More Opera Summaries in Four Words Quiz

Answer: Das Rheingold

"Das Rheingold" starts Wagner's four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The three Rhinemaidens are tasked with protecting the Rhinegold, which can be forged into a ring of great power if one renounces love. After being scorned by them, Alberich the Nibelung steals the gold and forges the ring.

When it's stolen, Alberich curses it: everyone will long for it, but only misfortune and death will come to those who possess it. Alberich's theft sparks a chain of events that will eventually destroy the world.

Answer: Turandot

The icy Princess Turandot and her father have a test for any man who wishes to wed her: he must answer three riddles. If he fails, he dies (tough courtship, huh?). However, there's a twist when a man DOES answer her riddles. Puccini died before finishing this opera, leading other composers to complete it.

There is controversy over whether or not the final "t" in "Turandot" should be pronounced.

Answer: Eugene Onegin

Based on Alexander Pushkin's novel of the same name, "Eugene Onegin" was composed by Tchaikovsky. Tatiana loves Eugene, who scorns her love, saying he's not meant for marriage and will treat her like a sister. Years later, when she's married a prince, he falls in love with her, but she refuses him, partly because she thinks he's only interested in her new status. I'm disappointed there's no sequel, "Eugene Offegin".

Answer: Die Fledermaus

Dr. Falke was the butt of a joke by Eisenstein in which Falke ended up drunk in a forest and dressed as a bat. Falke's revenge involves sending a set of letters to get different people to a ball in disguise: Eisenstein as a French marquis, his wife as a Hungarian countess, and their maid as an actress. Hilarity ensues. This operetta was written by Johann Strauss II.

Answer: Aida

Aida, an Ethiopian princess, has been captured and held as a slave by the Egyptians, who don't know her identity. Warrior Radames loves her, while the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris loves him (uh-oh, I smell conflict!). To complicate things, Aida's father invades Egypt to get her back and is captured himself. Verdi's opera debuted in 1871. Elton John and Tim Rice's musical "Aida" has the same story but different music.

Answer: Les Indes Galantes

Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera contains four different love stories, plus a prologue. Each is set during a different historical era in Turkey, Peru, Persia, and America. And they all have happy endings. "Les Indes Galantes" is an opera-ballet, a type of theatre popular in the 18th century that contains singing and dancing throughout.

Answer: Bluebeard's Castle

Bartok's opera, written in Hungarian, is loosely based on the legend of Bluebeard. The mysterious Bluebeard has brought his new wife Judith home. She demands to know what is in each of seven locked rooms. In the seventh, she sees the horrible fates of his previous wives...and hers as well. Aside from a brief, spoken prologue, there are only two vocal parts, Bluebeard and Judith, in this one-hour opera.

Answer: Der Rosenkavalier

This comic opera by Richard Strauss has a layer of melancholy to it. The Marschallin has a young lover, Count Octavian (who's played by a woman), whom she fears will leave her when a younger, prettier woman comes along. Meanwhile, the young Sophie is engaged to the horrid Baron Ochs. Octavian, in a mellow mood, brings the silver engagement rose to Sophie, and the two fall in love. Now, if only they could break off Sophie's engagement...

Answer: The Magic Flute

Mozart's opera is about Tamino, who is tasked by the Queen of the Night with rescuing her daughter, Pamina. The flute helps them through trials that prove their love for one another. Near the beginning, the Queen of the Night's ladies put a padlock on Tamino's friend Papageno's tongue as a punishment for lying, leading to a song he hums (aptly titled "Hm! Hm! Hm! Hm!").

He gets a happy ending too--he meets a woman called, coincidentally, Papagena.

Answer: Robert le Diable

"Robert le Diable" by Giacomo Meyerbeer was very popular when it debuted in 1831. Robert is the son of a Normandy princess and the devil, who calls himself Bertram. While Robert tries to marry his girlfriend Isabelle, Bertram seeks to gain Robert's allegiance. To that end, he raises several dead nuns (they could be also ghosts, but they look like zombies to me because they physically interact with their environment and Robert), who dance a bacchanal ballet to entice Robert to steal a branch that confers immortality and power. This sequence gave rise to the ballet blanc, a dance in which the ballerinas wear white. Examples include "Les Sylphides", "Suite en Blanc", and the second acts of "Giselle" and "La Sylphide".

I knew nothing about this opera before I watched it. Of all the things I never expected to see in a 1830s grand opera, Satan resurrecting a bunch of lascivious zombie nuns to seduce his son definitely tops the list.