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November 22 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on November 22, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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Premieres & milestones

1739 Premiere
Georg Frideric Handel’s double bill—“Alexander’s Feast” with the new “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day”—premiered at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, on St. Cecilia’s Day.
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1832 Premiere
Victor Hugo’s play “Le Roi s’amuse” premiered in Paris; its immediate banning inspired Verdi’s later opera “Rigoletto.”
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2022 Premiere
World-premiere staging of Kevin Puts’s opera “The Hours” at the Metropolitan Opera, New York (following its earlier concert presentation).
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Births & deaths

1900 Died
Death of Sir Arthur Sullivan in London, famed composer of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
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1913 Born
Birth of Benjamin Britten in Lowestoft, Suffolk—leading British opera composer (“Peter Grimes,” “Billy Budd,” “The Turn of the Screw”).
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2017 Died
Death of Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in London at age 55.
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