On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Maxwell (he/him) about Leos Janacek's opera Jenůfa. It's the story of a young woman in a small town in love and pregnant by a man who can’t commit. As time progresses, they face the consequences of the decisions made to avoid community shame. We discuss parallels with other operas like Madama Butt…

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Caitlin (she/her) about Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. It's the story of a clown burying his feelings under his makeup and costume leading to an explosive ending. We talk about all kinds of clownery: toxic masculinity, the American double sided friendliness/fakeness, and The Simpsons. Stic…

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I'm talking about my recent opera "binge" where I attended 4 live operas in one month. They were all different and special in their own way: attending a local opera house vs one while traveling; going on a swanky Saturday vs a weeknight; seeing operas I've never seen before vs those I seen many times over; going with…

You never forget your first... On this episode of Opera Apéro, we're talking all about how to attend the opera. If you've ever wondered what it's like, listen in to hear all about how you can attend your first opera. We talk through everything from how to pick an opera to see, how to prepare, what to wear, and how to get away with falling asleep (j…

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Nelly (she/her) about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta. It's the story of a nobleman who falls in love with a young princess with a big secret that even she isn't aware of: she's blind. Mild spoiler, this is our second episode in a row that's a feel-good opera. Listen in to hear how this b…

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Lex (she/her) about L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti. Unlike an earlier Donizetti opera episode (looking at you, Lucia), this opera is the 18th century version of a comforting romcom flick. It's the story of a rural worker longing for the love of a farm-owner with her head in a book, the magi…

Just like that, summer break is over and Opera Apéro is back with some fresh drama for your ears. On this episode, I talk to my friend and fellow Sagittarian, Shaurya (he/him) about Giacomo Puccini's famous stunner opera Tosca. This romantic tragedy tells the story of Roman opera singer Floria Tosca, her lover Cavaradossi, and the plot twists that …

On this episode, I talk to my friends from the Queer Communist Book Club, Zoë (she/her) and Tom (he/him) about Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck. This is the story of a soldier in the early 1900s working to support his family all the while being tormented by his superiors and increasingly disturbing halllucinations. We discuss the ways in which impoverish…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Chris (he/him) about Gaetano Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor. It's the tragic story of a woman mentally strained by grief, heartbreak, and arranged marriage and the unfortunate outcome of these growing pressures. We talk about the uniqueness of the emotional male character, understanding how each of the ch…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Alejandro (he/him) about Dmitri Shostakovich's opera The Nose. Originally based off a short story by Nikolai Gogol, it tells the story of a man who wakes up one morning with his nose missing and the ordeal of finding it again. It's a silly surreal opera that satirizes Russian society at that time. We discuss wha…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Marguerite (she/her) about Gioachino Rossini's opera Le Comte Ory. It's a wacky comedy about a licentious man scheming his way into a castle of women while the men of the area are gone on the Crusades. Just wait for the sexy surprise at the end. My guest Marguerite happens to also be a young opera fan as well. W…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Kristina (she/her) about Stravinsky's English language opera The Rake's Progress. It's the story of one man's path from naive country man to disillusioned urbanite to doomed soul and all the people pulling him between good and bad along the way. Get ready for some fairy tale names and silly plot points. Afterwar…

On this episode, I talk to my first Berlin friend Ellen (she/her) about the super sexy opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. It's the tragic story of a young Spanish soldier seduced by a free-spirited gypsy woman Carmen, and what comes after the flames of passion have burned out. We discuss the culpability of Carmen in the story, if she is a role model or…

It's a surprise bonus mini-episode! On the show, we talk so much about operas, the staging, the costumes, the acting. It's about time we talk about how to watch some of these magnificent productions. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the options for streaming an opera at home are numerous. All you need is a solid internet connection. Tune in and …

On this episode, I'm flying solo. We take a brief pause from working through operas to have an "Opera Appreciation" lesson on the different types of voices in operatic singing. These come from the German Fach system for categorizing voices by their range and depth. Beyond the currently sung voice types, I'll also get into the unfortunate history of…

On this episode, I talk to Aubrey (they/them), friend and creator of our show art, about Strauss' opera Salome. In this second installment of Women's History Month, the story focuses on an evil woman, a femme fatale if you wish. She is female sexuality completely unhinged. We discuss art that is upsetting, sexuality and achieving power through othe…

On this episode, to celebrate Women's History Month, I talk to my friend Theo (they/he) about Giacomo Puccini's La fanciulla del West. It's a love story set in the Wild West about Minnie, a saloon owner who gets caught up with a bandit on the run. We chat about the aesthetics of the West, how tropes are useful in relating to stories, and why we adm…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Sophia about Antonín Dvořák's Rusalka. It's the story of a water nymph who just wants to know human love and what she does to achieve that. We spend some time talking about just "Sophia" things, debating parental advice, and what Tinder would be like if we took Rusalka's approach to love. Sophia declares the win…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Zoë (she/her) about Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. It's a tragic romantic story of an American naval officer and his young Japanese bride. We discuss the delusions of love, how this story reflects the trend of orientalism, and how we personally hate and relate to Pinkerton. Content warning: this episode dis…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Kyle about Verdi's Il Trovatore. "Il Trovatore" translates to the troubadour, a person who sang lyric poetry in Medieval times. Fortunately, the plot of this opera is a lot more juicy than that might indicate. We've got love triangles! We've got dark family secrets! We've got decades long revenge plots! We've go…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Jake about George Handel's opera Agrippina. It's a long-winding story of politics, betrayal, love and lotsa scheming (my favorite!). Taking place during the Roman Empire, we follow along as a broad cast of characters including the Emperor Claudius and the titular character the Empress Agrippina pursue their hear…

On this episode I talk to my friend Natali about Jules Massenet's Thaïs. In Ancient Egypt, a Christian monk, hoping to convert a courtesan who is also a devoted worshipper of the goddess Venus, runs into some unexpected consequences. Luckily, my guest just so happens to be a former Egyptology expert. We discuss religious purity, why we think some o…

On this episode, I talk to my friend Ella about Béla Bartók's only opera Bluebeard's Castle. Incidentally, the Hungarian opera is based on a French folk tale from the Middle Ages. This is a two-for-one episode: an opera recap and a folk tale recap! We chat about the creepiness of emotionally closed and murderous men, the nightmares the original fol…

Today on Opera Apéro, we're going to learn more about Strauss' masterpiece Der Rosenkavalier. Get ready for some fun gender-bending shenanigans, German language laughs, and a lot of love triangle feelings.By operaapero

Welcome to Opera Apéro: listen to hear more about what to expect from these opera story breakdowns and a little bit about why this Berlin-based lady is striking out into the opera podcast space.By Sophia Makemson