Hero in Disguise Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gilda

In G.Verdi's "Rigoletto", Gilda dressed up as a man to knock on the door of a murderer's house at midnight to sacrifice herself instead of her treacherous lover, Duke of Mantua. If she had not done it, the murderer Sparafucile would have killed the Duke following the orders of Gilda's father, Rigoletto, who wanted to avenge his daughter's seduction.

Answer: Octavian and Mariandel

The mezzosoprano first plays the part of Octavian, lover of Die Marschallin. As they are disturbed in the morning, Octavian has to dress up as Mariandel the maid. Thus the mezzosoprano has to play a boy playing a girl!

Answer: Cherubino

Cherubino, from W.A. Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro", is a love-striken teenager who is to be sent away to military service by the Count, his master. the Count is annoyed by his attentions towards the Countess, Susanna, her chamber maid (whom he fancies himself) and Barbarina, the gardener's daughter. The latter provides Cherubino with girl's clothes for his disguise.

Answer: Rosalinde

Rosalinde dresses up as a masked Hungarian princess and goes to a ball to find there her husband Eisenstein, who is at this time supposed to be in prison. Finding him amusing himself and flirting, she lures out of him his famous watch and uses it later to awaken his conscience. J.Strauss Jr, "Die Fledermaus".

Answer: Count Almaviva

In G.Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", Count Almaviva is trying to find a way to speak with his beloved Rosina (shut up at her greedy old tutor's house) with the help of a witty barber Figaro. He succeeds at last, and they get married.

Answer: Olympia

Olympia is a singing and dancing doll, the first love of the poet Hoffman in G.Offenbach's opera "Tales of Hoffmann". The poor poet sees Olympia as perfect because of the miraculous glasses given to him by the doctor, Olympias "father". As this doctor deceives his partner Coppelius, the latter breaks the doll and Hoffmann's heart.

Answer: Guglielmo and Ferrando

In W.A.Mozart's "Così dan tutte", young Guglielmo and Ferrando have made a bet upon the fidelity of their fiancées, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella. They pretend to go off to the army and return disguised as Turks. Through many tricks they win the affection of the girls and have them sign marriage contracts.

At this point the old fiancées "return" and state that "Thus behave all women- così fan tutte".

Answer: Aida

In G. Verdi's "Aida", Aida is an Ethiopian princess, enslaved by the Egyptians. Radames, a brave warrior, loves and dies for her in spite of the Pharaon's daughter flaming passion for him. Aida dies alongside her lover of her own free will, showing herself worthy of her royal blood.

Answer: Nannetta

Nannetta is the daughter of a woman whom Falstaff, an unprincipled ruffian, tried to seduce alongside half of the village. She dresses up as a queen of fairies to make Falstaff go crazy and teach him a lesson. G. Verdi, "Falstaff".

Answer: Leonora

In L. v. Beethoven's "Fidelio", Leonora dresses up as a youth, Fidelio, to be able to be near her unjustly imprisoned husband Florestan. She is right in time to prevent his execution and all ends happily, save for Marcellina, the guard's daughter who fell in love with Fidelio.