20
February
2018
Ep. 55: Tosca
Jealousy, lust, imprisonment, torture, fugitives, murder, mayhem , and epic love – TOSCA has got it ALL! The music is awesome – and we’ll tell you why. It’s one of those [SPOILER ALERT] “everyone dies at the end” kind of works, and also fits our theory that if the title of the opera is a... Read More
14
February
2018
Ep. 54: Operatic Rejections
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we bring you the most epic operatic rejections! We often think of opera’s many romantic love stories, but it turns out there are just as many, if not more, painful rejections. And by painful, we mean literally stabbed-in-the-chest painful. This should surely get you in the Valentine’s spirit! Since we talk... Read More
02
February
2018
Ep. 53: The Mute Girl of Portici
This week’s unknown opera is a quintessential example of the French Grand Opera style. In addition to being perhaps the only opera in which the title character doesn’t sing, La Muette de Portici is credited for igniting political riots that ultimately led to the forming of the country of Belgium. Crazy, right?!
26
January
2018
Ep. 52: The Bloody Nun
Nothing says “the world’s best art form” like the title of Charles Gounod’s unknown opera “La nonne sanglante” or “The Bloody Nun.” Yes, the opera is about as outrageous as you might expect, but it has some beautiful orchestration. We think it might be a little more palatable to today’s audience as opposed to the... Read More
19
January
2018
Ep. 51: Gounod you didn’t!
Best known for his Faust and Romeo et Juliette, Charles Gounod almost joined the priesthood early in life, ending his composing career before it began. Luckily, he went in the completely opposite direction becoming a serial adulterer! This is of course what we will be focusing on in today’s episode.
12
January
2018
Ep. 50: Opera – The Origin Story
To celebrate episode number 50 (!!!) on Opera After Dark, we give you…OPERA: THE ORIGIN STORY. It all started with a group of Italian dudes(before Italy was actually country – but they all lived in Florence) in the late 1500s who had this theory that all ancient Greek dramas were sung instead of spoken… (…no... Read More
25
December
2017
Ep. 49: Holiday Favorites
Happy Holidays from Opera After Dark! In this special episode, we are bringing you the classical pieces that always get us in the holiday spirit. And it wouldn’t be the holidays without the tragic embarrassment of one of our hosts. You’ll get it by the end…
17
December
2017
Ep. 48: Star Wars Fantasy Casting Pt. 2
And here is part two of our epic Star Wars Opera fantasy casting! Much like follow up episodes in the actual Star Wars saga, it’s not nearly as good as the original, and it seems like someone was drunk during the creation. Enjoy!
15
December
2017
Ep. 47: Star Wars Fantasy Casting Pt. 1
We all knew this was coming, and now it is finally here! Opera After Dark is outrageously excited to present our Star Wars Opera Fantasy Castings. Yes, we have gone into a dream world where a Star Wars Opera exists, and cast all of our favorite characters with famous opera singers. Things definitely got interesting….and... Read More
08
December
2017
Ep. 46: Les mamelles de Tirésias
In this episode, we talk about Poulenc’s early opera “Les mamelles de Tirésias”… which translates to… “The Breasts of Tiresias.” Which, as you can imagine, is ripe for Opera After Dark commentary! We discuss the finer points of Poulenc, breasts, and the fact that he didn’t know the difference between Zanzibar and Monte Carlo. We’re... Read More
