Rossini, Verdi or Puccini? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gioacchino Rossini

Rossini's early opera "La scala di seta" ("The Silken Ladder") had its first night in 1812.

Dormont is a tutor, intent on arranging his pupil Giulia to marry Blansac. But unbeknownst to Dormont, Giulia is already married to Blansac's friend Dorvil, who visits her each night via a silk ladder (hence the title of the opera).

Giulia wants to end Blansac's courting by making him fall in love with Giulia's cousin Lucilla. And she succeeds by nagging Blansac with questions about marriage, whilst overheard by Dorvil and by Lucilla.

Finally all lovers reunite in Giulia's bedroom, and Dormont walks in to give his blessing to the marriage between Blansac and Lucilla, whilst acknowledging that Giulia is indeed married to Dorvil.

Answer: Gioacchino Rossini

"Il Barbiere di Sevilla" ("The Barber of Sevilla") is one of the four operas by Rossini that premiered in 1816.

Doctor Bartolo is the guardian of the rich Rosina, and Count Almaviva is smitten by her beauty. But Almaviva is afraid to approach Rosina directly, for she might want to marry him only to obtain a noble title and not for his character. So Almaviva consults his barber Figaro, and disguises himself as a drunk soldier.

A number of misunderstandings (most of them initiated by Figaro's scheming) ensue, but finally Almaviva marries Rosina. Bartolo is appeased by keeping Rosina's dowry.

Answer: Gioacchino Rossini

"La gazza ladra" ("The thieving magpie") had its first night in 1817. Rossini completed the overture only the day before the premiere.

The first act is in the home of the rich farmer Fabrizio Vingradito, where the family awaits the return of the son Gianetto. The maid Ninetta is engaged to Gianetto, but Fabrizio's wife Lucia suspects Ninetta to be a thief.

Ninetta's father Fernando Villabella visits the house, while on the run from a death warrant - he had killed an officer and deserted the army. Fernando asks Ninetta to sell some silver spoons (heirlooms of th Villabella family), but when a silver spoon of Fabrizio is stolen, Ninetta is caught with the proceeds of the sale of Fernando's spoons. Ninetta is condemned to death, but then Gianetto discovers it was a magpie who stole Fabrizio's silverware.

All ends well: Fernando gets a royal pardon, and Ninetta's innocence is proven.

Answer: Gioacchino Rossini

Rossini's final opera was "Guillaume Tell" (1829).

The title character is a Swiss freedom fighter, intent upon overthrowing the Habsburg governor Gesler.

In the first act, Gesler executes the old Melchtal for aiding and abetting the freedom fighters. Melchtal's son Arnold, who is in love with the Habsburg princess Mathilde, swears revenge and joins Tell's army. Representatives of the cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden gather to join the resistance army.

Gesler arrests Tell for not submitting to Habsburg rule, and orders him to shoot an apple balanced on Tell's son's head. When Tell succeeds in this difficult shot, he declares to have another bolt ready to kill Gesler - upon which Gesler decides to execute Tell by throwing him into a lake full of hungry reptiles. However, Tell escapes and kills Gesler. Meanwhile Arnold has led a company to take the Habsburg fortress, and Arnold and Mathilde reconcile.

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi's first success was with the opera "Nabucco" (1843).

Nabucco is king of the Babylonians and conquers Jerusalem, after which the Hebrews are led to Babylon as slaves. Nabucco is accompanied by Abigaille, supposedly his elder daughter (but in fact daughter of slaves) and Fenena, Nabucco's real daughter. Both Abigaille and Fenena are in love with Ismaele, the nephew of the Jewish king, but Ismaele despises Abigaille and only has eyes for Fenena.

Nabucco declares himself to be not only king but also divine, and promptly is struck by lightning, completely going mad. Abigaille grabs the crown and condemns the Hebrew slaves to death. Fenena then declares to have converted to the Jewish religion and demands to share the fate of the Hebrews.

Abigaille tricks Nabucco into signing the death warrant, and the Hebrews are led to the place of their execution. But then Nabucco prays to the Hebrew God, and retrieves his sanity and his strength. Abigaille sees how all is lost and commits suicide by poisoning herself.

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" premiered in 1851. It was based upon the controversial theatre play "Le Roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo, and only got past the censors because of a few alterations to the story.

The opera pits the Duke of Mantua, a relentless womanizer, against his court jester Rigoletto. Rigoletto is used to mock the various nobles whose wives have fallen for the Duke's charms, and thus angers several of them - most notably Count Monterone and Count Ceprano.

Ceprano has discovered that Rigoletto in secret visits a young woman, whom he supposes to be Rigoletto's mistress. He plots to abduct Rigoletto's "mistress" and deliver her to the Duke. But Rigoletto has no mistress; the young woman is Rigoletto's daughter Gilda.

The Duke of Mantua has overheard Gilda say that she fell in love with an unnamed man she saw in church, and that she hopes for him to be poor so they could marry without social barriers. The Duke then disguises himself as the poor student Gualtier Malde and courts Gilda.

Rigoletto discovers that the Duke had a fling with Gilda and hires a hitman named Sparafucile to kill the Duke. Meanwhile he has Gilda dress as a man to flee the city. But Sparafucile encounters Gilda, presumes her to be the Duke, and wounds her fatally.

Sparafucile puts the victim in a bag and delivers the bag to Rigoletto, in order to collect the agreed prize. Rigoletto hears the Duke singing the aria "La donna è mobile" in the adjacent street, opens the bag and finds his dying daughter.

