Whatever happened during the process of preparation, Monday night's opening performance found Franco Zeffirelli's sets still standing but not an opera character left alive.

There can be few other leading opera characters who enjoy themselves so little.

They are the first soap opera characters to appear on the cover of Time.

Stone's name comes up regularly on the show, unlike most soap opera characters who are quickly forgotten after being killed off.

Mozart, a child of his time, liked to divide his opera characters along class lines.

They would turn down the volume of the TV, snubbing the conspiring soap opera characters, and share the music.

With his 1831 opera Robert le diable and its successors he gave the genre of grand opera 'decisive character'.

Eastern elements include Shaolin monks, Peking opera characters and the Monkey King, for example.

"That will give the opera character," Mr. Shchedrin said.