20
January
2017
Difficult Divas
Wig ripping cat fights that ended an entire opera season. Murder threats. Gambling addictions. Illicit affairs. All that and more in this week’s episode about those difficult divas we all love to hate. Oh, and we all learn the story of a biblical prophetess named Deborah, just call her Debbie. I mean, just look at... Read More
13
January
2017
La Maupin!
Welcome back, everyone! To start 2017 off right, we’re going to be exploring some of the badass women who made classical music their profession. To start the series, let us introduce to Julie d’Aubigny, known as La Maupin: Sure, she made opera singing her profession. But she also was a 17th century pants wearing fencing... Read More
03
December
2016
What the Hell…?
Hi everyone! We’re starting a new three part series today, entitled “What the Hell…?” To get you all through this holiday season, we’ll be talking about some famous (and not so famous) operas with horrific/totally dumb/completely incomprehensible plots. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing a triptych of one acts by composer Paul Hindemith that are... Read More
18
November
2016
Parry Hotter!
It’s here, Ladies and Gentlemen, Episode 10! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’re doing something a little bit different. In a move that can only be described as the nerdiest thing we’ve ever done, we decided to do a fantasy casting of an opera based on Harry Potter. That’s right! In honor of opening day... Read More
11
November
2016
BRAHMS
Johannes Brahms. Look, I get it. The guy is hot. He’s super talented. But this man was a dick. Probably due to his kind of awful childhood, but still. A total asshole. Even though he preferred the company of prostitutes in his bed, and had a nasty habit of making fun of women composers, there... Read More
03
November
2016
A Musical Love Story
Welcome to episode 8! Today we’ll be talking about those crazy lovebirds, Clara and Robert Schumann. They met while Robert was living and studying with Clara’s father, Friedrich, when Robert was 20 and Clara was…11. But don’t worry, it’s not that kind of story! He didn’t really start falling in love with her until she... Read More
27
October
2016
LORENZO!!!
In this week’s episode, we talk about the exciting life of Mozart’s favorite librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte. Born Emanuele Conegliano, he was Jewish by birth, only to turn around and have his father convert him and his brothers to Catholicism, so his dad could marry the Roman Catholic he was lusting after. Who, incidentally, was... Read More
14
October
2016
When Castration was Totally Cool
As the most celebrated singer of the 18th century, the life of Farinelli was no joke. Loaded with riches and honors, he was so famous as a performer that his rival, the castrato Gioacchino Conti, is said to have fainted away from sheer despondency on hearing him sing. Farinelli, along with his other castrati compatriots,... Read More
07
October
2016
The Castrati!!!
Welcome to episode 4! In this episode, the first of two, we’ll be discussing the rock stars of the 18th century, THE CASTRATI. Known for their incredible stamina, both on and off the stage (get it?), these powerhouse singers caused audience hysteria wherever they went. In the 16th century, the church came out with a... Read More
30
September
2016
BERLIOZ. OY.
Genius. Flute player. Appreciator of Shakespeare and Virgil. Terrible pianist. Psychopath attempted murderer. Just some of the phrases that best describe composer Hector Berlioz. It goes without saying that his influence helped further the development of Romanticism in composers like Wagner and Strauss. But did you know that he also concocted a plan to murder... Read More
