A video analysis of "Se Vuol Ballare," the famous Cavatina from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

Norma is a peacemaker - but she is up against, well, the norms of her time. The voice you hear in the recording is Montserrat Caballé, in her historic performance in Orange in 1974.

Poor Sesto is about to do the wrong thing for what he believes to be the right cause – but he is truly out of his mind, bewitched. Will he be forgiven?

The recording I used to demonstrate my take on this famous aria features Cecilia Bartoli, with Christopher Hogwood conducting.

Don't be fooled - Tosca is always in charge - even when she paints herself as a victim. The voice in the recording is obviously Maria Callas’s – this is “her” aria.

Mozart knew exactly how to express very specific emotions through music. In this example, the recitative of the famous "Hai Gia Vinta La Causa" from his opera "Le Nozze di Figaro," the singer can find very precise indications of what the character of the count is going through at any given moment. In fact, the music precedes or announces the character's rapidly shifting emotions. I am merely breaking it down for you so you can figure out how to interpret it effectively. The recording I used to demonstrate the aria features Sir Thomas Allen as the count, with Georg Solti conducting.

The trouser role of Cherubino is quite an acting challenge. How do you portray a pubescent boy in the throngs of his first grown-up urges? Here are some suggestions that will help you understand the state he is in. As always with Mozart, it's all in the music, but in this case, you might have to resist the obvious in order to portray the character effectively and truthfully. The recording I used to demonstrate the aria features Christine Schäfer, with Nicholas Harnoncourt conducting.

Let's break down the aria "Dove Sono" from Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro and try to figure out its emotional journey. The Contessa, humiliated and hurt by her husband's blunt philandering and neglect of her, yearns for the happy moments of the past. A close examination of the aria reveals her inner resolve to take action and fight for his love – and her conviction that she will succeed. The audio clip features the voice of Margaret Price, singing with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Let's break down the subtext of what is happening here to Oktavian and Sophie when they meet for the first time in Strauss' opera, Der Rosenkavalier. This is one of the most beautiful duets ever written, but many singers fall into the trap of trying to replicate the preciousness of the music in their performance, which lands them in the realm of cliché. Better to find nuance in their motivations and sentiments to make the scene come alive on more than one level. The singers are Sena Jurinac and Hilde Gueden, with Erich Kleiber conducting.

There is more going on in the Queen of the Night's first aria than meets the eye. It’s not only one of the Mount Everests of the soprano repertoire, it’s also as wicked as the Venusberg. Let’s explore it together. The recording I used to demonstrate the aria features Roberta Peters, with Karl Böhm conducting.

If you want to know how making a pass at someone can force you to suddenly face your own reality and vulnerabity, this aria is for you.

The recording I used to demonstrate the aria features the incomparable Roberto Alagna.

One of the most sublime songs ever written, set within an aria. How can a singer live up to its emotional sensitivity without getting carried away? The recording I used to break down my understanding of its subtext to help singers find their way to interpret it features Renée Fleming.

This aria is a prime example of how Grand Opera can depict the nobility of man. Finding the emotional subtext in the music is key to interpreting and singing the aria convincingly. The record I used to demonstrate my take on it is by the late, great Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Susanna's deceitful yet earnest aria about the prospect of making love is a feast for the senses. The language is symbolic but the music is very clear: this is a young woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.

In this pivotal scene at the end of the Opera's Act I, the Marschallin goes through an intense moment of introspection that makes her come to terms with her mortality and the fact that aging may lead her down the wrong path if she does not act quickly. The recording I used to showcase my take on the scene is taken from a live taping at the Bayrische Staatsoper in 1979, with Dame Gwyneth Jones in the role of the Marschallin, with Carlos Kleiber conducting.

Break-ups are heart-breaking. This famous duet is a beautifully emphatic, psychological breakdown of the end of a relationship between two unequal partners. The recording I used features the voices of Gwyneth Jones and Brigitte Fassbaender, with Carlos Kleiber conducting (and under the stage direction of Otto Schenk.)

A timeless theme – this is an aria about the trauma of a sudden loss of a loved one – and ways to try to cope with it. The recording I used to showcase my take on this famous baroque aria features countertenor Daniel Taylor.

In this pivotal scene at the end of Act I the hero Tamino is facing his first challenge, learning that vengefulness and anger will not get him anywhere. The recording I used features Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino and Hans Hotter as the Speaker. Karl Böhm was the conductor.

Mimì is like a fragile flower bud waiting for the spring so she can blossom and live her dreams. Will she get a chance? This is one of the most beautiful and famous arias ever written. And as always, the subtext is rich with very specific messages. To see my analysis of Rodolfo's "Che Gelida Manina," which precedes it in the opera, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ZTOJETQXA&t=254s.

The recording I used to present my take on Mimì’s aria features Maria Callas in her seminal recording with Maestro Tullio Serrafin.

Capriccio is THE meta opera par excellence - an opera about the opera, about the creation of the opera as a Gesamtkunstwerk. It deals with its philosophical questions with an exquisitely light touch. Here, I am giving a taste of its essence.

The recording I used to showcase this fantastic work of art features the voices of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Nicolai Gedda, Christa Ludwig and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.

Carmen is a "femme fatale" par excellence, the queen bee, free, radical, a “bohemian” gypsy who is taunting the men as is her wont. It's a fun but dangerous game.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to direct a staged concert of this magnificent opera a couple of years ago, with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andrei Feher. Our wonderful Carmen was Lucia Cervoni. The recording I used is from the Wiener Staatsoper, with Carlos Kleiber conducting, and Elena Obratzova as Carmen.

How to rail against your own obsession, to no avail. This aria has tempted many a tenor to show off with their glorious high notes, hurdling them out into the world. But if you examine the motives behind the character De Grieux's emotional outbursts, you'll be able to fill these notes with nuance.

The recording I used to analyze the aria features Nicolai Gedda.

Tolomeo does not know that the poison he is about to drink is not deadly but a sleeping draught. But then, neither does the audience at this point, which is why we have to take the aria at face value. For me, this is the most exquisite suicide aria ever written. Sung here by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, from his self-titled album, ARC, recorded with Les Violons du Rois,

What does music without words tell us? Here is one example. Ultimately, it’s all about paying close attention and listening well.

The incomparable Liza Minnelli delivers a masterfully detailed performance with the song "I couldn't be happier" by Fred Ebb and John Kander. She performed it in her 1985 Show at the Palladium in London. To watch her performance without my interruptions, go to

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERRnGyYfqdg

Let's break down the subtext of what is happening here to Oktavian and Sophie when they meet for the first time in Strauss' opera, Der Rosenkavalier. This is one of the most beautiful duets ever written, but many singers fall into the trap of trying to replicate the preciousness of the music in their performance, which lands them in the realm of cliché. Better to find nuance in their motivations and sentiments to make the scene come alive on more than one level. The singers are Sena Jurinac and Hilde Gueden, with Erich Kleiber conducting.