Opera Plots
Fidelio
A baritone in this opera claims he is celebrating the King's naming day to explain a raucous crowd who sing the chorus "O Welche Lust" while recklessly running through the gardens. A couple sings the duet "O namenlose Freude" in the second act after hearing a trumpet call signaling the arrival of Don Fernando. A soprano sings the famous aria "O war ich schon mit dir vereint" after rejecting the advances of Jaquino, but they sing together in the quartet "Mir ist so wunderbar." The title character of this opera sings the grave-digging duet with Rocco in the dungeon before using a pistol to prevent Don Pizarro from killing her husband Florestan, who had been held in a secret prison for two years. For 10 points, name this opera in which Leonore dresses up as the title man, composed by Beethoven.
The Barber of Seville
A cavatina from this opera often transposed from E major to F major for coloratura sopranos is sung by its female lead just before she writes a letter. This opera's final scene features the failure of three characters to escape a doctor's house after another character had removed their escape ladder. A character in this opera disguises himself as a drunken soldier, a music teacher, and a student named Lindoro in order to be with his lover. Before the doctor Bartolo is able to stop a wedding, Count Almaviva marries Rosina at the end of this opera. In the aria "Largo al factotum", this opera's title character sings his name repeatedly as he makes his first entrance. For 10 points, Figaro is the title character of what opera by Gioachino Rossini?
Rigoletto
A character in this opera compares his "tongue of malice" to an assassin's dagger, claiming "We are alike!" in the aria "Pari siamo." Another character in this opera falls in love with a man who pretends to be a student named Gualtier Maldè. During the chorus "Zitti, zitti," a group of courtiers kidnap that woman from her bedroom as her father unwittingly steadies their ladder. In the final act of this opera, the main character realizes the body in his sack belongs to his daughter Gilda instead of his real target, the Duke of Mantua, whom he hears distantly singing "La donna è mobile." For 10 points, name this Giuseppe Verdi opera about the title hunchbacked court jester.
William Tell
A choral number from this opera in 3/4 (three-four) time begins with the men singing a two eighth note two quarter note drone under the women singing the ascending eighth note melody D, G, A, B, then G, A, B, D. That number from this opera was adapted by John Macleod into the bagpipe standard "The Green Hills of Tyrol." This opera's opening sees characters sing their own interpretations of a love song originally sung by the fisherman Ruodi. The overture to this opera includes an extended pastoral themed duet between English horn and flute. At the end of this opera, its title character, now out of prison, is reunited with his wife Hedwige and son Jemmey. This opera's overture's four sections includes the prelude, storm, the ranz des vaches, and concludes with a march of the Swiss soldiers. For 10 points, name this Rossini opera where the titular character must shoot an apple balanced on his son's head.
The Tales of Hoffman
A doctor in this opera says a woman will die unless he treats her in the song "Pour conjurer le danger." The antagonist of this opera sings the aria "Dans les rôles d'amoureux langoureux," in which he claims he has the spirit of the devil. Dappertutto plots to steal a man's reflection in this opera, in which Dr. Miracle causes a woman to sing until she collapses by making a portrait of her dead mother come to life. A character in this opera must be constantly rewound while singing the aria "Les oiseaux dans la charmille." Olympia, Giulietta, and Antonia are all previous love interests of this opera's title character, whose friend Nicklausse reveals himself to be the Muse in its last act. This opera contains the "Doll Song" and the barcarolle "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour." For 10 points, name this Jacques Offenbach opera about the German author of the story "The Sandman."
Aida
A first-act tenor aria in this opera ends on a difficult sustained B-flat. That aria laments "If only I were that warrior!" and is titled for the singer's beloved, who is described as "Celeste," or "heavenly." In this opera's second act, a king offers to grant any one wish for a character who has just returned from a "Triumphal March." The high priest Ramfis sentences this opera's tenor lead to death after his fraternization with enemy king Amonasro is discovered by the princess Amneris. The Egyptian general* Radamès is buried alive with his lover at the end of, for 10 points, what Giuseppe Verdi opera about the title Ethiopian princess?
Die Walkure (The Valkyrie)
A lively prelude in 9/8 time depicting these characters opens with a series of string half-scales rising to meet the winds' increasingly higher F-sharp trills. One of these operatic characters outlines a G augmented triad for the cry "Hojotoho!" Horns play a low F-sharp pickup, then "B, short low F-sharp, B," then the long notes "D, B," to start the fanfare-like leitmotif representing these characters at the start of Act 3. A sleeping one of these figures is reached by a man who passes through a ring of fire. Wotan declares that, as punishment for saving Siegmund ("ZEEG-moont"), one of these characters must become mortal. For 10 points, what characters in Wagner's Ring Cycle, including Brünnhilde and her fellow warrior-maidens, "ride" flying horses in a namesake opera?
Tristan and Isolde
A piece based on this legend inspired the idea of "intense alteration style" in a book on "Romantic Harmony and its Crisis" by Ernst Kurth. A composition based on this legend contains a tape recording of a five-year-old reading from an adaptation of this legend; that work for piano and orchestra is in the form of "six preludes" and is by Hans Werner Henze. A duet between piccolo and contrabassoon, accompanied by percussion, opens the fourth movement of a symphony based on this legend; that movement is followed by one titled "Joy of the Blood of the Stars." The song cycle Harawi is part of a trilogy based on this legend, which concludes with the Turangalila-Symphonie and is by Olivier Messiaen. For 10 points, name this legend that titles a Richard Wagner opera containing a "love-death."
Turandot
A tenor aria from this opera begins with four high D's followed by another four D's sung an octave lower. A slave in this opera sings the aria "Signore, ascolta!" in a failed attempt to dissuade her unrequited love from taking on a challenge. A character in this opera who sings the aria "In questa reggia" is served by the ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong. A character in this opera who correctly answers three riddles predicts that a woman will not be able to know his name in the aria "Nessun Dorma," which was popularized by Luciano Pavarotti. For 10 points, name this unfinished opera by Giacomo Puccini about the title Chinese princess.
Turandot
A tenor aria from this opera begins with the note D sung in a double-dotted "LONG, short, LONG, LONG"rhythm, after which the same melody is repeated an octave below. A soprano aria from this opera describes aking that "unfurled" seven banners, conquered a rival kingdom, and "stifled" the voice of its ruler. A slave girlin this opera stabs herself to death after proclaiming the title character to be "encircled in ice" in the aria "Tuche di gel sei cinta." Its title character sings "In questa reggia" as she poses three riddles to the tenor lead, who inturn challenges her to discover his name by the next morning, but predicts her failure in the aria "Nessundorma." For 10 points, name this Giacomo Puccini opera about a Chinese princess.
Madame Butterfly
A tenor in this opera compares the title character to a figure from a painted screen in "Amore o grilo." That character in this opera promises to return to the title character "when the robins nest." A motif based on "The Star-Spangled Banner" is heard in this opera during the aria "Dovunque al mondo." The character Sharpless is a consul in this opera, whose title character imagines the return of her husband Pinkerton in the aria "Un bel di." This opera ends with Cio-Cio-San [cho-cho-sahn] committing suicide. For 10 points, name this Giacomo Puccini opera set in Japan.
Don Giovanni
After hearing Frederic Chopin's variations on a duet from this opera, Robert Schumann declared, "hats off, gentlemen, a genius!" The character in this opera who sings "Notte e giorno faticar" cowers in fear because of another character who declares "a cenar teco, m'invitasti e son venuto." An aria from this opera addressed to "Madamina" lists off "640 in Italy and 231 in Germany" to Donna Elvira. That aria is sung by the servant Leporello and is known as the Catalogue Aria. The title character of this opera is dragged to hell by a statue of the Commendatore. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera about the demise of the title womanizer.
The Tales of Hoffman
All of the lines in an Act I aria from this opera end in words that rhyme with "ack," like "click clack" and "crick crack." A film version of this opera added more dance numbers to accommodate the talents of its female lead, Moira Shearer. After a beautiful girl walks into a tavern, the male lead gets distracted from telling the story of an ugly dwarf from the court of Eisenach. The 1951 film adaptation of this opera by Powell and Pressburger made a female character a ballerina rather than a soprano performing in Don Giovanni. Act III of this opera opens with characters singing a 6/8 duet with the opening line "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour." This opera, which contains a song about Kleinzach the Dwarf, ends with Nicklausse revealing himself to be a Muse. Traditionally, a single soprano sings the parts of Giuletta, Antonia, and Olympia. For 10 points, name this opera that contains a famous "Barcarolle," a work by Jacques Offenbach about the German author of Der Sandmann.
The Love for Three Oranges
Among the musical pieces in this opera are the opening of "Tragedy, Tradgedy" and one whose title repeats the word "Kha," while its most famous section, a March, was orchestrated for solo violin and piano by Jascha Heifetz. It begins with a debate between different types of theatre, and one character in this opera is given a magic ribbon to seduce a giant female guardian in the palace of Creonte. This opera's plot is set in motion when a hypochondriac is prescribed laughter, which is only achieved when Fata Morgana is accidentally disrobed. That hypochondriac then acquires the title objects, one of which contains Ninette, before returning to his father, the King of Clubs. For 10 points, name this opera about a prince and some fruit, by Sergei Prokofiev.
