Aria Code
4.5/5
Critic Rating
Aria Code is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on some of the most famous arias in opera history, with insight from the biggest voices of our time, including Roberto Alagna, Diana Damrau, Sondra Radvanovsky, and many others. Hosted by Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Rhiannon Giddens, Aria Code is produced in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera. Each episode dives into one aria — a feature for a single singer — and explores how and why these brief musical moments have imprinted themselves in our collective consciousness and what it takes to stand on the Met stage and sing them. A wealth...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4.5
Chris Hewitt • Star Tribune (Minneapolis) • Jul 3, 2020
"Opera lovers can stay in touch with the art form, which won't be presented live for months. And folks who don't know a lot about opera (raises hand) can get a lively introduction. Each episode's secret is discovering how its participants fit together, just as we all connect to each other. "Aria Code" was created to boost operas produced by companies such as the Met and Minnesota Opera, but it could be more critical. While we're listening to some of the most beautiful music ever written, "Aria Code" sneaks in music theory. Many singers discuss the challenges of the arias — starting out on a very high or powerful note, say — and the music's impact on them and us."
Score: 4.5
Sarah Larson • New Yorker • Dec 20, 2018
"The Met and WQXR have other worthy podcasts, but for the mildly sophisticated layperson “Aria Code” is a good place to start. It feels immediately accessible and wonderfully focussed, with a hint of narrative to encourage the curious."
