Met Opera Guild Podcast

Based on the legends of Don Juan, Mozart and Da Ponte’s DON GIOVANNI premiered in Prague in 1787, and has been performed at opera houses the world over ever since. This staple of the operatic repertoire masterfully weaves together comedy and serious drama. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, researcher and music librarian Deidre Bird takes a look at the music and history of Mozart’s famous rake!

Based on the symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck, Debussy's PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE was the only opera the composer ever completed and is heralded today as an innovative masterpiece. In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have Guild lecturer Jeffery Langford exploring the revolutionary style of Debussy’s music, and the history behind his only stage work.

This past New Year’s Eve, the Met presented a glorious new production of Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. This production features the unparalleled trio of soprano superstar Anna Netrebko, tenor heartthrob Piotr Beczala, and electrifying mezzo Anita Rachellishvili. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have a pre-performance lecture by composer and conductor Victoria Bond, exploring the history and lush musical writing of this rarely performed verismo masterpiece.

Puccini composed the three distinct operas of IL TRITTICO with the intention that they always be performed together, which is exactly how audiences are experiencing them this season as we celebrate the centenary of the world premiere at The Met. In this pre-performance lecture, lecturer Naomi Barrettara explores the musical language, source materials, and the themes that link these three short operas.

Frequent Verdi librettist Arrigo Boito wrote only one complete opera in his lifetime, a take on "Faust", entitled MEFISTOFELE. Sacrilegious, mystical, and captivatingly beautiful, Boito’s opera recounts the tale from the devil’s perspective, sung this season at the Met by bass-baritone Christian Van Horn. In this episode, Juilliard faculty member and Guild lecturer John J.H. Muller guides us through Boito’s work in this comprehensive pre-performance talk.

Winston Graham’s MARNIE is the fast-paced thriller now taking the stage at the Met, composed by Nico Muhly with a libretto by Nicholas Wright. Isabel Leonard stars as Marnie, in an alluring production by Tony award-winning stage director Michael Mayer. In this episode, Williams College music professor W. Anthony Sheppard explores the music and drama of this newly composed operatic thriller!

In just a few days, Puccini's LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST will be broadcast Live in HD from The Metropolitan Opera, with Jonas Kaufmann starring opposite Eva Marie Westbroek as the lovable barmaid to his rugged outlaw. Prepare for the broadcast with this pre-performance talk, featuring Nimet Habachy, as she explores the history, music, and dramatic highlights of this romantic tale.

Saint-Saëns’s tale of passionate heroism, unrequited love, and shattering betrayal endures as the only opera by this brilliant French composer still regularly performed today! On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, Director of School Programs and Lectures and Community Engagement at the Met Opera Guild, Stuart Holt, takes a closer look at this 19th century masterpiece!

Verdi’s Aida is full of memorable moments – and a whole orchestra of instruments brings this masterpiece to life, each serving a unique and specialized function within the score. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s Principal Clarinetist Anton Rist to the podcast, to take us on a journey through Verdi’s famous work from the perspective of the clarinet.

From Lully to Rameau, Bizet to Berlioz, Massenet to Messiaen, French composers have given us some of the most beautiful and important works in the operatic canon. What makes French opera so unique and special? What are the musical highlights we should listen for, and the operatic conventions that set these works apart? In this episode, we have Guild lecturer and podcast co-host Naomi Barrettara in an excerpt from our recent sold out series “Opera Boot Camp: An Introduction to French Opera.”

This year, opening night at the Metropolitan Opera features Camille Saint-Saëns' masterpiece SAMSON ET DALILA, in a new production starring operatic superstars Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna. First seen together onstage at the Met as the fiery duo of Carmen and Don José, this production promises another evening of operatic fireworks! In this episode, we welcome Opera News Editor-in-Chief F. Paul Driscoll and author, lecturer, and Met Radio commentator William Berger, as they guide you through what to expect at opening night at the Met!

In our last episode, we learned all about cadenza, appoggiaturas, and variations in the interpretation of bel canto ornamentation. In this episode, we are thrilled to have Matthew Timmermans back with us, continuing the discussion on interpolated high notes, puntatura, and vanity cuts!

