The most fascinating aspect of Verdi’s La traviata is that the story is based on true events in the life of a real, 19^th century French socialite, who had many aristocratic, well-connected and famous lovers, went through numerous fortunes and died of tuberculosis at the tender age of 23.  Who was this remarkable woman?  Listen to this week’s podcast to find out!

One of the more unusual aspects of Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet is the fact that the tenor and soprano who sing the two title roles have four (count ‘em, FOUR) love duets!  Let’s take a look at these duets and see what the challenges are in them for the singers as well as for the audience.

Nabucco was Verdi’s third opera and his first true success.  But what was the measure of success in opera in 1840s Italy?  What were other composers doing at the time?  Who inspired Verdi?  Let’s explore this opera by placing it in the context of music and drama of that time.

We've covered Puccini's masterpiece La boheme in our 2010 Season Podcast; but let's take a closer look.  The composer's sense of drama and his complete mastery of the use of melody make this an unforgettable work.  Here's our Director of Education, Dr. Nicolas Reveles, to give you an insight into what makes this opera tick!

Dr. Nicolas Reveles surveys the great moments upcoming in San Diego Opera's 2010 Season from La Boheme, Nabucco, Romeo & Juliet and La Traviata.  Enjoy!

San Diego Opera is proud to announce its 2010 International Season: Puccini's La Boheme, Verdi's Nabucco, Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and Verdi's La Traviata.  Hear Dr. Nicolas Reveles discuss the season with exciting musical excerpts in this special, extended podcast!

Madama Butterfly opens this week, Saturday, May 9!  Nick Reveles previews the opera for you by playing all the great moments from the opera: Pinkerton's first aria, Butterfly's entrance, the great love duet from Act I and Butterfly's touching aria, "Un bel di vedremo".  Enjoy it as we get ready to open this fantastic production!

Puccini went to great lengths to get just the right exotic color for the score of his opera Madama Butterfly.  Take a listen to seven authentic Japanese folk tunes that he inserted in to the fabric of the score!

Are you ready?  Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes opens this Saturday, April 18 at San Diego Opera.  Listen to this repeat of Nicolas Reveles' original podcast on the opera first uploaded last June.  It will get you in the perfect mood to enjoy and appreciate this magnificent opera.

And now for something completely different.  Here is a dramatic reading of the poem upon which Britten's opera, Peter Grimes, is based.  It is a section of the work "The Borough" by George Crabbe, an early nineteenth century poet from Suffolk on the east coast of England.  Note the difference between the Grimes of the poem, who is an outright villain, and the Grimes of the opera, an ambiguous character of whose guilt the audience is never really sure.  Enjoy this reading by Nick Reveles, Director of Education, underscored by music from the opera.