Boris Godunov
An early scene in this opera begins with the brass swinging back and forth between Aflat7 and D7 chords over low C's in the low strings and tuba. That scene in this opera includes a tune many people know from Beethoven's Opus 59 No. 2. This opera includes songs about a parrot, a gnat, and a drake. Its title character enters with the monologue "My soul is sad." This opera was revised extensively in 1872, partially to include more female roles. Its title character was the signature role of the bass Shalyapin. Like Prince Igor, this opera was once only performed in the "edited" version by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In the second scene of its first act, Varlaam sings about besieging Kazan with Ivan the Terrible. In its prologue, a crowd singing "glory" is led by Prince Shuisky to celebrate the title character's coronation. For 10 points, name this opera by Modest Mussorgsky about an ill-fated tsar from the Time of Troubles.
The Ring Cycle (Ring of the Nibelungs)
An enormous moving set nicknamed "The Machine" appears in a current Metropolitan Opera production of this work, directed by Robert Lepage. Its first part opens with 136 measures of E-flat major, and one character is known only as "the Wanderer" in its third part. That character lays his daughter to sleep atop a mountain encircled by flame, resulting in the Magic Fire Music. Alberich forges the title object out of gold stolen from the three Rhinemaidens in the first part of this work, entitled Das Rheingold. Its second part features the "Ride of the Valkyries." For 10 points, name this four-opera cycle about Wotan, Brünnhilde, and Siegfried, the masterwork of Richard Wagner.
The Marriage of Figaro
An enraged man in this opera threatens his employer in the aria "Se vuol ballare" and sketches out a hard military life in "Non piu andrai." In this opera, "Dove sono" is sung by a woman who gives a ribbon to her god-son, the page; that page jumps out of a window and dresses as a flower girl. In this opera, which includes the wedding of the title character's parents, Bartolo and Marcellina, the Countess tries to stop her husband from exerting his droit de seigneur on her maid and resists Cherubino's blandishments. For 10 points, name this opera about the "crazy day" of Susanna's wedding to the title manservant by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Don Giovanni
An explication of the stagework this character appears in claims that "his passion sets the passions of all others in motion" because he is "not character but essentially life" and is "absolutely musical." The creator of the work he titles is compared to Moliére and Phidias in the preface to a book-length essay by Charles Gounod. This man is "heard through [another character]" in a section that claims "in winter he likes fat ones" and "in summer he likes thin ones," according to a chapter titled "The Immediate Stages of the Erotic." In an oft-analyzed scene, this character is surrounded by demons after he responds "No" every time he is commanded "Repent!" by a statue. The German version of the work in which this man appears includes Elvira in the 1,003 Spanish women listed as this man's conquests in the "Catalogue Aria". For 10 points, name this seducer who titles an opera by Mozart.
Tristan and Isolde
At Transfigured Night's 1902 premiere, an audience member compared Schoenberg's piece to a "smeared" version of the still-wet score of this opera. Motifs in this opera were numbered in a book on it by Roger Scruton. The cadences introduced in the prelude to this opera are not resolved until the finale of act three in a pioneering example of harmonic suspension. A dissonant cry of "Rette Dich" interrupts a half-hour duet in the second act of this opera, which is often viewed as signaling the end of common practice harmony. Though it is not by Donizetti, a love potion foils a plan to marry the female lead to King Marke in this opera. A diminished seventh oddly spelled "F, B, D-sharp, G-sharp" is named for the heldentenor role of this opera. For 10 points, the "Liebestod" closes what Richard Wagner opera about a pair of Arthurian lovers?
H.M.S. Pinafore
At the beginning of this opera, a woman boards a ship anchored at Portsmouth and offers "snuff and tobacc-y" to its sailors. Later, the captain avers that he "hardly ever" swears, and that character, Corcoran, is revealed to have been switched with another character at birth. He intends to marry his daughter Josephine to the First Lord of the Admiralty, although she is in love with Ralph Rackstraw, while Little Buttercup ends up marrying the captain. For 10 points, name this Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera set aboard the title ship.
Turandot
At the beginning of this work, a crowd invokes the "pallid face" of the moon and asks it to hurry, while a chorus of servants proclaims that "work is never lacking." Later in this work, three men enter with lanterns and address the tiger, "grand marshal of the heavens," before bidding farewell to the "divine race." Court ladies hush the crowd before a parade of the ghosts of executed lovers like the Prince of Persia, and the proclamation that "on this night none shall sleep in Peking" precedes this opera's most famous aria, "Nessun dorma." For 10 points, name this opera about the exiled prince Calà f and the title Chinese princess by Giacomo Puccini.
The Marriage of Figaro
At the end of Act II of this opera, a duet gradually turns into a tutti septet as singers come onstage one-by-one. This opera's presto overture, often performed independently, is in sonata form but has no slow movement. A soldier is warned that he can't sleep around anymore in this opera's bass aria "Non piu andrai", which is addressed to Cherubino. In its final act, the Countess swaps clothes with Susanna. Like an earlier work, this opera in Italian is based on a play by Beaumarchais, but this time, Count Almaviva is a villain. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera, a sequel to The Barber of Seville, which ends in a wedding.
Boris Godunov
At the end of this opera's first act, a man tries to escape an illiterate policeman by pretending to read an an arrest warrant. The third act of this opera introduces the character of Rangoni, a Jesuit who wishes to co-opt Marina's schemes in order to spread Catholicism. Its last two acts feature a Holy Fool who is first robbed and then refuses to pray for the title character after accusing him of murdering a child. The first act of this opera includes Gregory's waking from a nightmare as Pimen finishes writing a history book, and it ends as peasants prepare to face a Polish invasion. Vasily Shuisky interlocutes for visions of the murdered Dmitri that haunt the title character, a tsar of Russia, in, for 10 points, what historical opera by Modest Mussorgsky?
Rigoletto
Before the premiere, tenor Raffaele Mirate ("mee-RAH-tay") was banned from humming an infectious canzone from this opera whose melody uses the following rhythm: "three accented eighths, then dotted sixteenth, descending thirty-second, quarter." In "Caro Nome" ("KA-ro NO-may"), the soprano lead of this opera praises her lover's fake name of "Gaultier Malde" ("go-tee-AY mald"). Francesco Piave's libretto for this opera, which adapts Le roi s'amuse ("luh RWAH sah-myooz"), was considered plagiaristic by the play's author Victor Hugo. This opera's title character remembers Count Monterone's curse when he opens a sack to find his dying daughter Gilda; that happens after he hears the Duke of Mantua reprise "La donna è mobile." For 10 points, name this Giuseppe Verdi opera titled for a hunchbacked jester.
Boris Godunov
Comic songs in this opera include an innkeeper's love song to a goose and a nurse's song about a bug and a gnat. One character in this opera is caught trying to change the description of a Wanted poster of himself. This work was originally rejected for having no main female characters, which was fixed when the composer added a romantic meeting between Marina and the monk Grigory. Vaarlam and Misail sing a drinking song about the siege of Kazan in this work. This work's prologue ends with a chorus of "Glory" using polymeter and the whole-tone scale. This work's title character sings the monologue "I have attained supreme power" before hallucinating his murdered predecessor. This opera ends with the title character giving the throne to his son Fyodor. For 10 points, name this Modest Mussorgsky opera about the titular czar during the Time of Troubles.
Tosca
During a performance of this opera, Maria Callas's hair caught on fire, leading Tito Gobbi to leap onto her to put it out. This opera opens with the recurring motif of three loud, spooky, brassy major chords on B-flat, A-flat, and E. A character in this opera trades his last possession of a ring to deliver a letter to the title character, leading him to sing about how "the Earth was scented" in the aria "E lucevan le stelle" ("ay loo-CHAY-von lay stell-ay"). This opera's title character sings the aria "Vissi d'arte" ("vee-see DAR-tay") after Baron Scarpia attempts to blackmail her, and in its finale, the title character kills herself by jumping off a parapet after the execution of her lover Mario Cavaradossi. For 10 points, name this opera about the title singer by Giacomo Puccini.
Siegfried
Ernst Kozub was replaced by Wolfgang Windgassen as this character for a studio recording conducted by Georg Solti. This character astutely shouts "That is no man!" after passing through a ring of fire to find a woman sleeping on a rock, with whom he hails "light-bringing love". This character's "Rhine Journey" and "Funeral March" are often excerpted from the work in which he appears. After this character is murdered by Hagen, his lover Brunnhilde immolates herself, in the final act of Götterdammerung. For 10 points, name this slayer of Fafner, who titles the third opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle.
