta Valery is the heroin in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata" (1853). The same heroine appears under her original name Marguerite Gautier in the ballet by Frederick Ashton (1904-1988).

Answer: Daniel

"The Burning Fiery Furnace" is based upon a story found in the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar was angry with Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three were faithful disciples of Daniel's and prayed to the LORD. Nebuchadnezzar locked Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in a burning furnace. But the LORD watched over his servants. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were unhurt by the fire, and when the King looked into the furnace he saw a fourth figure, vaguely human, comforting Daniel's three friends.
Daniel was not in the furnace with his friends. Another story tells us how Nebuchadnezzar's successor Darius threw Daniel in a lions' den. But an angel of the LORD protected Daniel, and the lions didn't harm him.
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was a British composer. The parables for church performances (including "The Burning Fiery Furnace") are not the highlights in his career: these are the operas, including "Peter Grimes" and "Death in Venice".

Answer: Igor Stravinsky

"The Firebird" was first performed in Paris in 1910. The original title was "L'oiseau de feu".
This ballet relates how Prince Ivan wanders into a bewitched world. Prince Ivan catches a Firebird and restores its freedom for a promise. The next day Prince Ivan falls in love with a princess and starts discussing a marriage proposal with Kashchei, the sorcerer-Czar. Kashchei is far from pleased and threatens Prince Ivan, at which point the Firebird intervenes. Aided by the Firebird, Prince Ivan defeats and kills the evil Kashchei.
"The Firebird" was the breakthrough for Stravinsky (1882-1971) as a composer and for Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) as a choreographer. Other ballets by Stravinsky include "Petrushka" (1911) and the very innovative (and hence very controversial) "The Rite of Spring" (1913).
Stravinsky has left us in total at least eight operas, 12 ballets, and several other compositions.
Satie (1866-1925) specialised in piano music, with as pinnacle the "Gymnopédies".
Schubert (1797-1828) is best known for his ten symphonies, but also completed several operas.
Sibelius (1865-1957) completed eight symphonies. His most famous work is the "Finlandia Suite".
Neither Satie nor Schubert nor Sibelius have composed notorious ballet music.

Answer: Otello

It was Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) who composed all of these four operas, and several others too - in total 26 operas, of which about a dozen are regularly performed. His best known operas are "Nabucco", "Rigoletto", "Il Trovatore", "La Traviata" and "Aida".
"Otello" is evidently based upon the theatre play by William Shakespeare. The Moorish general Otello, in Venetian service, brings to the Cypriot people the news of a large victory over the Turkish fleet. To celebrate this naval victory, the people start a bonfire.
But later on Otello suspects his wife Desdemona is unfaithful to him. After having ordered the death of the alleged adulterer, Otello himself kills Desdemona. When he learns that Desdemona was truly faithful to him, Otello commits suicide.
"I Lombardi alla prima crociata" relates events from the First Crusade.
"Falstaff" is a comedy based upon a character created by Shakespeare.
"Un ballo in maschera" is based upon a historic fact: King Gustav III of Sweden was shot and fatally injured at a masked ball. In Verdi's opera, some of the main characters have been renamed in order to pass the censors.

Answer: In a cigarette factory near Madrid

Didn't you see the relation of the cigarette factory with the theme of this quiz: "Fire" in classical music? Don't be upset, I found this question a bit far-fetched myself. But I couldn't resist posing a question on Bizet's works.
Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was a French opera composer. His opera "Carmen" raised lots of criticism, but became posthumously one of his most praised works.
Opera buffs will certainly recall that the opera "Carmen" is set in Spain. So only the cigarette factory near Madrid qualifies as the correct answer.
One of the red herrings refers to another successful opera by Bizet. In "Les pêcheurs de perles" ("The Pearl Fishers"), the female leading role is for a high priestess of Brahma on the island of Ceylon (nowadays renamed as Sri Lanka).
The Chinese princess to which I refer is the heroine from "Turandot" by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). Whenever a man proposes to her, she responds with three riddles. Suitors who can't solve the riddles, are to be beheaded.
The girl selling sulphur sticks is the protagonist of an opera by Helmut Lachenmann (born 1935). His theatre music "Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern" was based upon a famous story by Hans Christian Andersen.

Answer: Gabriel Faure

Believe it or not, but all these have been inspired by the Prometheus legend. By the way, Alexander Scriabin also composed a musical poem based upon this specific bit of Greek mythology.
According to Greek myth, only the Olympic gods disposed of fire. But Prometheus felt that the humans could use fire very well. So he hid some burning material in a hollow reed pipe and offered it to the mortal men. When Zeus found out, he severely punished Prometheus. Prometheus was chained to a rock, and an eagle came picking his liver every day - while the liver grew again each night, so the torture could endure forever.
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) is the only French composer mentioned in the options. He left us two operas and many works for the piano. His best known compositions are his "Requiem" and several piano nocturnes.
Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer best remembered for his nine symphonies. He created only one opera, "Fidelio".
Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian composer. Contemporaries of his called him an Austrian, for at that time Hungary was part of the Austrian Empire. Liszt composed at least 1,000 pieces of classical music.
Luigi Nono (1924-1990) was an Italian avant-garde composer. His best known work is "Il canto sospeso". I've found no official translation into English, so I'll try one myself: "Suspended singing".
Scriabin (1872-1915) finally was a Russian composer. He left us a large number of mazurkas, preludes and piano sonatas.

Answer: Die Walkure

All these four operas together form the "Ring des Nibelungen", an opera cycle lasting over sixteen hours. In the correct order, we have "Das Rheingold", "Die Walküre", "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung". I've omitted the diacritic marks in the options, to avoid disturbing renderings on some computers (especially in Flash mode).
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German opera composer who wrote his own libretti, and tackled other questions for the ultimate opera performance too. He advised on the acoustic design of the opera centre in Bayreuth. Besides the "Ring", Wagner completed at least eight other operas.
In "Das Rheingold", the Rhine maidens predict that only the one who abjures love, can use the Rhine gold to forge a ring to empower the whole world. Alberich, a blacksmith, succeeds in forging this Ring. From this point on, every man, God, Giant or dwarf tries to win the Ring.
"Die Walküre" introduces Brünnhilde, daughter of Wotan and leader of the Walküre. They take the souls of slain brave warriors and turn them into an army of the Gods. Brünnhilde is disobedient and kidnaps a living woman instead of a dead warrior. As a punishment, she is locked on a rock, encircled by magical fire. Only one who is completely without fear can pass the fire and free her.
"Siegfried" is the name of the hero who will take the Ring and free Brünnhilde. Alberich tries to prevent this by learning Siegfried how to fear - but in vain. Siegfried slays the giant Fafner (in his disguise as a fire breathing dragon), takes the Ring and goes after Brünnhilde.
In "Götterdämmerung", Siegfried is in love with Brünnhilde. Gunther plots to marry Siegfried to Gutrune and to marry Brünnhilde himself. When Siegfried has committed perjury in denying his feelings for Brünnhilde, Gunther kills Siegfried and takes the Ring from his corpse. Brünnhilde avenges Siegfried by recapturing the Ring and riding into the funeral pyre. Then the Rhine Maidens repossess (at last) the Ring and drown Gunther. The Valhalla is ignited and the Gods are killed in the all consuming fire.

Answer: She commits suicide because Aeneas left her

Purcell (1659-1695) completed at least five operas and many sacred songs.
"Dido and Aeneas" is based upon part of the Aeneid. Aeneas fled Troy at the end of the Trojan War, and sailed westward. When he visited Carthage, Queen Dido fell in love with him - but the Gods told Aeneas he should sail north to Italy. Dido threw a farewell party for him, with a great bonfire. Because her heart broke seeing Aeneas off, she ascended the pyre and lit it.
The 'pagan' option refers to Joan of Arc.
The other two options are figments of my imagination and have, to my best knowledge, never been used in any piece of classical music for stage performance.

Answer: Gioacchino Rossini

I bet you know the story of Cinderella, who went to the ball thanks to a good fairy. When she danced with the prince, she had to leave abruptly - and lost her slipper. Thanks to this slipper, the Prince succeeded in retrieving her and they married and lived happily ever after.
Rossini (1792-1868) was a prolific opera composer. His first opera premiered in 1812, and in the following years he created several operas each year. Nineteen years later, when he composed his final masterpiece "Guillaume Tell", he had created at least 54 operas and cantatas. Another highlight of his career was "Il barbiere di Sevilla" ("The Barber of Sevilla").
The other composers I've mentioned died before 1800.
Monteverdi (1567-1643) was one of the opera pioneers. Out of his 23 operas, only four are still extant.
Vivaldi (1678-1741), also known as "the red priest", is best known for his string concerti "I quattro stagione" ("The Four Seasons"). He created also at least 50 operas.
Mozart (1756-1791) was a prolific composer. He left us at least 23 operas, 41 symphonies, and so on.