Best Aria Davis Podcasts (2024)

1
Love and Other Drugs: Gounod's Roméo et Juliette 54:14

6M ago54:14

54:14

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is the most famous love story in the Western canon. It’s a tale so embedded in our culture — one that has seen so many iterations and retellings — it might feel hard to appreciate its original pathos, and the way it perfectly distills the intersections of young romance, idealism, and rebellion. In this episode, host…

1
You Don't Own Me: The Myth and Magic of Bizet's Carmen 53:47

7M ago53:47

53:47

Carmen is maybe the most famous heroine in all of opera. She’s a woman of Romani descent living in 19th century Spain, sensual and self-confident, aware of the power she wields over men — and she enjoys it. In her signature aria, popularly known as the “Habanera,” she describes herself as a bird who can’t be captured. True to her own word, Carmen —…

1
Revisiting Mozart’s Queen of the Night: Outrage Out of This World 27:11

7M ago27:11

27:11

When the Voyager spacecraft set off to explore the galaxy in 1977, it carried a recording to represent the best of humanity. The “Golden Record” featured everyone from Bach to Chuck Berry, but there was only one opera aria: the rage-fest and coloratura masterpiece from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” As Kathryn Lewek reprises her role as Queen of the N…

1
Love Takes Flight: Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas 52:54

8M ago52:54

52:54

It’s the early 1900s, and the steamship El Dorado makes its way along the Amazon River towards Manaus, a city in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest. Onboard is the world-famous opera singer Florencia Grimaldi. She’s got a gig at the opera house in Manaus, but that’s just a cover. She’s actually hoping for a reunion with her long-lost love, the b…

1
Davis’s X: The Life and Legacy of Malcolm X 45:50

8M ago45:50

45:50

Malcolm X led many lives within his 39 years: as a bereaved but precocious child; as an imprisoned convict; as a firebrand spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and Black nationalism; and ultimately as one of the most pivotal figures of the Civil Rights movement. Today, he continues to inspire passion and controversy, his legacy as nuanced as the ma…

1
Revisiting Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Don’t Look Back in Ardor 32:55

9M ago32:55

32:55

If a loved one were to die, how far would you be willing to go to bring them back? Orpheus, the ancient Greek musician, goes to hell and back to have the love of his life, Eurydice, by his side again. The gods cut a deal with Orpheus: he can bring his love back from hell, but all throughout the journey, she has to follow behind him and he is not al…

1
Good Things Come to Those Who Weep: Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore 42:09

10M ago42:09

42:09

“L’Elisir d’Amore” — “The Elixir of Love” — is what’s known as an opera buffa, or comic opera. That means that we’re in for a happy ending. But Donizetti knows that the payoff is only earned through the suffering of his protagonists. In one pivotal moment, our hero Nemorino glimpses his beloved shedding a single tear — and he concludes (crazily, bu…

1
Resolution Systems 42:49

10M ago42:49

42:49

After last episode, we decided we needed to talk about one of the most polarizing and essential systems in a TTRPG: The resolution system Our Patreon - patreon.com/TabletopHotTakes Links for the systems mentioned: Or8cle - A GM-less TTRPG played with a Magic 8-Ball. Short and easy to run. Dread - A Horror TTRPG played with a Jenga tower. When the t…

1
Death, Faith, and Redemption: Heggie’s Dead Man Walking 44:58

10M ago44:58

44:58

What does redemption mean to a man sentenced to death? Is capital punishment justice or vengeance? Could anyone ever forgive a murderer? These are just some of the questions behind the true story of the nun who became a spiritual adviser to men on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Dead Man Walking was first a 1993 memoir by the Catholi…

1
Strangest TTRPGs We Have Found (Pt. 1) 39:51

10M ago39:51

39:51

Some of the most unique TTRPGs we have found in our travels. This only scratches the surface of the good, weird stuff out there. There will be a part 2 and onward in the future. Our Patreon - patreon.com/TabletopHotTakes Links for the systems mentioned: Terror Thirteen: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/63498/Terror-Thirteen?term=terror+thirteen…

