Opera After Dark

What do you do when you find yourself filled with rage? In the opera world, you sing an emotionally charged Rage Aria. In this episode, we're talking about some of opera's most rageful moments.

What is a singer to do when the composer didn't right a banging aria for their character, or their aria leaves something to be desired? Insert a favorite aria of their choosing! It's hard to believe that this actually happened in the world of professional opera, but it turns out this was commonplace for much of opera's history.

Happy Holidays from Opera After Dark! We all love (or love to hate) a good holiday album. In this episode we discuss some of the most notable holiday albums by opera stars.

When you think about an opera about the Moon, does 20th-century music come to mind, or maybe the 21st? It turns out the first opera about space came way back in 1777. We hope you enjoy hearing about the Classical Era space opera, Il mondo della luna.

In the realm of classical music, there are few individuals as influential as Franz Joseph Haydn. Though not known for his operas, Haydn is the original master of the symphony and string quartet, and definitely lived an interesting life.

Haven't heard of José Maurício? Neither had we! But it turns out he was a prolific Brazilian composer of the Classical Era, with over 200 published works and a Requiem that got the attention of Europe's best composers.

In addition to his many accolades in the jazz world, Duke Ellington is another notable composer that tried his hand at opera. Though Ellington never finished his opera Queenie Pie, he definitely left us with some great tunes!

Who knew that the most popular opera from the 17th-century was about some guy named Jason?! Apparently Elspeth did. Before you start imagining an opera about a '90s frat boy, you should know this opera is actually based on a Greek myth and composed by the most successful composer of its era.

Opera After Dark is back for season 5!! And we're kicking things off by talking about the greatest ragtime composer of all, Scott Joplin. Don't worry, we're not abandoning our roots. In addition to being the king of ragtime, Mr. Joplin also composed for the operatic stage.

With Memorial Day upon us (USA) and Victoria Day (Canada) just passed, we are taking the opportunity to talk about Queen Victoria and her love of opera, which she shared with her husband Prince Albert.

In today's episode, we talk about opera composer/conductor, Carl Maria von Weber. He was revolutionary in developing the role of the modern conductor, but of course, his life was full of scandal as well....

COVID-19 is impacting the entirety of the world, not the least of which is the impact on the classical music community. In this episode, we take a look at some of the impacts on the opera world, and also talk about some moments throughout history in which opera faced and overcame crisis.

In this episode, we talk about the opera that Wagner considered his first "true" work - DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER! Or, The Flying Dutchman. Its got leitmotifs. Its got arias. Its got orchestral storms with lots of brass. Its got a love triangle, a curse, a ghost ship, a ghost captain, and a obsessive leading lady. What more could you want in an opera?

Most Opera After Dark episodes are recorded weeks in advance so you won't hear any mention of COVID-19 in today's episode, but please remember to support your local arts companies and artists during this crazy time. In the episode, we talk about the world's first, and perhaps only, tango opera: Maria de Buenos Aires. We hope you enjoy learning about this provocative piece by tango superstar Astor Piazzolla.

In this episode, we talk about one of Elspeth's favorite operas - the incredibly dramatic, over the top, ultimate French romantic work: WERTHER! The composer, Massenet, basically defined the music of the French Belle Époque, and he definitely made up for the lack of scandal in his personal life with the drama and emotions of Werther! And fun fact: this opera has a saxophone part.

In this episode, we talk about one of opera's greatest legends, the diva of all divas, and the experience of getting to see her holographic reincarnation perform with a live orchestra. The one and only Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos... a.k.a. Maria Callas!

The beloved American Opera, Porgy and Bess, is having quite the season with sold out and added performances at the Met, and a wildly successful run at Cincinnati Opera. The Opera After Dark team traveled to Cincinnati last July to take in the company's magnificent production while learning more about the opera from some of the singers portraying its staring roles. We're thrilled to share the experience with you in this episode.

This episode is all about Prokofiev's THE FIERY ANGEL, one of the craziest opera plots we've talked about in a while! This opera has got it all, from Knights to sword fights to fortune tellers to a weird half time show with Faust and Mephistopheles, to a frenetic nun orgy! You read that right... it's a thing that actually happens in this opera.

In this episode, we delve deep into the life of the Russian wunderkind Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev! He wrote a ton of stuff, he moved around a lot, he was kind of child prodigy, he wrote protest music that people didn't realize until much later was actually protest music... and he really liked to play chess. There is more to Sergei than you might think!

