This is Opera
An exploration of opera in unconventional ways attempting to attract not just existing opera fans, but also those less familiar with the art form. The host guides the viewer to the places of origin of each opera, and explores the culture, history—and modern and current trends and how they apply to opera.
Cast: Ramon Gener
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15 episodes
1. CarmenIn the first episode, Ramón Gener talks of the cultural setting of "Carmen" by Georges Bizet-the most frequently staged and the most popular French opera of all time. In relation to the opera, filming takes place in locations such as Seville and Paris where the viewer is "transported" back to 1875 at Paris's National Theatre for Comic Opera, and the scandal it caused at the time.CC50minMar 8, 2015
2. TurandotIn this episode which is based out of two European cities, Milan and Munich, Gener looks into the opera of Turandot- a love story set in Imperial China. The host then explores the idea of how this opera represents much more than a simple love story. It's the story of an absolute success, but also a failure.CC50minMar 15, 2015
3. The Barber of Seville"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 episode, Ramón Gener explains the essential "ingredients" in Rossini's music: staccato, crescendo, patter song, the fifth interval and coloratura.CC50minMar 22, 2015
4. La BohèmeAt the height of his career, Puccini wrote this song to life, friendship and love. To illustrate it, Gener travels to bohemian Paris and enters some of its most characteristic locales such as the century-old book shop Shakespeare & Co. and Au Lapin Agile Cabaret, along with visiting a rehearsal of La Bohème at the Paris Opera House.CC50minMar 29, 2015
5. Parsifal"Parsifal" was Richard Wagner's last opera. Its story centers on the search for the Holy Grail, although it's actually a spiritual voyage into the protagonist. To learn more about the Holy Grail, Gener travels to three different locations: Montségur, Valencia, and Montserrat Monastery.CC50minApr 5, 2015
6. Pelléas et MélisandeBeauty for beauty's sake. That is how Gener defines this opera by Debussy, an impressionist work with a simple argument, but one capable of giving rise to intense emotions in whoever succumbs to its magic. To talk about love, impressionism and Debussy himself, Gener visits two pivotal French cities: Rouen and Paris.CC50minApr 12, 2015
7. Bel CantoGener explains why Bel Canto awakens so many emotions and why it is a favorite for lovers of opera. Despite bel canto being born in Italy and all its composers being Italian, the viewer discovers why many of its operas are written in French and why so many of its authors moved to France to premiere them.CC50minApr 19, 2015
8. The Ring of NibelungGener heads to Bayreuth, the hometown of Richard Wagner, the composer of the most ambitious operatic saga in all of musical history, "The Ring of the Nibelung". This tetralogy is made up of four operas: The Rhine Gold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods. Gener touches on all of them as he visits the Autostad automotive plant, walks the stage at the Bayreuther Festspielhaus (the theatre designed by Wagner himself), and converses with one of the most renowned experts on the composer.CC50minApr 26, 2015
9. ToscaRome, the eternal city, is the setting for this episode. It's also the city where the action in "Tosca" unfolds, a thriller with all the elements of a genre film. To unveil what these elements are, Gener seeks out the help of students from the Rome Film School.CC50minMay 3, 2015
10. La TraviataTo love and to be loved. This is the main theme in Verdi's "La Traviata", based on "The Lady of the Camellias" by the younger Alexandre Dumas and inspired by the famous courtesan Marie Duplessis. Paris will be the backdrop for this episode. Out on its streets, Gener interviews random people who tell him about their experiences with love and how it has transformed their lives. Guest appearance: Diana Damrau, Ludovic Tézier, Boris IzaguirreCC50minMay 10, 2015
11. Tristan and IsoldeGener heads 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. Again, Gener interviews anonymous people who have experienced great love stories like the protagonists of this particular opera, and who act as a counterpoint to show that love is more powerful than death.CC50minMay 17, 2015
12. Don GiovanniTo bring to light one of the most famous seducers in history, Gener delves into the world of the night, to get to know the techniques for hooking up used by today's Don Juans.CC50minMay 24, 2015
13. RigolettoRigoletto is not just the story of a curse. It's also a story of oppressors and the oppressed. Giuseppe Verdi wrote it at 40 years of age, a critical point for every human being: a time of changes, of maturity, midlife. To bring to light "Rigoletto" and its symbols, Gener travels to the island of Menorca. At 40-year-old Verdi places all his hopes, dreams and frustrations into one of the most popular and fascinating characters from the world of music.CC50minMay 31, 2015
14. ManonManon 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 gives light to the inner conflict between the head and the heart.CC50minJun 7, 2015
15. The FreeshooterOver 24 hours, Gener roams about the picturesque village of Aichach in the federal state of Bavaria in order to talk about one of romanticism's first operas, "The Freeshooter". Written in 1820, The action of the opera takes place in an German village similar to Aichach, an opera through which the author tried to convey his love for a country's roots, traditions, legends and culture.CC50minJun 14, 2015
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This is Opera
★ 9.0/1020152 seasons30 episodesEnded
An exploration of opera in unconventional ways attempting to attract not just existing opera fans, but also those less familiar with the art form. The host guides the viewer to the places of origin of each opera, and explores the culture, history—and modern and current trends and how they apply to opera.
Creators and cast
- Cast
- Ramon Gener
