Opera for Everyone is a radio show and podcast that makes opera understandable, accessible, and enjoyable for all. Host Pat Wright invites guest co-hosts to discuss operas they have enjoyed seeing together. The show airs Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on 89.1 KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming. Cover artwork is by illustrator Rosie Brooks.
Episodes
Ep. 147 Puccini's La Bohème
You cannot escape reality. That being said, artists since time immemorial have tried. Puccini’s La Bohème follows a group of young people seeking to escape the world of the ordinary, living in an attic and sacrificing everything for their art and romantic ideals. Our popular cultural image of the “starving artist” comes in large part from La Bohème and its descendants. Most famous among those
Ep. 146 Tristan und Isolde by Wagner
Before the story of Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere, there was another story of a knight who clandestinely loves the wife of the king. With hazy origins at an unclear point in history, this story has been retold again and again over the centuries… and never quite so powerfully as in Wagner’s masterpiece, Tristan und Isolde.
This opera, though rightly celebrated for its compositional style and its i
Ep. 145 Parsifal by Wagner
Richard Wagner refused to call Parsifal an opera, but instead considered it a rite of “consecration.” For many years, its performance was restricted to the small German town of Bayreuth: the destination of a new kind of artistic/religious pilgrimage.
The story itself is somewhat perplexing; both mythic and strangely fragmentary. It is a tale of knights, witches, sorcerers, and one pure innocent
Ep. 144 Wagner's Lohengrin
Lohengrin is THE quintessential “knight in shining armor” coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Swanning in on his mysterious boat, he is a literal answer to her prayers. But though he may be a gift from God, terms and conditions very much apply. Opposing this knight and damsel are an evil sorceress and her hapless husband. Good triumphs over evil in the end, though, as you might have
Ep, 143 The Wreckers by Ethel Smyth
Cornwall in the mid-eighteenth century was a remote and isolated region along the southwest coast of Britain, one where a ship and its crew might easily be dashed on the jagged rocks. And sometimes, that catastrophe might be nudged along by missing or misplaced warning lights. The inhabitants who practiced this deception often justified their actions, claiming to be favored by God. Stories of thes
Ep. 142 Alcina by Handel
A seemingly all-powerful sorceress rules over her own island domain. She enchants not only nature, but also men, who are helpless to resist her charms. And when she does tire of those besotted men, it’s nothing that a transfiguration from man to animal cannot solve. However, downfall is imminent when she truly falls in love with one of the ensnared men. It turns out that this man’s true love i
Ep. 141 Attila by Verdi
Known to history as “The Scourge of God,” Attila was a rampaging conqueror who famously turned aside from the city of Rome after a meeting with the Pope. In this version, Attila is also opposed by a vengeful slave, a morally flexible Roman general, and a wily and determined warrior woman. Historical? Not so much. But this stunning opera from early-career Verdi, Attila is a work that deserves to
Ep. 140 Moby Dick by Jake Heggie
All hands on deck! This episode of Opera for Everyone dives headlong into a leviathan of 21st-century opera: Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick (2010). Adapted from Melville’s classic American novel, this seafaring drama is a gripping operatic meditation on obsession, authority, and the power of friendship. With Gene Scheer’s cinematic libretto and Heggie’s muscular score, the opera captures both the immensi
Ep. 139 Le Prophète by Meyerbeer
When an entrenched oligarchy and a cynical revolution go to war with one another, what happens to all the people in the middle? Some may be victimized, others silenced, and yet others swept up in the churn of events. In Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, Jean of Leiden finds himself assuming the mantle of prophet and messiah, setting up expectations for himself that he can never fulfil. This epic
Ep. 138 Rienzi, The Last of the Tribunes, by Wagner
Richard Wagner’s first truly successful opera, set in medieval Rome, sees a young nobleman in love with a young plebeian woman. While this might sound like it’s going to be an operatic love story, it’s quite a different thing entirely: Grand Opera, Wagner-style. Based on a controversial and visionary historical figure who became a footnote, but aspired to change the face of history, it has soari
