OPERAWISE: OPÉRA COMIQUE

OPERAWISE: OPÉRA COMIQUE

Author: Seattle Opera April 29, 2020 Duration: 18:19

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Opéra comique, a native French form of lower-brow musical theater, features spoken dialogue, catchy tunes with easy-to-sing refrains, and middle-class values. Many of the opéra-comiques still performed today (including Carmen, The Daughter of the Regiment, and Beatrice and Benedict, as well as opéra-comique derivatives such as Faust and The Tales of Hoffmann) deal, sentimentally or ironically, with a way of life and a value system which now belongs mostly to ancient history.

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from Seattle Opera recordings of Carmen, 2019, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti; Beatrice and Benedict, 2018, conducted by Ludovic Morlot; Les contes d'Hoffmann, 2014, conducted by Yves Abel and starring Leah Partridge, Alfred Walker, and Tichina Vaughn; La fille du régiment starring Spiro Malas, Monica Sinclair, Joan Sutherland, and Luciano Pavarotti and conducted by Richard Bonynge (Decca 1967); Richard Coeur de Lion starring Michel Trempont and conducted by Edgard Doneux (EMI Classics 1956); and Faust, starring Victoria de los Angeles and Boris Christoff, conducted by André Cluytens (EMI 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
MACBETH Intermission Chat with GORDON HAWKINS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:39
Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with baritone Gordon Hawkins as an intermission feature for "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM." In addition to discussing Macbeth and several of his other grea…
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE Intermission Chat with SPEIGHT JENKINS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:54
Seattle Opera's current General Director, Christina Scheppelmann, chatted with Speight Jenkins, who led the company for three decades, from 1983 through 2014. Speight is a legend in the world of opera, and as you'll hear…
NORMA Intermission Chat with JANE EAGLEN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:19
Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with soprano Jane Eaglen as an intermission feature for "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM." Eaglen remembers the dramatic circumstances of her Seattle debut, a…
RUSALKA Intermission Chat with PHIL KELSEY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:29
Phil Kelsey, Seattle Opera's Assistant Conductor, remembered the fantastic fall 1990 Seattle Opera premiere of Rusalka during an intermission chat with Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Kelsey, who had musically prepared several…
Intermission Chat with BALLARD OPERA MAN (aka STEPHEN WALL) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:56
Stephen Wall has sung with Seattle Opera for almost 40 seasons...but this season has brought him additional fame, as "Ballard Opera Man," offering regular outdoor recitals for his neighbors (with room for them to maintai…
NABUCCO Intermission Chat with GORDON HAWKINS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:10
Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with baritone Gordon Hawkins as an intermission feature for "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM." Between Acts 2 and 3 of NABUCCO, Hawkins, who has sung almost a…
VOICEWISE Podcast: The Chorus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:58
Many of opera's greatest and most overwhelming moments happen thanks to the chorus. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces many of the typical functions of the opera chorus, such as saluting a leader, singing i…
VOICEWISE Podcast: Basses and Bass-Baritones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:31
Come down to the bassment and enjoy the deep sound of the bass and bass-baritone voices with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Basses play dads, priests, kings, old bearded guys, God, and the Devil; they get to be e…
VOICEWISE Podcast: Baritones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:03
Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the baritone voice, a sound which celebrates the beauty and power of masculinity. In opera, baritones play clowns and kings, urban sophisticates and unlettered innocents;…
MADAMA BUTTERFLY Intermission Chat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:31
Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with Marketing Director Kristina Murti about the 2017 production of Madama Butterfly as an intermission feature for "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM." They di…