PODCASTS
In order to help you better appreciate our operas, the Education and Outreach Department has developed a series of introductory podcasts hosted by Nick Reveles. These 15 to 20 minute ‘conversations’ can be enjoyed by opera fans as well as those who are new to the art form. Informal yet informative, this is a great way to prepare to come see the operas during our season.
To subscribe to our Podcast RSS feed through Libsyn.com please go to http://sandiegoopera.libsyn.com/rss.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
An Interview with Tenor, Stephen Costello
In past seasons tenor, Stephen Costello has appeared on the San Diego Opera stage in the serious roles of Faust and Romeo in Gounod's two masterworks. Opening January 26, he takes on comedy in the role of Tonio in The Daughter of the Regiment for the first time. In this interview Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education & Outreach, talks to Costello about his career and how he's approaching this challenging comic character.
Friday, January 04, 2013
Basses and Baritones in the 2013 Season
From Thomas Becket to Sergeant Sulpice, from Amonasro to the High Priest of Dagon, we have a parade of exciting lower voices coming to you this season. Watch and listen as Nicolas Reveles, The Geisel Director of Education & Outreach for San Diego Opera, reveals it all to you!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Some Random Thoughts on Opera
Taking a break from our series on voice-types for the 2013 Season, Dr. Nicolas Reveles, The Geisel Director of Education & Outreach for San Diego Opera, reflects on the meaning of opera, what it is about this art form that attracts us, why we go to the opera and what is the essence of it, what makes it 'tick'. You're invited to come along on a meditative journey about the artform that transforms us!
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
The Tenor in the 2013 Season
Tenors are considered by many audience members as the 'glories' of opera. What they do seems beautiful, athletic, stunning and unreasonable, all at once. Well, we have some wonderful tenor roles this upcoming season: Tonio in The Daughter of the Regiment, Samson in Samson and Delilah, and Radames in Aida. Tune in as Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach opens up the world of the operatic tenor in this week's installment.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Mezzo-Sopranos in our 2013 Season
There are two major mezzo-soprano roles in this upcoming opera season: Delilah in Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah and the Princess Amneris in Verdi's Aida. Both roles are major dramatic commitments for the mezzo that demand lyricism and declamatory singing. Let Nicolas Reveles, our Director of Education and Outreach, give you a quick review of these two roles!
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
The Sopranos of the 2013 Season
Starting today, a new series of podcasts about the various voice-types that you'll hear in the 2013 Season. Let's start with the sopranos; we have three stunning roles for soprano this season in Marie from The Daughter of the Regiment, the corifea or 'chorister' from Murder in the Cathedral and Aida in the Verdi opera of the same name. Let Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, introduce you to the lovely music written for soprano by composers Donizetti, Pizzetti and Verdi in this exciting podcast!
Monday, October 29, 2012
What is Mariachi?
As we look forward to the presentation of Cruzar la cara de la luna, the first mariachi opera, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at mariachi style and its history. This is an easy, brief introduction to the style that you may think you know (but probably really don't!) Watch and listen to Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, as he unfolds the style and history of mariachi for you.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Orchestra in the 2013 Season
The orchestra is a major element in the presentation of an opera, and is foremost in the establishment of setting, time, emotion, psychological state...creating the 'sonic environment' for the telling of a powerful story. Watch and listen as Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, shares some important orchestral moments from the upcoming 2013 Season!
Thursday, October 04, 2012
The Chorus in 2013
Every opera has a chorus. Well, not quite every opera: Cruzar la cara de la luna doesn't have an 'official' chorus, although the band (in this case the Mariachi Vargas) joins in enthusiastically with some of the singers in the opera! But Daughter of the Regiment, Murder in the Cathedral, Samson and Delilah and Aida definitely DO have choruses, and great ones at that! Join Dr. Nicolas Reveles as he shares some of that wonderful music with you!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Duet in the 2013 Season
Last week, arias: the solo 'songs' for singers in an opera. Today, duets: compositions or pieces for two singers in an opera. There are some stunning examples of duets this coming season, and Dr. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, gives you some examples for your listening (and educational!) pleasure.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Aria in the 2013 Season
In a series of video podcasts Nicolas Reveles, The Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, will cover various elements of the operatic artform in order to help us get to know the 2013 International Season. We'll start with the aria, that one thing in opera that so many of us wait for, especially in operas that we know well. What about in operas that we don't quite know as well, like Murder in the Cathedral or Cruzar la cara de la luna? Tune in and find out!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Aida: The Sound
Verdi's sound world for Aida conjures up the ancient environment of the story but never strays far from Italian opera at its grandest. Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education for San Diego Opera, gives you a brief summary of the special music carrying this story of a doomed love.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Aida: The Look
The wonderful thing about Aida this time around is that it will be sporting a new 'look': the costume and set designs of internationally renowned fashion designer, Zandra Rhodes. Nicolas Reveles, Education Director of San Diego Opera, gives you a preview.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Aida: The Story
Giuseppe Verdi's Aida is one of the best known repertory items in opera, but that doesn't mean that there aren't people out there who've never seen it! So here is a brief overview of the story which takes place in ancient Egypt during the time of the pharoahs. Education Director Nicolas Reveles takes you there!
