Opera For Everyone

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 these “wreckers” of ships and a visit to the desolate region fired the imagination of composer Ethel Smyth, leading to the creation of The Wreckers, or Les Naufrageurs, as it was called in its original French.

For over one hundred years Ethel Smyth held the distinction of being the only female composer to have a work (Der Wald) performed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1903.  She is not as well-known today as many of her male contemporaries, though she was exceptionally well-regarded in her day.  Join Pat and guest co-host Gerald Malone in getting to know this fascinating and talented woman and one of her masterpieces.

Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, as well as “scuttlebutt” about opera from a surprisingly well-informed little dog.

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 is a fearsome warrior woman, whose skills rival those of Charlemagne’s famed paladins.  (Big trouble for Alcina!)

This story, like Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso (Ep. 130), is based on a 16th century epic that is so rich in dramatic detail and power that it has inspired countless works of art in myriad mediums.  Alcina is one of the three (!) operas by Handel based on this source material.  Join Pat and guest co-host Jeff Counts as we meet this enchanting woman and the characters who surround her.

Jeff Counts is the general manager of the Grand Teton Music Festival and KHOL’s film critic.

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 be heard and enjoyed, full of exquisite arias, duets, ensembles, choral numbers, and what may be opera’s most expeditious on-stage lead character death.

Hosted by Pat with co-host Grant

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 immensity of the sea and the intensity of life aboard the Pequod.

Joining Pat on this voyage is guest Candice M. Kelsey, educator, poet, and Melville enthusiast, who brings a literary lens to the opera’s adaptation. Batten down the hatches and sail with us into operatic waters where the whale is white, the questions are vast, and the music is epic.

For more on Candice Kelsey visit candicemkelseypoet.com

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 French Grand Opera, loosely based on a real historical figure who came to be known as “King of the New Jerusalem,” was a spectacular success.  However, for many reasons, not least of them the jealousy and resentment from composer Richard Wagner, Meyerbeer is not well-known today.  Nevertheless, his works offer many delights, as well as heart-rending drama.  Join host Pat, along with guest co-host Gerald Malone for a close look at Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète.

Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, as well as “scuttlebutt” about opera from a suspiciously well-informed little dog.