October 9 — On This Day in Opera

Birth of opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (some sources give October 9 as his birthday).

Gioachino Rossini's "Le siège de Corinthe", a major French reworking of "Maometto II", received its world premiere at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris.

French composer Camille Saint-Saëns was born in Paris; his twelve operas include "Samson et Dalila", "Henri VIII" and "Déjanire".

Birgit Nilsson made her operatic debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm as Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz".

George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" received its first performance in the United Kingdom at the Stoll Theatre in London.

William Bolcom's "A View from the Bridge", with a libretto by Arnold Weinstein and Arthur Miller, received its world premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Irish tenor, composer and theatrical manager Michael Kelly died in Margate, Kent; he had sung Don Basilio and Don Curzio in the 1786 world premiere of Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro".

German lyric soprano Irmgard Seefried was born in Köngetried, Bavaria; she became one of the central postwar artists of the Vienna State Opera and was especially celebrated in Mozart and Richard Strauss.

Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara was born in Helsinki; his operas include "Vincent", "Aleksis Kivi" and "Rasputin".