In our second installment of song cycle episodes, we look at the work of the two Schus(sounds like "shoes"... but it actually "Schus"): Schumann and Schubert! Rob and Franz! These song cycles are super poetic, super romantic, and in some cases, pretty dark, tragic, creepy, or twisted. But the music is so beautiful! You'll see. Give it a listen - you won't be sorry!

In our first episode of the decade, we jump into one of our favorite sub-genres: the song cycle. Can you guess which beloved composer started this trend with the OG song cycle? Here's a hint: his name doesn't start with "Schu."

It's that time of year again, and we're happy to be bringing you some of our favorite holiday music from the operatic and classical repertoire. Get ready for those warm and fuzzy feelings, and Happy Holidays!

Tchaikovsky's last opera may not be as well known as some of his other works, but the Queen of Spades still packs a punch. Today, the OAD team fills you in on the best aspects of this Russian classic.

This week Kyle takes the reigns to talk about one of opera's most-loved phenomenons: the tenor high C. It wasn't always part of the opera world, but once it arrived, it changed things forever.

What a pleasure it is revisit the music of one of our favorite composers: Leos Janacek! If you like beautiful orchestration and cute animal stories (which should include everyone), The Cunning Little Vixen is definitely the opera for you.

Following our last episode all about Philip Glass, this episode goes deep into the third opera in his portrait trilogy: AKHNATEN! We talk about the music, the inspiration and creative process, the source material, the text of the libretto, the real historical Akhnaten (including theories that his whole family were aliens) and his very complicated family (hint: recent DNA testing reveals that the family tree is REALLY MESSY, involving Nefertiti, King Tut, half-sisters that are also wives, aunts that are also mothers, husbands that are also siblings of some kind, daughters that are also wives, etc. etc. etc.), and all kinds of other interesting stuff!

So many good things come out of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.... like minimalist opera! In this episode, we talk about the life and work of Philip Glass, and dig into the style of minimalism! He actually dislikes being labelled a "minimalist" composer - but it's helpful in understanding the historical context and impact of his work in the grand scheme of things. While it might not be everyone's jam, we advocate for giving it a chance - the music is pretty amazing!

In this episode, we talk all about the great American composer Samuel Barber and one of his greatest operatic works - that we think should be done more often - VANESSA!

In 1731, Antoine François Prévost introduced the character of Manon to the world through his "smutty" novel L'Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut, and she has seduced audiences time and again ever since! In this episode, we talk about the two operas that have survived in the modern canon that tell her story - one by Massenet, and one Puccini!

As Halloween approaches, our favorite composers visit us from beyond the grave via composer/medium: Rosemary Brown. That's right, Rosemary Brown became world famous for "transcribing" works of dead composers who she claimed visited her from the beyond. Do you believe in ghosts? Maybe you should listen to these incredibly believable compositions before you make up your mind....

Over a year ago, the OAD team was in Scotland for the wedding of our very own Elspeth. Of course, when an opera fan hears Scottish wedding only one thing should come to mind: Lucia di Lammermoor. In this episode, recorded the morning after Elspeth's wedding, we discuss the epic story of Lucia and the mad scene that made this opera famous.

Everyone loves a British Queen, especially Italians composing opera in the early 1800s! On this episode, we talk about bel canto tudor mania, and a present day parallel coming to Broadway this spring!

For our 100th episode, we tackle one of the difficult operas to talk about concisely... Berg's LULU! It is NOT funny, it is NOT uplifting, it is NOT easy to talk about concisely... but it is one of the most important operas of the 20th century, and it was a listener request... so here we go! Thank you for listening, and here is to 100 MORE episodes to come!

This episode, and its horrible puns, are almost too much to Handel. We talk all about the most prolific opera composer of the Baroque period, George Fridric Handel, and the near-death experience that almost ended his career before it began.

When thinking of a scandalous opera, Salome is usually the first to come to mind. In this episode we talk about Salome's success from scandal, and exactly what makes this opera so challenging in every sense of the word.

Opera After Dark is back for a fourth season! To kick things off, we recount the summer's adventures and look ahead at exciting productions to come in the 19-20 opera season.

In a bonus mini-episode, we talk about As One, a modern opera by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed. This comes ahead of our meet up on June 4 prior to seeing a performance of the opera at Merkin Concert Hall in NYC. For full details, visit the Opera After Dark Facebook page.

The 18-19 opera season is coming to a close, so we're wrapping season 3 of Opera After Dark with a look back at our favorite operatic moments from the past year. Also, we hint at some exciting new content and live events to come! Make sure you subscribe and follow us on social media to get full updates and information!

