On this day in 1996 mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli made her Metropolitan Opera stage debut as Despina.

On this day in 1895 Tchaikovsky and Petipa’s ballet Swan Lake premiered in St Petersburg.

Birthday anniversaries of bass-baritone Ferdinand Frantz (1906), soprano Ilona Steingruber (1912) and tenor Giacinto Prandelli (1914).

Photo: Ray Burmiston | Decca Classics