Met Opera Guild Podcast

In today’s episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, we have lecturer Harlow Robinson discussing the intricacies of Wagner’s evergreen hit opera, Tristan und Isolde.

Here at the Guild we have been busy adapting our Fall programming to continue learning in the virtual classroom! We are thrilled to announce that two of the Guild’s most popular programs, our Opera Boot Camp and our Score Reading series will be presented via our online learning platform. On today’s podcast episode, we’ll learn a bit more about these exciting digital offerings!

How do composers pick subject matter for a new opera? What is the composing process like? How does a composer work with a librettist? How much time do composers get to create an opera? In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guilld Podcast, we explore all of those questions and more in the release of an archival recording from 2017! This event featured a live interview panel as part of our Opera in the New Millennium program, when lecturers Naomi Barrettara and Elspeth Davis sat down with composers Missy Mazzoli, Paola Prestini, and Kevin Puts to learn more about their work as contemporary opera composers. (Please Note: Due to the live and archival nature of the original recording, there were some microphone glitches throughout the track. We have attempted to balance the recording and smooth out glitches as much as possible for this episode!) Track photo credits (from left to right): Paola Prestini, by Caroline Tompkins Kevin Puts, by David White Missy Mazzoli, by Caroline Tompkins

From Pulitzer Prize winner Du Yun, to musical mainstay Nico Muhly, to broadway superstar Jeanine Tesori, composers are changing the perception of what an opera can be. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturers Naomi Barrettara and Elspeth Davis continue with the second part of a two part-series from our archives, on contemporary composers and opera’s that are changing the music scene as we know it.

What will opera look like, or sound like, in 10 years? 20 years? It’s hard to predict, but one thing is for sure: there’s a whole new generation of composers creating new innovations in expression, composition, and performance. For this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have pulled a series of live event recordings from our archives to share, featuring lecturers Naomi Barrettara and Elspeth Davis as they guide us through a two-part survey of contemporary works that are poised to be future classics of the genre. Date of event recording: 2017-18 season. Timeline referenced in the lecture can be found at https://prezi.com/p1gza7i3aknm/opera-history-timeline/ .

The evolution of German opera can be traced through the works of well known composers such as Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner, as well as lesser known names in the opera canon, such as Schubert, Carl Maria von Weber, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. In this episode, composer, conductor, and lecturer Victoria Bond dives into the influential history and evolution of German opera throughout Western music.

In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we explore the incredible legacy of women who broke barriers for black artists, dating all the way back to the late 1800s! Tune in as lecturer and music librarian Tanisha Mitchell explores the trailblazers, sprinters, and torch-bearing women who are part of the enduring legacy of black singers in opera.

In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer and music librarian Tanisha Mitchell talks about singers of the past and present who broke barriers, paved the way, and continue to carry the torch in "The Enduring Legacy of Black Singers in Opera.” In this first part of the series, Tanisha focuses on male singers spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, including George Shirley, Robert McFerrin, Vinson Cole, Simon Estes, Sir Willard White, Derek Lee Ragin, Eric Owens, Morris Robinson, Russell Thomas, and many more!

Puccini's TOSCA is an epic, theatrical tale of love, politics, murder, and suicide, all set to the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Italy. Although dismissed by some critics as “a shabby little shocker,” the power of its music has never failed to fascinate audiences. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have lecturer Deirdre Bird speaking about the history, life, and story of this monumental work and its place in opera history.

From bel canto brilliance to the earthiest chest tones, the mezzo-soprano has long been the unsung hero of the opera stage. Although they are often assigned the secondary role in an opera, make no mistake: These divas steal the scene whenever they are on stage. In this episode, Metropolitan Opera Radio commentator Ira Siff concludes his "Magical Mezzos" series some of opera’s most thrilling mezzo-sopranos, past and present!

Mezzo-soprano divas have been dominating the operatic stage, holding their own against their soprano counterparts. In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, Metropolitan Opera radio commentator and lecturer Ira Siff returns for Part 2 of his "Magical Mezzos" series, in which he explores some famous mezzos that you may or may not have heard of!

On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer, Metropolitan Opera Radio commentator, and audience favorite Ira Siff explores the mezzo-soprano voice – its origins, roles, and the great singers who sang those roles during their illustrious careers - in the first instalment of his "Magical Mezzos" series.

Despite their contempt for the unruly musical ideas of Richard Wagner, many connections can be made between the works of both Tchaikovsky and Janáček with Wagnerian ideas. On this episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer and musicologist Matthew Timmermans concludes our “Wagner Across Borders” series with an exploration of Slavic-Wagnerian connections.

Just as Massenet was accused of being a Wagnerian in France, so too was Puccini in Italy. From Wagnerian-sized voices to a complex orchestral sound, Wagner’s influence can be heard throughout the canon of Italian opera, but nowhere more so than in the work of Puccini. In this episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer and musicologist Matthew Timmermans explores the influence of Wagnerian ideas across Puccini's output.

Wagner’s tale of the cursed sea captain and the love of a faithful maiden has captivated audiences since its premiere in 1843. On this episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer, composer, and conductor Victoria Bond discusses the musical genius of Wagner and the power of love in DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER.