25 episodes
Opera Apéro Sophia Makemson
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- Arts
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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The show to make you realize you are smart enough to understand opera. On each episode, host Sophia tells the story of an opera to a friend with little to no experience, accompanied by some inebriated chuckles and lively conversation about the themes and characters. Broadcasting biweekly from a blanket fort in Berlin, Germany.
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Jenůfa with Maxwell
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 -
Pagliacci with Caitlin
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 -
Going on an Opera Binge
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.
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How to Attend the Opera
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.
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Iolanta with Nelly
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 -
L‘elisir d‘amore with Lex
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
Customer Reviews
A theater of the mind
As an opera layperson, this podcast is really interesting. Hearing operas described in plain spoken english makes them almost feel like fever-dreams at times, and the brain kind of creates a theater-of-the-mind; the host does a great job describing and explaining the settings, characters, and plot. It’s a very entertaining time!
Stumbled across this by accident when looking up the Rusalka. So glad I did.
SparkNotes for Opera. But way more fun
It was an interesting and pretty funny podcast. I typically think of opera as a music thing but the discussion is mostly on the story which is something I never really thought about with opera.