Ep. 137 The Threepenny Opera by Weill and Brecht
Mac the Knife, terror of the London criminal underworld, is a character paradoxically best known to many as the subject of the upbeat, bubbly eponymous 1955, 1959, and 1960 hit single. However, his fictional roots go much deeper, to a nearly 300-year old opera called The Beggar’s Opera. From here, Mac’s trail led to 1928’s The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, that is the subje
Ep. 136 Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges
Can an opera, that most complex of art forms, take you back to childhood? Unlikely though it might seem, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (“The Child and the Enchantments”) does just that through the talents of composer Maurice Ravel and writer Colette. This one-act opera, fantastical though it is, can transport you to all-too-real, seemingly lost memories. Over the course of the story, our nameless
Ep. 135 The Rake's Progress
Which is stronger: the temptations of a shadowy wish-granter, or the love of a virtuous woman? In The Rake’s Progress, Tom’s true love Anne seeks to save him from himself, seeking to unwind the schemes of the literal devil. Yet when the dust settles, it is hard to say who has triumphed… Tom is saved, but it is a messy and piteous sort of salvation.
In the only full opera composed by Igor Stravin
Ep. 134 King Arthur by Henry Purcell
King Arthur stands astride the intersection of history, myth, legend, and politics. In every age of the history of Britain, he is reinterpreted for new audiences and new purposes. When composer Henry Purcell and poet-librettist John Dryden set out to write their opera about Arthur, they did so following a century in which England had seen monarchs rise, fall, be beheaded, exiled, returned in tri
Ep. 133 Semele by Handel
It might at first sound like it would be nice to be the lover of the king of the Olympian gods, attended by divine spirits, and living in a luxurious palace among the clouds. But this happily-ever-after turns sour after Princess Semele asks Jupiter for the gift of immortality. After a bit of intrigue amongst the gods–not least among them Jupiter’s resourceful and ruthless wife Juno–disaster stri
Ep. 132 Verdi's Aida
The young Aida loves the dashing military commander Radamès, and he adores her with a burning passion.Their mutual love is, however, somewhat complicated by the fact that Aida is a slave, enslaved by a princess who is equally smitten with the heroic warrior. Further complicating matters, Radamès’ military renown is founded on successfully prosecuting a war against Aida’s people. In this violent
Ep. 131 Wagner's Tannhäuser
If you’re going to have a love triangle, why not have a singing knight, a literal saint, and the Goddess of Love herself? Come and enjoy the kind of sweeping, romantic, metaphysical yet dramatic opera that could only come from the utterly unrestrained Richard Wagner. Evil and good, bondage and freedom, power and love clash cataclysmically, and a legendary story is definitively rewritten.
Hosted
Ep. 130 Orlando Furioso by Vivaldi
Once upon a time, there was a heroic knight, the greatest of Charlamagne’s famed paladins, and his name was Orlando (or Roland, depending on whom you ask.) Among his many heroic deeds and great journeys was this: a quest to a magical isle to abduct the headstrong princess Angelica and steal the ashes of Melin (yes, that Merlin). As his failure to win Angelica’s heart leads him down the path to m
Ep. 129 Roméo et Juliette by Berlioz
You’ve never heard the story of Romeo and Juliet told like this! Not even if you have listened to the three previous episodes in which Pat and Kathleen discuss three operas based on the enduring tale of the “star-crossed lovers,” Ep. 120 Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Ep. 124 Vaccai’s Giulietta e Romeo, Ep. 126 Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi.
Hector Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette is a “dramatic sy
Ep. 128 Médée (Medea) by Charpentier
What can one woman do, when set against the entire world? Quite a lot, if she happens to be the sorceress Medea. This French Baroque opera written by Marc Antoine Charpentier takes on the ancient tale of Medea’s struggle to find a place for herself in the world of mythic Greece’s heroes and kingdoms, which eventually descends into fire, chaos, and death.