Parsifal
Hans-Jürgen Syberberg directed a film version of this opera set on the composer's death mask, and this opera is the namesake of a piano-like instrument with four keys used to simulate bells. It is customary in some theaters not to applaud after this opera's first act. Apart from the words "Dienen, dienen," one character is entirely silent in the third act, and the line "here time becomes space" sets in motion the Transformation Music of the first act. A repeated motif describes the title character as "enlightened by compassion" and is sung by a voice from above at the end of Act I. This opera's Act I prelude quotes the Dresden amen, and in Act III the title character baptizes the central female to the accompaniment of the Good Friday Music. Act II of this opera takes place in Klingsor's garden, where the Flower-maidens and Kundry all attempt to seduce the title character, who recoils because he feels compassion for Amfortas's wound. For 10 points, name this last opera of Richard Wagner, whose title "pure fool" is crowned king of the Knights of the Grail.
Tosca
In Act II of this opera, a gavotte is heard from outside the palace during a victory celebration in honor of General Melas. The male lead contrasts the blue eyes of an "unknown beauty" he has seen in church with the black eyes of his lover in "Recondita Armonia." The villain uses a fan to arouse the title character's jealousy and convince her to betray Angelotti in exchange for her lover's life. That title character asks God why she has suffered such misfortune in "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore," and jumps to her death after realizing that Cavaradossi's "fake" execution was real after all. For 10 points, name this opera in which the title singer stabs the wicked police chief Scarpia, by Giacomo Puccini.
The Magic Flute
In Julie Taymor's production of this opera for the Met, masks float above three characters who ask "What? What? What?" to open a quintet. This opera's overture opens with three slow chords: E-flat major, C minor in first inversion, and E-flat major in second inversion. This opera's librettist, a Freemason named Emanuel Schikaneder ("shih-KAH-neh-dare"), premiered the role of a character whose mouth is padlocked after he falsely claims to have killed a serpent. A coloratura soprano orders her daughter to kill the priest Sarastro ("sah-RAH-stroh") in this opera's aria "Hell's Vengeance," or "Der Hölle Rache" ("dair HOL-luh RAH-huh"). Two lovers complete trials of water and fire thanks to the title object of, for 10 points, what Mozart opera featuring the evil Queen of the Night?
Porgy and Bess
In a duet from this opera, the two characters say they will love each other "morning time and evening time" and one character says that there is no wrinkle on her brow because the "sorrow of the past is all done." A character in this opera sings about doubting "the things you're liable to read in the Bible." Characters in this opera sit around a bed and sing "Gone, Gone, Gone" to mourn a man's death. The song "I got plenty o' nuttin" is reprised in this opera while characters are setting off to a picnic on Kittiwah Island. In this opera, Crown kills Robbins with a cotton hook while arguing over craps winnings, and Sportin' Life sings "It Ain't Necessarily So" at the picnic. For 10 points, name this opera set in Catfish Row where Clara sings the song "Summertime," an opera by George Gershwin.
Carmen
In a midtempo "3-4" aria that heavily features two flutes in thirds, this character describes a "whirlwind"-like dance accompanied by the "tinkling rods of the sistra." This character's most famous aria is based on a midtempo chromatic scale down from D. This mezzo-soprano role, whose realism caused a scandal at the opera's 1875 première, reads tarot cards with Frasquita and Mercédès and first appears during a break at a cigarette factory. She sings a seguidilla after calling love a "rebellious bird" in her "Habañera" and seduces Escamillo, a toreador, before being stabbed by Don José. For 10 points, name this title gypsy of an opera by Georges Bizet.
Rigoletto
In an Act II duet, the female lead in this opera tells her father of her love, who she believes is named Gualtier Malde. Earlier in this opera, she had sung of the "sweetness" of that name in the aria "Caro nome" ["no-may"]. A curse placed on the title character is fulfilled when Gilda sacrifices herself for the sake of her love to the assassin Sparafucile ["Spar-ah-fu-sil-ay"]. The title character of this opera realizes his daughter is dead he hears a song about the "flightiness" of women off in the distance. "La Donna e Mobile" is sung by the Duke of Mantua in, for 10 points, what opera about a hunchbacked jester by Giuseppe Verdi?
The Marriage of Figaro
In an aria from this opera, a character tells some women to "see if I have [love] in my heart." A lawyer in this opera plans to force a character to marry his client in the aria "La vendetta," but finds out in a sextet that he and his client Marcellina are the title character's parents. Two characters in this opera measure the dimensions of a bed, and another hides in a closet before breaking flowerpots owned by Antonio. That character, Cherubino, is the cousin of the soon-to-be-married Susanna. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera about Count Almaviva's advances toward the fiancé of the title Sevillian barber before their wedding.
Figaro
In bar 5 of an aria from an opera with this name in the title, three rising C major broken inverted triads in a dotted rhythm mimic a bugle or march. This name is sung in the middle of an aria that opens with a long C, repeats the short notes D B C three times, then falls from high E to low E. The overture of an opera titled for this name opens in D major with soft scurrying by unison strings and bassoons. The orchestra rests as this name quickly repeats 9 times on the notes E D C in a baritone's entrance aria announcing "make way." This intrepid character from a Beaumarchais trilogy sings "Non più andrai" in Mozart's first Da Ponte opera. This character helps Almaviva woo Rosina and sings "Largo al factotum" in Rossini's Barber of Seville. For 10 points, name this protagonist of a Mozart comic opera about his "Marriage."
The Marriage of Figaro
In his Reminiscences, the Irish tenor Michael Kelly described fighting the composer of this opera for the right to stutter when performing his role. This opera includes a B-flat major excerpt for oboe, bassoon, and strings in which two sopranos trade lines until both sing "certo, certo il capira" in unison. A character from this opera threatens to "play the guitar for you" if "you want to dance" in its aria "Se vuol ballare." A trouser role in this opera abandons the chair he was hiding behind when the antagonist arrives with the music teacher Basilio, and is mockingly advised to lay off women in the aria "Non piu andrai." A woman in this opera resists the advances of Cherubino and tries to stop her husband from seducing his maid Susanna. For 10 points, name this opera about the wedding day of the servant from The Barber of Seville, by Mozart.
Aida
In one scene in this opera, a group of Moorish slave boys dance for their master before being told to leave because another character's "grief is sacred." A character in this opera tricks her lover into revealing an army's location. The title character joins the chorus in shouting "Ritorna vincitor," and that wish later comes true with a Triumphal March in Act II. This opera includes the aria "O patria mia" and the lower vault in the Temple of Vulcan is where the title character is buried alive with her lover Radames. For 10 points, name this opera set in Egypt about an Ethiopian princess, written by Giuseppe Verdi.
Pirates of Penzance
In one scene in this work, two lovers sing a love duet in B major in 3/4 time, at the same time as a female chorus pretends to chat about the weather in 2/4 time. One character in this work sings "I am telling a terrible story" after lying about being an orphan, and another character is indentured until his 21st birthday, but is unfortunately born on February 29th in a leap year. In the song "Poor Wand'ring One", Mabel takes pity on the apprentice Frederic, the work's protagonist. One character in this work claims to know "information vegetable, animal, and mineral" in a patter song in which he declares himself to the be "the very model of a modern Major-General". For 10 points, name this comic opera by Gilbert & Sullivan about the title band of seafaring bandits.
Fidelio
In one scene of this opera, a character says "Love will dictate what to do / Love will banish ev'ry fear." Another character sings to a guard who gives him wine "Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten." A group in this opera sings "O Welche Lust" because they forgot they needed to be quiet. A trumpet marks the arrival of minister Don Fernando, and this opera ends with Don Pizarro being brought to prison. Rocco sings the grave-digging duet with the title character, whom Marzelline is in love with. Leonore cross-dresses as the title character to free her husband Florestan, in, for 10 points, what only opera by Beethoven?
The Mikado
In one song in this work, Bach's "Great" Fugue in G minor is quoted to describe his music being interwoven with that of Spohr and Beethoven. One trio in this work contemplates sitting in "solemn silence" in a "dull, dark dock", awaiting the sensation of a "short, sharp shock". In the song "As Some Day It May Happen", one character in this work rattles off his "little list" of people he will dispose of as Lord High Executioner. Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing are two of the "Three Little Maids from School" who accompany a character who is wooed by a character who has disguised himself as a wandering minstrel and is trying to steal her away from Ko-Ko. For 10 points, Yum-Yum is wooed by Nanki-Poo, the disguised son of the title emperor of Japan, in what operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan?
Madame Butterfly
In the duet "Tutti i fior," this operatic title character wishes to "bring spring inside" upon the re-arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Earlier in the opera, she sings the aria "Un bel di," waiting for "one beautiful day" when Lieutenant Pinkerton will return, but when he returns with an American wife, she commits suicide. For 10 points, name this title character of a Giacomo Puccini opera, whose real name, Cio-Cio, is Japanese for a certain fluttering insect.
The Ring Cycle (Ring of the Nibelungs)
In the first of these works, a crack reveals the eye of one character who has been covered in gold. A man in one of these works runs into a forest after splitting an anvil with a sword. In the last of these works, one character rides a horse into a funeral pyre while wearing a coveted object. The recurring "Death-Curse" of the dwarf Alberich is a leitmotif from these works, which include Götterdämmerung. A low E-flat begins the 136-bar opening to the first of these works. For 10 points, name this group of four operas by Richard Wagner which include Die Walküre and Siegfried.