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

1853 was the year in which Verdi's opera "La Traviata" debuted.

The opera is named after Violetta, a "fallen woman" or rather a courtesan. Unlike an ordinary prostitute, she lives for several months with a rich suitor, and then moves on to the next one.

At a party given by her current patron Baron Douphol, she meets Alfredo, a young provincial bourgeois. And she moves in with Alfredo, but has to sell everything she owned to maintain the living standard.

Alfredo's father Giorgio pleads with Violetta to end the relationship, for her reputation is bad for Alfredo's sister. Violetta writes Alfredo a farewell note and leaves for Paris to party with Baron Douphol. Alfredo and Douphol meet at the gambling table, and Douphol challenges him to a duel.

Meanwhile Violetta is dying from consumption and returns home. Alfredo comes just in time to console her, as she dies in his arms.

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi was commissioned to compose an opera to be performed at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. But things went wrong, and "Aida" had its premiere only in 1871. Despite the delay, the result was a sumptuous production with a gripping story set in ancient Egypt.

Radames, a young Egyptian army commander, is sent out to crush an invasion by the Ethiopians. He wins the battle and captures the Ethiopian king Amonasro.

Radames is secretly in love with the slave Aida, who turns out to be Amonasro's daughter. But Amneris, daughter of the Pharaoh, also has feelings for Radames. When Radames turns down Amneris, the jealous daughter of Pharaoh sets up a trap for him.

Radames has asked Pharaoh to set all Ethiopians free, but to keep Aida and Amonasro as hostages. Pharaoh agrees, but Amneris helps Amonasro to flee. Before leaving the country, Amonasro asks Aida to find out the grand strategic plan of Radames. While Amonasro overhears everything, Radames explains to Aida where the Egyptian army will crush the Ethiopians once more.

Radames is caught and accused of high treason, while Amonasro flees. As Radames doesn't plead for his life, he is condemned to be locked in an underground vault. And as soon as the entrance is sealed, Radames perceives Aida, who chose to die with him.

Answer: Giacomo Puccini

Puccini's early career was rather disappointing: only his third opera, "Manon Lescaut", was a financial success. But this all changed with "La Bohème" (1896). (To avoid irregular rendering of the title, I've removed the accent in the answer option).

"La Bohème" tells the story of a group of artistic youngsters: the poet Rodolpho, the painter Marcello, the philosopher Colline and the musician Schaunard. They share the rent of a shabby apartment, and struggle to keep paying their bills. When Rodolpho is alone in the apartment, Mimi from the apartment next door visits and asks him to light her candle. Mimi is a seamstress, also regularly having difficulties to raise the rent. Rodolpho and Mimi fall in love. But after a few lover's quarrels, it becomes very clear that Mimi has contracted a severe case of tuberculosis, and she finally dies in Rodolfo's apartment.

Answer: Giacomo Puccini

Puccini's opera "Tosca" debuted in 1900. The story is set in Rome in 1800.

Angelotti, a former consul and now political prisoner, has escaped and seeks a hiding place at the home of Cavaradossi, a painter. Tosca, an opera singer in love with Cavaradossi, overhears the plot.

Then the police inspector Scarpia arrives. Angelotti escapes once more, but Cavaradossi is arrested. Tosca pleads for Cavaradossi's life, upon which Scarpia demands for her to spend the night with Scarpia. Tosca gives in on condition that Cavaradossi's life will be spared, and that they obtain a safe-conduct to leave the city. Scarpia says he has staged a mock execution for Cavaradossi.

Tosca kills Scarpia, and watches Cavaradossi be executed. Alas, Scarpia has lied all the way: the execution was real and Tosca commits suicide by jumping off the battlements of Castle Sant'Angelo.

Answer: Giacomo Puccini

In 1904 another of Puccini's most successful operas had its first night. It was "Madama Butterfly", set in Japan in 1904.

The protagonists are Cio-cio San (literally: the honourable butterfly), a young Japanese girl, who marries the American Lieutenant Pinkerton. He soon leaves for the USA, but meanwhile Cio-cio San is pregnant.

Three years later Pinkerton has married Kate, an American woman, and asks for a divorce from Cio-Cio San. As he discovers Cio-Cio San is a mother, he and Kate propose to adopt the boy, to which Cio-Cio San reluctantly agrees. But she commits suicide, for she can't live on without her beloved son.

Answer: Giacomo Puccini

Puccini's last opera was "Turandot", which he left unfinished. The opera was first performed in 1926, two years after Puccini's death, completed by his student Franco Alfano, who just added the final scene.

A famous anecdote is that during the first night the conductor Arturo Toscanini would have paused just before the last scene, saying "Qui finisce l'opera" ("Here stops the opera").

The plot of the opera is as follows. In mythical times, the Chinese princess Turandot has been harassed to marry soon, but she demands that her fiancé first solve three riddles. If he does not succeed, he will be executed.

Several suitors are attracted by Turandot's beauty, but they all fail miserably. Then comes Calaf, the prince of Tartary. As China and Tartary were recently at war, Calaf wants to remain incognito.

Calaf solves the three riddles by Turandot, upon which she begs him not to marry her - one of her ancestors was raped by an invading prince, and Turandot does not want to undergo the same fate.

Calaf offers a riddle of his own: if Turandot can guess his name before dawn, he will forsake her. And then he sings the aria "Nessun dorma" - in which he promises to reveal his name with a first (and possibly last) kiss...