September 25 — On This Day in Opera

Peter Heise's opera "Drot og Marsk", with a libretto by Christian Richardt, received its world premiere at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.

World premiere of Alfred Cellier’s comic opera "Dorothy" at London’s Gaiety Theatre, with Marion Hood in the title role.

Camille Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila" received its Royal Opera House premiere at Covent Garden, presented by the Sir Augustus Harris Opera Company.

Hans Werner Henze's music-theatre work "Gisela! oder: Die merk- und denkwürdigen Wege des Glücks", with a libretto by Henze, Christian Lehnert, and Michael Kerstan, received its world premiere at Zeche Zweckel in Gladbeck during the RuhrTriennale.

Birth/baptism of Jean-Philippe Rameau in Dijon, later the leading French Baroque opera composer.

Birth of American soprano Abbie Mitchell, who created Clara and made the first recording of "Summertime" in Gershwin’s "Porgy and Bess."

Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer of the operas "The Nose" and "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", was born in St. Petersburg.

Karel Burian, Czech operatic tenor with an international career spanning more than three decades, died.

Sir Colin Davis, English conductor whose career was closely associated with opera and who later served as music director of the Royal Opera House, was born in Weybridge.