This weekend, L.A. Opera opens its season with a rarely staged work by Verdi (The Two Foscari) and a crowd pleaser by Mozart (Don Giovanni). Here’s what you need to know about both of them:

• An indie opera, The Two Foscari hasn’t been seen in this country for 40 years. 
• Don Giovanni is the seventh most- performed opera in the world. 
• Francesco Foscari is Plácido Domingo’s140th role but the first time he’s played the Venetian ruler.
• Mozart was a procrastinator; he finished Don Giovanni one day before its premiere. 
• Venice’s aristocrats initially rejected The Two Foscari because they didn’t dig the way they were portrayed.
• Don Giovanni premiered in 1787 in Prague to public and critical acclaim.

The Two Foscari: Sept. 15-Oct. 9. Don Giovanni: Sept. 22- Oct. 14. 

[Photograph of Verdi courtesy Wikipedia.org]