Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc) is an opera with a prelude and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the play Die Jungfrau von Orleans by Friedrich von Schiller. First performance: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, February 15, 1845. The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome) Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (October 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) was one of the great composers of Italian opera. ... A libretto is the body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, oratorio, or musical. ... Temistocle Solera (December 25, 1815 – April 21, 1878) was an opera composer and librettist. ... A play is a common form of literature, usually consisting chiefly of dialog between characters, and usually intended for performance rather than reading. ... Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (November 10, 1759 - May 9, 1805), usually known as Friedrich Schiller, was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and dramatist. ... La Scala The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala for short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... Location within Italy Piazza della Scala Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed Italian region. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...