In the bel canto repertoire, ornamentation, improvisation, and virtuosity are a singer’s calling card, and audiences wait to hear what new vocal tricks a singer will bring to a role. But how do we know what is an acceptable, or stylistically appropriate ornament, and what would sound out of place? What did composers of the time expect singers to do? In this episode, lecturer Matthew Timmermans is back to guide us through the art of beautiful singing in the bel canto!

Onstage magic is often paired with offstage mayhem, and the history of diva worship across centuries of opera is strewn with stories of glamour and stardom, exorbitant fees, precious friendships, vicious rivalries, and hard-earned respect, all connected to seemingly superhuman voices. In today’s episode, lecturer and scholar Matthew Timmermans continues with “Divas Uncensored – Part 2”!

On this episode, we welcome musicologist and lecturer Matthew Timmermans to the microphone, in a special mini-series created especially for our podcast listeners. Matthew has extensively researched and written about the phenomenon of diva-worship, and we are thrilled to have him share with us the legends and lore behind some of opera’s most beloved divas!

With a history as storied as The Metropolitan Opera, there have been plenty of “firsts” that have occurred on its fabled stage. In this episode, Guild lecturer Naomi Barrettara takes us on a guided tour of some of the noteworthy number ones throughout the company’s rich history.

From Charles Anthony’s record of the most performances in Met Opera history to Audrey Luna hitting a record-smashing A above high C, singers continue to break records and make history on The Metropolitan Opera stage! This episode features a celebratory tour of historic moments in "Making Met History: Record-Breaking Moments" with the Guild’s very own Naomi Barrettara.

In the final installment of Ira Siff's "Opera Duos", we begin by stepping back in time, and listening to a recording over 100 years old! This episode spans operatic repertoire from Rossini to Wagner, highlighting operatic legends such as Enrico Caruso and Johanna Gadski, Ramon Vinay and Martha Mödl, Astrid Varnay and Hans Hotter, Renata Tebaldi and Franco Corelli, Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli, George London and Leonie Rysanek, Zinka Milanov and Jussi Björling, and Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi.

Flagstad and Melchior. Zeani and Rossi-Lemeni. Rysanek and Vickers. Price and Berganozi. Sutherland and Horne. Brownlee and Camarena. Callas and Di Stefano. Each were consummate musicians in their own right, but when they performed together, the combined force of their star power was electric! In this episode, Met Radio commentator Ira Siff takes us through the second part of his popular opera duos series.

Dynamic duos are what operatic legends are made of, leaving audiences breathless, in tears, and entranced with their musical and dramatic intensity. But what stories are behind some of these great partnerships? What were the secret musical ingredients that combined with such legendary success? This episode is the first of a three-part series featuring Met Opera radio commentator Ira Siff, taking us on a musical journey through the great power duos of opera that kept audiences wanting more!

This episode marks two major milestones for The Metropolitan Opera Guild: we have reached episode 100 on our podcast, and we have reached over ½ a million listens in the previous 99 episodes! Because these are such exciting milestones for us, we wanted our 100th episode to celebrate the many efforts in arts education that The Metropolitan Opera Guild and The Metropolitan Opera have worked on over the years. We have quite the line up of special guests featured throughout the episode, along with clips from a variety of events, all in an effort to give you a special behind the scenes look at the Met Opera Guild’s rich history and current work in opera education.

Laurent Pelly, director of the Met's premiere production of CENDRILLON, took inspiration from the pages of a classic storybook when creating his fanciful staging. In this episode, Desirée Mays traces the history of the Cinderella fairytale, explores how Massenet's operatic version of the story reflects his musical voice and French style, and compares elements of Massenet's work with Rossini's Italian operatic version of the same story, LA CENERENTOLA.

We can’t let this opera season end without spending some time with LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, a Met Opera favorite. Gaetano Donizetti’s 1835 tragic opera returns to the stage in a production by Mary Zimmerman, including all the heart-breaking turns that make for a dramatic night of theatre. On today’s episode, Guild lecturer and podcast co-host Naomi Barrettara brings a fresh approach to talking about one of the most beloved tragic operas of the bel canto period.