Hosted by Pat, with guest host Petria Foss
Ep. 127 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Can a young man win a wife through a singing competition? He just might, if he’s in Richard Wagner’s romantic comedy (yes, you read that right, “Richard Wagner’s romantic comedy,”) Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Young Walter may not be trained in the masters’ techniques, but ultimately his passion wins the hearts of the beautiful Eva, the singing masters, and the people of Nuremberg. Join Pat
Ep. 126 Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Ill-fated lovers caught up in a world incapable of supporting love not sanctioned by officialdom… it’s a story for the ages. Join Pat and Kathleen for their third look at the Romeo and Juliet story in operatic form, I Capuleti e I Montecchi, by bel canto master, Vincenzo Bellini. If you haven’t already, we invite you to listen to Episode 120 on Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Episode 124 on Nic
Ep. 125 Puccini's Il Tabarro & Erica Miner's Overture to Murder
“Seems an opera house is the perfect place for mischief and mayhem,” says the hard-boiled Inspector Cristina as she seeks to unravel the mystery at the heart of Overture to Murder, the meticulously researched third book of Erica Miner’s “Julia Kogan Opera Mystery Series.”
Mayhem and mischief are no strangers to the opera house, both on and off-stage. Join us for a discussion of both Erica’s new b
Ep. 124 Giulietta e Romeo by Nicola Vaccai
A great story is one that we are never done with, and there are few stories in human history with as many retellings and reimaginings as the epic tale of Romeo and Juliet. Nicola Vaccai wrote this 1825 opera based not on the Elizabethan play, but on the source materials from which Shakespeare drew. Here, the Montagues and Capulets are not merely feuding families, but armies waging war as a part
Ep. 123 Mozart's Idomeneo
Trying desperately to return home alive from the Trojan War, King Idomeneo makes a terrible promise to the sea god from the deck of his storm-ravaged ship. The consequence of his promise is worse than he could imagine, and only after many twists does he achingly find his way to peace. The emotional depth of the characters of Idomeneo gives Mozart ample opportunity to demonstrate his compositiona
Ep. 122 Zoroastre by Jean-Philippe Rameau
It’s a battle for the fate of the universe as the Dark Side plots, schemes, and fights to gain dominance over the Light Side.
Though this opera predates Mozart’s The Magic Flute by several decades, you may find echoes here of Mozart’s beloved work, as it is also heavily influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment and the principles of Freemasonry. Jean-Philippe Rameau was the pre-eminent Frenc
Ep. 121 Mozart's Die Zauberflöte
Die Zauberflöte (“The Magic Flute”) is, by any measure, one of the most popular, successful, and well-known operas ever written, delighting adults and children alike. Yet experiencing Mozart’s The Magic Flute has left countless opera-goers reflecting contentedly on the sumptuous musical feast, but scratching their heads over the plot and characters. With the help of conductor Ben Manis, Opera fo
Ep. 120 Gounod's Roméo et Juliette
Of all the love stories ever told, none quite compare to the enduring power of Romeo and Juliet.
Over four centuries ago, English playwright William Shakespeare crafted a timeless story harnessing both the powers of profound love and deep hatred, and his tale of “star-crossed lovers” has become an inspiration to countless artists. Two and a half centuries later, French composer Charles Gounod and
Ep. 119 Zoraida di Granata by Donizetti
An unscrupulous king pressures a woman to marry him. She resists, knowing her heart belongs to the man who truly loves her, the chief general in the king’s army. Into this love-triangle, toss in a scheming underling of the king, a sympathetic maid of the woman, a devoted best friend of the general, and you have all the ingredients for a gripping story. Enhance the whole tale with a magnificent s
OFE Presents a Brief Conversation with KHOL's Executive Director
KHOL in Jackson WY is Opera for Everyone’s home radio station, and Wyoming’s only community radio station. If you have ever wanted to support Opera for Everyone, please consider supporting KHOL at 891KHOL.org/donate.
