Love & Arsenic: Chemistry behind the opera scenes Conference by João Paulo André

Molecules, symptoms and emotions participate in the construction of opera's fascination

The operatic universe overflows with passionate passions, impossible loves, corrosive jealousies, enigmatic potions and fatal poisons. Between ecstatic affections and dark outcomes, in a territory where emotion and matter intertwine, this conference proposes a journey through the chemistry that permeates the plots of lyrical drama.

From insidious arsenic to imaginative elixirs, passing through altered states of passion, we will seek to distinguish what is scientifically plausible from what arises from creative freedom. Between music, science and spectacle, you will see how molecules, symptoms and emotions participate in the construction of opera's fascination.

 

João Paulo André has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Basel and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minho. In recent years, he has stood out in scientific dissemination, exploring the intersections between science, art and culture. He is the author of three books published by Gradiva: Poções e Paixões – Química e Ópera (2018) (Potions and Passions - chemistry and opera), Irmãs de Prometeu – A Química no Feminino (2022) (Protheus sisters - chemistry in the feminine) and, in co-authorship with Carlos Fiolhais, A Harmonia das Esferas – Música, Ciência e os Mistérios do Universo (2025) (The harmony of the spheres - music, science and the mystery of Universe). The first was adapted to braille and audio format by the National Library of Portugal and inspired an opera show presented in several cities; the second was published in English by Springer. He is a regular contributor to the newspaper Nascer do SOL.