This is Opera

"Pagliacci" by Ruggero Leoncavallo belongs to the verism artistic movement and its main topics are love, indifference, jealousy, hate and death. In this episode, we'll get to know the members of the RALUY Circus and a group of clowns called the PallaPupas who help hospitalized children to understand Leoncavallo's main message: no matter how hard life might get, the show must go on.

"Eugene Oregon" by Tchaikovsky and Pushkin, is an opera that speaks to us about impossible romances, homosexuality, dandies, love letters and duels of honor. We'll be accompanied by soprano Anna Samuil and we'll try to fulfill one of Tchaikovsky's dreams. We'll also talk with Marc Giró, editor of the fashion magazine Marie-Claire, and with journalist Xavier Domingo.

In this episode, we'll discuss Beethoven and his opera "Fidelio", one about love, injustice and freedom. We'll place a piano in the heart of Madrid and play different pieces by Beethoven. We'll also talk to soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and tenor Michael König. With conductor Hartmut Haenchen, we'll conduct a fun experiment, and we'll end up listening to The Prisoners' Chorus.

Handel managed something nobody had ever done before: to make England love opera. He was contracted by King George I and arrived in London in 1712. That's why we'll discover both London and Haendel during this episode, taking a trip along the Thames, visiting Lingfield Park Racecourse, seeing a match at The Valley football pitch or visiting the musicals West End, well accompanied by experts.

"Così fan tutte" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the leading examples of musical classicism and its main topic is infidelity. We will act out a scene involving a couple's "fiancée wapping", we'll discover the origins of this opera and we'll aso sit down on the shore of the Mediterranean to talk to psychologist Walter Riso and, in Vienna, to the musicologist Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz.

"Salome" by Richard Strauss is an opera based on the timeless play by Oscar Wilde which included paedophilia, necrophilia, incest and decapitation. We'll travel to London to talk with Merlin Holland, Wilde's grandson, and we'll also witness a very sensual interpretation of the famous Dance of the Seven Veils by Munique Neith, one of the world's leading oriental dancers.

Giuseppe Verdi's other operas would never have existed if "Nabucco" had never come to be. To discover why, we'll travel to Valencia to attend one of the rehearsals of the Valencian government's chorus and speak with baritone Ambrogio Maestri and soprano Anna Pirozzi. Finally, we'll perform an experiment with Dr. Pedro Clarós and hear the smash hit from the opera: "Va pensiero".

"Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss, is a comedy of errors that reflects upon the passage of time. In this episode, we'll wander the streets of Vienna, where the opera is set , and interview the soprano Martina Serafín, the mezzosoprano Elina Garanca and soprano Erin Morley, among others. We'll also see Chris Holezik and Eva Fus dancing one of the most famous waltzes from this opera.

"The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the ideal opera for all ages. To understand this effect, we're going to Tudela de Duero to talk with 7-year old 1st graders and with their parents and we'll try to discover the "Mozart Effect" with neuroscience educator Jordi A. Jauset. At the end, we'll travel to Vienna to find Mozart's grave and to talk to Christoph Wagner-Trenwitz.

We'll travel to Venice to talk about Antonio Vivaldi and take a gondola to visit some of the most important spots in what was the arrival of opera to this city. We'll also perform musical experiments and talk to expert musicologist Pier Giuseppe Gillio. And we'll chat about DNA of Vivaldi's music with countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and with the wise Jorge Wagensberg.

"Lulu" is an opera by Alban Berg that talks about our basic instincts, starring an enigmatic woman living in Vienna. To get to know Lulu, we'll travel to Vienna and speak with Dr. Alfred Pritz, with soprano Patricia Petibon and with publicist Toni Segarra. Michael Boder will explain us what dodecaphonic music is and we'll chat about seduction with burlesque star Kalinka Kalaschnikow.

"Madame Butterfly" by Puccini teaches us about hope, longing, unconditional love and the problems when two cultures collide. With soprano Miki Mori, we'll look at the character's deepest desires, dreams and worries. We'll also talk with Daniele Callegari and we'll visit a cherry tree plantation in full bloom in order to discover more about the symbolism of this tree in Japanese culture.

"Rusalka" by Antonin Dvorák, is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid". The heart of the story is accepting one's own identity. We'll discuss about the exaltation of difference and other many questions with Elsa Punset. Furthermore, we'll learn to distinguish between the different sonorities and motifs that Dvorák assigned to each one of his characters.

We'll discover the origin of opera by following Mar's pregnancy as a metaphor. We'll go to Florence and chat with Father Bernardo, we'll meet the choral group Ol'Green and we'll interview writer and journalist Rodolfo Tommasi. Finally, we'll end our trip in Mantua witnessing the birth of Mar's son, in an emotional sequence that will surprise everyone.

We've gone out onto the street so that it's all of you telling us if you like music, if you like opera and what music means to you. With all of your answers we see that music and art is forever and for everyone. We will see an exciting final sequence recorded on the stage of Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu with all of those who have helped us throughout the show.