Aida
In the fourth act of this opera, one character sings "L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia" as she calls for guards to bring a lover to her. After being condemned to death, one character in this opera sings "Ahime, morir mi sento" as another curses the clergymen who have sentenced him. After a celebration of a victory over an invading army, a captured king in this work agrees to be held hostage with his daughter, who is tricked into confessing her love for the victorious general by Amneris. This opera ends after the titular woman crawls into a vault in order to die alongside her lover, Radames. For 10 points, name this opera about an Ethiopian princess by Giuseppe Verdi.
Salome
In the opening scene of this work, a Page is disgusted by one character's apostrophizing of another. That character is easily swayed by another's promise of a smile; however, Narroboth commits suicide when the title character begs for a kiss. The sound of wings beating is heard by one character who later sings Tanz fur mich, and the title character makes love to Jochanaan's head. Adapted from a play by Oscar Wilde about Herodias, a title daughter who performs the Dance of the Seven Veils, and John the Baptist, for 10 points, name this Richard Strauss opera.
The Tales of Hoffman
In this opera's first act the baritone concludes, "I'm old, but I am alive" to explain his seductive prowess in "Dans les roles." In the aria "Scintille, diamant" Dapertutto describes the diamond ring he uses to control a woman who helps him steal the protagonist's reflection. A piece originally written as the "Elves Song" for another opera was included as "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" in its third act set in Venice. The soprano repeatedly pauses during the aria "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" to be rewound by the inventor Spalanzani, explaining its common title of "The Doll Song." Coppelius gives this opera's protagonist magic glasses that trick him into believing the automaton Olympia is a real person. In this opera's epilogue the prima donned Stella leaves a tavern in Nuremberg with Councilor Lindorf after the title character's friend Nicklausse unveils himself as the Muse in disguise and instructs him to be a poet. Featuring a famous barcarolle, for 10 points, name this opera by Jacques Offenbach inspired by the titular German storyteller who wrote "The Sandman."
Fidelio
In this opera's most famous recording, Otto Klemperer included more dialogue as well as a third act. After a woman helps a man carry a basket of food in this opera, that man rejects her father-in-law's suggestion of marriage, who claims that "true happiness... is best secured by glorious gold." In the duet "Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile" ("YETST, ALL-tur, YETST hat us EYE-luh"), one character in this opera refuses to murder another for money. For this opera's finale, the chorus sings "Wer ein holdes Weib errungen" ("vair YNE hold-us VYBE air-RUNG-in") after the central location's governor is imprisoned. The third of this opera's four overtures contains the canon "Mir ist so wunderbar" ("MEER ist zo VOON-duh-bar"), while the fourth is used as the actual overture. This opera's title character sings the "Gravedigging Duet." For 10 points, name this opera about Florestan's rescue from jail by a cross-dressing Leonore, the only opera by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Parsifal
In this opera's prelude, the conductor counts both 4/4 and 6/4 time during a transition from the opening passage, which uses triads in A-flat major and C minor to establish several motifs. This opera was called a "stroke of genius in seduction" and denounced for overt Christian themes in a book about the Case of its composer by Friedrich Nietzsche. A magician in this opera employs three flower-maidens to seduce warriors, one of whom returns to deliver the "redemption" or "Erlösung" ("air-LUE-zung") that the chorus sings of in the final scene. Its score uses the Dresden Amen as a motif for the object that names the order to which Gurnemanz ("GOOR-neh-mantz") belongs. Klingsor's castle is one setting of this opera, in which the Holy Spear is used to heal the wound of Amfortas. For 10 points, name this Richard Wagner opera whose title knight finds the Holy Grail.
La Traviata
In this opera's second act, a solo clarinet plays a repeated eighth note, quarter note, eighth note, eighth-note rest rhythm as the protagonist writes a letter to their lover. A piano theme in the high strings beginning with a B minor chord represents this opera's protagonist and opens its third and first acts. In the only non-sung section of this opera, the protagonist ends the reading of another letter with the shout 'È tardi!' before a carnival procession passes by outside. At a party hosted by Flora, a song is sung about a matador who killed five bulls in a day, and a pile of money is thrown at the protagonist by the singer of the brindisi 'Libiamo n'liete calici' [cah-li-chi], Alfredo. For 10 points, name this Verdi opera about Violetta, the title 'fallen woman'.
William Tell
In this opera, Arnold sings the aria, "Asile hereditaire" after looking at his old home and reminiscing of his father, who was killed by Austrians. This opera's French libretto was written by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, and the son of its protagonist sets his house on fire as a signal to begin a revolt. This opera's overture contains a ranz de vaches and a storm section, but is best known for the brass fanfare in its finale. The protagonist of this work is captured by the Austrian governor Gessler after refusing to bow to a hat, and that character later tells Jemmy, "Sois immobile", or "Be still". For ten points, name this Giacomo Rossini opera about a Swiss hero who shoots an apple off his son's head.
Porgy and Bess
In this opera, Detective Archdale searches for the male lead, who woos Crown's lover. The female lead in this opera is beaten on Kittiwah Island by Sportin' Life, who sings "It Ain't Necessarily So." One of the title characters in this opera uses cocaine, and the other is crippled. This opera's libretto is by DuBose Heyward. It includes an aria about "when the livin' is easy" entitled "Summertime." For 10 points, name this opera focusing on two Catfish Row residents by George Gershwin.
Tosca
In this opera, a clarinet solo opens a B minor spinto tenor aria whose melody is repeated in the final scene. This opera's third act begins with a shepherd boy singing "I give you sighs" in the Romanesco dialect. One character in this opera extols the acting abilities of her lover who she believes faked his death by firing squad. In this opera, Angelotti hides in a chapel while a painter compares his portrait of Mary Magdalene to his lover in "Recondita armonia." In this opera, one character sings "Vissi d'arte" before stabbing Baron Scarpia with a kitchen knife. For 10 points, name this opera by Giacomo Puccini set in Rome in which the title singer leaps to her death off the Castel Sant' Angelo.
Porgy and Bess
In this opera, a strawberry woman, a honey man, and a crab man offer their wares next to a sick bed. Several characters in this opera are startled by a low-flying bird. In this opera, Serena sings the aria "Oh, Doctor Jesus" after another character returns from Kittiwah Island. A game of craps ends after Robbins is killed by Crown with a cotton hook in this opera, and the "happy dust" dealer Sportin' Life criticizes the Bible in "It Ain't Necessarily So." In this opera, Clara sings, "Fish are jumpin'/ And the cotton is high" in the lullaby "Summertime." For 10 points, name this opera set on Catfish Row whose music was composed by George Gershwin.
La Traviata
In this opera, an important plot point occurs when a character sings the held notes A, G, down to C, and is followed by a rapid section in C-minor, where the chorus scolds that character in a repeated long-short-short pattern. An aria in this opera begins with the notes C, D-flat, F, followed by a descent to a trill on G. That aria follows one in which the character ponders if a particular suitor was "the one." A melody from this opera begins with a jump from a short F up to a long D, followed by two more short F, D, D jumps. In this opera, Giorgio tells the title character to break up with his son. Near the end of Act I, when Baron Douphol refuses to give a toast, another character in this opera sings the aria "Libiamo ne'lieti calici," a drinking song. For 10 points, name this opera by Giuseppe Verdi about the love between Alfredo and the title Fallen Woman, Violetta.
The Mikado
In this opera, two characters decide to marry in a song beginning, "there is beauty in the belly of thebeast." Katisha falls in love with a man who tells of a bird that sang, "willow, titwillow, titwillow," in thisopera that also describes how "a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block" is to be used to deliver the"sensation of a short, sharp shock" at the hand of an ex-tailor who has a "little list." The song "Three LittleMaids from school" introduces the lover of the protagonist, whose father made flirting a capital crime. This opera isset in Titipu, where Pooh-bah holds all titles except the one held by Ko-Ko, Lord High Executioner. This opera endswith Yum-Yum's marriage to Nanki-poo. For 10 points, name this Gilbert and Sullivan opera about a town ruled bythe title Emperor of Japan.
Porgy and Bess
In this work the chorus sings, "Oh, there's somebody knocking at the door" during a hurricane. In this opera's second scene an undertaker agrees to bury the body of Serena's husband even though she only has $15 of the burial fee. The fisherman Jake sings the aria "A Woman is a Sometime Thing" and in this opera's first scene, a craps game ends badly when Robbins is murdered with a cotton hook by Crown. At the end of this opera the dope dealer Sportin' Life coerces one of the title characters to come with him to New York City. Featuring the aria "Summertime," for 10 points, name this opera about the two titular inhabitants of Catfish Row, written by George Gershwin.
