Ep. 129: The opera about the moon

Ep. 129: The opera about the moon

Author: Opera After Dark December 16, 2020 Duration: 38:04
When you think about an opera about the Moon, does 20th-century music come to mind, or maybe the 21st? It turns out the first opera about space came way back in 1777. We hope you enjoy hearing about the Classical Era space opera, Il mondo della luna.

The backstage world of opera and classical music is far stranger and more human than its polished, public facade suggests. Opera After Dark pulls back the velvet curtain, guided by the informal, wine-fueled conversations of hosts Naomi Barrettara, Elspeth Davis, and Kyle Homewood. This isn't a lecture hall; it's the feeling of lingering at a kitchen table after a show, dissecting the scandalous affairs, bitter rivalries, and outright bizarre true stories that fueled the creation of history's most revered music. Each episode feels like an intimate gathering where the "high art" is approached with genuine curiosity, irreverent humor, and a shared sense of discovery. You'll hear about composers' chaotic personal lives, the hidden meanings in iconic scores, and the moments where sheer genius collided with utter madness. The tone of this podcast is conversational and unpretentious, built on the idea that the most profound connections to this music often happen when we're relaxed enough to see the people behind the pedestals. Tune in for stories that are passionate, surprising, and deeply entertaining, all shared with the warmth and ease of friends who love pulling the thread to see what unravels.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Opera After Dark
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 101: Tudor Mania! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:31
Everyone loves a British Queen, especially Italians composing opera in the early 1800s! On this episode, we talk about bel canto tudor mania, and a present day parallel coming to Broadway this spring!
Ep. 100: Lulu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:34
For our 100th episode, we tackle one of the difficult operas to talk about concisely... Berg's LULU! It is NOT funny, it is NOT uplifting, it is NOT easy to talk about concisely... but it is one of the most important ope…
Ep. 99: Handel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:12
This episode, and its horrible puns, are almost too much to Handel. We talk all about the most prolific opera composer of the Baroque period, George Fridric Handel, and the near-death experience that almost ended his car…
Ep. 98: Salome [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:16
When thinking of a scandalous opera, Salome is usually the first to come to mind. In this episode we talk about Salome's success from scandal, and exactly what makes this opera so challenging in every sense of the word.
Ep. 97: The summer that was, and the year ahead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:43
Opera After Dark is back for a fourth season! To kick things off, we recount the summer's adventures and look ahead at exciting productions to come in the 19-20 opera season.
Bonus: As One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:56
In a bonus mini-episode, we talk about As One, a modern opera by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed. This comes ahead of our meet up on June 4 prior to seeing a performance of the opera at Merkin Concert Ha…
Ep. 96: Season 3 Finale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:43
The 18-19 opera season is coming to a close, so we're wrapping season 3 of Opera After Dark with a look back at our favorite operatic moments from the past year. Also, we hint at some exciting new content and live events…
Ep. 95: Götterdämmerung [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:28
We have come to the end of the Ring with an epic, over-an-hour-long episode on the final opera in the cycle: Götterdämmerung! In this episode, we talk about more tarnhelm shenanigans, magic potions, disguises, revenge, m…
Ep. 94: Siegfried [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:52
This week, we're back to Wagner's Ring Cycle, but still talking about a super hero origin story of sorts. A young man who knows no fear, the reforging of magical and powerful weapon, slaying a dragon, rescuing a woman fr…
Ep. 93: Avengers Fantasy Casting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:06
Today is the release date (in the US) for the highly-anticipated film, Avengers: End Game. Since it's been way to long since we've done this, and because we know there are many opera/super hero fans out there, we're fant…