Opera Flashcards
He kills Gesler with an arrow after Gesler forces him to shoot at an apple atop his son’s head
William Tell
OPERATIC DEMISES: This Bizet femme fatale is stabbed to death outside a Seville bull ring
Carmen
OPERATIC DEMISES: After delivering the head of John the Baptist, Herod orders his guards to crush her to death with their shields
Salome
Wild animals lie down at Tamino’s feet when he plays the title instrument in Act I of this Mozart opera
The Magic Flute
In operas by Richard Wagner, Brunnhilde is one of these 9 sisters who are warrior-maidens
the valkyries
Canio has the tears of a clown in this opera in which he must make others laugh while his heart is breaking
Pagliacci
On this stage as Cavaradossi, I sang farewell to Tosca in an opera by this composer
(Giacomo) Puccini
The title of this Verdi opera is often translated as “the fallen woman”, referring to Violetta
La Traviata
ORIGINAL OPERA TITLES: Rossini: “Guillaume Tell”
William Tell
ORIGINAL OPERA TITLES: Mozart: “Le Nozze di Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
ORIGINAL OPERA TITLES: Offenbach: “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”
The Tales of Hoffman
ORIGINAL OPERA TITLES: Wagner: “ Gotter-dammerung “
Twilight of the Gods
ORIGINAL OPERA TITLES: Puccini: “La Fanciulla del West”
Girl of the Golden West
THE DREADED OPERA CATEGORY: The character of Beckmesser in this composer’s “Die Meistersinger” is a caricature of music critics
Wagner
THE DREADED OPERA CATEGORY: Beppe, a harlequin, is a character in this 1892 opera
Pagliacci
THE DREADED OPERA CATEGORY: The land on which this London “Garden” opera house sits was once part of a monastery
Covent Garden
THE DREADED OPERA CATEGORY: The only opera this Finn ever composed was “The Maiden in the Tower”
(Jean) Sibelius
THE DREADED OPERA CATEGORY: Characters in this operetta include captain Richard Warrington & Marietta d’Altena
Naughty Marietta
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: The Met archives include wardrobe from the 1890s, including the Mephistopheles costume from this Gounod work
Faust
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: I’m in the bullring, site of the dramatic & fatal final scene in the Met’s production of this 1875 opera
Carmen
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: In 1955, the Met made history with the debuts of its first African-American singers; the first man was Bobby McFerrin’s father Robert, and the first woman was this great contralto of the day
Marian Anderson
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: As the duke, Luciano Pavarotti thrilled Met audiences with the aria “La donna e mobile”, which is so catchy that Verdi kept it out of rehearsals for this opera, so that it wouldn’t become known before opening night
Rigoletto
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: It’s no surprise to see a stagecoach in this opera that Puccini was inspired to write during a visit to the U.S.
Girl of the Golden West (La fanciulla)
OPUS & OPERA: This meanie in “Hansel and Gretel” was written for a mezzo-soprano but is sometimes sung by a tenor
the witch
OPUS & OPERA: These are repetitions of a theme with changes; Paganini’s Opus 9 is these on “God Save the King”
variations
OPUS & OPERA: His sole opera, “Fidelio”, tells a tale of a young woman disguising herself as a boy
Beethoven
OPUS & OPERA: It’s the title of Elgar’s Opus 78 & of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, opus no. unknown, featuring actors on roller skates
Starlight Express
OPUS & OPERA: His Opus 68 is “From the Bohemian Forest”, composed around 1883
Antonin Dvorak
OPERA LOVERS: After she declares her love for a toreador named Escamillo, she is stabbed to death by Don Jose
Carmen
OPERA LOVERS: “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’” & “Oh Lawd, I’m On My Way” are arias in the opera about this title couple
Porgy & Bess
OPERA LOVERS: It’s love at first sight for Sophie & Octavian in this “Knight Of The Rose”
Der Rosenkavalier
OPERA LOVERS: In a Gluck opera with the help of the love god Amor, Orfeo attempts to bring her back from Hades
Eurydice
