January 27 — On This Day in Opera

Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a central figure in opera history, composer of works such as Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro) was born in Salzburg.

Modest Mussorgsky’s opera "Boris Godunov" (revised version of 1872) received its world premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.

Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi died in Milan.

Erwin Schulhoff’s opera "Flammen" ("Plameny") premiered at the National Theatre in Brno.

Soprano Leontyne Price made her Metropolitan Opera debut (as Leonora in Verdi’s "Il trovatore").

Mats Larsson Gothe’s opera "Löftet" ("The Promise") had its premiere production at the Royal Swedish Opera (first performance date listed as Jan 27).