Forbidden love, feuding fathers, and poison are all proven ingredients for a successful opera… and Verdi's LUISA MILLER is no exception! In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have a detailed walkthrough of Verdi’s rarely performed operatic gem with librarian and music scholar Deidre Bird.

Mozart’s third collaboration with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, Così fan tutte, takes on an elaborate plot of mistaken identity to explore the nature of love, trust, and infidelity. On today’s episode, we are thrilled to have Dr. Sean Cooper, a frequent presenter for the Mozart Society of America, explore the history, music, and comic complexities of this masterpiece!

This Saturday, March 17th, radio audiences worldwide will have the chance to experience Richard Strauss’s ELEKTRA with Christine Goerke as Elektra and the Met’s future Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin leading the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In this episode, we hear Guild lecturer Victoria Bond explore a score that some critics have said shows off Strauss’s genius at its best!

Rossini’s SEMIRAMIDE was a popular mainstay of the Italian opera circuit in the 1820s and 30s, but we rarely see it on season rosters today. In fact, it has been almost 25 years since it’s last Met appearance! To guide us through the musical and dramatic highlights, today’s episode features Dr. Jeffrey Langford, the assistant dean for doctoral studies and chair of the music history department at Manhattan School of Music.

Just like Nicolas Cage and Cher in the 1987 film "Moonstruck," seeing Puccini’s LA BOHÈME at the Met is a decades-old New York City dating ritual. It is the number one most often performed work in Met opera history, and within the top 10 most often performed operas worldwide. on Saturday, February 24th, Zeffirelli’s famous Met production will be broadcast Live in HD to movie theatres across the globe. Today’s episode features Guild lecturer Naomi Barrettara, exploring the musical and dramatic elements of Puccini’s timeless masterpiece.

Hot off the press is The Metropolitan Opera’s 2018-19 season announcement, featuring four new productions, one Met premiere, and a complete Ring Cycle! Today’s episode features a special conversation between Opera News Editor-in-Chief, F. Paul Driscoll, and Met Opera Radio’s William Berger, giving us the inside scoop on the new season.

First conceived in 1857 but not finished for 25 years, PARSIFAL was Richard Wagner’s last completed opera. This monumental work has sparked great debate among music historians and the public alike since its first performance. In this episode, John J.H. Muller examines the musical language and history of this important work.

Since 1936, Opera News magazine has given readers an inside look at the world of opera! Opera News will be interviewing three opera stars live, in front of an audience, this winter and spring. All three singers are cast in major roles at the Met this season, and we are excited to have them join us in the Singers' Studio.For today’s episode, we caught up with Opera News editor in chief F. Paul Driscoll, to give us a sneak peek of these three upcoming interviews!

This Puccini classic returns to the Met stage in a brand new production, starring superstar soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role and Vittorio Grigolo as her doomed lover, Cavaradossi. Lecturer Victoria Bond takes a further look into one of the most iconic operas in the repertoire.

On December 18th, the holiday production of Humperdinck’s HANSEL AND GRETEL opens at the Met. While this is often the opera of choice for families with little ones, there is much more to this work than gingerbread houses and delicious treats! The music is irresistible for audiences of all ages, with rich textures and charming melodies, tied together with Wagnerian compositional techniques. In this episode, Guild Lecturer Naomi Barrettara explores the musical complexities and influences in Humperdinck’s fairytale masterpiece.

In a pre-performance lecture from our archives, stage director Jay Lesenger explores "Le nozze di Figaro," and the connections between Pierre Beaumarchais (who wrote the play on which the opera is based), Lorenzo Da Ponte (who wrote the libretto for the opera), and Mozart (who brought the story to life through music).

This season at the Met, soprano Ailyn Pérez sings the title role of Massenet's "Thaïs," which is based on a novel by Anatole France. On today's episode, Metropolitan Opera Guild lecturer Dr. Jeffrey Langford delves into the famous French opera about a monk desperate to help a seductive courtesan find religion.

Thomas Adès’ new opera "The Exterminating Angel" is on stage at the Met, with an all-star cast including Amanda Echalaz, Alice Coote, Rod Gilfry, and Audrey Luna. In preparation for the Live in HD Broadcast this coming Saturday, November 18th, here is a pre-performance lecturer Dr. W. Anthony Sheppard, giving us a deeper look at this acclaimed new work and the surrealist movie that inspired it.

