OPERAWISE: MUSIC DRAMA

OPERAWISE: MUSIC DRAMA

Author: Seattle Opera April 8, 2020 Duration: 18:57

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Music Drama was the personal solution to the problems of presenting opera in nineteenth-century Europe developed by composer/librettist Richard Wagner, opera's ultimate mad genius. These long, loud, big works challenge artists, audiences, and the art form itself. Their complex music and unique spins on old stories continue to attract, repel, and provoke all who encounter them. Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (1865) serves as an example of the genre, as does the Richard Strauss opera Elektra (1909).

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from Seattle Opera productions of Lohengrin 1994, conducted by Hermann Michael; Parsifal 2003, conducted by Asher Fisch and starring Stephen Milling; Die Walküre, conducted by Robert Spano, 2005 (starring Jane Eaglen) and 2009; Siegfried, 2013, conducted by Asher Fisch; and Tristan und Isolde (1998, conducted by Armin Jordan and starring Jane Eaglen and Ben Heppner; 2010, conducted by Asher Fisch; opening and English horn solo from the 1966 Bayreuth Festival recording conducted by Karl Böhm; conclusion of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karajan (Deutsche Gramophon 1977); Elektra, Astrid Varnay and Leonie Rysanek with the orchestra of West German Radio conducted by Richard Kraus (Melodram 1953).

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!


Ever wondered how a grand opera production comes together, or what it feels like to stand in the wings just before the curtain rises? The Seattle Opera Podcast pulls back the velvet curtain on this intricate world. From the company that has been a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest arts scene since 1963, this series offers a genuine backstage pass. You’ll hear directly from the singers, conductors, directors, and designers who bring these powerful stories to life, discussing everything from vocal technique and set construction to the emotional core of a character. Episodes might delve into a beloved European classic one week and a groundbreaking new American work the next, reflecting the company’s dynamic repertoire. This isn't just a lecture about music and drama; it's an immersive audio experience where you can listen to artists explain their craft, hear snippets of rehearsals, and gain a deeper appreciation for opera as a living, collaborative art form. Tune in to this podcast for conversations that are as passionate and detailed as the productions themselves, all brought to you directly from the heart of Seattle's opera community.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 131

Seattle Opera Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Seattle Opera Celebrates ARTHUR WOODLEY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:24
At Seattle Opera we had the great good fortune to work with the late great bass Arthur Woodley many times over 25 years. In this podcast, which will also air on KING FM during the intermission of BORIS GODUNOV on January…
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS Intermission Chat with FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:16
Francesca Zambello recalled the extraordinary adventure of making an opera from the literary world of the great Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez during an intermission chat with Christina Scheppelmann. Zambello, G…
GIULIO CESARE Intermission Chat with DONALD BYRD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:38
Donald Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater, has choreographed several productions for Seattle Opera over the years. Just before the pandemic began he made valuable choreographic contributions to CHARLIE PAR…
ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE Intermission Chat with VINSON COLE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:27
Vinson Cole decided to be an opera singer when he was 9 years old. Beginning in 1988, with his spectacular debut as Gluck's Orphée (Seattle Opera's first-ever Baroque opera and first-ever modern dress production) the ten…
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Intermission Chat with JANE EAGLEN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:17
Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with soprano Jane Eaglen when "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM" played TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, a 1998 production that featured role debuts for both Eaglen (as Iso…
FALSTAFF Intermission Chat with PETER KAZARAS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:45
Peter Kazaras has been a mainstay of Seattle Opera since his 1985 debut onstage singing the role of Steva in JENŮFA. His debut as a stage director came in 2003. As Artistic Director of Seattle Opera's Young Artists Progr…
LAKMÉ Intermission Chat with VISWA SUBBARAMAN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:28
Viswa Subbaraman will make his Seattle Opera debut next spring conducting FLIGHT. This young American conductor discussed Lakmé, and the operatic tradition of "exoticism"—European artworks using images of non-European pl…
OTELLO Intermission Chat with NAOMI ANDRÉ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:48
University of Michigan professor Naomi André is also Seattle Opera's Scholar-in-Residence. For an intermission feature on "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM," she discussed Verdi's OTELLO and its 1967 premiere at Seattle…
ANNA BOLENA Intermission Chat with CARLO MONTANARO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:58
Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro was in Seattle, working on our fall video version of THE ELIXIR OF LOVE, when he chatted with Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann about Donizetti for an intermission fe…