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Murder in the Cathedral: The Sound
Although the story is English, influenced by English history and literature, the opera Murder in the Cathedral is Italian. It was written by Ildebrando Pizzetti and premiere at La Scala in 1958. And although the music is lyrical and quite approachable, it isn't your grandma's typical Italian opera! Listen to this brief overview of the music of this outstanding opera by Education Director Nicolas Reveles.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Murder in the Cathedral: The Look
San Diego Opera is building its own production of Murder in the Cathedral with sets designed by renowned designer Ralph Funicello. Get a brief preview of the look of Murder in this podcast by Education Director Nicolas Reveles.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Murder in the Cathedral: The Story
Based on the historical events surrounding the assassination of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury by knights loyal to Henry II, King of England in 1170, the opera follows the story rather closely. Watch and listen as Director of Education Nicolas Reveles takes you through a brief summary of the story of this brilliant opera.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Samson and Delilah: The Sound
Grand French Romanticism at its best! That's the finest description that we can think of when trying to capture the essence of the wonderful music in Camille Saint-Saens Samson and Delilah. Hear a few brief excerpts, introduced by Education Director Dr. Nicolas Reveles, in this "fly through" to discover some of the melodic charms in this great biblical drama.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Samson and Delilah: The Look
Back by popular demand is the spectacular production from San Francisco Opera that you may have seen a number of seasons back, with the realistic, glitzy and colorful sets and costumes that bring the story of this exciting opera to life. Join Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education, for a few minutes to take glimpse at what's in store for you when you come to see Samson and Delilah.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Samson and Delilah: The Story
Here's a brief synopsis of Camille Saint-Saens' biblically based opera Samson and Delilah from Director of Education Nicolas Reveles. This summary is perfect for those of you who don't have a lot of time on your hands to prepare for opening night. Enjoy!
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Daughter of the Regiment: The Sound
Enjoy this brief description of the sound (the music) that you'll encounter in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. For an overview of the 2013 operas with Education Director, Nicolas Reveles, start here!
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Daughter of the Regiment: The Look
Here's a brief glimpse of the look for our production of The Daughter of the Regiment by Donizetti which comes from the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. For an overview of our 2013 Season with Education Director, Nicolas Reveles, start here!
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Daughter of the Regiment: The Story
Here's the first of a brand new series of seriously (!) short podcasts on the story, the look and the music of Donizetti's comedy, The Daughter of the Regiment. For a quick overview of the 2013 operas from Education Director Nicolas Reveles, start here!
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Daughter of the Regiment: An Overview
Donizetti was a formidable composer in his time and was the toast of Paris in 1840 when he had four operas running simultaneously at the city's largest theatres. Sounds a bit like Andrew Lloyd Webber, eh? Join Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, for an overview of this charming opera which logged 1,000 performances between its premiere and 1900 at the Opera Comique!
Monday, July 09, 2012
Aida, An Overview
Verdi's Aida is certainly the best-known of the operas we're producing in the 2013 Season. But do we really know this opera all that well? Watch and listen as Nicolas Reveles, The Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, takes another look at this perennial favorite, an opera with great music, great spectacle and great drama.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Murder in the Cathedral: An Overview
Ildebrando Pizzetti is not a composer known to most U.S. operagoers, but his opera Murder in the Cathedral which premiered at La Scala in 1958, made quite a splash when it first appeared. Based on the historical assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 and more specifically the T.S. Eliot verse-play about this event, the opera turned out to be a tour de force for bass, along the lines of Boris Godunov and King Philip. Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, explores this unusual and exciting entry in our 2013 season.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Samson and Delilah: An Overview
Camille Saint-Saens took his time turning his idea for an opera on this biblical subject (originally conceived as an oratorio) into reality and had to have some encouragement from his friend Franz Liszt to bring it to the stage. Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, explains it all for you as we look forward to the return of this sumptuous, brilliant French opera.
Monday, April 23, 2012
2013 International Season Overview
Here it is...the summary video podcast of the 2013 Season! Dr. Nicolas Reveles tells it all, an exciting preview of our best season ever with Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Pizetti's Murder in the Cathedral, Verdi's Aida and the first mariachi opera ever written, Cruzar la cara de la luna (To cross the face of the moon) featuring Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan! An unbelievable season with extraordinary casts of singers and spectacular productions. Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Meeting Rosina: Mezzo-soprano Silvia Tro Santafe
The ultimate independent woman, the most level-headed character in all of opera buffa, is surely Rosina in The Barber of Seville. We have a wonderful Rossini "specialist" in Spanish mezzo-soprano Silvia Tro Santafe who has the personality and the voice (!) for this wonderful role. Listen to Nicolas Reveles' interview with this debut artist who gives us some insight into this brilliant comedy.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Meeting Almaviva: Tenor John Osborn
The tenor always gets the girl, and The Barber of Seville is no exception. But it takes some wrangling, disguises and subterfuge to finally get Count Almaviva and his beloved Rosina together. Tenor John Osborn is certainly up to the task, a Rossini 'specialist' who is just coming off of a series of critically acclaimed performances of the composer's Otello. Listen in as Nicolas Reveles interviews this talented singer about his career and about the role.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Shades of Magritte: Herb Kellner, Stage Director
Herb Kellner is directing our upcoming production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville in a production original conceived by John Copley, a longtime guest director here at San Diego Opera. The production is based on the images and motifs that occur in the work of the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte. Join Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, in a discussion of the Magritte influences on this Barber and its unique look.
Friday, April 06, 2012
Meeting Figaro: An Interview with Lucas Meachem
Our final installment of the 2012 Season is upon us: Rossini's The Barber of Seville. In a free-wheeling interview with Geisel Director of Education and Outreach Nicolas Reveles, baritone Lucas Meachem talks about his roots, his musical upbringing and his special take on the character of Figaro, the pivotal character in Barber who pulls all the strings and pushes all the plot points. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Meeting Don Pasquale: Bass, John Del Carlo
An old friend to the company, John Del Carlo has been involved with us since his days as a young artist in the mid-seventies. Tune in and hear his views on the basso buffo repertoire, his career and the role of Don Pasquale, a delightful conversation with Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Meeting Ernesto: Tenor Charles Castronovo
Tenor Charles Castronovo was last with us as Nadir in The Pearl Fishers. According to this interview, his voice has darkened and he's been taking on heavier, albeit still lyrical, roles like Romeo (Gounod). In a wide-ranging conversation with Education Director Nicolas Reveles, Castronovo describes the vocal challenges involved in taking on Ernesto in Don Pasquale. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Meet Danielle de Niese
In a fun, fast-paced interview, soprano Danielle de Niese talks about her career and her upcoming performances as Norina in Don Pasquale. Education Director Nicolas Reveles, as always, asks the right questions. Enjoy!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Meeting Starbuck: Baritone Morgan Smith
One of the stars of the opera Moby Dick is baritone Morgan Smith who portrays Captain Ahab's first mate, Starbuck. The characters' conflict is at the heart of the opera. In a wide-ranging interview with Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, the singer discusses his career and how the role of Starbuck came to him through an earlier work with composer, Jake Heggie.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
An Interview with Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer--AUDIO ONLY!
