Opera Aficionado is an exciting suite of programs designed for patrons who are passionate about opera. Aficionado provides an opportunity to learn more, dive deeper, and get an inside look at the world of opera.
As part of Opera Aficionado, our Interactive Lectures Series gives opera-goers around the world a front-row seat to scholarly talks, allowing attendees to dialogue with fellow opera lovers, experts, and special guests. Each month will be focused on a concept or theme relevant to all of us. For the month of February, the theme is From Russia with Love (Russian Operas).
Discover the roots of Russian Opera with Alla Gladysheva. The history of Russian opera begins in the last quarter of the 18th century. It started with the assimilation of the existing European operatic styles (mostly opera buffa), but the genre was almost immediately enriched with “heavy Russian accent”. Similar to every art form in 19th century Russia, it took one extraordinary individual to revolutionize the genre: in 1836, Glinka finished the first classical Russian opera, marking the beginning of the glorious, both musically and theatrically, line of masterpieces which are worthy of exploration, staging, and enjoyment.