L'Italiana in Algeri may seem like a classic battle of the sexes story set in North Africa, but it's really all about Italy. At least that's one way to look at it. On this episode of He Sang/She Sang, author Fred Plotkin, soprano Ying Fang and mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb discuss the politics, patriotism and musical brilliance of Rossini's escape-story masterpiece.

L'Italiana in Algeri: Rossini's quest for Italy

He Sang/She Sang is a new podcast from WQXR for the opera-curious and opera superfans who want to know what all those big voices are really singing about. The podcast follows the radio broadcast season of the Metropolitan Opera with a weekly roundtable chat that discusses the plots, characters, music, productions, social significance and great performances of that week's opera.

Following the Met's radio broadcast season, He Sang/She Sang will dive into the new productions of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Rossini’s William Tell, the Met premiere of an opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and fan favorites by Verdi, Puccini and Mozart.

He Sang/She Sang is hosted by Merrin Lazyan and Michael Shobe, with appearances by superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, Met Opera tenor Stuart Skelton, WQXR hosts Jeff Spurgeon and Nimet Habachy, BBC 3 host Clemency Burton Hill and others.

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Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier is an opera about the passage of time — what it means to grow older, what we lose and what we gain as the years pass, and how we know when it's time to let go of the people that we love. Mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča knows all about letting go, because after singing the role of Octavian for 17 years, she is giving her final performance as the passionate count this week. But Garanča has no regrets. She's learned to appreciate her life by accepting, and even enjoying, the passage of time. 

Stopping the Clocks With Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier'

Soprano Jennifer Rowley is singing the role of Roxane in Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, and she says that there's a little bit of Cyrano in all of us. This week, we discuss the sentimental story about love, self-doubt, and the disproportionately large facial feature that has captured our imagination for more than a century.

A Nose by Any Other Name: Franco Alfano's 'Cyrano de Bergerac'

This week on He Sang/She Sang, William Berger, author of the book Wagner without Fear, discusses one of history's most controversial and visionary composers. He explores the hit tunes and earworms, the power of transformation, and the unexpected parallels between Wagner and The Beatles. 

'The Flying Dutchman': Wagner's Eternal Wanderer

When we think of Verdi's Aida, we imagine the stunning grandeur of the Triumphal March, with its enormous cast of singers, dancer, acrobats, and animals. But stage director David Paul argues that at its heart, Aida is a surprisingly intimate opera about a love triangle. 

Aida: Verdi's Most Intimate Spectacle

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde is an extraordinary journey through the human psyche, and through the two most powerful forces guiding our lives: love and death. Merrin Lazyan speaks with writer Paul Thomason about the intoxicating magnetism of the music, and tenor Stuart Skelton compares singing the role of Tristan to climbing the Himalayas. 

L'Italiana in Algeri: Rossini's quest for Italy

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