About this episode
At last! After much anticipation, Aria Code returns! We’re guiding listeners through highlights from the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-2024 season, pairing beloved classics with investigations into modern masterpieces. So get ready for a night at the opera — from the comfort of your own home. (Or wherever!) Arias from the likes of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X will tackle some of the most complex social and ethical questions head-on, while classics like Bizet’s Carmen and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette plunge us into the thick of opera’s favorite themes of desire, love, and longing. Hosted by Grammy Award-winner, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and (most recently) Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, each episode features a signature combination of music and riveting storytelling, paired with Met Opera performances by world-renowned opera stars, including Joyce DiDonato, Matthew Polenzani, Will Liverman, Clémentine Margaine, Diana Damrau, and Ailyn Pérez. Aria Code is produced by WQXR in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera. This season, we’ll be releasing episodes on a biweekly basis, starting October 4.