Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first indisputable operatic masterpiece to be premiered after the Second World War ended in Europe was by the 31-year old Benjamin Britten. What was its name?
2. Which composer's final opera, premiered in 1948 at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, was entitled "The Story of a Real Man", and tells the uplifting and patriotic story of a Soviet airman during the Second World War?
3. The career of the German composer Hans Werner Henze really took off with the premiere of his opera "Boulevard Solitude" in 1952. On which story by the Abbe Prevost was it based; one which had previously inspired well-known operas by Massenet and Puccini?
4. Which 1969 opera by Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933) was based on a play by John Whiting about the events leading up to the execution of the seventeenth century French priest, Father Grandier?
5. Which German composer has, since 1977, been working on a cycle of seven operas, one for each day of the week, and which are collectively known as "Licht" ("Light")?
6. Which Hungarian composer wrote the opera "Le Grand Macabre", which was premiered in Stockholm in 1978?
7. The French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-92) wrote only one opera, which was first performed in 1983 when he was aged 76. As befitted a devout Roman Catholic, it dealt with the life a well-known religious figure - but which one?
8. Luciano Berio (1925-2003) wrote the opera "Un re in ascolto" ("A King Listens") in collaboration with a distinguished Italian novelist. What was the name of his librettist on this occasion?
9. Which Australian composer's work includes the opera "Voss", based on the novel by Patrick White and first performed in 1986?
10. This question shows that not all opera composers are men, and not all British composers are English! The Scottish composer Judith Weir wrote an opera in 1990 based on folktales from her native country. What is the name of this opera?
11. The following four operas were all written by the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (1934-98). Which of them has a leading character who sings only one word (if you can even call it that) throughout the entire opera?
12. Which Finnish composer, born in 1935, has written several operas, including "Kullervo", based on the Finnish national epic, and "King Lear", based on Shakespeare?
13. The well-known American composer Philip Glass has written a number of operas that have been performed all over the world. One of the more recent examples, "The Voyage", was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York, to commemorate which notable event in American history?
14. The Danish composer Poul Ruders wrote an opera based on the novel "The Handmaid's Tale", premiered by the Royal Danish Opera in 2000. Which Canadian novelist wrote the original book on which it is based?
15. Moving finally into the twenty-first century, what is the title of the opera by the English composer Nicholas Maw that was given its world premiere at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in December 2002? The title is perhaps better known as the subject of a 1982 film starring Meryl Streep.
Source: Author
stedman
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
Bruyere before going online.
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