June 15 marks the beginning of KHOL’s summer membership drive.
Thank you everyone!
Ep. 118 A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” Shakespeare’s iconic "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" gives us some of the Bard’s most memorable (and ridiculous) characters and situations. Benjamin Britten, together with his partner Peter Pears, so appreciated the merits of Shakespeare’s play that they faithfully adapted the script into a libretto for Britten’s 1960 opera of the same name.
The good-n
Ep. 117 The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell
Was it only a dream?
Baroque composer Henry Purcell was on his way to establishing a national operatic tradition based on the dramatic and musical traditions of the English, when, alas, his life was cut short after just 36 years. Join us as we explore Purcell’s musically and emotionally rich “The Fairy Queen,” a delightful twist on the Bard’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Shakespeare was content t
Ep. 116 Verdi's La Forza del Destino & Lisa Reagan's What We Need Is Here
Where passion joins with music and poetry we find opera. In this sweet spot, we also find What We Need Is Here, the most recent project by accomplished musician and singer, Lisa Reagan. Lisa joins us to talk about creating an album of songs for classic poems that have been meaningful to her life.
Lisa Reagan spent twenty years singing with the Washington National Opera and her first performance th
Ep. 115 Berg's Lulu & Erica Miner's Prelude to Murder
Two things never go out of fashion: opera and mystery. In this episode, mystery writer and former opera violinist Erica Miner talks with us about her opera mystery series and Lulu, Berg’s high-body-count melodrama. Lulu, which features prominently in Erica’s new novel, centers on a beautiful young woman whose admirers descend into obsession. Join us for a fascinating discussion of the nuts and
Ep. 114 Amahl and the Night Visitors
In Amahl and the Night Visitors, a young boy and his mother unexpectedly play host to the Magi on their way to meet the infant Jesus. Originally written for television, this opera uniquely bridges the ancient and modern in a heartfelt exploration of the meaning of hospitality.
In the second half of this episode, we are joined by Grant to talk about the role of Epiphany in the Christmas story, and
Ep. 113 L’Italiana in Algeri by Rossini
By turns funny, serious, and seriously funny, L’Italiana in Algeri is a fascinating assembly of romantic tropes: a spurned wife, a shipwrecked lover, a pirate king, and a daring escape. At the same time, it deals with serious themes of agency, power, and silence. Set in a world that is both alien and familiar, this opera has something to say to all of us.
Guest co-host Emily Cohen, executive dir
Ep. 112 The Egyptian Helen by Richard Strauss
“The face that launched a thousand ships.”
Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, has a problem. Her husband plans to kill her, but she just wants him to fall in love with her again. She may just need a miracle to pull it off, but if anyone can do it, she can. Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal aimed for a light and comic operetta with Die Ägyptische Helena, but delivered
Ep. 111 Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
One of the top ten most-performed operas in the world, Puccini’s Tosca is considered by some the greatest of operas. A painter provides refuge for an escaped political prisoner, which begins a chain of events that starts with petty jealousy and ends in a death leap. Things spiral further and further out of control in this epic confrontation of tyranny and passion, set in the tempestuous era of t
Ep. 110 Das Liebesverbot by Wagner
Richard Wagner’s style is one of the most distinctive and recognizable in all of opera. But Wagner wasn’t always the Wagner we’ve come to know. The earliest of Wagner’s operas to be performed in his lifetime was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Das Liebesverbot, where he is still developing his craft and working on his relationship to German opera. The result is an opera whic
Ep. 109 Die Frau Ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss
At once a sweeping story about humanity and a deeply personal look at a married couple with unfulfilled aspirations, Die Frau Ohne Schatten is often considered the magnum opus of the famed partnership between composer Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Moving between lofty, other-worldly, and gritty settings, this opera simultaneously puzzles and inspires audiences. Being huma
Ep. 108 Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti
One of history’s most infamous women, Lucrezia Borgia has inspired artists, dramatists, and TV show writers for centuries. Donizetti’s opera follows the play by Victor Hugo, telling of Lucrezia’s effort to find the kind of love that might change her life. However, it isn’t easy being a powerful woman in Renaissance Italy. Gaetano Donizetti, a prolific composer in the Bel Canto style, gives us a
Ep. 107 Macbeth by Verdi
“Double, double toil and trouble.”
Composer Giuseppi Verdi enthusiastically declared that Shakespeare’s Macbeth “is one of the greatest creations of man!” Harnessing this passionate admiration, he went on to craft the first of his three completed operas based on Shakespeare plays. Verdi’s Macbeth is full of powerful choral pieces, arias from a royal couple lurching toward self-destruction, and
Ep. 106 Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Handel
One of the world’s most formidable generals and one of history’s most beguiling politicians are joined by two frustrated young men and an irresistible widow in Handel’s Baroque masterpiece, Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Join Pat, Kathleen, and Grant for a journey through history, literature, and myth in exploring the influences and meaning of this enduring opera.
For more cultural and arts commentar
Ep. 105 The Marriage of Figaro and Elly Uncomposed with Valerie Niemerg
One of the world’s most beloved operas, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, is not only the focus of this episode, but also the inspiration for Elly Uncomposed: A Novel Opera, a magical realist novel by author and retired opera singer, Valerie Niemerg. Like the opera Figaro, some truly serious and important topics are addressed in Elly Uncomposed, but with a charmingly comical touch.
Join Valerie and P
Ep. 104 Nabucco by Verdi
A people yearns for freedom. The power of their prayers, set to Verdi’s incomparable music, have stirred audiences ever since the première of Nabucco in 1842. The impact of this opera may relate to Verdi’s own struggle to overcome personal tragedies preceding the composition the music. It also resonates with the passions of the Italian people of his day, and their desire to free themselves from
Ep. 46 Remastered: Handel’s Messiah OFE Holiday Special
Handel’s beloved Messiah, known for its thrilling Hallelujah Chorus, is a long-standing favorite during the Christmas season. Neither an opera, nor Christmas music, this English-language oratorio was composed for the Easter Season and premièred in Dublin in 1842. The magnificent text was crafted from the King James Bible by Handel’s friend, Charles Jennens. Join Pat and Grant for their newly re
Ep. 103 OFE Presents Opera Mysteries with Erica Miner
Have you ever asked what might be going on backstage at an opera house? Or wondered about what secrets hide behind those glittering stages? Drawing on 21 years as a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera, Erica Miner guides her readers through a dramatized version of the opera world in her mystery novel, Aria for Murder, the first in the “Julia Kogan Opera Mystery” series. Join Pat for a conversati
Ep. 102 Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II
Glittering and gloriously tuneful, Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”) is the most enduring operetta of Vienna’s famous “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss II. Its plot features revenge, infidelity, disguised identities, and a glamorous ball at its center, given by a wealthy host who requires his guests to keep the party lively. Toasting “King Champagne,” the characters of this “spirited” operetta recognize the
Ep. 101 Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi
Masks, both literal and figurative, abound in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, “A Masked Ball.” Conspirators feign support of a leader they despise. A noblewoman must veil both her face and her feelings from her husband. The governor must put on a disguise to understand his subjects, and his beloved. The governor’s chief councilor dons a mask to take murderous revenge on him for an imagined betra
Ep. 100 Oedipus Rex and Persephone by Stravinsky
A beloved king becomes reviled by his family and his people as previously hidden dark deeds come to light. A young woman loses her innocence and freedom through the machinations of the lord of the underworld. The timeless ancient Greek stories of King Oedipus and Persephone captured the imagination of Igor Stravinsky, a composer unafraid to present drama in new and unexpected formats. Join Oper
Ep. 99 Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria by Monteverdi
There is no secular story nearly so important to the Western tradition as the Odyssey, a timeless tale of heroism, achievement, and loss. The subject matter of this epic poem has found its way into many works of art, and likely the earliest opera adaptation was Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, first performed in 1639 in the city of Venice. Monteverdi’s opera tells one of the oldest re
Ep. 98 La Donna del Lago by Rossini
We all know that feeling when we want to marry one rebel leader, but our father wants us to marry the chief rebel leader, but then one day a wandering king disguised as a huntsman starts chatting us up on the moors. With this timeless and relatable set-up (based on a poem by Sir Walter Scott that is credited with starting the Scottish Romantic movement) Rossini crafts an opera that blends romance
Ep. 97 OFE Meets Maestro Joseph Rescigno, ft Ariadne auf Naxos by Strauss
Meet Maestro Joseph Rescigno–gentleman, author, and opera conductor extraordinaire. The Maestro joins OFE for this wide-ranging discussion of the how, what, and why of conducting opera. Drawing on material from his book, Conducting Opera: Where Theater Meets Music, and a lifetime of conducting opera around the world, Maestro Rescigno brings a unique perspective to the theory and practice of oper
Ep. 96 The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček
Leos Janacek’s opera about a clever little fox living in the worlds of both animals and humans has many of the charming and amusing elements expected of traditional children’s stories. However, don’t let this Cunning Little Vixen fool you. Her story, and the story of the forester who pursues her, are richly layered with issues that may glide over the heads of young opera-goers while leaving the
Ep. 95 Béatrice et Bénédict by Berlioz
Beatrice and Benedick often steal the show in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with their sharp-tongued banter, and a romance that is as unlikely as it is inevitable. Composer Hector Berlioz was captivated by these characters, and turned their story into an operatic romantic comedy in his final completed opera, Béatrice et Bénédict. As the music soars and sparkles, join us for this “merry wa
Ep. 94 Opera For Everyone Meets United Arts Studies
What does Salvador Dali have in common with opera? Listen to this episode to find out!
This episode features special guests soprano Elizaveta Ulakhovich and baritone Perry Sook talking about their work and lives as an operatic couple. Their newest project is a YouTube series that connects their love of opera and their exploration of the visual arts. Join us for a unique episode featuring romanc
Ep. 93 Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss
All things must come to an end, but few approach endings with such grace as Marschallin Marie-Therese, the iconic character of Der Rosenkavalier. At once epic and intimate in scope, Strauss’s masterwork resists characterization, at various points telling the story of the end of a romance, the end of adolescence, and the end of an empire. Published on the eve of the First World War, this opera ma
Ep. 92 Cox and Box & Pirates of Penzance by Sullivan and Gilbert
Riding high on the tide of their smash success, H.M.S. Pinafore, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan enjoyed celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. While engaged in defending the integrity of their work against inferior pirated versions, they hastily completed and premiered a show about a group of inferior pirates. Pirates of Penzance is almost certainly Gilbert and Sullivan’s most enduringly pop
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Ep. 91 Guillaume Tell by Rossini [EXTENDED VERSION]
This extended version of our William Tell show includes everything from the regular length show, plus more history, more music, more explication, and more fun!
