Opera For Everyone

Opera for Everyone
  • 4,6 (5)
  • ARTES ESCÉNICAS
  • BIMESTRAL

Opera for Everyone is a radio show and podcast that makes opera understandable, accessible, and enjoyable for all. Pat Wright hosts the show, inviting guest co-hosts to participate in the mission she and Keely Herron developed after lively discussions of operas they had enjoyed seeing together. Music soars. Epiphanies abound. Hilarity ensues. The show airs Sundays from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. on 89.1 KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming. Cover artwork by illustrator Rosie Brooks (www.rosiebrooks.com)

  1. HACE 2 D

    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 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.

    1 h 58 min

  2. 12 ENE

    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 soaring music, but this opera is less concerned with romance than the fortunes of a leader trying to accumulate power in order to bring peace and equality to his people.   Hosted by Pat, Kathleen, and Grant   For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

    2 h 4 min

  3. 14/12/2025

    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 subject of today’s episode.  Join Pat and guest Maria Coulter for a conversation about this opera, which is as atypical as it was popular. A classically trained soprano, Maria is able to provide special insights, having performed the role of Lucy Brown in 2022.

    1 h 60 min

  4. 16/11/2025

    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 child protagonist wrestles with his powerlessness and power, responsibility and dependence, piteousness and pity.  Join host Pat with Erica Miner, the mystery writer, lecturer and former Met Opera violinist, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of French composer Maurice Ravel on this episode of Opera for Everyone. For more on Erica Miner, visit ericaminer.com

    1 h 57 min

  5. 05/10/2025

    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 Stravinsky, powerful supernatural elements are key to the drama, but the characters–archetypal in many respects–become believable individuals given full life by Stravinsky’s shimmering, evocative, and powerful music. Hosted by Pat and Kathleen For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

    1 h 58 min

  6. 08/09/2025

    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 triumph, and driven out in disgrace.  King Arthur takes place not in Camelot, but in a world of clashing cultures and ideals.  Arthur finds his Britons beset by Saxon invaders, but after his victory, he is able to lead as both peoples transition from fighting one another, to become a stronger people together. Join us for a close look at this fascinating work or art, and enjoy (in English, of course!) Dryden’s poetry and Purcell’s rich and tuneful music. Hosted by Pat with guest co-host Gerald Malone. Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, and “scuttlebutt” about opera from a suspiciously well-informed little dog. Gerald Malone is also the Opera Critic of ReactionLife, a UK-based online current affairs and cultural publication.

    1 h 58 min

  7. 10/08/2025

    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 strikes the princess Semele and her dreams are reduced to ashes. An “English opera” from the later career of Baroque master, George Frideric Handel, Semele teems with engaging arias as well as sumptuous choral pieces. Inspired by a tale told by Ovid, Handel and his librettist, William Congreve crafted a work of art that beguiles and entertains supremely. Hosted by Pat and Kathleen For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

    2 h 2 min

  8. 13/07/2025

    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 clash of the personal and political, Aida triumphs in her quest to be together “ever after” with Radamès, but certainly not in the way they had hoped.  Join us this episode to marvel at the spectacle and scale of Giuseppe Verdi’s enduringly popular epic opera, Aida. Hosted by Pat with guest co-host Gerald Malone. Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, and “scuttlebutt” about opera from a suspiciously well-informed canine. Gerald Malone is also the Opera Critic of ReactionLife, a UK-based online current affairs and cultural publication.

    1 h 59 min
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Valoraciones y reseñas

4,6
de 5
5 valoraciones

Información

Opera for Everyone is a radio show and podcast that makes opera understandable, accessible, and enjoyable for all. Pat Wright hosts the show, inviting guest co-hosts to participate in the mission she and Keely Herron developed after lively discussions of operas they had enjoyed seeing together. Music soars. Epiphanies abound. Hilarity ensues. The show airs Sundays from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. on 89.1 KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming. Cover artwork by illustrator Rosie Brooks (www.rosiebrooks.com)

Ficha técnica

  • Creado por
    Opera for Everyone
  • Años en activo
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodios
    138
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Derechos de autor
    © All rights reserved
  • Sitio web del podcast
    Opera For Everyone

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