The Ring Cycle (Ring of the Nibelungs)
In this work, the appearance of ravens distracts one character, causing his death at the hand of Hagen, who seeksthe title object. Previously in this work, that character gains the ability to understand birds from tasting dragon bloodand crosses a circle of flame to wake another character from a deep sleep. In this work, Fafner and Fasolt demandFreia as payment for the construction of Valhalla, but settle for Rhine gold taken by Wotan and Loge from itsoriginal thief, Alberich. In this work, the sword Nothung can only be forged by the slayer of Fafner, Siegfried. For10 points, name this opera cycle by Richard Wagner about the title cursed golden object forged by Alberich.
The Barber of Seville
Like its composer's opera about Elizabeth of England, this opera's overture is directly taken from that of Aureliano in Palmira. When asked to turn over a love letter, a girl in this opera hands over a laundry list instead. Its overture's F minor second theme features a motif of three staccato eighth notes, followed by two slurred ones, in an example of the composer's iconic "crescendo." A tone below the original D major is usually used to sing its aria about gossip titled "La calunnia." Arias in this opera include one sung before the music teacher Don Basilio arrives, titled "Una voce poco fa", and one in which the title character repeats his name before the patter section, titled "Largo al factotum." For 10 points, name this opera about Count Almaviva's attempts to woo Rosina, written by Gioachino Rossini.
Falstaff
Low winds mirror the foul mood of this opera's protagonist as he pouts about a "thieving world, knavish world, wicked world." In this last act of this opera, a man sings that "a mouth once kissed loses not its future," and his offstage lover adds "rather, it renews itself like the moon." The librettist of this opera invented new words such as "sugliardo" and "falsardo" for Act II, scene II, during which the title character endures sixty-four lines of insults. This opera ends with an explosive grand chorus in which the protagonist proclaims that "Everything in the world is a jest." The protagonist of this opera meets up with a woman strumming a lute and recalls when he was slimmer in his light-hearted aria "Quand'ero paggio," and he had earlier rejoiced about his apparent romantic success with the aria "Va vecchio, John." In this opera, Nanetta and Fenton share an intimate moment while Mistress Quickly and Mistress Ford stuff the title character into a laundry hamper. For 10 points, name this adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor, composed by Verdi.
The Tales of Hoffman
Luther's tavern is the setting for the prologue and epilogue of this opera. In the aria "Scintille, diamant", the magi- cian Dappertutto bribes a courtesan with a dazzling diamond to seduce the protagonist into giving her his reflection; earlier, that courtesan sings a barcarole with Nicklausse, the protagonist's muse. Another love interest of the protago- nist is a puppet created by Spalanzani; that puppet must be constantly wound up over the course of the "Doll's Song". In addition to Giulietta and Olympia, the protagonist loves a frail singer, Antonia; recalling those three lost loves con- vinces the very drunk protagonist that he does not love the prima donna Stella. Featuring a Jules Barbier libretto in- spired by short stories such as "Der Sandmann", name this opera "starring" the author of The Nutcracker, composed by Jacques Offenbach.
Trial by Jury
Name this 1875 one-act opera about a case concerning breach of promise of marriage. The judge in this opera sings a patter song about how he attained his position by falling for "a rich attorney's / elderly, ugly daughter."
Das Rhinegold
Name this opera in which the giants Fasolt and Fafner drag away Freia and an orchestral interlude uses 18 tuned anvils to depict Alberich's slaves mining. Name this opera in which the bass instruments sustain an E-flat major chord drone for the whole prelude. In it, Alberich curses a ring such that whoever possesses it will be killed by its next owner. Name this opera in which the dwarf Alberich renounces love to obtain the title treasure, only for Wotan to steal it later.
The Love for Three Oranges
Name this satirical opera in which Leandro and Smeraldina help Fata Morgana try to kill the Prince because he laughed when she fell over.
Eugene Onegin
Netrebko opened a record third consecutive Met season as Tatiana, who sings the "Letter scene" alone in this dark drama that bookended Galina Vishnevskaya's career. Baritone Yuri Mazurok often sang the title role of this opera whose libretto was by K. S. Shilovsky and the composer, Tchaikovsky.
Rigoletto
One aria in this opera is in 3/8 time signature, B major, and describes women as "flighty" and constantly changing their minds. This opera contains the vocal quartet 'Bella Figlia Dell'amore,' in which it is revealed that one character is attempting to seduce Maddalena. In this opera's aria "Questa O Quella," the Duke expresses his desire to court Countess Ceprano. In one scene in this opera, title character of this opera is approached by the assassin Sparafucile. The most famous aria in this opera is "La Donna e Mobile." For 10 points, name this Verdi opera about the title jester.
Falstaff
One aria in this work describes how its singer would sooner trust his beer to a German or his brandy to a Turk than perform another action. Another of its arias ends with the couplet "A mouth kissed loses no luck, but the song dies in the kiss that touches it" before another character enters with the line "Rather, it is renewed, like the moon". That aria from this opera, sung at the base of an oak tree, is "Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola", and after its performance Fenton is disguised as a monk to help foil the plans of Dr. Caius. The title character attempts to seduce Alice with an aria describing his time as a page to the Duke of Norfolk, while in Act II, a character disguised as "Fontana" sings the aria "E sogno? o realta". Its title character is tricked into dressing as Herne the Hunter after earlier being hidden in a laundry hamper and subsequently thrown out of a window and into a ditch. For 10 points, name this Giuseppe Verdi opera based primarily on The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The Magic Flute
One character in this opera is rescued by child-spirits who sing "Stop! And be wise, you only live once" after an attempted suicide. That character, a birdcatcher, then uses magic bells to summon his love. A priest of Isis and Osiris asks the gods to protect the protagonist, but later the protagonist's lover is instructed to kill the priest, Sarastro, with a dagger. The line "hell's vengeance boils in my heart" appears in an aria in which the soprano reaches a high F6. Papageno and the Queen of the Night are characters in this opera, which centers on Tamino's love for Pamina. For 10 points, name this opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart about the title enchanted instrument.
La Traviata
One character in this opera sings "Pura siccome un angelo" while attempting to persuade the title character to break off a relationship for the sake of his daughter. During another episode in this opera, Gastone and the chorus sing of a bold matador from Spain named Piquillo. After one character in this opera claims that his love is "torture, torture and delight," his devotee replies that she can only offer friendship before agreeing to see him again when a camellia she gave him has faded. In another scene from this opera, one character is scolded by his father Giorgio after he throws money that he won from Baron Douphol at a former lover in a fit of rage. Earlier in this opera, Alfredo sings "Libiamo ne' lieti calici", a brindisi, or a drinking song, at a party. For 10 points, name this Verdi opera that ends with the death of the title courtesan, Violetta Valéry.
La Boheme
One character in this opera sings to the overcoat he is about to sell in the aria "Vecchia zimarra." Another character in this opera sings farewell to her lover in "Addio senza rancor" in a scene in Act III, set by a tollhouse. Earlier, a character in this opera had won back a former lover by singing "Quando m'en vo" to incite his jealousy, before instructing a waiter to put all of her friends' charges on Alcindoro's bill. Musetta sells her earrings for medicine, but even Rodolfo's remembrance of a pink bonnet cannot save the tubercular Mimi in this opera. For 10 points, name this Giacomo Puccini opera about a group of poor artists living in Paris.
Die Fledermaus
One character in this work asserts that she can play any part to perfection, from country girl to queen in the aria "Spiel ich die Unschuld vom Lande", while another attempts to woo his former love after Dr. Blind's ineptitude leads her husband to be sentenced to jail in the aria "Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell". One character in this work sings "Klänge der Heimat" while disguised as a Hungarian countess after stealing her husband's pocket-watch as evidence of his philandering. One character in this work sings "Mein Herr Marquis" in her "Laughing Song" after another character suggests that she resembles Adele, Rosalind's chambermaid. Falke recalls the prank pulled on him while dressed as the title creature in, for 10 points, what operetta in which Eisenstein attends Prince Orlofsky's ball, composed by Johann Strauss II?
Pirates of Penzance
One character in this work has only seen one woman, Ruth, and sings "You have deceived me!" when he discovers she is not really beautiful. A crucial plot point involves the protagonist realizing that he was born on February 29, he must serve the title group for many more years. One character in this work is the father of Mabel and says he is teeming with "a lot o'news" about the binomial theorem and has "many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse." The most famous scene has a character boasting that he has "information vegetable, animal, and mineral" and that he is "the very model of a modern Major-General." For 10 points, name this comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan in which Frederic serves with the rather gentlemanly title group of buccaneers.
The Mikado
One character in this work informs another that her right elbow "is on view Tuesdays and Fridays, on presentation of visiting card". Another of its characters asserts that "I mean to rule the earth / as he the sky" and describes the "ever-living glory" of the title figure in the song "The sun whose rays are all ablaze". An earlier song from this work, "I am so proud", contains the first use of the phrase "a short, sharp shock". The first act of this work also contains the songs "Three little maids from school are we" and "As some day it may happen", the latter of which contains the "little list" of undesirables collected by Ko-ko, the Lord High Executioner. This work features the memorable Pooh-bah, the "Lord High Everything Else", and ends with the marriage of Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo. For 10 points, identify this Gilbert and Sullivan opera set in Japan.