In this audio-only and very special podcast, we offer an interview with the creators of Moby Dick, composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. They reflect on their work together and on the sometimes daunting task of taking an 800 page book and simmering it down into a piece for musical theatre, a stirring opera that's been exciting audiences since its premiere in 2010. Listen in as Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, questions them about their stunning work.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Meeting Ahab: Tenor, Ben Heppner
We've waited a long, long time for this; but we finally have the great Canadian heldentenor Ben Heppner in our cast of Moby Dick, singing the role of Captain Ahab. In this interview with Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, the tenor talks about the creation of the role, its similarity to other roles he sings and the challenges of wearing a peg leg! Enjoy.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Meeting Queequeg: Bass-Baritone Jonathan Lemalu
Bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu has had a meteoric rise in the opera world. This singer from a Samoan family in New Zealand is a favorite with conductors and audiences because of his natural presence, friendliness and, of course, his sumptuous voice. In this interview with Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education and Outreach, Jon talks about his background, his training and the role of Queequeg which he debuted at the world premiere of Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick at Dallas Opera in 2010.
Friday, February 03, 2012
An Interview with Pip: Soprano Talise Trevigne
What's it like to be the only woman in a cast literally overrun with men? Find out as soprano Talise Trevigne, who graced our stage last season as Micaela in Carmen, speaks with Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach. Talise talks about the opera Moby-Dick, its overwhelming music and the challenges of taking on a 'pants' role as Pip, the cabin boy of Captain Ahab. Not incidentally, her big moment in this opera is sung from 30 feet in the air!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
An Interview with Herod: Tenor, Allan Glassman
Tenor Allan Glassman sings all the big lyric Italian roles, roles like Otello and Canio. He comes to San Diego to sing a role often given to 'character' tenors, that of King Herod in Strauss's Salome. What a difference a voice makes! In a role that is often more 'spoken' than sung, Glassman makes a very good point of actually singing the role and stressing its lyrical potential. Enjoy this interivew with Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, Nicolas Reveles.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
An Interview with Jochanaan: Bass-Baritone Greer Grimsley
Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley usually comes to town toting the role of a villain: Pizarro in Fidelio, Telramund in Lohengrin, Scarpia in Tosca, and last season, Mephistopheles in Faust. He returns this season as the one 'good guy', the shining light in Salome, Jochanaan (John the Baptist). In this interview with Nicolas Reveles, our Director of Education and Outreach, he talks about the role, the opera and his career. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
An Interview with Salome: Soprano Lise Lindstrom
Today we welcome back one of our favorite sopranos, Lise Lindstrom, who had such a great success last season as Turandot. In this interview with Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, she talks about her career, her recent debut at La Scala as the "ice princess" in Puccini's opera, and about the role of Salome. Enjoy!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Putting DON PASQUALE in Context
Continuing with our series on the historical/cultural contexts for our 2012 operas, Nicolas Reveles talks about Donizetti's brilliant comedy Don Pasquale, giving you an idea how old Italian theatrical traditions informed the plot and its characters, as well as how lots of current Hollywood and television properties still revere those old traditions. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Putting The Barber of Seville in Context
Continuing with our series (placing our 4 operas in historical and cultural context), here is a look at The Barber of Seville and its roots in the Italian commedia dell'arte tradition. Now that sounds pretty esoteric, right? But no, it has a lot to do with the plot and characters in the Rossini opera and, when you come to think about it, has a lot to do with what passes as nightly entertainment on our multitudinous television networks! (Think situation comedies!) Nicolas Reveles explains it all to you! Enjoy.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Putting MOBY-DICK in Context
Our series continues, putting the four opera productions of 2012 into a historical and cultural context. For the Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer opera Moby-Dick, the context is obvious: 19th century whaling and its influence on the writing of Herman Melville's epic novel which was first published in 1851. Let Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, explain it all to you!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Putting SALOME in Context
Beginning this week, we'll put all four of our opera productions for 2012 in context of both the eras in which they were originally produced as well as in context of the time and place of their stories. Salome, for instance, is set in first-century Galilee, but the opera has much more to say about the time during which it was written, at the turn of the 20th century. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, explains it all to you!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
How to Follow Salome: Leitmotivs and That Sort of Thing...
Dr. Nick explains it all to you: like most German operas written after the extraordinary career of Richard Wagner, Strauss used a leitmotiv system to unify his opera Salome. It's easy to follow and can be quite fun once you get your ears tuned to them. Watch listen and enjoy!
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Overtures, Preludes and 'Let's Get This Party Started'!
Think about it...different operas demand different beginnings. Composers from Handel to Heggie have come up with myriad ways to open their operas...with overtures, preludes or, quite frankly, almost nothing at all! San Diego Opera's 2012 Season offers an object lesson on this subject and shows that the variety of solutions is always fascinating. Watch and listen to Nicolas Reveles, the Education and Outreach Director of San Diego Opera, talk about these "opening statements".