Imperial soldiers, determined rebels, a martyred elder, a plucky youth, a noble princess, a cruel oppressor… it’s not Star Wars; it’s Rossini’s final opera, William Tell! First performed in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Era and inspired
Ep. 91 Guillaume Tell by Rossini
Imperial soldiers, determined rebels, a martyred elder, a plucky youth, a noble princess, a cruel oppressor… it’s not Star Wars; it’s Rossini’s final opera, William Tell! First performed in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Era and inspired by much earlier legends of a medieval Swiss folk hero, this opera is a masterwork of everything we love about opera. It tells a story that is at once personal,
Ep. 90 Benvenuto Cellini by Berlioz
An adventurous Renaissance artist’s action-packed autobiography provided compelling inspiration for Hector Berlioz’s first completed opera, Benvenuto Cellini. Berlioz strongly identified with the notorious Cellini, seeing in him a mirror of his own bravado, skill, and passion… and uses this identification to add to the story. The result is a relentlessly entertaining opera that is by turns comic
Ep. 89 Trial by Jury and H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan
How do you get from The Opera to The Musical? Any answer to that question would have to include the powerhouse Victorian English duo of Gilbert and Sullivan and their ground-breaking form of “light opera.” Hilarious, cheerful, and energetic, they innovated both in opera and satirical comedy. Not only were they beloved by theater-goers of the late nineteenth century, they remain popular to this
Ep. 88 Susannah by Carlisle Floyd
Although only included in some versions of the biblical book of Daniel, the story of “Susanna and the Elders” has long been a favorite artistic subject thanks to its risqué content and virtuous heroine, Susanna. Inspired by this story of lechery, slander, and condemnation, American composer Carlisle Floyd wrote Susannah, a poignant opera about the consequences of people’s judgement of one another
Ep. 87 Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy
A beautiful young woman with long golden hair; a charming young prince who lives in a castle in the fantastic land of Allemonde… While these may be the ingredients for a classic fairy-tale, this story subverts all expectations. First performed in the opening decade of the twentieth century, Pelléas et Mélisande is the only opera ever completed by the famed composer Claude Debussy. Based on a sym
Ep. 86 Orpheus In The Underworld By Offenbach
It’s not just modern interpreters who poke fun at distinguished personages of the mythic past. In the mid-nineteenth century, Jacques Offenbach turned the Orpehus and Euridice story on its head in his smash-hit, Orpheus in the Underworld. This work, in addition to giving us the infamous “Can-Can,” started an international craze for toe-tapping, fun-loving operettas. Join us for raucous fun with
Ep. 85 L'Orfeo By Monteverdi
In the palace of the Duke of Mantua in 1607, composer Claudio Monteverdi presented a ground-breaking “musical fable” to a select group. The music may sound Medieval to our ears, but it was truly modern at the time, and proved itself an early Baroque masterpiece. Four centuries later, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is still in the repertoire, tugging on the heartstrings of the audience members who long to
Ep. 84 L'Enfance Du Christ By Berlioz
Join Opera for Everyone this holiday season as we explore Hector Berlioz’s unusual take on the Christmas story, L’Enfance du Christ. Instead of telling the familiar story culminating in the adoration of the newborn babe, Berlioz composed both music and text to begin with the immediate challenges that followed the birth of the son who had just arrived into the family of Mary and Joseph. We hope y
Ep. 83 The Merry Widow By Franz Lehar
In Franz Lehar's operetta The Merry Widow, the men cheerfully complain "the study of women is hard," and the women dance circles around them! Premiered in the early twentieth century, The Merry Widow was an international sensation on an unprecedented scale. Its songs were widely distributed, its action adapted into films, and its costumes imitated widely in department stores. Come for the music
Ep. 82 Hamlet By Ambroise Thomas
To thine own self be true… with the source material, however, you can be more flexible. In the mid-19th century, Ambroise Thomas created a Grand Opera that took on what many consider the greatest play ever written. Travel through a familiar story made all new by a romantic focus and a twist ending! Who will live? Who will die? Who will get herself to a nunnery?
Hosted by Pat and Kathleen Van
Ep. 81 OFE Presents Starting Them Young With Rosie Brooks
The young ones in your life may not be ready to sit through the entire Ring Cycle, but we can assure you that the world of opera has many delights available to them. On this episode Keely and Pat are joined by special guest, illustrator and opera aficionado Rosie Brooks. Rosie has combined these two passions, and has been drawing the stories of operas for a children’s book she is in the process o
Ep. 80 The Makropulos Case By Janáček
A beautiful diva arrives just in time to shed new light on an inheritance case that is a century old. She doesn’t behave like other women, and somehow she knows exactly where to locate the will that has eluded searchers for generations. The mystery grows more perplexing and incomprehensible, as the characters grow ever more extreme in their behaviors. The Makropulos Case by Leoš Janáček is a taut
Ep. 79 Mefistofele By Arrigo Boito
The Devil takes center stage in this opera based on the Faust story: a timeless tale of the seductive nature of evil and the redemptive promise of grace. Known primarily for his many successful libretti, Arrigo Boito gave his full poetic, philosophical, and musical talents to this, his only complete opera. This is the third in a series of Opera For Everyone podcasts featuring operas based on Goet
Ep. 78 Faust By Charles Gounod
A deal with the Devil; a Faustian bargain. When an elderly scholar prays to the Devil in desperation, he learns that it might not be wise to let the Devil answer his prayers. Faust gains only transitory pleasures but causes the pitiful downfall of a naive young woman. This story takes a close look at the relationship between that woman and the scholar. Composer Charles Gounod’s take on the Goe
Ep. 77 Rusalka By Dvorak
A beautiful woman encounters a handsome prince near her home. She cannot tell the prince that she loves him, but her passion is so powerful that she chooses to give up her family and voice in order to appear to him and win his love. His wavering commitment, however, dooms them both. Antonin Dvorak’s opera Rusalka soars with vibrant music and invites us to ponder what makes us human.
Hosted by Ke
Ep. 76 La Damnation De Faust By Berlioz
Faust, an aging scholar, despairs that the world holds no further interest for him. But the crafty devil Mephistopheles appears and invites Faust to pleasures not found in his books. Of course, it is never wise to make a deal with the Devil. The epic tale of the downfall of Faust and the innocent woman he drags with him is sublimely illustrated by Hector Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust.
Hosted b
Ep.75 I Capuleti e I Montecchi By Bellini
These are not Shakespeare’s Montagues and Capulets! Based on the original medieval Italian source material, Bellini’s take on the star-crossed lovers portrays Romeo as a young man who knows his mind and leads an army. Juliet loves Romeo deeply, but must contend with both external and internal impediments to realizing any happiness with her beloved. Join us for the soaring Bel Canto version of t
Ep. 74 Werther By Massenet
Young Werther is the embodiment of Romanticism. He swoons for nature, sighs for love, and marvels at the innocence of childhood. These impulses, however, can turn dark when his desires are thwarted. A sensation when it was published, Goethe’s story of a young poet in love, captured the imagination of a generation. Massenet’s riveting opera takes us into the world of a sensitive poet and the ob
Ep. 73 Le Comte Ory By Rossini
Rossini’s witty and urbane Le Comte Ory is a comic opera full of mirth and ridiculous disguises. Meet the randy Comte Ory and his merry band of singing knights. While the decent men of the castle are away in the Holy Land, the Comte plays the part of a hermit, a female pilgrim... anything to cozy up to the lovely Countess Adele. Though his plans are foiled, we suspect the Comte will repeat his
Ep. 72 Salome By Strauss
When a young princess's depraved stepfather asks her to dance, she sees a way to satisfy her lust for the imprisoned John (the Baptist). Based on an Oscar Wilde play dramatizing a biblical story, the opera Salome was shocking and enticing for audiences, and a critical success for composer Richard Strauss early in his career.
Hosted by Pat, Grant & new guest co-host, Jocelyn
Ep. 71.5 OFE Presents Songs Of Triumph And Celebration
In the last of a series of five special episodes, Keely and Pat play some of opera’s great works around a theme of triumph and celebration. Get ready to humm, sing, and dance along to these heart-pumping pieces!
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