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Last Trivia Quiz: A. Question: What opera did the New York Metropolitan Opera refuse to perform for 27 years because of its shocking subject matter? Answer: Strauss' Salome due to its themes of incest, striptease, murder and dismemberment. B.
Answer: A music critic named Eduard Hanslick, who was Wagner's most outspoken detractor. The narrow minded music judge in Die Meistersinger was, in the first draft of the opera, named "Hans Lick." C.
Answer: They were both members of the Freemasons, a secret men's society. The Magic Flute is considered by many analysts to be a send-up of the Freemasons due to the bizarre characters, rituals and symbols contained in the opera. D.
Answer: Carl Maria Von Weber's Der Freischutz. E.
Answer: In his 20's, Wagner endured a horrific crossing to England during storm season, during which his ship nearly went down three times. The Flying Dutchman displays the terrifying power of the sea everywhere in its music.
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Prior Trivia Quiz A. Question: What is Mozart's true full name? Answer: Johannes Chrysostomus Wofgangus Theophilus Mozart
B. Question: What opera is considered by most opera experts to have the most convoluted plot in the history of opera? Answer: Verdi's Il Trovatore (The Troubadour) is considered by most experts to have the most convoluted plot ever written. Notwithstanding, so many songs from this opera have become classics that the opera is quite popular.
C. Question: In the premier performance of what opera did the conductor Toscanini stop the music abruptly and tell the audience "Here, the maestro put down his pen"? Answer: Puccini's last opera, Turandot. Puccini died before finishing the opera and the final duet was written by someone else. When the opera was first performed in 1926, the conductor Toscanini stopped the music and let the audience know where Puccini's work had ended.
D. Question: What is the fundamental difference between bel canto operas and verismo operas? Answer: Bel canto operas emphasize the beauty of the human voice while verismo operas emphasize drama and action. Verismo literally means "truthism." A good example of bel canto style opera is the beautiful duet of Rosina and Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville. An example of verismo style opera, by contrast, is Puccini's Tosca.
E. Question: Of how many acts did Madame Butterfly consist when it was first performed, and why did Puccini revise the opera to contain a different number of acts? Answer: Madame Butterfly was first performed in 1904 in two acts and was a gigantic flop. Puccini went back and revised it, splitting the second act into two shorter acts, thus totaling three acts. The show was produced three months later in its revised format to worldwide acclaim.
Be sure to check back often for new trivia questions. If you have a stumper you'd like to submit (with correct answer please), please submit it via our "Submit a Link" page or e-mail it to webmaster@operaresource.com. Thank you.
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