WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) ' The year was 1839, and a young, unknown Italian composer was having his first opera produced at La Scala.

Though only a modest success, "Oberto" launched the career of a man who over the next half-century would turn out nearly 30 operas, many of them now staples of the repertory, like "Rigoletto," ''La Traviata" and "Aida."