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Going to the Opera: A Reality Check
Why go to the opera? Especially in this time of economic hardship, we want our entertainmet dollars to go a long way and opera is no exception: we who are passionate about it have no problem spending money on it. But we don't want to (nor are all of us capable) spend an arm and a leg on it. Watch Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach grapple with this issue and suggest ways to make it less expensive for true opera lovers!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
SALOME: On The Precipice
Richard Strauss's opera Salome was written during a cultural, artistic ferment that eventually gave way to the expressionism movement in Germany and Austria. Watch and listen to Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, illuminate for you the special sound-world of this unique opera!
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Using Your Ears at the Opera: Rosina in The Barber of Seville
Composers like Rossini wrote their operas for specific singers, often waiting until actual rehearsals to finish the music so that the arias and ensembles could be tailored to that singer's particular gifts. Such was the case for Rosina, the heroine in The Barber of Seville. Listen to Nicolas Reveles, The Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera talk about how important it is to match the personality of the VOICE with the personality of the CHARACTER in opera.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Donizetti, Don Pasquale and "bel canto"
For our very first video podcast episode, here's a brief discussion by Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, of bel canto, Donizetti, Chopin (!) and Don Pasquale. Watch and listen, especially to the first part of Norina's aria "Quel guardo il cavaliere", a wonderful example of the bel canto style. Enjoy!
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Male Chorus in "Moby-Dick"
Among the unique features of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's opera Moby-Dick is the use of an all-male chorus. That's to be expected, of course, since the story is set entirely at sea on the Pequod, a whaling ship out of Nantucket. The only female voice in the opera is the role of Pip, the cabin boy, which is sung by a soprano. It turns out that there's an interesting tradition of the use of the male chorus in opera. Listen in as our Director of Education, Nicolas Reveles, explores this interesting vocal 'color' in Moby-Dick and other great works.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
In Memoriam: Salvatore Licitra
Tenor Salvatore Licitra died this past weekend at the age of 43 from complications due to a motorscooter accident as well as a possible cerebral hemorrhage. The opera world mourns his passing, as do we here at San Diego Opera where he was due to make his role debut as Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen (a contract he had to cancel due to a back injury) and his appearance as Radames in our 2013 season closer, Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. Join Nicolas Reveles, Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, for a collection of excerpts from some of his wonderful opera recordings.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Casting the Role of Salome
What do you have to keep in mind if you're and opera director and you're considering a soprano for the role of Salome? Well, quite a bit actually, according to Geisel Director of Education and Outreach Nicolas Reveles. Listen in as we discuss the role's musical and physical demands, and hear the final monologue of Strauss's opera with Cheryl Studer in the title role, Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Perfect 'Opera buffa', "The Barber of Seville"
Last week this podcast reviewed some of the commedia roots of Donizetti's Don Pasquale. This week Education Director Nicolas Reveles does the same thing for Rossini's Barber of Seville, the quintessential opera buffa or comic opera. Enjoy!
Monday, August 15, 2011
"Don Pasquale" and Opera Buffa
We finish our 2012 International Season with two wonderful Italian comic operas, The Barber of Seville by Rossini and Don Pasquale by Donizetti. Let's spend a couple of weeks looking at the influences that created the form we call opera buffa and spend some time with their comic characters. Today, Norina, the star of Don Pasquale, and her delightful entrance aria.
Monday, August 08, 2011
The Role of Captain Ahab in "Moby-Dick"
You've got to be sure that one of the first things Jake Heggie did when he sat down to compose Moby-Dick to Gene Scheer's wonderful libretto was that he had to decide what voice-type Captain Ahab was. The choice he made? Heldentenor! You might find that to be an odd choice, or a fortuitous one. You decide, but after you listen to Dr. Nicolas Reveles's podcast this week!
