The Met: In Focus

A spectral sea captain, cursed to wander the open ocean for eternity—unless the true love of a woman can save him. Learn more about Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer with our In Focus podcast, hosted by author, Met radio commentator, and staff writer William Berger.

Powerful men and—especially—women deceive and seduce one another to achieve their selfish ends, in a political satire as relevant now as ever. Learn more about Handel's Agrippina with our In Focus podcast, hosted by author, Met radio commentator, and staff writer William Berger.

An ordinary soldier is driven to madness and murder by an intolerable cocktail of humiliation, jealousy, and the indignities of daily life—his suffering made visceral by one of opera's most powerful scores. Learn more about Berg's Wozzeck with our In Focus podcast, hosted by author, Met radio commentator, and staff writer William Berger.

A young pharaoh transforms ancient Egypt with his revolutionary religious ideas—a tale made modern through Philip Glass's mesmerizing and distinctive musical style. Learn more about Akhnaten with our In Focus podcast, hosted by author, Met radio commentator, and staff writer William Berger.

A clash of cultures and the heartless abandonment of a naïve young Japanese geisha lead to one of opera's most devastating and emotionally direct tragedies. Learn more about Puccini's Madama Butterfly with our In Focus podcast, hosted by Met radio commentator and staff writer William Berger.