Met Opera Guild Podcast

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.