Monday, August 01, 2011
Musical Imagery and Atmosphere in Strauss's "Salome"
The orchestra is a very active participant in Strauss's Salome, detailing the stage action at every moment in the drama. Just what is it that makes this work so well in the operas of Strauss? Take a listen to Dr. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, as he analyzes three important characters in the opera: Jokanaan (John the Baptist), Herod and Salome herself.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Great Recordings of "The Barber of Seville"
There are 30 to 40 recordings of Rossini's great opera, The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia). How does one choose? Let Dr. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera give you a few suggestions. Along the way you'll hear some of the more significant excerpts from this delightful comic opera!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Great Recordings of "Don Pasquale"
Dr. Nicolas Reveles, Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, chooses three recordings of Donizetti's comic masterpiece Don Pasquale to help you get to know the opera (with a little help from Beverly Sills, Alfredo Kraus, Gabriel Bacquier and Fernando Corena!)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Meet Jake Heggie, Composer of Moby-Dick
One of the most exciting things to happen on the cultural landscape of San Diego next season is the West Coast premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's opera Moby-Dick. In this podcast hosted by Nicolas Reveles we'll experience some of the earlier music of composer Heggie, including a couple of art songs and excerpts from Dead Man Walking, his first opera, commissioned by San Francisco Opera. You'll easily hear that this composer's music is readily accessible and melodic, with a dramatic & theatrical sense that attracts audiences of all ages!
Friday, July 01, 2011
NEW! The San Diego Opera 2012 Podcasts Begin!
Great Recordings of Salome: From Birgit Nilsson to Inge Nielson, from Georg Solti to Giuseppe Sinopoli, there have been terrific recordings of Richard Strauss's thrilling opera based on the play by Oscar Wilde. Let's explore a few of them; maybe there's one that will capture your interest during this survey that you'll want to download to your MP3 player or order from your favorite online store.
Monday, May 16, 2011
San Diego Opera's 2012 International Season Preview
It's that time again: the announcement of our new season! This special podcast includes audio clips from the operas Salome by Richard Strauss, Moby-Dick by Jake Heggie, Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti and The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini. With commentary by Dr. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, this hour-long podcast will fill you in on some of the music and the great singing that we have to look forward to next year. Enjoy!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Der Rosenkavalier: The Marschallin's Monologue
One of the most poignant moments in the score of Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier comes towards the end of Act I, the Marschallin's Monologue, "Da geht er hin". Let's explore what makes this monologue so reflective of the experience of being human, aging against our will, and having to watch it happen day by day in our bathroom mirrors. Strauss gets it!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Revisiting the Leitmotifs in Der Rosenkavalier
The leitmotifs or "leading motives" in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier are explored by our Education Director, Nicolas Reveles, in a podcast first posted on August 16, 2010. After defining the leitmotif and its use by Richard Wagner, we'll listen to those used by Strauss to help tell the story of this wonderful opera.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Best Of...Famous Turandots on Record
Luckily for us, Puccini's opera Turandot premiered in 1926, well after the invention of sound recording. So even though we don't have a recording of excerpts from the opera by the two principals (soprano Rosa Raisa and Miguel Fleta), we do have recordings of some of the sopranos who made history in the role. Let's survey a handful of those sopranos and see if we can get a good sound picture of what Puccini might have expected for the role. Take a listen to this repeat of a popular podcast from June 14, 2010.
Friday, January 21, 2011
An Interview with Liu: Soprano, Ermonela Jaho
Listen in to a revealing interview with soprano Ermonela Jaho who will be singing the role of Liu in Turandot. The Albanian singer made her debut with San Diego Opera in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, standing in for an ailing colleague on opening night. Now she's back, singing the entire run of course, and delighted to be in San Diego!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
An Interview with Lise Lindstrom, our Turandot
Dr. Nic spends some time with the wonderful and lovely young soprano Lise Lindstrom who will make her San Diego Opera debut in the challenging role of Turandot. The conversation traverses her recent triumph in the role at the Metropolitan opera as a last-minute replacement and a discussion of the vocal challenges in the aria "In questa reggia". Listen in!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tenor Carlo Ventre: An Interview about Calaf
And so we begin with a new element in our San Diego Opera podcasts: interviews with some of the personalities involved with our 2011 productions. Let's begin with a chat with tenor Carlo Ventre, who will be singing the role of Calaf in Puccini's Turandot, opening January 29. In this interview with Nicolas Reveles, Ventre reveals the challenges of the role as well as the physical sensation he experiences in performing great tenor roles like Calaf on stage in front of a large audience.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
San Diego Opera's 2011 Season: The "Golden Moments"
Well, folks, it's here: 2011, and we open our season in four weeks! Let's take some time to survey the wonderful musical and vocal pleasures that we're about to enjoy in Puccini's Turandot, Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, Gounod's Faust and Bizet's Carmen.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Orchestral Interludes in Bizet's Carmen
One of the things that attracts us all to Bizet's Carmen is his use of the orchestra, especially in those wonderful entr'actes the he places prior to each act. Let's explore and have a listen to them as we look forward to our 2011 International Season!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Faust: The Scene You'll Probably Never See
In olden days (!), Gounod's opera Faust was performed in its entirety. That makes for a very long evening. Having recently caught a Met broadcast on Sirius radio from 1972 with Domingo, Zylis-Gara and Tozzi (as a marvelous Mephistopheles!), I can attest that it took forever, however gorgeous the performance was! The scene that is normally dropped for both time and dramatic reasons is the Walpurgis Night Scene. Let's take a listen to some of the music from that scene.
