La Rondine

 Act II of La Rondine (The Swallow) takes place in a crowded Paris nightspot, 1920. 

To listen to tonight's opera, click here.

For more information about the opera, click here.

Salome

In Strauss' interpretation of the biblical story, Salome dances the Dance of Seven Veils for Herod, then demands the head of John the Baptist.

If you're looking for your typical light-hearted Strauss, look elsewhere.

You can read more about this one-act opera here.

You can listen to the recording here. 

La Gioconda

La Gioconda means "The Ballad Singer" or "The Happy Woman," a sadly ironic title for an opera whose heroine meets a tragic end. In the final scene of La Gioconda, the heroine arranges a secret meeting in the ruins of an island castle.

This is an opera unique for having a major role for each of the voice types (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, bass). The result is a rich and beautiful score with several familiar tunes, including "The Dance of the Hours" (the one in Fantasia where the hippos and the crocodiles dance). You can listen to the broadcast of this beautiful opera here.

You can read more about this opera here.

Werther

In Act 2 of my favorite opera, the newly married Charlotte and Albert walk to church on an autumn day. The creepy, tortured, sexy Werther follows.

You can read about the opera Werther, based on a story by Goethe, here. A link to the show will be posted when it becomes available.

Faust

In this first act of Gounod's Faust, based loosely on Goethe's legendary story, Mephistopholes visits Faust in his study, where he has devoted his life to the pursuit of science and scholarship. Faust has recently tried to end it all by poisoning himself, but Mephistopholes gives him a (dubious) reason to live.

You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.

Die Walkure

Tonight's opera features nine sisters who usher Norsemen to Valhalla when they die during glorious battle. Here, they prepare and confer on a mountaintop before the battle, and the Flight of Valkyries, begins.

You can listen to Die Walkure here (on the miniplayer) or here (for the general website).

You can read more about the opera here.

Die Tote Stadt

This is Paul, a guy who is kind of crazy, with the shrine he has made to his wife, who is kind of dead. Opera!

You can listen to the recording here.

You can read more about this opera here.