The Nose with Alejandro

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Maxwell (he/him) about Leos Janacek's opera Jenůfa. It's the story of a young woman in a small town in love and pregnant by a man who can’t commit. As time progresses, they face the consequences of the decisions made to avoid community shame. We discuss parallels with other operas like Madama Butterfly and Pagliacci, how story meaning can change based on opera director’s artistic choices, and we mispronounce many Czech names. This is also the first episode where we play a drinking game along to the opera so tune in to hear how many times we need to take a shot. Play along if you’re feeling brave. Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee. Chapters Act 1 - 08:31 Act 2 - 21:42 Act 3 - 40:33 Discussion - 58:15

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Caitlin (she/her) about Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. It's the story of a clown burying his feelings under his makeup and costume leading to an explosive ending. We talk about all kinds of clownery: toxic masculinity, the American double sided friendliness/fakeness, and The Simpsons. Stick around at the end to hear more about what I've been up to during the show hiatus. Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. You can find show notes for this episode and more about the podcast on operaapero.com  If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.   Chapters Prologue - 11:13 Act 1 - 12:00 Act 2 - 21:33 Discussion - 26:40

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I'm talking about my recent opera "binge" where I attended 4 live operas in one month. They were all different and special in their own way: attending a local opera house vs one while traveling; going on a swanky Saturday vs a weeknight; seeing operas I've never seen before vs those I seen many times over; going with opera newbies vs attending alone. Hear all about how my nights out validated my advice (sometimes) from the last episode on attending opera tips. You can see photos from the opera and let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero.  If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.  

You never forget your first... On this episode of Opera Apéro, we're talking all about how to attend the opera. If you've ever wondered what it's like, listen in to hear all about how you can attend your first opera. We talk through everything from how to pick an opera to see, how to prepare, what to wear, and how to get away with falling asleep (just kidding...kind of...). I spend some time talking about my experience attending the opera in Berlin for the first time.  Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero.  If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.  

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Nelly (she/her) about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta. It's the story of a nobleman who falls in love with a young princess with a big secret that even she isn't aware of: she's blind. Mild spoiler, this is our second episode in a row that's a feel-good opera. Listen in to hear how this big romance goes down. We discuss how parents try to normalize their children's experiences and protect them, the importance of acknowleding a problem before fixing it, and strategies to protect your drunk friend on your next night out. And if you've always wondered how to say the show's name, wait til the end to hear us practice saying it with and without French accents.  Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero.  If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.   Chapters Act 1 - 09:30 Discussion - 42:11

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Lex (she/her) about L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti. Unlike an earlier Donizetti opera episode (looking at you, Lucia), this opera is the 18th century version of a comforting romcom flick. It's the story of a rural worker longing for the love of a farm-owner with her head in a book, the magical potions he buys from a traveling medicineman to win her over. Lex is the founder of the Modality Group, a sex tech consulting company, and brought all her industry expertise to the show. We discuss the similarities between love elixirs, aphrodisiacs and sex products; claims and words used by sex toy companies, holistic health, and learn how to identify trustworthy sex tech companies. Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. To learn more about Lex and Modality, check out their work at modalitygroup.co If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.   Chapters Act 1  - 6:17 Act 2  - 20:20 Discussion - 32:08

Just like that, summer break is over and Opera Apéro is back with some fresh drama for your ears. On this episode, I talk to my friend and fellow Sagittarian, Shaurya (he/him) about Giacomo Puccini's famous stunner opera Tosca. This romantic tragedy tells the story of Roman opera singer Floria Tosca, her lover Cavaradossi, and the plot twists that pull them apart on the eve of Napoleon's invasion of Rome. Thats right: we also learn a page or two of Italian history. We discuss everything that makes Tosca a brilliant character, the parallels between opera and Bollywood, and plot twists - why we love them and when we're sick of them. Let me know which plot twists surprised you and which you saw coming. Get in touch on Instagram @opera.apero or on Twitter @OperaApero.  Act 1 - 04:39 Act 2 - 18:20 Act 3 - 28:22 Discussion - 33:19

On this episode, I talk to my friends from the Queer Communist Book Club, Zoë (she/her) and Tom (he/him) about Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck. This is the story of a soldier in the early 1900s working to support his family all the while being tormented by his superiors and increasingly disturbing halllucinations. We discuss the ways in which impoverished communities and individuals lose autonomy over their decisions, the #FreeBritney movement, how the nuclear family gets in the way of developing community, and much more. Stay tuned for a show announcement at the end of the episode: Opera Apero is going on a summer vacation and there's a fun assignment! Let me know what you thought by emailing [email protected] or on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.   Chapters Act 1 - 09:17 Act 2 - 18:46 Act 3 - 25:03 Discussion - 29:20 Show Announcement - 1:00:32

On this episode, I talk to my friend Chris (he/him) about Gaetano Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor. It's the tragic story of a woman mentally strained by grief, heartbreak, and arranged marriage and the unfortunate outcome of these growing pressures. We talk about the uniqueness of the emotional male character, understanding how each of the characters portrays their grief, and the notion of marriage as a financial transaction. To hear more from Chris (less about opera and more about Star Wars), you can find him at the Serially Hooked podcast.  Let me know what you thought by emailing [email protected] or on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.   Chapters Act 1  - 6:12 Act 2  - 17:30 Act 3 - 26:34 Discussion - 33:22

On this episode, I talk to my friend Alejandro (he/him) about Dmitri Shostakovich's opera The Nose. Originally based off a short story by Nikolai Gogol, it tells the story of a man who wakes up one morning with his nose missing and the ordeal of finding it again. It's a silly surreal opera that satirizes Russian society at that time. We discuss what body parts we could live without, the pressure to get married, and how class divisions present themselves in different points in time. And I learn a new acronym: NIMBY!  Let me know what you thought on social media: On Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero. If you like this show, please consider supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee.