Ep. 110 Das Liebesverbot by Wagner

Ep. 110 Das Liebesverbot by Wagner

Author: Opera for Everyone August 1, 2023 Duration: 2:04:06

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.


There’s a particular kind of magic that happens when the curtain rises, but you don’t need a ticket to experience it. Opera For Everyone is a conversation that pulls back the velvet rope, hosted by Pat Wright. It grew from her lively talks with Keely Herron after seeing performances together, sparking a mission to make this grand art form feel like a shared discovery rather than a distant spectacle. Each episode invites a guest co-host into the mix, where the focus is on connection-breaking down stories, history, and the sheer power of the human voice without relying on jargon or pretense. You’ll hear the music itself, of course, those moments where everything soars, but you’ll also find plenty of epiphanies and genuine hilarity along the way. It’s a reminder that opera is about raw emotion and dramatic storytelling, elements that resonate with anyone. Originally broadcast on 89.1 KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming, this radio show found its second life as a podcast, allowing these accessible and enjoyable discussions to reach listeners anywhere, anytime. Tune in and you might just find yourself swept up in a world you thought was meant for someone else.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 139

Opera For Everyone
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 72 Salome By Strauss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:58:56
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 sho…
Ep. 71.5 OFE Presents Songs Of Triumph And Celebration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:03
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!
Ep. 71.4 OFE Presents Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
The fourth in a series of five special episodes takes a close look at Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. This powerfully dramatic work was partly inspired by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony... and partly by one particularly tumul…
Ep. 71.3 OFE Presents Symphonie Fantastique By Berlioz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:58
The third in a series of five special episodes explores Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Berlioz uses this symphony to illustrate episodes in “the life of an artist.” Autobiography, soaring imagination, and quintessentia…
Ep. 71.1 OFE Presents Rossini Overtures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
This first in a series of five special OFE episodes explores overtures by Rossini. He was such a master of the form, that he set the standard and spawned countless imitators. Among them, Rossini himself, who used one par…
Ep. 70 Don Carlos By Verdi [Extended Version] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:13:48
This extended version of our Don Carlos show includes everything from the regular length show, plus a little more music and a lot more history! Don Carlos, son of King Philip II of Spain, is bethrothed to the daughter of…
Ep. 70 Don Carlos By Verdi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57:36
Don Carlos, son of King Philip II of Spain, is bethrothed to the daughter of the King of France. In this romantic portrayal of history, they fall in love at first sight, but their happiness is dashed when Philip II decid…
Ep. 69 Agrippina By Handel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:03:54
An ambitious mother, a pliable son, amorous courtiers, a headstrong emperor, a quick-witted lady, and an upstanding army commander. All historical figures from first century Rome, these are the characters who scheme, int…
Ep. 68 Lucia Di Lammermoor By Donizetti [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:21
A young woman falls in love with a handsome young man who saves her from a wild beast. This Bel Canto classic is not, however, a simple love story. Based on the Walter Scott novel The Bride of Lammermoor, this opera puts…
Ep. 67 Kâta Kabanová By Janáček [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:22
The torment and passion of a young wife living in a small town on the Volga River inspire exquisitely lush music from the incomparable Czech composer Leoš Janáček. Káta Kabanová dreams of soaring like a bird, but falls t…