Opera For Everyone

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 to end his tale with ambiguity, and so must we content ourselves with what Purcell has given us, and not indulge in the fantasy of what might have been had he enjoyed additional years composing.

Hosted by Pat and Kathleen

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 there was in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, an opera of epic scope and dramatic extremes. Join Pat, Kathleen and Lisa for a close look at this powerful opera and the varieties of human experience it explores.

Hosted by Pat and Kathleen, with special guest Lisa Reagan

For more on Lisa Reagan and her album What We Need Is Here, visit lisareagan.com

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 bolts of opera, how it has informed Erica’s writings, and a close look at Berg’s masterpiece.

Erica Miner is the author of Prelude to Murder, the second book in the Julia Kogan Opera Mystery Series.  For more on Erica, visit ericaminer.com

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 enjoy some of the more beloved songs associated with the timeless story of the Magi.

Hosted by Pat and Kathleen.

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 director of Opera For Everyone’s home station KHOL, joins us for an opera in which she once performed!

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 a profound and dramatic work of art about the road to repairing broken relationships.

Hosted by Pat, Kathleen, and Grant

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 the Napoleonic Wars.  Join Pat and Greg for an in-depth discussion of the story and the power of this masterpiece.

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 which does not shy away from Italian styles. It even makes the villain of the piece the one German character among a multitude of Italians bumping up against the moral codes of their city, Palermo, Sicily!  Discover this infrequently performed opera with us, learning about how Wagner became Wagner… and experiencing a lively story of the conflict between personal morality and the enforcement of communal rules.

 Hosted by Pat and Kathleen

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 human, this opera tells us, is a messy business, but ultimately, the greatest pursuit and prize in all creation.

Hosted by Pat and Kathleen

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

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 an opera with a fascinating story, and, of course, “beautiful singing.”

Hosted by Pat, Kathleen, and Grant

For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.