Opera Summaries in Four Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: La Traviata

The title of Verdi's opera means "The Fallen Woman" and is based on the Alexandre Dumas book "La Dame aux Camélias". Violetta is a courtesan dying of consumption. She decides to pursue a romantic relationship with Alfredo, but being in a tragic opera, of course she can't have a happy ending. Alfredo's father begs her to stop seeing his son, leading to resentment and unhappiness.

A ballet based on the same book, "Lady of the Camellias", has the same story and is set to Chopin music.

Answer: Siegfried

"Siegfried" is opera number three in Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The title character, the grandson of Wotan, is raised by Mime, who wants Siegfried to kill the dragon Fafnir so Mime can obtain the ring and his shape-shifting helmet. Siegfried isn't nice to Mime, throttling him for information about his parents and destroying things when Mime fails in forging a sword.

The character Siegfried has a lot in common with the fairy tale character Fearnot, who doesn't know what fear is, and after a serious of harrowing adventures, only learns it when his wife is dying. Similarly, Siegfried learns fear from his love, Brunnhilde.

Answer: Carmen

In Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen, a cigarette factory worker, is admired by most men. She sings in her famous song "Habenera", "If you don't love me, I love you, and if I love you, beware." She makes Don Jose fall in love with her, while he still loves Micaela.

After Carmen has ensnared Jose, she falls for toreador Escamillo, and because of Jose's jealousy, things don't end well. While the opera takes place in Spain, the libretto is in French.

Answer: Tannhauser

At the beginning of Wagner's opera, Tannhauser dwells in the Venusberg with Venus, forsaking his dear Elisabeth for the love of the goddess. After singing a passionate love song to Venus, Tannhauser leaves her to return to his land. His activities during his absence are discovered when he belts out his song during a contest, leading his friends to abandon him and demand he seek penance for his actions.

The name Tannhauser is not sung in the opera--characters call him Heinrich.

Answer: Fidelio

"Fidelio" is Beethoven's only opera. Its original title was "Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love". Leonore disguises herself as a man, Fidelio, to free her husband from prison.

"Fidelio" is used as a password to get into a bizarre sex party in the film "Eyes Wide Shut".

Answer: Prince Igor

"Prince Igor" by Alexander Borodin shows us a small piece of a war between the Russians and the Polovtsy. Igor and his wife Yaroslavna, separated by war, pine for each other. Meanwhile, Konchakovna, daughter of the Polovtsy Khan, awaits her own lover. What's more, soldiers back home in Russia plot to overthrow Igor.

The "Polovtsian Dances" segment in Act II is sometimes performed on its own.

Answer: Salome

Richard Strauss based the opera "Salome" on Oscar Wilde's play, which borrows some elements from the Bible story and alters others. Jokanaan (John the Baptist) rejects Salome's pleas to kiss him or touch his hair. Herod promises her anything if she'll dance for him, and Salome asks for Jokanaan's head after dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils so that she can kiss it.

In the Bible, it's Herod's wife who wants John's head.

Answer: Die Walkure

"Die Walkure", or "The Valkyrie", is the second opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle. Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie, disobeys her father Wotan, who tells her to aid Hunding in a fight against Siegmund. However, she knows that Wotan really wants Siegmund to win, and that only Fricka's will changes Wotan's orders. So, in return for doing what she knows her father wants (supporting Siegmund), Wotan takes Brunnhilde's immortality and puts her to sleep.

She will only awaken when the bravest of men (whom the music tells us will be Siegfried) runs through her protective fire wall and kisses her.

Answer: The Barber of Seville

Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" is one of the most frequently-played operas. No tragedy here--just comedy and a happy ending. The title character, Figaro, helps Count Almaviva marry Rosina, who's been engaged to a man who wants her money. The opera's subtitle is "The Useless Precaution", which is also the name of an opera Rosina sings an aria from in Act II.

The famous aria "Largo al factotum" has been used in many cartoons, including "Magical Maestro", which features a magician messing with an opera singer (Poochini) performing the piece.

Answer: Lucia di Lammermoor

Lucia loves Edgardo, but is forced to marry Arturo to please her brother, who forges letters saying the Edgardo has pledged his love to another woman. She goes mad after Edgardo arrives after the wedding and demands his ring back, believing that she has betrayed his love. On her wedding night, she stabs her husband to death and sings the aria "Il dolce suono" while wearing a bloody nightdress.

This famous aria "mad scene" is sung in the film "The Fifth Element" and the anime "Gankutsuou". Gaetano Donizetti wrote this opera.