Ten things you never knew about… Opera

1. The word “opera” was first applied to a musical drama in 1648. In Latin it means simply “works”.

2. Verdi’s La Traviata, Mozart’s Magic Flute and Bizet’s Carmen are the most performed operas.

3. Mozart wrote his first opera at the age of 12.

4. The saying, “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings” was first used by a baseball commentator, probably referring to Brunhilde’s final aria in Wagner’s Ring.

5. Opera composer and conductor Jean-Baptiste Lully died of gangrene after accidentally stabbing himself in the foot with his conducting stick.

6. In 2004, drivers were warned against playing Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries on car stereos as it may make people drive too fast.

7. In 1994, Bugs Bunny in What’s Opera, Doc? (1957) was voted best cartoon ever.

8. Arnold Schwarzenegger won a Mr Olympia body-building title at the Sydney Opera house.

9. Between the ages of 7 and 17, martial arts actor Jackie Chan trained as an opera singer.

10. Meryl Streep, who played the title role in the Florence Foster Jenkins film, had operatic lessons at the age of 12 from vocal coach Estelle Liebling.