Composers draw inspiration from a variety of places, but they don't always reveal their sources. In today's episode, we share the story of a long-lost source of inspiration in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, discovered by Guild lecturer W. Anthony Sheppard. Guild Lecturer Naomi Barrettara tells that story and explores more of the music in Puccini's sweeping drama.

This episode features footage from Works and Process at The Guggenheim, where Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb interviews the creative team and several cast members about Thomas Adès's opera "The Exterminating Angel," which makes its Met Opera premiere tomorrow, October 26th, 2017!

While the flute plays a particularly magical role in Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, there is a whole orchestra of instruments bringing the music to life, each serving a unique function within the score. In this episode, Guild lecturer Naomi Barrettara and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra's Principal Bassoonist, William Short, take us on a journey through Mozart's famous work from the perspective of the bassoon.

Bellini's NORMA is a landmark role for sopranos, and audiences always wait with baited breath to hear her glorious aria, "Casta Diva." But there is more to this opera, and to this role, than that famous aria. In today's episode, Nimet Habachy explores the notions of fidelity - to family, to religion, and to love - in Bellini's bel canto masterpiece.

Opening Night at the Met is less than a week away, and the excitement is palpable! Bellini's NORMA opens 2017-18 season, with a new production by Sir David McVicar, and an all-star cast featuring Sondra Radvanovsky, Joyce DiDonato, and Joseph Calleja, under the baton of Carlo Rizzi. Today on The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast - Your Guide to Opening Night at the Met!

On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer Naomi Barrettara concludes our tour through operatic voice types with a discussion of atypical voices. From extremely high coloraturas to countertenors, zwischenfach, contraltos, and more, this episode dives into rare and special categories that continue to wow audiences.

Operatic basses sing as low as the human voice can go! There are many different types of basses, bringing to life a large variety of roles. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer and co-host Naomi Barrettara explores all the different types of basses and singers we find in this category of subterranean serenaders.

In the final installment of our "Divas and Dinner" series, chef, food historian, and opera enthusiast Carl Raymond explores the cuisine of Spain on the opera stage!

Pour yourself a glass of pink champagne and settle in! On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have our second installment of "Divas and Dinner" with Chef, food historian, and opera enthusiast Carl Raymond, exploring how the diva of all divas, Violetta, wined and dined her way through life!

Rossini once said: “Appetite is for the stomach what love is for the heart…. Eating, loving, singing and digesting are, in truth, the four acts of the comic opera known as life.” In this episode, renowned chef, food historian, and opera enthusiast Carl Raymond explores the culinary world of Rossini’s time, and the composer’s life long love affair with decadent cuisine!

Verdi baritone, lyric baritone, dramatic baritone... What's the difference? On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, Guild lecturer and audience favorite Naomi Barrettara explores the many different kinds of baritones we find on the opera stage, highlighting the unique aspects of each vocal category and the singers that bring these roles to life.

Singers such as Rosa Ponselle, Francesco Tamagno, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Dolora Zajick have given definitive performances of Verdi’s late works, from the first OTELLO in 1887 through to the present day. What can their recordings tell us about the evolution of Verdian singing, and career-making moments on the opera stage? Find out in our final installment of the Verdi All-Stars lecture series, featuring Met Radio commentator Ira Siff.

Aprile Millo was once called “the high priestess of that old time operatic religion;" Fedora Barbieri had a fierce fan following and sang over 90 performances spanning 10 operas at The Metropolitan Opera. Franco Corelli was dubbed “The Prince of Tenors”. All three singers established themselves as reigning interpreters of the Verdian repertoire. How did they earn such a revered legacy? Find out on today’s episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, featuring Part 2 of Ira Siff's Verdi All-Stars series.

This past season, Met broadcast commentator Ira Siff delighted New York audiences with his survey of the greatest Verdi singers of the past and present. Today’s episode is the first of a three-part series from Ira’s Verdi All-Stars course, discussing performances by Marisa Galvany, Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, and other legendary stars.