The #OperaTrash Podcast

Now that Anna's recovered from the 'rona, the ladies are back to talk about Donizetti's tale of ill-fated love, Lucia di Lammermoor. Anna and Krista saw Simon Stone's Met production, and they talk about how it shows how opera can be modern. They also get angy at Arena di Verona, congratulate Bruce Springsteen's entry into the Grandpa Club, cheer on Monet X Change and give kudos to the Royal Opera...

As Anna battles 'rona fatigue, she and Krista get back on track to talk about The Devils of Loudun, which has its own ties to the 'rona. They also update on Jonas (who has the 'rona again) and Rene Pape's bullshittery. This episode should be sponsored by Pfizer and Moderna.

Oh noes, Anna has The Rona! Since she's not feeling well, Krista decided to give you all a look back at what was, at that point, the worst opera they'd seen. Prokofiev snatched that title away from Thomas Ades, but The Exterminating Angel made them want to, to use the word of the day, scromit.

After Friday's SCOTUS ruling. Anna and Krista decided to use the podcast to show everyone that bodily autonomy isn't a new concept - there are operas that feature it prominently. From La Traviata and Turandot to Die Walküre and La Fanciulla del West, the ladies discuss 12 characters who take charge of their lives. May women in the US have that right again.

While Anna wraps up her duties at Sc-Fi Valley Con, the ladies present an oldie but goodie: their review of Cav & Pag, aka Sad Fucking Clown. C'mon, they would've anyway because Jonas opens as said sad fucking clown next month in London, so here's a primer, including Pagliacci Twitter jokes!

Happy podcast anniversary to Anna and Krista! For their special day, they cover Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. Who was the best King Herod? Which is the best version? And what awesome 80's was born of this rock opera? These questions will be answered, and Krista reviews the infamous Tosca production.

Jacques Halevy's grand opera is the subject of this week's episode, and Anna and Krista rave about it. They also work in the usual shtick, and they give you an updates on that production of Tosca from Barcelona. And surprise - they actually agree with the OperaWire lady for once!

The ladies are back and ready to talk about a babby opera, Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice. This twist on the Orpheus myth is only two years old, but it embodies what modern opera should be. Bonus discussion of why Opera Mom and Dad (Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna) withdrew from Barcelona's upcoming Tosca production and all about Sir Christopher Lee!

Jonas is wrapping up his run of Lohengrin Down Under, so we thought we'd look back on our review of Wagner's "Italian" opera. Yes kids, this is the episode where Krista destroys "Here Comes the Bride" for everyone. Now it's stuck in your head. You're welcome.

What do you get when you combine Jeff Dunham, Dame Joan Sutherland and Uno? You get this week's episode featuring Bellini's Norma! We even toss in a brief review of Jonas in Lohengrin! And no, there is absolutely NO infanticide in this opera.

If you can't sleep, Anna and Krista have the perfect solution: listening to their review of Bellini's La Sonnambula. The ladies also reveal the Bayerische Staatsoper's long-awaited (for Krista) 2022-23 season, but not before dedicating the show to two performers we lost in the past week. If you're in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Anna and Krista welcome their friend, Dr. Nyri Bakkalian, as they talk about operas that are cursed for one reason or another. You'll hear about Richard Wagner's boner, Offenbach's race against death and Verdi's Neopolitan bodyguards. Then strap in for the epic story of the kabuki that was cursed from the start.

For Yom HaShoah, Anna and Krista drop some history on you this week with Viktor Ullmann's Der Kaiser von Atlantis. From its origins in a concentration camp to its many iterations today, it's a good building block for Holocaust education. They also rant about OperaWire's treatment of Russian artists and edit a glaring mistake on Wikipedia.

Since it's both Easter and Passover, Anna and Krista have decided to take a short break (they'll be back next week). For now, let's go back to their review of Parsifal - you know, the foolish goose and SHIRTLESS JONAS IN ACT II. Time to jump back in the pond!

What happens when you combine opera with Hitchcock's source material? You get the opera Marnie! Anna and Krista talk about this tale of theft and deception, and then they talk about which Hitchcock movies would make the best operas. AND Anna reviews her trip to see Carmen!

Hi-ho Rossini, retire! Anna and Krista talk about Guillaume Tell, Rossini's case of the Fuck-Its and what not to do with the story of William Tell. Oh, and get a load of the douchebag tenor in our news!

CW: mentions of child sexual abuse. This week, Anna and Krista feature a fairly new but very powerful opera from composer Terrance Blanchard, Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The episode is short, but that shows you just how good this opera is.

The ladies have uncovered another 20th century opera, and they love this one - L'amour de Loin. Listen as Anna gets her history nerd on, Krista gets angy at some tenor who dissed Jonas, and really, who the hell heckles during an opera? RIP Razor Ramon, our favorite Bad Guy.

This week's episode is specially dedicated to Emilio Delgado, who played Luis on Sesame Street for 44 years. Appropriately, their opera review focuses on the Spanish-language production Florencia en el Amazonas, which is beautiful from beginning to end. Reminisce along with Anna and Krista as they share their memories of Luis, Maria and growing up with the Street Gang.

After a lot of procrastinating - even in this very episode - Anna and Krista finally talk about the grandest of grand operas, Les Troyens. Such a shame that Berlioz fucked off before he could see the entire shitshow! They also explain a few things they've done to their merch, read Jonas' statement on the state of the world and squee over Anna's upcoming outing!

Let's go back in time to ancient Greece for Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Can you actually follow directions, or are you Orfeo? Anna and Krista discuss the dumbassery as well as the Met's upcoming season schedule, how Anna became a Procol Harum song and how not to approach the situation in Ukraine.

Anna and Krista welcome a special guest this week, Chicago radio host Amy Guth. The three discuss Handel's Rodelinda, among other things, and give Amy a crash course in everything #OperaTrash. And yes, she survived AND is down for future livetweeting!

In honor of Miss Leontyne Price's birthday, Anna and Krista discuss Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos,an opera within an opera (after a play). You'll hear about Jonas' pimptastic Salzburg performance, Kathleen Battle's horrid behavior and why there are two versions of this opera. Many thanks to Sharon Gless for this episode's subtitle!

Just when you thought Anna and Krista had seen the worst opera ever, they stumble upon Sergei Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel. They even warn you: do not, under any circumstances, watch this on your own. Or with anyone else. Don't watch it at all. Or at least don't watch it sober.

With no outline to go by and only Krista's review on tap, the ladies dove back into the sea of Britten's Peter Grimes from The Wien (aka the Vienna Staatsoper). Was it worth the hype? How did Jonas do? And who is the chucklefuck from Slipped Disc who wrote such trash? Bonus dedication to Dr. Johnny Fever and an update on a sporps game.