We have come to the end of the Ring with an epic, over-an-hour-long episode on the final opera in the cycle: Götterdämmerung! In this episode, we talk about more tarnhelm shenanigans, magic potions, disguises, revenge, murder, pleas for help, a depressed Wotan, a mezzo Valkyrie, the only moment in the Ring where the chorus gets to sing, we meet a bunch of new characters, and (spoiler alert!), Brünnhilde pays the ultimate sacrifice in order to return the ring to the Rhine. Redemption through love, folks. And the world is washed clean of the greed and destruction brought on by the Ring. Or something like that...

This week, we're back to Wagner's Ring Cycle, but still talking about a super hero origin story of sorts. A young man who knows no fear, the reforging of magical and powerful weapon, slaying a dragon, rescuing a woman from a deep sleep in dangerous surroundings - this sounds familiar...

Today is the release date (in the US) for the highly-anticipated film, Avengers: End Game. Since it's been way to long since we've done this, and because we know there are many opera/super hero fans out there, we're fantasy casting our dream Avengers Opera. Have thoughts about our choices? Find us at operaafterdark.com and let us know!

Taking a break from all the Wagner and thanks to a listener request, we're diving into Jenufa, by composer Leos Janacek. This opera is pretty dark, but filled with rich and beautiful music that matches a dark time in the composer's own life.

We are back with the next installment of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, DIE WALKÜRE! Kyle is excited for the ride of the Valkyries. Elspeth is still against this whole thing. And this is probably Naomi's favourite opera of the cycle (we spelled "favourite" the Canadian way, just for her). We also learn more about leitmotifs in this episode. And swords stuck in trees. And weather/season-related love metaphors. And rings of fire!

The OAD team embarks on Wagner's epic opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, AKA the Ring Cycle. Of course, we must start with the first of the four operas: Das Rheingold. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into Wagner's mythological world inspired by Norse mythology.

It took almost three full seasons, but we are finally talking about the polarizing composer Richard Wagner. Whether you love him or you hate him, most opera fans feel strongly about his contributions to the repertory and we are no exception. As is appropriate for Wagner, this episode is one of our longest, but it comes as our own Naomi Barrettara is about to join the Met Opera Quiz during the radio broadcast on Saturday, March 30, 2019. Be sure to tune in and cheer her on!

Today's opera directors are constantly finding ways to reinvent new productions of operas within the repertory, sometimes in strange and eye-catching ways. It can be argued that nobody reimagines opera quite like Australian director, Barrie Kosky, who is known for his provocative production concepts. OAD host, Kyle Homewood, got to witness this process firsthand, and the story is almost too good to believe.

We reach the end of our This vs. That series comparing show-stopping musicals to the operas that they are based on. This week, we discuss the musical Miss Saigon, based on the opera Madama Butterfly and with only slightly more redeemable characters but some questionable music and singing. You'll know it when you hear it! This is followed by a hilarious lesson in the Canadian dialect. Enjoy!

As we conclude our "This vs. That" series, comparing great operas to parallel works in the musical theater repertoire, we got pretty carried away with our last comparison: Madama Butterfly vs. Miss Saigon! So this is Part 1 of 2, where we share some VERY strong feelings about the character of B.F. Pinkerton, and just strong feelings in general about the VERY problematic story of Cio-Cio San as told through some of most beautiful music Puccini ever composed. Listen all the way to the end, and you will be treated to an outtake that ends in a place only tangentially related to the opera via the topic of puppets: Elspeth and Kyle's raw, emotional reaction to Warhorse!

In this episode, we cover the C in the ABC's of opera: Carmen. Although Bizet's composition is one of the most famous and often-performed operas in the world today, that was not always the case. Listen in for more about that in addition to hearing about how Don Jose ruins everyone's life!

This is the episode you have all been waiting for: when our obsession with "Elaborate Lives" is explained, and we deep dive into AIDA by Elton John and Tim Rice, comparing it to the original AIDA, a beloved opera classic by Giuseppe Verdi! Listen all the way to the end, and not only will you get a great reprise of "Elaborate Lives" with a dark minor turn, but you will ALSO learn all about Michael Bolton's secret passion...

This episode started as a 5 minute casual conversation before a recording session... and then we got carried away! So we decided to turn it into an episode for you, giving you the inside scoop on a very recent performance at The Met Opera, which Naomi was at, and which has gone down in history as her BEST night at the opera...EVER. And since this SAME performance got a little lambasted in a NYTimes review, all we can say is: Go to the opera and decide for yourself, because a truly great night at the opera really is in the ears and eyes of the beholder!