Opera Insights:

lectures from our scholar-in-residence

Upcoming Lectures

A roundtable discussion with the cast and creative team

april 4

INTRODUCTION FROM THE SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Welcome to Opera Baltimore’s online home for my archive of opera lectures. In the videos shared here, I present several series of talks that aim to provide an informative and entertaining overview of each work in the company’s recent repertoire. These lectures were initially presented to an online audience via Zoom. They appear here in their original, unscripted form—live and unedited. We hope that by making these recordings available, Opera Baltimore will continue to inspire your love for this wonderful art form. Should you wish to know any further details about the audio examples or to have access to the Spotify playlists I’ve made for these talks, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at aziegel@towson.edu.

ABOUT DR. AARON ZIEGEL,
OUR SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Dr. Aaron Ziegel is an Associate Professor of Music History and Culture at Towson University. He teaches courses on music in the United States of America, the full chronological span of Western art music, opera studies, symphonic literature, and writing about music. His published writing ranges widely across the broad spectrum of American music, encompassing such diverse outlets as American opera, film music, American popular song, and the army training camp music of World War I. Dr. Ziegel’s core research focus examines American operas of the early 20th century, when a nationalist style of opera writing in this country was first emerging.

Mozart’s The Impresario

These lectures were presented live (online):
March 14th, March 21st, April 4th 2024
Thursdays, 7-8pm via Zoom

SESSION 1
In session one, Dr. Ziegel gives us an exploration of the historical facts behind the legend of the Mozart - Salieri rivalry.

SESSION 2
In session two, Dr. Ziegel gives us an analytical deep dive into Mozart's Schauspieldirektor in its original form. He discusses the plot, characters, and key musical moments in the piece. This class has several delightful listening examples.

Tchaikovsky’s
Eugene Onegin

These lectures were presented live (online):
February 8th, 15th, and 22nd, 2024
Thursdays, 7-8pm via Zoom

SESSION 1
In session one, Dr. Ziegel gives us an introduction to the historical legacy of opera in Russia—a legacy filled with now-unknown composers and long-forgotten operas—but a rich 150 years of operatic music-making, leading up to the mastery of Tchaikovsky.

SESSION 2
In session two, Dr. Ziegel begins by introducing us to Tchaikovsky’s Influences and Inspiration. He then dives deep into Tatyana’s Letter Scene giving us insight into the layers of simple melody beautifully paired with Pushkin’s text.

SESSION 3
In session three, Dr. Ziegel discusses the legacy of Tchaikovsky’s “Lyric Scenes.” He continues with an analysis of Tchaikovsky’s tonal symbolism and how it relates to the character’s feelings. He closes this lecture by giving us key dates in the production history of the opera.

Pre-performance Lecture
Dr. Ziegel discusses the benefit of seeing grand opera in an intimate space like the Engineer’s Club. He informs us that Tchaikovsky’s wish was that his operas be considered lyrical scenes as he didn’t want his works to be misinterpreted.

Verdi’s Rigoletto

These lectures were presented live (online):
October 5th, 12th, and 19th, 2023
Thursdays, 7-8pm via Zoom

SESSION 1
In session one, we discover how Rigoletto came to be. Dr. Ziegel explains the history of the play that originated the opera we know today.

SESSION 2
In session two, we begin with an interview with our lighting designer Tláloc López-Watermann. Dr. Ziegel then presents Verdi’s inspiration and opinions about the work.

SESSION 3
In session three, Dr. Ziegel takes a deep analytical dive into Rigoletto’s Act III, widely regarded as one of the most “perfect” acts from any 19th-century Italian opera. Finally, he takes a look into historical performing traditions in Rigoletto from early 20th-century recordings.

Sunday pre-performance lecture
In this session, Dr. Ziegel focuses on how Verdi’s compositional choices characterize his protagonists and drive the plot. Then he presents insight from Victor Hugo (who is the author of the source play) which informs our understanding of the message of Verdi’s timeless drama.

GOUNOD’s FAUST

Presented live:
April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th
Thursdays, 7-8pm via Zoom

SESSION 1

In session 1, we discussed Goethe’s Faust as the foundation for 19th century musical Romanticism, exploring the story from works across multiple genres.

SESSION 2

Explore the breadth of musical works across Gounod’s impressive oeuvre, including instrumental, choral and further highlights from his popular and lesser-known operatic works.

SESSION 3

Delve into the original 1859 opera-comique version of Gounod’s Faust, with spoken dialogue and alternative musical numbers.

SESSION 4

Learn about Gounod's operatic compositional style with Dr. Ziegel! 

Verdi’s La traviata

Presented live:
March 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd

SESSION 1

In session 1, we traced the real-world origins of the story in the opera plot and structure created by Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave.

SESSION 2

Examine the structural design of the opera as a whole, and take a deeper dive into the music of the opera's first half. 

SESSION 3

Enjoy an in-depth discussion with the scenic designer of the production, Jefferson Ridenour, and explore the complexities of the orchestration in the opera’s second act.

SESSION 4

The final lecture on La Traviata exploring Act 3.

Britten’s The turn of the screw

Presented live October 27th-November 17th via Zoom.

SESSION 1

Join us as we explore Benjamin Britten's operatic predecessors in England.

SESSION 2

Take a deep dive into Benjamin Britten’s stylistic idiom and Act I of The Turn of the Screw.

SESSION 3

We continue where we left off in Act I on our journey through The Turn of the Screw.

SESSION 4

We take a look at Benjamin Britten’s life and collaboration with Peter Pears.

Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur

Presented live in the Spring of 2022

SESSION 1

"Italian Opera at the Crossroads": Dr. Ziegel leads us in exploring Italian opera at the turn of the 20th century, as Cilea and Puccini confront the overpowering influence of international composers like Wagner, Bizet and Massenet.

SESSION 2

A glance across the repertoire from Adriana Lecouvreur to other contemporaneous operas that share an 18th-century setting.

SESSION 3

A closer look at the plot and music of Adriana Lecouvreur.

SESSION 4:

Pianist Joy Schreier joins us for our post-opera debrief!

Rossini’s ThE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Presented live in the Spring of 2022

SESSION 1

Join us for a backwards-in-time (!) overview of Rossini's career and music that aims towards an examination of the composer's distinctive musical style idiom that emerged during his early years as a teenaged prodigy.

SESSION 2

Examine the history of 18th-century Italian comedic opera and how The Barber of Seville is a capstone pinnacle of that tradition.

SESSION 3

Join us as we turn our gaze from Rossini and dive deeply into his comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville, starting with the iconic overture that you know and love!

SESSION 4:

Join us as we examine Rossini's genius for conveying character and comedy through his music!

SESSION 1

Gian Carlo Menotti: Who is the Italian-American composer and why is he so important to the history of American opera?

Menotti’s The Medium

Presented live in the Fall of 2021

SESSION 2

Dr. Ziegel focuses on “Broadway operas”: the history of operas written for performance on Broadway and Broadway musicals that cast operatic voices, of which includes Menotti's The Medium.

SESSION 3

Dr. Ziegel is joined by our leading cast members, soprano Amanda Sheriff who is sang the role of Monica and mezzo-soprano Jenni Bank who sang the role of Madame Flora! Get a glimpse behind-the-scenes before exploring the score itself.

SESSION 4:

Dr. Ziegel takes you on a deep dive into the inner workings of Menotti’s masterpiece and examines the opera’s critical reception and its impact on the history of opera in the United States.