1
Aria Code Returns for Season 4! 2:00

10M ago2:00

2:00

At last! After much anticipation, Aria Code returns! We’re guiding listeners through highlights from the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-2024 season, pairing beloved classics with investigations into modern masterpieces. So get ready for a night at the opera — from the comfort of your own home. (Or wherever!) Arias from the likes of Jake Heggie’s Dead Ma…

1
Ryuutama - Natural Fantasy RPG 38:36

11M ago38:36

38:36

We discuss a favorite game of Aria's (and soon to be Funky's too), Ryuutama. It's a fabulous exploration of exploration and pastoral fantasy. Our Patreon - patreon.com/TabletopHotTakes DriveThruRPG link for Ryuutama - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151366/Ryuutama--Natural-Fantasy-RoleplayBy Aria Davis & Professor Funky Productions

1
Is the Game Master a Player? 31:10

11M ago31:10

31:10

We talk perspectives on one of the oldest discourses in TTRPGs Our Patreon - patreon.com/TabletopHotTakes Bibliography: Keep on the Borderlands - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17158/B2-The-Keep-on-the-Borderlands-Basic Gamedeveloper - https://www.gamedeveloper.com/disciplines/the-dungeon-master-an-interview-with-gary-gygax Bleak Spirit - htt…

1
Fave & Least Fave Mechanics 39:08

12M ago39:08

39:08

We talk about or favorite and least favorite mechanics or ideas from any TTRPG for an easy first episode. Our Patreon - https://patreon.com/TabletopHotTakes?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Links to DriveThruRPG for all the games we mention: Shadowrun - https://www.drivethrurpg.co…

1
On Decriminalization: Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez and Representative Penny Shaw 59:30

2+ y ago59:30

59:30

The show's parent organization, Ground Game Texas, is at the forefront of marijuana decriminalization efforts in Austin. On that topic, we've tapped two of the issue's most knowledgeable and prominent activists in the Texas Legislature: Senator Roland Gutierrez and Houston's own Representative Penny Shaw. What are the moral, legal and fiscal benefi…

1
Beto O'Rourke and TX Senator Nathan Johnson On Healthcare In Texas 59:30

2+ y ago59:30

59:30

Mike and Julie receive an official statement from presumptive Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Beto O'Rourke on his vision for advancing healthcare in the Lone Star State, and we're proud to welcome Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas, who has spearheaded the progressive effort towards common sense healthcare policy in the Lege.…

1
P.S. I Love You: Renée Fleming Sings Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin 51:13

2+ y ago51:13

51:13

Saying “I love you” for the first time takes courage, especially when you don’t know the response you'll get. But being open with your emotions and putting yourself out there can change you in unexpected ways. In Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, it’s the 16-year-old Tatyana who pins her heart on her sleeve. Young and naive, but also fierce…

1
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and Jacqueline Arias and Dani Marrero Hi of LUPE Votes 1:08:15

2+ y ago1:08:15

1:08:15

A terrific triple bill this week: Julie Oliver interviews renowned activist, author and podcaster Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on Medicare For All and the possibilities therin, while Mike Siegel gets to know Jacqueline Arias and Dani Marrero Hi of LUPE Votes of the Rio Grande Valley.

1
Former State Senator Wendy Davis - and Mike's Mom - on SB8 59:30

2+ y ago59:30

59:30

Julie Oliver has an in-depth conversation with former Texas State Senator and U.S. Congressional candidate and reproductive rights icon Wendy Davis on her time as an active fighter for abortion rights, the impact of SB8, and what the future might hold. And Mike talks with his dear mom Anne Butterfield Weills, a longtime civil rights and equality ac…

1
On Climate Change: Zenen Jaimes Perez and Dr. Michael Webber 59:30

2+ y ago59:30

59:30

Texas - especially the Houston area - is ground zero for the petrochemical industry, and Harris County is also the epicenter of the early impacts of climate change upon our state. What can and should be done to mitigate the incoming impacts of climate change as well as ongoing efforts to minimize those effects? We speak with Zenen Jaimes Perez of M…

