Ballet and Opera

Ballet and Opera Quiz Questions

Round 1

  1. Which country is Kiri Te Kanawa from?
  2. What are the Christian names of the three tenors?
  3. Which German composer’s only opera was “Fidelio”?
  4. Which Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera is set in the Tower of London?
  5. Which composer from East Anglia wrote the opera “Peter Grimes”?
  6. What was the nationality of ballet composer Aaron Copland?
  7. What was the name of Gounod’s opera based on Doctor Faustus?
  8. How did Leha’r describe the Widow in his operetta?
  9. Who wrote “Madame Butterfly” and “La Boheme”?
  10. Which opera does “Nessun Dorma” come from?

Round 1 Answers

  1. New Zealand
  2. Placido ( Domingo), Jose (Carreras) and Luciano ( Pavarotti)
  3. Beethoven
  4. The Yeomen of the Guard
  5. Benjamin Britten
  6. American
  7. Faust
  8. Merry
  9. Puccini
  10. Turandot

Round 2

  1. Which work did the Who call a rock opera?
  2. Where was the Barber from in the title of Rossini’s opera?
  3. How is Kurt Weill’s “Die Dreigroschenoper” better known?
  4. What does an operetta have which an opera usually doesn’t?
  5. Which Russian dancer gave his name to a famous racehorse?
  6. Who wrote the ballets “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”?
  7. Which surname is shared by composers Johann and Richard?
  8. What was the profession of Frederick Ashton?
  9. Which controversial dancer died when her scarf caught in the wheels of her sports car?
  10. What is the religious equivalent of opera without costumes and scenery?

Round 2 Answers

  1. Tommy
  2. Seville
  3. The Threepenny Opera
  4. Spoken dialogue
  5. Nijinsky
  6. Tchaikovsky
  7. Strauss
  8. Choreographer
  9. Isadora Duncan
  10. Oratorio

Round 3

  1. Which Russian ballerina gave her name to a meringue dessert?
  2. Who was Margot Fonteyn’s most famous dancing partner?
  3. Which 2005 ballet was based on a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film?
  4. What is the nationality of Alicia Markova?
  5. For which sporting event was “Nessun Dorma” a TV theme tune?
  6. What is Lesley Garrett’s home county?
  7. Which Italian composer’s English name would be Joseph Green?
  8. Which Russian-born composer wrote “The Rite of Spring”?
  9. In ballet what is a jete’?
  10. Which ballet, based on a classic children’s book, had its world premiere in 2011?

Round 3 Answers

  1. Pavlova
  2. Rudolf Nureyev
  3. Edvard Scissorhands
  4. English
  5. 1990 World Cup
  6. Yorkshire
  7. Giuseppe Verdi
  8. Stravinsky
  9. Jump
  10. Alice Adventure’s in Wonderland