Monday, December 06, 2010
The Waltz in Der Rosenkavalier
Did you ever wonder exactly why Richard Strauss uses the waltz throughout his comic opera Der Rosenkavalier? Considering that the story takes place in mid-18th century Vienna (a time when the waltz had not quite developed yet) it seems a bit anachronistic. And yet, Strauss makes it work so well! Listen to a theory proposed by the great conductor Georg Solti and a few choice examples from the score!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Spectacular Choruses in Turandot
One doesn't automatically think of Giacomo Puccini as a "choral" composer, but there are some glorious choral moments in nearly all of his operas as well as a lovely Mass, the Messa di Gloria. The chorus writing in Turandot, however, is masterful and the choristers are busy throughout the entire opera. Let's explore some of this wonderful music.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Carmen: Let's Dance!
You're probably aware that there are lots of "danceable" moments in Bizet's opera Carmen. Let's explore some of those moments, one of which might surprise you!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Valentin's Aria from Faust
One of the most memorable moments in Gounod's opera Faust is the baritone aria, "Avant de quitter ces lieux". It is probably the most popular aria for lyric baritones to audition with, as well as a key moment in the opera. By the way, it ain't easy! Let's listen to three baritones from three different generations of opera artists apply their mastery to this wonderful piece.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier
Strauss parodies the "Italianate" style, especially Puccini, in Act One of Der Rosenkavalier with the appearance of the Italian Singer. Let's spend a bit of time with this character who'll be sung in our production this coming season by Stephen Costello, our Faust for 2011.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Why Liu Steals the Show from Turandot!
It's the classic problem with Puccini's Turandot: how do you move the audience's sympathies from Liu to the title character after falling in love with the beautiful young slave girl? It was Puccini's problem, and we're not sure he entirely solved it. Let's explore and listen!
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Opera Comique version of Carmen
Carmen premiered at the Opera Comique in Paris in March, 1875. The Comique had certain performing traditions that Bizet and his team had to follow, one of them being that dialogue between characters was normally spoken, not sung. In fact it wasn't until after Bizet's death in June of that same year that the fully-sung version of the opera was first presented to the public. Let's briefly explore the difference in these two versions.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Meet Baron Ochs
If you don't know who Baron Ochs is, take a listen. He's the biggest boor in opera and he's the comic foil to the romance and the waltz atmosphere of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. Here's a short introduction.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Original Cast Recordings of Turandot
You mean, there were original cast recordings of Puccini's last opera? Yes, there were. There are also recordings of some of the singers that Puccini wanted to cast in the roles of Turandot and Calaf back in 1926 but who ended up being unavailable. Let's take a listen to some real audio history!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Great Don Jose's in Audio Recordings
Just as we did last week with Faust, here are some stellar examples of great tenors who made Don Jose in Carmen a signature role. What could be more challenging for a singing actor than to trace the deterioration of a character both musically and dramatically in an exciting evening of opera? Listen in!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Great Fausts on Record
There is no dearth of great tenors who have recorded portions or all of the role of Faust in Gounod's opera. Let's listen to a few of them: Caruso, Gigli, Bjoerling, Corelli and Gedda. What fun!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Leitmotifs in Der Rosenkavalier
Something common to many operas composed after the death of Richard Wagner is the use of the leitmotif, a musical idea, tune or melodic "germ" used by a composer to unify a complicated score. Richard Strauss was one of the earliest inheritors of the leitmotif system and he uses it with abandon in Der Rosenkavalier. Let's explore some of the leitmotifs used in that opera.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Chinese Tunes in Puccini's Turandot
Thanks to an Italian diplomat who'd spent some time in China and gave a Chinese music box to the composer, Puccini was able to discover and then use actual folk tunes within the fabric of his score for the opera Turandot. This podcast will introduce you to those tunes as they are utilized by Puccini in order to help you get to know more about the opera. Have fun!