OPERA CHARACTERS: In a rock opera this deaf, dumb & blind kid becomes a pinball wizard
Tommy
OPERA CHARACTERS: In a Wagner opera it’s heads up for Jochanaan, who is this biblical figure
John the Baptist
OPERA CHARACTERS: In a Franz Lehar opera, Hanna Glawari, who recently lost her banker-husband, is this title character
The Merry Widow
OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES: “Cavalleria Rusticana” takes place on this large Italian island
Sicily
OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES: A soprano plays the title bird in “The Nightingale”, based on a tale by this Danish author
Hans Christian Andersen
OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES: “Azora” concerns the romantic entanglements of a daughter of this Aztec emperor
Montezuma
OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES: The title character of Bellini’s “Norma” is one of these British pagan priest(esse)s
a Druidess
OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES: “Belisario” takes place in this eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the west
the Byzantine Empire
This title character is sent to fetch Isolde, his uncle King Mark’s intended bride
Tristan
She’s a slave to Amneris, an Egyptian princess
Aida
Alban Berg’s 1937 opera is a real doozy, or a real this, the double-talk name of its title character
Lulu
Gingerbread figures turn back into boys & girls when the witch’s spell is broken in this opera
Hansel and Gretel
The Met’s production “Enchanted Island” is a version of “The Tempest”, & the costume I’m wearing belongs to this magician, who rules the island
Prospero
In a costume from a 2009 production I’m Escamillo, the toreador who wins the heart of this gypsy girl
Carmen
The title character disguises himself, but not very well, in “Le comte Ory”, the first opera created in French by this composer whose last opera was “William Tell”
(Gioachino) Rossini
The costume worn by this character may not seem to go with his title profession, but in his first scene he sings “Largo al factotum” and explains that he’s also the apothecary, gardener & wig maker
the Barber of Seville
This cape was worn by Enrico Caruso as the Duke of Mantua in this Verdi opera, the role in which he made his Met debut way back in 1903
Rigoletto
This helmet is a fitting accessory from a production of this Wagner work in which the knight’s arrival in a swan boat is one of opera’s great entrances
Lohengrin
OPERAS WITH CHARACTER: Cio Cio San, a young Japanese woman
Madame Butterfly
OPERAS WITH CHARACTER: Jemmy, a Swiss boy used as a target stand
William Tell
OPERAS WITH CHARACTER: Mozart’s Queen of the Night, a sorceress
The Magic Flute
OPERAS WITH CHARACTER: Daland, a captain of the high seas who meets a mysterious stranger
The Flying Dutchman
OPERAS WITH CHARACTER: Kurwenal, a servant accompanying his knight & master to pick up a new bride
Tristan und Isolde
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: In 1973, “The Magic Flute”, which included a queen character, was the first performance given here, & in the hall on opening night was this woman, who officially opened the Opera House
Queen Elizabeth
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: To compensate for the high ceilings in the concert hall, acrylic rings were hung to reflect the sound of the instruments back to the orchestra & to improve this, from the Greek for “to hear”
the acoustics
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: In March 2010, just shy of 90, this sitar virtuoso performed on the opera house stage with his daughter Anoushka in his “Farewell to Australia” tour
Ravi Shankar
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: As the story goes, Danish architect Jorn Utzon’s winning design for the opera house was saved from the rejection pile by this famed architect from Finland
(Eero) Saarinen
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: In September 2009, this 65-year-old dame of Maori descent thrilled audiences here on the Opera House stage, singing Strauss & Puccini
(Kiri Te) Kanawa
The “Hexenritt”, or “Witches’ Ride”, is sung in Act III of this 1893 fairy tale opera
