What is the nature of love? Rapture? Obsession? Manipulation? Since the inception of opera, the archetypal femme fatale has been one of the most explored stock characters in the genre. Encompassing works from 1600 through to the modern era, this series will provide an in depth guide to the ways that art and culture intersect, and use it to understand these intriguing characters.

March 24 – Puccini’s Manon Lescaut

April 14th – Berg’s Lulu

May 19th – Handel’s Giulio Cesare

June 16th – Wagner’s Parsifal

September 22nd – Ades’ Powder Her Face

November 17th – Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth

December 15th – Monteverdi’s Poppea

January 19th – Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

February 9th – Bizet’s Carmen