Decanonized

Der Freischütz with Garrett Schumann

In which a guy gets performance anxiety about a shooting contest and takes bulletmaxxing advice from the sketchiest dude alive. Composer, scholar, performer, and writer Garrett Schumann joins us to discuss Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz, which holds a storied place in history as the “first” German Romantic opera and a less-discussed place as the origin story for German nationalism. Additional topics include: Patton Oswalt and horror movies, Faust derangement syndrome, the Paris Commune, and an anthology series pitch for Rian Johnson.Full show notes, including a synopsis of Der Freischütz, recommended recordings, and further reading, at decanonized.comFollow Garrett on Bluesky.Follow Decanonized on Instagram at @decanonizedFollow Decanonized on Patreon (where we'll soon be launching bonus episodes!) at https://www.patreon.com/cw/Decanonized

Andrea Chénier with Carmen Paddock

It’s all fun and games until the guillotine gets weird. In honor of Bastille Day, critic Carmen Paddock joins us to talk about Umberto Giordano’s verismo (?) opera about a poet who negs a debutante at a party, and her subsequent ability to take ride-or-die to new extremes during the French Revolution.  We also discuss the real hero or Andrea Chénier, who is (as in so many operas) actually the baritone.Additional topics include: sopranos melting down on Instagram, John McWhorter melting down over John Cage, and Charlotte Corday melting down over Jean-Paul Marat.Follow Carmen on Bluesky, Instagram, and Substack. Full episode page for Andrea Chénier on Decanonized.com.Follow Decanonized on Instagram at @decanonized and on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/Decanonized

Turandot with Kevin Ng

Happy Pride and World Cup month, here’s an unlikely football (soccer) anthem and the sapphic story behind it. Unfortunately, the composer who got ahold of this story doesn’t believe in lesbians, so the soprano marries the tenor at the end. Music and culture writer Kevin Ng joins us to dive head-first into Puccini’s final — and famously unfinishable — opera, Turandot, which had its posthumous premiere 100 years ago in 1926. Additional topics include: Lorena Bobbitt, castration, Freud, fascism, and T-shirt cannons.  Follow Kevin on Instagram at @_kevinwng and on Bluesky at @kevinng.bsky.social.Read Kevin’s NYT piece on the latest attempt at constructing ending for Turandot: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/arts/music/turandot-opera-revised-ending.htmlFull episode page with recommended reading, recordings, and more at http://decanonized.com/episodes/puccini-turandot 

Otello with Jerrell Jackson

Is Iago one of opera’s greatest villains? Or just someone who listened to Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” one too many times and decided to make it everyone’s problem. Bassist, lecturer, and writer Jerrell Jackson joins us to discuss Verdi’s penultimate opera, in which a storm wrecks Cyprus for five minutes and male insecurity wrecks everything else for the next three hours. Additional topics include: Classical Music Twitter, the visual spectrum of Plácido Domingo’s blackface Otellos, the New York Times comments section, and the ’90s teen Shakespeare renaissance. Follow Jerrell on Instagram at @datbassjawn and on Twitter at @datbassjawn.Full episode notes, including a synopsis of Otello, recommended recordings, and a reading list, at Decanonized.com.Follow Decanonized on Instagram at @decanonized.

Lohengrin with Benjamin Poore

The Bridal March from Lohengrin is a bold wedding choice once you know the rest of the opera. But considering the divorce rate, maybe it’s the most honest one. Critic Benjamin Poore joins us to talk about Wagner’s Swan King opera and ask the important questions: Is Lohengrin really the hero? Is Ortrud the only sane person? And what if Elsa did kill her brother? Additional topics include: Nazis, doomscrolling, Richard Wagner’s Livejournal, and who could take Norman Lebrecht in a fight.Don’t ask for Ben’s social media handles, but you can read his writing for VAN. Full show page, including a synopsis of Lohengrin, recommended recordings, and further reading.Follow Decanonized on Instagram at @decanonized