Monday, August 02, 2010
Conchita Supervia: The Greatest Carmen?
Some of you might be familiar with the name, some of you may not. But there was a time when, especially in Europe, mezzo-soprano Conchita Supervia was considered the greatest Carmen of all time. Luckily for us, she left some brilliant recordings behind, dating from the 1930s. Take a listen and see if you agree that this singer might just have left a standard of performance that has yet to be surpassed!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Faust: Great Marguerites on Record
We're lucky in that many of the great sopranos of the past who've sung the role of Marguerite in Gounod's Faust recorded excerpts or were involved in complete commercial recordings of the work. Let's survey them and bask for awhile in the beauty of these voices!
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Gender-Bending Role of Octavian
In Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier we have a wonderful example of a hosenrolle or 'trouser role', a female singer portraying a male character in an opera. Strauss and other composers in opera history had a lot of fun with these roles, and it's time to explore how Octavian fits into the tradition.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Role of Calaf in Puccini's Turandot
One of the most exciting male roles in all of Puccini's operas is the role of Calaf, the Tartar Prince who comes to China and falls in love with Turandot. Although Miguel Fleta, who created the role in 1926, did not record anything from the role the tenor whom the composer had in mind all along did. Take a listen to some of the tenors who made the role famous, find out more about Calaf and hear some beautiful music!
Monday, July 05, 2010
Carmen: Why It's All About Don Jose!
Sure, she's the 'star', and yes, she gets all the great, memorable tunes. But did you every think that maybe, just possibly, the opera is really about Don Jose? Musically, at least, I think he's more interesting! Let's take a listen!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Faust: The Devil, You Say!
In looking forward to bass-baritone Greer Grimsley's performance in our upcoming production of Gounod's FAUST, I thought it would be fun to look more closely at the role of Mephistopheles and the historic basses who sang the role.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Margarethe Siems: the First Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier
Imagine my surprise when I discovered, not terribly long ago, that there were recordings of members of the very first production of Der Rosenkavalier from Dresden, 1911! Here's an introduction to the very first soprano to sing the marvelous role of the Marschallin, Margarethe Siems. Enjoy!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Famous Turandots on Record
Luckily for us, Puccini's opera Turandot premiered in 1926, well after the invention of sound recording. So even though we don't have a recording of excerpts from the opera by the two principals (soprano Rosa Raisa and Miguel Fleta), we do have recordings of some of the sopranos who made history in the role. Let's survey a handful of those sopranos and see if we can get a good sound picture of what Puccini might have expected for the role.
Monday, April 12, 2010
San Diego Opera's 2011 Season Podcast
Announcing San Diego Opera's 2011 International Season! Listen to Dr. Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach introduce Puccini's Turandot, Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, Gounod's Faust and Bizet's Carmen, operas that will be brilliantly produced and performed at the Civic Theatre. Join Dr. Reveles for an operatic adventure in listening!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Great Tenors in La Traviata
Tenors from Caruso to Domingo have sung and recorded music from Verdi's opera La traviata. Here's a survey of some of those famous singers and their recordings for your enjoyment, a benefit of which will be to get more familiar with Alfredo's music before you come see our production!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Giorgio Germont: You've Gotta Love Alfredo's Father!
Poor Alfredo's father: he often gets short shrift in discussions of Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata, and he deserves better! Here's a survey of his role in the opera as well as some wonderful recorded excerpts to help you get to know him better.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Great Choices, Great Opera: Nabucco
Great art is about great choices, and Verdi made great choices in writing operas like Nabucco! I'd like to reflect for a few minutes on just what kinds of choices he made in this exciting opera as we come to the end of this brilliant production!
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Nabucco's Prayers
We all know by now that Verdi's Nabucco is loosely based on the Bible, and the deep background of the story is the Babylonian Captivity, the Exile. Upon looking more closely at the libretto of the opera, one can find all of the different forms of prayer that one can actually find in the Bible, prayer-forms that are actually recognized by Biblical scholars. