Operatic Settings Trivia Quiz

"Eugene Onegin" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky (1840-1893) was first performed in Moscow in 1879.

In Saint-Petersburg, the sisters Tatyana and Olga meet Vladimir Lensky and Eugene Onegin. Lensky falls in love with Olga and proposes to her, while Tatyana is smitten by Eugene Onegin.

However, Eugene is not ready to marry yet, and he enrages Lensky by dancing with Olga instead of Tatyana. Lensky challenges Eugene to a duel, and Eugene shoots and kills Lensky. As a penitence, Eugene starts travelling through Europe for several years, and meanwhile Tatyana marries Prince Gremin.

When Eugene comes back to Saint Petersburg, he finally admits his love for Tatyana - but with much grief she informs him she has to remain faithful to her husband.

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) composed several operas about the Tudor dynasty. The premiere was in Italy in 1830, followed by a first night in London in 1831.

The opera is based upon the true history of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. She is accused of treason, incest and adultery, and condemned to death. While she gracefully walks to the scaffold, someone tells her Henry has just married Jane Seymour. Anne tells she doesn't want to curse them for her downfall.

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) demanded that his opera "Les dialogues des Carmélites" would always be performed in the local language - a rather unusual stipulation for operas. Thus this opera had a first night with an Italian libretto in Milan in January 1957 and one with the original French libretto in Paris in June 1957. Remarkable is also that all the named roles were filled by other singers at these two premieres.

The story is set in Paris in 1794. Because of the general unrest, the young noble woman Blanche de la Force is sent to a convent of the Carmelite Order, thinking she would be safe there. Alas, the unrest strikes not only the aristocracy but also the church. When the Mother Superior gets the order to discontinue their religious habits and to leave the convent, she asks from all sisters a vow to martyrdom.

Later on all the nuns (except the Mother Superior, who is not with them at that time) are arrested and condemned to death. And then comes the gripping final: the nuns (at the last moment rejoined by the Mother Superior) march off stage to the scaffold, singing Christian hymns - and at the sound of a falling blade one by one shuts up.

"Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner (1813-1883) premiered in Dresden in 1845, but was later greatly revised a few times. That's why there are three different versions: the Dresden version, the Paris version (first night in Paris in 1861) and the Vienna version (first performed in Vienna in 1875).

Tannhäuser, a famous minstrel, is on his way to a competition for minstrels at the Wartburg in Eisenach (a city almost in the dead centre of Germany), when he wanders off into the nearby Venusberg. Venus tries to seduce him, but he declares to believe only in Mary (symbol for the Christian church).

When Tannhäuser returns to the Wartburg, he falls in love with Elisabeth, the daughter of the landgrave who organizes the competition. The prize is whatever the winner demands of Elisabeth (probably her hand in marriage).

The competition starts with Wolfram von Eschenbach. When Tannhäuser's turn has come, he sings about the goddess of love - Venus. The other candidates accuse Tannhäuser of paganism and condemn him to death, but Elisabeth intervenes on his behalf, sending him on a pilgrimage to Rome.

As the pilgrims return in procession, Elisabeth does not find Tannhäuser among them, and falls severely ill. At night though he returns, wrecked as he was not absolved by the Pope. Wolfram finds him and tries to convince him not to return to Venus - in vain until the funeral procession carrying Elisabeth's body passes by. Then miraculously Tannhäuser finds absolution and dies on the spot.

"Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) had its first night in 1782 in Vienna.

At the start of the opera, Konstanze and her maid Blonde are enslaved in the harem of Pasha Selim. Konstanze's fiancé, the Spanish nobleman Belmonte, comes to get news from them, but is not welcomed by Osmin, the Pascha's main servant.

Selim has promised Blonde to Osmin and desires Konstanze for himself. But both women reject the Turks.

Belmonte and his servant Pedrillo are captured when trying to set free the two women, and at first Selim condemns the four to death. But eventually he changes his mind and grants them their freedom.

George Gershwin (1898-1937) composed the opera "Porgy and Bess", set in South Carolina at the start of the 1920s. The opera was first performed in New York in 1935.

In a small black community, several men start playing a game of craps. Among them are Robbins, the husband of Serena, and Crown, the boyfriend of Bess. A disabled beggar called Porgy organizes the game, and in the end Robbins wins over Crown. Crown gets angry and starts a fight, killing Robbins.

The police arrest Peter, while Serena in vain testifies that Crown was the killer.

A month later, Crown abuses Bess, and Porgy finds out. Porgy kills Crown, but is arrested by the police. Meanwhile Bess elopes with a drug dealer.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) composed "Aida". The opera had its first night in Cairo in December 1871, but as this performance was restricted to invited nobility and ambassadors, Verdi considered that the opera had its true first night in Milan in February 1872.

The story is set in ancient Egypt, on the brink of war with Ethiopia. Radames is selected as the general leading the invasion in Ethiopia. He hopes to obtain a swift victory, and after the war hopes to marry the Ethiopian slave Aida - much to the dismay of princess Amneris, who secretly desires Radames as her husband.

During the war, Amneris tricks Aida to confess her love for Radames and plots revenge.

Radames does indeed win the war and celebrates a triumphal march. The Ethiopian King Amonasro is one of the prisoners of war. The Pharaoh grants Radames his wish, to free all Ethiopian slaves (thus including Aida, who is Amonasro's daughter).

Amonasro overhears Aida and Radames discussing the plans to crush the Ethiopian army if war would continue, and Amneris catches them in doing so. Radames is put on trial for treason, and condemned to be entombed alive. In the final act, Radames finds out that he is not alone in his tomb - Aida has chosen to die with him.

"The Mikado" by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) was first performed in 1885 in London. The story is set in Japan, at the court of the Mikado (Emperor) in the fictional town of Titipu.

Ko-Ko, the High Executioner, is in love with Yum-Yum, one of the three young girls trusted to him. But flirting is a crime, and will be punished by beheading. So Ko-Ko should behead himself, which is of course problematic. The Grand Poobah Lord of Everything Else has suspended all executions until Ko-Ko has executed himself.

Meanwhile Nanki-Poo, a wandering minstrel (in reality the Mikado's son) falls in love with Yum-Yum. If he would marry Yum-Yum, he would escape the amorous advances of Katisha, an old court-lady traveling with the Mikado.

When the Mikado announces his visit and demands an execution be made, Ko-Ko and the others forge a death certificate for Nanki-Poo. But the Mikado has information that his son had adopted the alias Nanki-Poo, and he sentences Ko-Ko and everyone else to a horrible death. Nanki-Poo secretly advises Ko-Ko to marry Katisha, so Nanki-Poo could reveal his true identity and marry Yum-Yum. And so everything ends well.

"Turandot" premiered in Milan in 1926. The music was mostly composed by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and completed by his pupil Franco Alfano.

The opera is set in a mythical version of China, where the frigid princess Turandot has been promised to marry any man who can solve her three riddles. But failing to do so will be punished by death. The Prince of Persia has failed, and is beheaded in the presence of Princess Turandot.

Then the unnamed prince of Tartary (real name Calaf), responds to the challenge - against the advice of his father, the deposed King Timur, and his servant Liu. Calaf does indeed solve all three riddles and will marry Princess Turandot - who shivers at the idea and begs to remain a spinster.

Calaf then offers Turandot a challenge: if she can guess his name before sunrise, he will not marry her and be executed instead.

When Liu is tortured to reveal the name of Calaf, she commits suicide. Timur dies on hearing the news. Calaf then reveals his name to Turandot and kisses her.

The next morning, Turandot declares she knows the name of the prince and nevertheless she will marry him.

Georges Bizet (1838-1875) completed "Les pêcheurs de perles" in 1863.
This opera is set in a legendary Ceylon (nowadays Sri Lanka).

At the start of the opera Zurga is the chief of the fisher village, and he welcomes Nadir as a long lost friend. Nadir then reminds him of the episode in Kandy when both men fell in love with Leila.

In the present a Brahmin priestess approaches, and when she lifts her veil (accidentally), Nadir recognizes Leila. He tries to rekindle their love, but as a priestess she is now untouchable. The villagers capture Nadir, and Zurga condemns the couple to be burnt on a pyre.

Leila reminisces of a stranger to whom she once showed hospitality, and who rewarded her with a necklace. When she hands over the necklace to one of the villagers as she ascends the pyre, Zurga recognizes the necklace as the one he gave her. He arranges a distraction and sets free Leila and Nadir, but dies at the return of the other villagers.