October 26 — On This Day in Opera

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne's tragédie lyrique "Phèdre", with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman based on classical mythology, received its world premiere at the royal court theater in Fontainebleau, France.

Gioachino Rossini's two-act comic opera "L'equivoco stravagante", with a libretto by Gaetano Gasbarri, received its world premiere at the Teatro del Corso in Bologna. It was Rossini's first large-scale opera.

Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlos" received its first Italian staging at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Angelo Mariani. The opera had originally premiered in French at the Paris Opéra earlier that year.

Jacques Offenbach's opéra-féerie "Le Voyage dans la Lune", inspired by Jules Verne's fictional lunar voyages, received its world premiere at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris. The spectacular production featured elaborate scenery and stage effects.

Robert Ward's three-act opera "The Crucible", with a libretto by Bernard Stambler based on Arthur Miller's play about the Salem witch trials, received its world premiere at New York City Center, performed by New York City Opera. The work subsequently won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Anna Appleby's one-act opera "Drought", with a libretto by poet Niall Campbell, received its world premiere in a semi-staged performance by the BBC Philharmonic. The work explores retribution, remorse, and human relationships against the backdrop of a drought-stricken farm.

Domenico Scarlatti, Italian Baroque composer known for his keyboard sonatas and operas including "L'Ottavia restituita al trono" and "Il Giustino", was born in Naples.

Giuditta Pasta, Italian operatic soprano celebrated for creating the title roles in Bellini's "Norma" and Donizetti's "Anna Bolena", was born in Saronno, Italy.

Peter Cornelius, German composer and poet best known for his comic opera "Der Barbier von Bagdad" and the opera "Der Cid", died in Mainz, Germany.

Birth of Italian tenor Carlo Tagliabue, noted for Verdi baritone roles in the mid-20th century.

Arne Eggen, Norwegian composer known for his operas "Olav Liljekrans" and "Cymbeline", died in Norway.