H.M.S. Pinafore
One character in this work sings "I always voted at my party's call, And I never thought of thinking for myself at all" in a song explaining how he achieved his high position, "When I was a lad." This work lampoons the idea that "love levels all ranks" by revealing that two of its characters, including Captain Corcoran, were switched at birth. This operetta begins with the arrival of Sir Joseph Porter to the title location, and ends with Sir Joseph consenting to the marriage of Josephine and Ralph Rackstraw. Including such songs as "I'm called Little Buttercup" and "A British tar," it is subtitled "The Lass That Loved a Sailor." For 10 points, name this Gilbert and Sullivan operetta set on the title boat.
Falstaff
One character in this work sings of how he is reduced to empty space in the aria "Quando ero paggio" after following along another character's lute. Another character sings "Il cornuto chi e?," which, after a double marriage, is replied in the form of "Lo scornato chi e?" That marriage results in Caius consummating with a red-nosed ruffian dressed in a white veil, while Fenton marries Nannetta after singing "Dal labbro il canto estasato vola." After offering the protagonist a bag of gold to assail virtue, another character, who takes the name Fontana, sings "E sogno? o realta?" Earlier, the protagonist had delivered the ironic aria "L'onore! Ladri," sung to Bardolph and Pistol. Featuring a trist at Herne's Oak and a toss out of a laundry basket, FTP name this final work of Giuseppe Verdi about the wooing of the merry wives of Windsor by the titular Shakespearean knight.
Die Fledermaus
One character in this work sings the drinking song "Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell," and another sings a traditional song called a "czardas" while pretending to be a Hungarian countess. In an aria sometimes referred to as his "song," one character in this opera advises his guests to indulge their fancies or "Chacun a son gout." When confronted by her husband in the guise of a judge, the lead soprano produces a repeater stop-watch as evidence of his flirtations. That character is surprised to find Alfred serving his jail sentence after running into his wife Rosalinde and her maid Adele at a farcical ball orchestrated by Falke. For 10 points, name this work in which Eisenstein attends Prince Orlofsky's ball, an operetta titled by Johann Strauss after a flying mammal.
Salome
One of this opera's leitmotifs consists of the short-long descending fourths C G, then F C, then the tritone A D-sharp. At the beginning of this opera, a girl promises to throw a tiny green flower to the man who takes her to the cistern. That girl praises another man whose body "was like an ivory column." It later features a quintet of arguing Jews, and ends with the instruction, "kill the woman!" A dissonant chord played sforzando near the end of this work has been called "the most sickening chord in all opera." That chord is played just after the title soprano says, "I have now kissed thy mouth," to the severed head of Jochanaan. A body double is sometimes used when that soprano gains the favor of her stepfather, Herod, by performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. For 10 points, name this opera with a libretto based on a play by Oscar Wilde with music by Richard Strauss.
Pirates of Penzance
Several characters in this opera, upon being questioned about an expedition to death and glory, declare, "that is not a pleasant way of putting it!" Those characters in this opera lament their choice of profession because the "capacity for innocent enjoyment" of most criminals is "just the same as any honest man's." A "fly's foot-fall would be distinctly heard" in this opera's loudest musical number, which takes place as some men advance "with cat-like tread." The target of that burglary in this opera falsely claimed to be an orphan after delivering a rapid-fire song about how he is the very model of a modern Major-General. For 10 points, name this comic opera about some seafaring lawbreakers by Gilbert and Sullivan.
La Traviata
The casting of Fanny Salvini-Donatelli as this operatic character elicited scorn due to the singer's age and weight. This character says goodbye to past happy dreams in the aria "Addio del passato" as she reads a letter from her lover's father. In the aria "Questa donna conoscete," this character's ex-lover denounces her and throws gambling winnings at her feet; at that party, Baron Douphol refuses to give a toast. Giorgio demands this character to end her relationship with his son to save his daughter's engagement. This character asks Alfredo to always love her before dying of tuberculosis. For 10 points, name this character, the title "fallen woman" in an opera by Giuseppe Verdi.
Salome
The clarinet opens this opera with a rising scale split halfway between C-sharp major and G major.After one character condemns the protagonist's mother, she replies by praising that character's ivory skin,black hair, and red mouth. The opening motif of this opera plays again as the moon disappears behind the clouds, shortly before the protagonist is crushed to death by soldiers' shields at the command of her stepfather. At this opera's premiere, Marie Wittich refused to perform "the Dance of the Seven Veils." This opera's libretto was based on Hedwig Lachmann's translation of an Oscar Wilde play. For 10 points, name this Richard Strauss opera whose title character asks for the head of the prophet Jochanaan.
Aida
The composer of this opera was convinced to write it by Camille Du Locle after its commissioner threatened to give Charles Gounod or Richard Wagner the job instead. Its premiere was delayed because the ongoing Franco-Prussian War delayed the shipping of costumes designed by Auguste Mariette. Mariette also wrote the story that inspired this opera, which was translated into a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni that includes the aria "Ritorna vincitor". This opera's premiere at the Khedivial Opera House used 12 live elephants for the "triumphal march" in which the protagonist's captive father Amonasro is paraded. For 10 points, name this Giuseppe Verdi opera in which Radames is executed and the title Ethiopian princess* dies alongside him.
Turandot
The first aria of this opera's final act usually ends with a sustained B4 note, even though this opera's score does not instruct the orchestra to sustain that note. In that aria, the male protagonist proclaims "Vanish, o night! Fade, you stars!" Franco Alfano finished the composition of this opera after its composer died in 1924. This opera's title character is represented by the traditional Jasmine Flower Song. An "unknown prince" declares that the title character won't know his name before dawn in this opera's aria, "Nessun Dorma". Ping, Pong, and Pang are ministers from the court of the title royalty in this opera. For 10 points, name this work in which Calaf attempts to solve riddles in order to marry the title Chinese princess, an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini.
Tristan and Isolde
The heroine of this opera instructs her servant to extinguish a torch as a signal that it is safe foranother character to approach. The prelude to this opera begins with a pianissimo passage in thecellos that is often called the "grief", "longing", or "suffering" motif. Kurwenal and Melot are bothkilled in its third act, which takes place at Kareol in Brittany. The prelude to its first act introduces achord made of the notes F, B, G sharp, and D-sharp, which is often named after its male protagonist. Itcloses with the singing of the "Liebestod" aria by the heroine, an Irish maid who was kidnapped as a bridefor King Marke. For 10 points, name this opera whose two title characters fall in love after drinking amagic potion, a work of Richard Wagner.
The Ring Cycle (Ring of the Nibelungs)
The initial plan for this work was announced in its composer's essay "A Communication to My Friends". A controversial performance of this work was directed by Patrice Chéreau and conducted by Pierre Boulez (boo-LEZZ) for its hundredth anniversary. The first part of this longer work opens with an extensive E-flat major drone. The orchestra for this work features an expanded brass section, including bass trumpets, contrabass trombones, and a newly-invented horn known as its composer's namesake "tuba". It is performed in its entirety every few years at the Bayreuth (BYE-royt) Festival, and it includes more than 170 leitmotifs (LIGHT-moh-TEEFS), representing such characters as Wotan, Alberich, and Brünnhilde. For 10 points, Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung (got-er-DAYM-er-ung) bookend what cycle of operas by Richard Wagner?
Madame Butterfly
The main character of this opera criticizes a servant for praying to fat and lazy gods. A character asks his wife not to cry in this opera's love duet that closes its first act, and its third act begins with sailors singing "heave-ho!" as the sun rises. The title character of this opera imagines seeing a puff of smoke on the horizon in the aria "Un bel dì vedremo." A character introduced with "The Star-Spangled Banner" returns with his new wife Kate in this opera, prompting the main character to blindfold her infant son and give him an American flag before commiting suicide. For 10 points, name this Giacomo Puccini opera about the Japanese geisha Cio-Cio San.
Carmen
The male lead of this work elopes with the title character and a band of smugglers after attacking his superior officer, Zuniga. That man in this work eventually returns home when he hears that his mother is seriously ill, while the title character abandons him for a different man, who sings "Votre toast." One of this opera's most well known arias starts out by saying "love is a rebellious bird"; that is this opera's "Habanera". For 10 points, identify this Georges Bizet opera about a sassy Spanish gypsy.
Parsifal
The prelude to this opera begins with a three beat pickup as the double reeds and strings play a slow A flatarpeggio to begin the love feast motif. Because of the confusion at the premiere of this "Stage consecratingfestival play," some audiences do not applaud after the first act. In a climactic scene, one character exclaimshis desire to die in "Mein Vater! Hochgesegenter der Helden!" The Dresden Amen is used for the GoodFriday Spell and another motif in this work, which tells of how a young boy shoots down a swan inMonsalvat. Kundry tries to seduce the title character who resists, and then, when Klingsor tries to kill him, hecatches the Holy Spear. For 10 points, name this opera about a knight who heals Amfortas's wound and uncoversthe Holy Grail, composed by Richard Wagner.