Hansel and Gretel
In “La boheme” the poet Rodolfo falls in love with this seamstress who suffers from tuberculosis
Mimi
Carl Maria von Weber’s 1826 opera about this king of the fairies was subtitled “or, the Elf King’s Oath”
Oberon
In 1961, as Venus in “Tannhauser”, Grace Bumbry became the first black diva to sing at this Wagner festival
Bayreuth
Twilight of the Gods” is the last part of this composer’s “Ring” cycle
Wagner
In an opera based on a fairy tale, this title girl gives the prince one of a pair of bracelets before leaving the ball
Cinderella
Coppelius & Dr. Miracle appear in “The Tales of” him
Hoffmann
This Beethoven opera was based on a play called “Leonore”
Fidelio
Bellini title gal who’s high priestess of a Druid temple in Gaul
Norma
19TH CENTURY OPERA: When this opera opens, a cigarette girl tells soldiers she is looking for a corporal named Jose
Carmen
19TH CENTURY OPERA: He began writing “Die Meistersinger” in 1845 as a companion piece to “Tannhauser”, but didn’t finish it until 1867
(Richard) Wagner
19TH CENTURY OPERA: In this 1892 Leoncavallo opera, the clowns enter an Italian village in a parade led by a donkey cart
19TH CENTURY OPERA: In this 1892 Leoncavallo opera, the clowns enter an Italian village in a parade led by a donkey cart
19TH CENTURY OPERA: This Rossini opera was first performed under an Italian title meaning “Almaviva, the useless precaution”
The Barber of Seville
19TH CENTURY OPERA: When 1st produced, this Verdi opera known as “the strayed one” was a failure, due in part to contemporary costumes
La Traviata
OPERA CHARACTERS: In various versions of “Othello”, she’s smothered, strangled or stabbed to death
Desdemona
OPERA CHARACTERS: Yum-Yum, who is due to marry Ko-Ko, falls in love with the minstrel Nanki-Poo in this operetta
The Mikado
OPERA CHARACTERS: A one-act opera based on an episode in “Great Expectations” is called this woman’s “Wedding night”
Miss Havisham
OPERA CHARACTERS: This widower & hunchback is the court jester to the Duke of Mantua
Rigoletto
OPERA CHARACTERS: Characters in this John Adams opera include Chou En-lai, Chairman Mao & Henry Kissinger
Nixon in China
SHAKESPEAREAN OPERAS: It’s full of magic:
“Stormen” & several called “Der Sturm”
The Tempest
SHAKESPEAREAN OPERAS: Shifting the title’s focus:
“Jessika”
The Merchant of Venice
SHAKESPEAREAN OPERAS: An enchanting work:
“The Faery Queen”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
SHAKESPEAREAN OPERAS: Love that sparring:
“Beatrice et Benedict”
Much Ado About Nothing
SHAKESPEAREAN OPERAS: What a farce:
“Sir John in Love” & several called “Falstaff”
The Merry Wives of Windsor
In Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Maid of Pskov”, this notorious 16th c. czar destroys the city of Novgorod
Ivan (the Terrible)
In “Maria Stuarda”, this queen signs Mary Stuart’s death warrant after being called a bastard
Queen Elizabeth I
On Feb. 26, 1776 a fire destroyed Milan’s Royal Ducal Theatre; this replaced it
La Scala di Milano
This Gian Carlo Menotti TV opera features a crippled boy, his mother & 3 kings: Kaspar, Melchior & Balthazar
Amahl and the Night Visitors
This Johann Strauss opera has appeared in several English versions, including “Night Birds” & “Rosalinda”
Die Fledermaus
In a Rossini opera this Swiss patriot is forced to shoot an apple placed on his son Jemmy’s head
William Tell
This opera ends with the title madam committing hara-kiri
Madame Butterfly
Don Jose is bewitched by this title gypsy girl
Carmen
This title slave & Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris are both in love with Radames
Aida
Count Almaviva attempts to thwart this opera’s title marriage
The Marriage of Figaro
OPERA GLOSS: This term for the principal female singer of an opera company is Italian for “first lady”
prima donna
OPERA GLOSS: A ballabille is a section of dance music: Verdi used one in “Macbeth” to describe the dancing of them
the witches
OPERA GLOSS: A barcarolle has a lilting rhythm, suggesting the songs of these Venetian singers
gondoliers
OPERA GLOSS: A piece of orchestral music played between 2 scenes of an opera
an interlude (or intermezzo)
