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.

La Forza del Destino

In this scene of La Forza del Destino, a disguised nobleman and several muleteers meet in the kitchen of a roadside inn.

This beautiful recording features Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, and Sherill Milnes. You can listen here. Read more about the opera here.

The Marriage of Figaro

This is Act 2 of the splendid comedy of delightful errors The Marriage of Figaro. In this scene, the countess tries (unsuccessfully) to convince the count that there is a woman, not a man, hiding in her closet. Her maid Susanna hides behind a couch.

Please forgive the photo quality. I am in need of a new camera. 

You can read more about this opera here.

You can listen to the beautiful recording here.

Edit: I added this photo to show the scene from the point of view of Cherubino who is, in fact, hiding in the closet.

Attila

This opera deals loosely with the facts when it comes to Attila the Hun and the Roman Empire. In the prologue, Attila surveys a village his Huns have ransacked. He is about to meet Odabella, daughter of the lord of the ruined town.



WARNING: Graphic Lego violence depicted.

You can read more about the opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.