La Boheme
The protagonists of this work flee a tavern and make Alicandro foot their bill, and Benoit drunkenly admits to have had an affair with a sketchy woman in this work's first act. One protagonist of this opera pockets a key which was lost after two candles are blown out by the wind in one scene, and one character sings the aria " Quando me'n vo" to a former lover in this opera. A poet buys his lover a bonnet in this opera, which opens with the central characters using a manuscript as fuel for a stove. Colline sadly pawns his coat to get money for medicine towards this opera's ending. For 10 points, name this opera set in the Latin Quarter which ends with Mimi dying in the arms of Rodolfo, written by Giacomo Puccini.
Boris Godunov
The second act of this opera closes with a scene in which winds and pizzicato strings play pulsing staccato tritones to depict the ticking of a clock during the appearance of a vision of a murdered child. There exists debate about the order of this opera's final two scenes: one depicts the title character's death, while the other depicts a group of poor citizens in a forest. In its fourth and final act, a group of children steal from a destitute men, who responds with the opera's closing aria "Flow, flow, bitter tears." This opera is usually performed using material from both the original 1869 version and the revised 1872 version, although both include the Holy Fool's aria and the opening coronation scene. The title character of this opera parts with his son Fyodor, dies, and is succeeded by the first False Dmitriy. For 10 points, name this Modest Mussorgsky opera about the ill-fated successor to Ivan the Terrible.
Treemonisha
The title character is saved from a wasp's nest by Remus after rejecting a "bag of luck" at the end of this opera. This work is the only opera by its composer who created "The Entertainer" and various other ragtime piano pieces.
The Snow Maiden
The title character of this other Rimsky-Korsakov opera is the subject of a wooing contest between Lel and Mizgir. In a tragic ending, she melts and dies after declaring her love for Mizgir.
Parsifal
This character's ascent of a rocky pass is accompanied by the "Theme of the Cry of the Savior" in a section often referred to as the "Transformation Scene." This character, whose mother is revealed to be Herzeleide, or "Heart's Sorrow," is forced to drive away some Flower Maidens after entering a garden that has been enchanted to appear in the midst of a desert. This character is last seen with a dove descending towards his head and when he first appears, he breaks a bow after being scolded by Gurnemanz for shooting a swan. He is told the story of Good Friday before attending Titurel's funeral in the castle of Monsalvat. The Dresden Amen leitmotif represents the main query of this character, known as the "Innocent Fool," who resists the advances of Kundry, defeats the sorcerer Klingsor, and uses an enchanted spear to heal the wound of Amfortas. For 10 points, name this title character of a Wagner opera, a knight who seeks the Holy Grail
Floria Tosca
This character's namesake opera opens with the pounding chord progression B-flat major, A-flat major, E major. One character sings an aria about this character that opens with a B minor clarinet solo punctuated by a harp playing low B's; that aria is "E lucevan le stelle" ["ay loo-CHAY-von lay STEL-lay"]. This character sings an aria where she repeatedly asks, "Perché, perché, signore?" ["pair-KAY pair-KAY seen-YO-ray"] and states that she lived for art and lived for love. This character places a crucifix over the dead body of a character she kills. Another character compares this character's eyes to the eyes in a painting of Mary Magdalene in the aria "Recondita Armonia." This character kills Baron Scarpia and commits suicide by jumping off the Castel Sant'Angelo after finding out her lover Mario actually died in his supposedly false execution. For 10 points, name this title woman of a Giacomo Puccini opera.
Salome
This figure appears just to the right of a column dividing the two scenes in a ten-meter-wide painting by Bartholomeus Strobel the Younger. One opera centered on this figure uses a wordless chorus in the closing scene and was written by Antoine Mariotte. A lutenist is shown to the right of this figure, who points towards the central figure with her left hand, in Gustave Moreau's painting The Apparition. Another opera named for this figure was dedicated to Sir Edgar Speyer and includes a dissonant sforzando chord in its final scene. In one painting of this figure by Caravaggio, she wears a black dress while a man who holds a dagger in his left hand examines the titular object with his right. The most famous work about this woman includes characters like Jochanaan and Narraboth and contains the Dance of the Seven Veils. For 10 points, name this woman who obtained the head of John the Baptist, most famously the subject of an opera by Richard Strauss.
William Tell
This figure's main feat is the best-known version of a trope that was also accomplished in Danish legend by Palnatoki; some mythographers consider both of those figures to be reflections of the god Ullr. The account of this figure given by Aegidius Tschudi ("CHOO-dee") was used by a playwright who recast this figure as central to a vow taken in a meadow known as the Oath of the Rütli. This man refused to place his hat on a pole in a show of disrespect for a local bailiff. After escaping prison, this man hid in a ravine with a second piece of ammunition that he had saved, and used it to kill Alfred Gessler. In his most famous feat, this man used a crossbow to shoot an apple on his son's head. For 10 points, name this Swiss folk hero who titles an opera by Gioachino Rossini.
The Magic Flute
This opera contains a choral recitation of the hymn "Oh God, look down from heaven." In this opera, three ladies padlock the mouth of a bird catcher who is later given a set of bells that are used before the "Stutter Duet." In this work, the priest Sarastro requires a prince to complete several trials, and one soprano must hit several high F's in the aria "Der Holle Rache". This opera centers on a quest to rescue Pamina whose power-seeking mother is the Queen of the Night. For 10 points, name this Wolfgang Mozart singspiel opera that sees Tamino play the title enchanted instrument.
Billy Budd
This opera opens and closes with a frame narrative in which a character who refused to overturn a courtmartial comes to peace with his failings, and that man declares that another has been "struck down by theAngel of God!" E. M. Forster wrote the libretto for this opera, and a 1960 revision cut this work from fouracts to the now-standard two. Dansker's offer of a mutiny to save one character is turned down in thiswork. The title figure of this opera is nicknamed "Baby" after he is horrified by the sight of a man that hasbeen whipped, and before his death declares "Starry Vere, God Bless You!" For 10 points, name this operaby Benjamin Britten based on a work by Herman Melville
Die Fledermaus
This opera opens with a tenor singing high Cs from beneath a window to serenade his old lover who has long since been married. A scene in a jail in this opera involves one character seeking assistance from Chevalier Chagrin, who is actually Frank, a prison governor. In another scene, a woman sings a "Csardas" to convince another character that she is Hungarian, and confusion about the identity of a disguised maid is sung in the "Laughing Song" by Adele; that ball scene also includes the "Tick-Tock Polka," which features a character who later steals a watch from another character's pocket to prove his infidelity. Count Orlofsky holds a ball, and Rosalinde is married to Gabriel von Eisenstein in this opera. For 10 points, name this opera about the vengeance of Dr. Falke after being humiliated by dressing as the title animal, a work of Johann Strauss.
Die Fledermaus
This opera sees one character sing a czardas to prove that she is Hungarian. Another character in this work takes a day off under the pretense that her aunt is sick, while a notary initiates the canon "Brothers and Sisters" at the end Act II. A hung-over prison guard disguised as Chevalier Chagrin hears the "Audition aria" sung by a maid who poses as the actress Adele in this work. Chacun a son gout is sung by Prince Orlofsky at a ball where one character appears disguised as Marquis Renard. After his wife Rosalinde proves her fidelity, that man, Baron Eisenstein, is forced to serve out his jail sentence. For 10 points, name this Johann Strauss operetta about Falke, who is costumed as the titular winged mammal.
H.M.S. Pinafore
This opera uses the melody of a traditional hornpipe in several of its vocal lines, including one in which a man sings about his promotion from an office boy at a law firm to his current position. In a song from this opera quoting "Der Erlkonig" and parodying Il trovatore, a woman confesses to a "long-concealed crime." A character in this opera changes his answer from "No, never" to "Well, hardly ever," as he is repeatedly asked "What, never?" A character in this opera decides to elope with her lover when her suitor pleads that "love levels all ranks," prompting her father to yell "Why, damme, it's too bad!," breaking his oath never to swear. Several lines of dialogue for Cousin Hebe were cut from this opera, in which Josephine's marriage to Joseph is stopped in its tracks after Little Buttercup reveals that she had switched the high-born Ralph at birth with the low-born Captain. For 10 points, name this Gilbert and Sullivan operetta set aboard the title ship.
Don Giovanni
This opera was the basis for Franz Liszt's Réminiscences, and a set of variations on a duet from this opera was ecstatically reviewed by Robert Schumann, catapulting Frédéric Chopin to prominence. An aria from this opera, which was written for Prague, begins with the bass singing "Madamina." This opera's title man sings "Là ci darem la mano" with Zerlina, and it includes the "Champagne" and "Catalogue" arias. It opens with the title man trying to rape Donna Anna as Leporello keeps watch. This opera ends with the title character being dragged to hell after the Commendatore's statue comes to life. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera about a Spanish seducer.
