Schiller (and doctored history) are also the basis of Verdi's "Don Carlos, " but Verdi and his librettists took a much deeper look at the intersection of love, power and politics than Donizetti did.

WSJ: Mary Stuart | Don Carlos | Houston Grand Opera | Soprano Showdown in Houston | Opera Reviews by Heidi Waleson

Madcap liasons and mischievous flirtations are based on opera scenes first created by Mozart and one of his librettists, Lorenzo Da Ponte, primarily from "Cosi Fan Tutte, " ''Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni.

WSJ: Review: Frisky Malkovich in 'Giacomo Variations'