1
Debut episode: Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Mimi Marziani, and Chris Hollins 59:30

2+ y ago59:30

59:30

Welcome to the debut episode of Texas From The Ground Up! Two true Texas progressive powerhouse players do us the honor of getting our new show started: Representative Jasmine Crockett of Dallas relates the surprisingly crazy environment she had to navigate as a freshman lawmaker, including the bolting to D.C. by the Democratic delegation. Mimi Mar…

1
To Be Or Not To Be: Dean's Hamlet 41:58

2+ y ago41:58

41:58

“To be or not to be, that is the question.” It’s hard to think of a more famous line from a more famous play. In this iconic speech from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the troubled Danish prince asks whether this whole life thing is even worth it. But “to be or not to be'' is not the only question we’re asking this week. When everyone knows this line so wel…

1
Potion, Emotion, Devotion: Wagner's Tristan und Isolde 39:46

2+ y ago39:46

39:46

When we talk about “falling in love,” we talk about it like it is something that just happens. Suddenly the ground opens up and we are falling for somebody, as if there is no choice in the matter. This is everywhere -- in movies, TV shows, novels, and of course, in opera. Take Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde - while Tristan is bringing her across the I…

1
Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones: A Boy of Peculiar Grace 42:45

3y ago42:45

42:45

This week we’re decoding with the man who wrote the code - Terence Blanchard, composer of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Not only is it the work that reopened the Met after its 18-month pandemic shutdown, but it’s also the first opera by a Black composer ever to be performed there. Based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by New York Times columnist Ch…

1
Verdi's Nabucco: By the Rivers of Babylon 44:16

3y ago44:16

44:16

Psalm 137 depicts the ancient Hebrews, enslaved and weeping “by the rivers of Babylon,” as they remember their homeland, Jerusalem. Those words have inspired songwriters of reggae, Broadway, disco, folk and more, but one of the most memorable versions is featured in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Nabucco. The opera retells the story of the Babylonian capti…

1
Once More Into the Breeches: Joyce DiDonato Sings Strauss 32:38

3y ago32:38

32:38

The young Composer in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos is one of opera’s great trouser roles -- a female singer playing the part of a young man. He is set to premiere his new opera at the home of the richest man in Vienna, only to learn moments before the performance that a bawdy comedy troupe will be performing at the same time. As his plans collapse a…

1
Breaking Mad: Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor 1:04:20

3y ago1:04:20

1:04:20

People who go to see Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor spend the entire evening waiting for the famous Mad Scene, to hear the soprano’s incredible acrobatics, and to feel her intense emotional changes over the course of the lengthy showstopper. But the Mad Scene is more than a vocal showpiece: it’s a window into what it means to lose touch wi…

1
Crisis in the Kremlin: Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov 33:57

3y ago33:57

33:57

Perhaps no opera better reflects the questions and contradictions at the heart of Russian history than Modest Mussorgsky’s historical epic Boris Godunov. Based on the play by Alexander Pushkin (considered by many to be one of Russia’s greatest writers), it’s a meditation on power and legitimacy, and a portrayal of a pivotal period in Russian histor…

1
Only the Good Die Young: Verdi's La Traviata 37:39

3y ago37:39

37:39

One of opera’s great heroines is based on one of history’s extraordinary women. The 19th century French courtesan Marie Duplessis was elegant, successful, famous, and gone before her time, dying of tuberculosis at the age of 23. One of her lovers, Alexandre Dumas fils, was so inspired by her that he wrote a novel and a play about her life called Th…

1
Guys and Dolls: Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann 40:17

3y ago40:17

40:17

What makes us human? As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, technology is becoming even more integrated into the fabric of daily life, and better able to simulate real human interactions. But what really separates humans from machines is our ability to love, to dream, and to believe in an illusion. In Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, t…

1
Strauss's Elektra: Waltzing With a Vengeance 43:43

3y ago43:43

43:43

Note: This episode includes descriptions of childhood sexual assault. The drive for revenge can be all-consuming, especially when you or someone you love has been wronged. Outcast and distraught, the title character in Richard Strauss’s Elektra is obsessed with avenging the murder of her father. And because the story is based on a Greek myth, and G…

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