Opera’s epic scale allows it to capture life’s most elevated moments, from the death of a beloved king to the triumph of conquering a carpet-stain. Witness the totality of the human experience with today’s Groupon: for $25, you get an opera evening for two including two tickets for choice of four shows at The Banff Centre (up to a $50 value). After purchasing today’s deal, buyers redeem by calling The Banff Centre and choosing one the following shows:

• Lillian Alling on Thursday, August 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• Cosi Fan Tutte on Friday, August 19, at 7:30 p.m.
• Lillian Alling on Saturday, August 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• Cosi Fan Tutte on Sunday, August 21, at 2 p.m.<p>

A beacon of Canadian arts, The Banff Centre fuels training programs and performances by bringing opera artists to the mountainous setting of Banff National Park since 1952. Penned by the Canadian duo of composer John Estacio and librettist John Murrell and based on a true story, Lillian Alling follows a young, penniless Russian woman to 1927 New York. She treks across the continent in search of a man named Jozéf, and her colourful encounters lead her to Northwestern British Columbia, where she experiences a cathartic revelation on the banks of the Skeena River.

Called “the most satisfying and elusive of Mozart operas” by the New York Times, Cosi Fan Tutte unravels the story of two men who test the fidelity of their lovers by going undercover as swarthy IT salesmen. Sung in Italian with English subtitles, a comic battle of the sexes ensues that eschews political correctness. Both shows are held in the 959-seat Eric Harvie Theatre, where fixed seating rakes back 26 rows for viewers to behold a raised stage and the people who perform on it.