Impossible loveTatiana is an innocent young Russian girl in the 19th century who falls in love with a dandy from St. Petersburg, the arrogant but attractive Eugene Onegin. This is the plot premise of this opera by Tchaikovsky, based on a novel by Pushkin.Two of the greats in Russian Romanticism. In this opera, Tchaikovsky and Pushkin—the greatest examples of Russian Romanticism—speak to us about impossible romances, homosexuality, dandies, love letters and duels…

When success becomes personal failureTwo European cities, Milan and Munich, will be the unrivaled setting to tell a love story set in Imperial China. Yet, this opera is much more than a simple love story. It’s the story of an absolute success, but also a failure.Through the wonderful music of Puccini, Ramón Gener will take us to the Ferrari Museum in Milan to demonstrate the similarities between the voice of a soprano…

Sense of humour“The Barber of Seville” is the quintessential comic opera and irrefutable proof that opera is not just drama and tragedy, but also pure entertainment. In this show, we’ll learn about the essential “ingredients” in Rossini’s music: staccato, crescendo, patter song, the fifth interval and coloratura. To do so, we’ll go backstage during the dress rehearsal of this opera at Barcelona’s Gran Teatro del Liceu and we’ll visit one of its protagonists…

Freedom, equality and fraternityToday, we will be discussing Beethoven, the first romantic musician, a man who spent his life obsessed with the act of creation and who, with his opera Fidelio, talks to us and one of the most important cities in the history of opera.We’ll start today’s show explaining the three reasons why opera came to Venice in the middle of the 17th century and became a true phenomenon for the…

Important challengesHandel managed something which nobody had ever managed before: to make England love opera. He arrived in London in 1712 – contracted by King George I – and wanted to conquer the British capital.That's why most of this programme takes place in London. We’ll take a trip along the Thames – a backdrop to Handel’s first pieces, we’ll visit Lingfield Park Racecourse – one of the meeting points of England’s “high…

The mirage of fameManon is a young Parisian woman who dreams of fame and riches. One day, Des Grieux crosses her path, an attractive gentleman, but one with a small defect—he’s not rich.This is the premise behind Massenet’s opera based on the novel of the same name by Abad Prévost which will help us reflect upon the inner conflict between the head and the heart.With the aim of dissecting and understanding the…

Being a parent“Rigoletto” is not just the story of a curse. It’s also a story of oppressors and the oppressed. Giuseppi Verdi wrote it at 40 years old, a critical age for every human being: a time of changes, of maturity, midlife.To bring to light “Rigoletto” and its symbols, Ramón Gener travels to the island of Menorca in the middle of the Mediterranean to talk with one of the most famous “Rigolettos”…

The legend To bring to light one of the most famous seducers in history, Ramón Gener will delve into the world of the night, to get to know the techniques for hooking up used by today’s Don Juans. He’ll also interview anthropologist Eudald Carbonell to explain to us why so many of these seducers need the conquest. A famous international DJ proposes a curious musical experiment: covering an aria from Mozart’s opera to make…

The greatest loveThis time, we’re heading to Cadaques on the Costa Brava to talk about a great love story, of a love beyond death: what Tristan and Isolde felt for one another. To do so, Ramón Gener will talk with Swedish soprano Irene Theorin aboard a sailboat, chat amongst friends to explain what a leitmotif is, and will show us the castle that Dalí bought for his great love, Gala, in Port Lligat.…