Carmen
This opera was the subject of Susan McClary's only monograph on a single work. The leads of a film based on this opera were criticized for their "taffy-colored" appearance and acting in an essay subtitled "The Dark is Light Enough." After attending its Vienna premiere, Johannes Brahms went to see this opera over twenty times. Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge starred in the all-black cast of a film version of this opera, which gives its title character the surname "Jones." In Act II, this opera's title woman is shown a now-dry flower she once tossed to her lover. The first aria for this opera's title woman begins with a midtempo chromatic descent from D. This opera begins with a choir of urchins outside a cigar factory. This opera's aria "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre" [voh-truh "TOAST," zhuh puh luh RON-druh] includes the refrain "Toréador, Toréador!" For 10 points, name this opera about a gypsy woman by Georges Bizet.
The Barber of Seville
This opera's composer claimed he wrote it in 13 days after being commissioned by the owner of the TeatroArgentina, where its premiere was sabotaged by partisans of Giovanni Paisiello. An aria in this opera that isoften transposed to F for coloratura sopranos describes an echoing voice in a heart; that aria is titled "Unavoce poco fa." This opera's title character repeats his name before the patter portion of the aria "Largo al factotum."The disguised Almaviva tries to woo Rosina in - for 10 points - what opera by Gioachino Rossini, whose title character is Figaro?
Eugene Onegin
This opera's male antagonist asks "Where have you gone, golden days of Spring?" in the aria "Kuda, kuda vi udalilis."Name this opera whose first act features the soprano's "Letter Song."
William Tell
This opera's overture is structured like a four-movement symphony, with its first section marked "Prelude: Dawn." At the beginning of this opera, Arnold refuses to participate in the Shepherd Festival, due to his longing for Mathilde. The main character of this opera directs his son to think of his mother in the aria "Sois immobile." An english horn and flute exchange peaceful passages in the ranz des vaches in this opera's overture, which ends with a section marked "March of the Swiss Soldiers." An archer shoots an apple off of his son's head in, for 10 points, what opera by Gioacchino Rossini?
Don Giovanni
This opera's overture opens with two foreboding D-minor chords played by every instrument except the trombones. The 22nd of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations parodies this opera's opening aria, in which a character complains how "night and day [he slaves] away" for his master. The protagonist of this opera serenades Zerlina in the aria ""Là ci darem la mano." In its last scene, the ghost of Il Commendatore shows up at the protagonist's house to accept his dinner invitation. During this opera's "Catalogue Aria," Leporello tells Donna Elvira that his master has seduced 1003 women in Spain alone. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera about a womanizer who is dragged to hell.term-29
Madame Butterfly
This opera's second act ends with the offstage "Humming Chorus," which includes a viola d'amore part and leads directly into the third act. Its first act concludes with a long duet that begins "Bimba, Bimba,non piangere". This opera's title character resolves to commit suicide after reading an inscription on a knife that declares "Who cannot live with honor must die with honor". Earlier, that character sings the aria "Un bel di" to her maid Suzuki. At the end of this opera, the title character is devastated to find her husband has a new wife named Kate. For 10 points, identify this opera about CioCioSan, the wife that Lieutenant Pinkerton abandons in Japan, a work of Giacomo Puccini.
The Magic Flute
This opera's second act opens with a "March of the Priests" popular as a wedding piece. Its protagonist is blessed in the aria "O Isis und Osiris" before being put through a trial by silence. Upon reuniting with his love, a baritone in this opera is reduced to stuttering "Pa, pa, pa." That character earlier sings "Der Vogelfänger ["FOH-gull-feng-er"] bin ich ja" as he introduces himself as the birdcatcher Papageno. The murder of the sorcerer Sarastro is ordered in its colo·ra·tura aria "Der Hölle Rache" ["HUH-luh RAH-kuh"], sung by the Queen of the Night to her daughter Pamina, who is in love with Tamino. For 10 points, name this Mozart opera about the title instrument.
Violetta Valery
This operatic character is generally considered to be based on Marie Duplessis, who was a lover of Franz Liszt in her last year. Before dying, this character gives a portrait of herself to a man and asks him to imagine her as his angel. In Act I, she sings a cabaletta aria explaining her inability to find true love after earlier being the main soprano in a type of German drinking song called a brindisi. She sings the aria "sempre libera." In a climactic scene, casino winnings from Flora's party are thrown at this character's feet after she lies and insists that she loves Baron Douphol. Before dying of tuberculosis, this character asks Alfredo Germont to always love her. For 10 points, name this title fallen woman of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata.
Pirates of Penzance
This show contains the line "Never was such opportunity to get married with impunity" in the song "Pray observe the magnanimity". The women being sung about are Mabel, Edith, Kate, and Isabel, the daughters of Stanley. Earlier in the first act of this show, Mabel sings "Poor wandering one" to Frederic, who has been raised incorrectly by Ruth, a maid who was supposed to apprentice Frederic to a ship's pilot. Instead, Frederic is instructed by a group known for its pity towards orphans. The best-known song from this work, in which Stanley brags of his "information vegetable, animal, and mineral," is "The Major-General's Song". Name this comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Fidelio
This work's composer later reused the lyrics that begin its final chorus "Wer ein holdes Weib errungen" for one of his symphonies. Robert Schumann took his "passionate" pseudonym from this opera's male lead. Its Act 1 Finale opens with a crowd joyfully singing "O Welche Lust." At the beginning of its second and final act, its male lead sings "God! How dark it is here" before remembering "Spring days of life" in the aria "In des Lebens Frühlingstagen." This opera's last scene is often preceded by the last of three overtures named for the female lead. This opera ends as Don Pizarro is dragged off to prison, and a crowd celebrates how Florestan was saved from jail by Leonore cross-dressing as the title boy. For 10 points, name this only opera by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Parsifal
Two changes of setting in this opera are accompanied by the "Transformation Music." The title character of this opera throws away his bow and arrow in shame after shooting down a swan. Another of its characters is doomed to wander the earth forever because she laughed at Christ on the cross. Six flower-maidens try to seduce the protagonist of this opera in an enchanted garden owned by the villain Klingsor. After having his feet washed by Kundry, the protagonist of this opera heals the wound of Amfortas with the spear that had stabbed Christ. For 10 points, name this opera about an Arthurian knight who seeks the holy grail, the last completed opera of Richard Wagner.
Billy Budd
Two characters in this opera describe their excitement for battle in "Don't like the French". The name "the great jewel of great price" is given to one man and later in this opera, Dansker sings that "Jemmy Legs is down on you". The aria "Look! Through the port comes the moonshine astray" is sung by a man in chains. The title character's utterance of the phrase "Rights o' man" is condemned because it is associated with Thomas Paine, and that character is called "king of the birds!" in one aria from this opera. This opera ends with Captain Vere [VEER] being called "Starry" by the title character, who is hung on the Indomitable. For 10 points, identify this opera based on a Melville work, written by Benjamin Britten.
La Boheme
Two characters in this opera realize they have fallen in love in the aria "O soave fanciulla," and after a pair of candles go out "Che gelida manina" is sung. The landlord Benoit fails in an attempt to collect rent. Later, a character sings the saucy "Quand me'n vo" to embarrass her rich old admirer Alcindoro and seduce her former lover Marcello. That character, Musetta, goes along with Marcello to buy medicine for a woman who loves Rodolfo. Mimi dies of consumption at the end of this work that takes place in the Latin Quarter of Paris. For 10 points, identify this opera named after a group of poor artists, written by Giacomo Puccini, that is also the basis for the musical Rent.
The Barber of Seville
Two characters in this opera sneak onto a balcony with a ladder, but find it missing when they try to leave, causing them to bribe an approaching man to be witnesses to a marriage contract. At the end of the first act of this opera, the Officer of the Watch refuses to arrest a man pretending to be a drunken soldier. That character later impersonates a music teacher, claiming that Don Basilio is sick. In the aria "Largo al factotum," the title character agrees to help a man disguised as Lindoro. For 10 points, Figaro helps Count Almaviva win the hand of Rosina in what comic opera by Gioachino Rossini?
Carmen
Two men in this opera try to recruit three women for a shady business job in the Act II quintet "Nous avons entête une affaire." A famous aria from this opera has a downwards moving melody that begins with D and C-sharppickup eighths followed by C triplets. Legend has it that the creator of this opera's main role, Célestine Galli-Marie,fainted during a performance of it on the night that its composer died. The protagonist of this opera sings of theinevitability of fate in "En vain pour éviter" after drawing a fortune-telling card that predicts her own death. Thattitle character had earlier compared love to a rebellious bird in her "Habanera." For 10 points, Don José vies withthe toreador Escamillo for the hand of the title gypsy, in what opera by Georges Bizet?
Tristan and Isolde
Two of the most well-known musical themes in this opera were first written when its composer set to music five poems by the speculated love interest Mathilde Wesendonck [VAY-zen-DONK]. In the third act of this opera, Kurwenal [kur-vay-nall] and Melot are both killed, and the prelude to its first act begins with the strings playing an A up to an F, down to an E, then a titular chord consisting of the notes F, B, D-sharp, and G-sharp. This opera ends with the heroine singing the "Liebestod," or "love death," aria; that character is an Irish maid who was kidnapped as a bride for King Marke. For 10 points, name this Richard Wagner [REE-kard VAHG-ner] opera in which the two title characters fall in love after drinking a magic potion.
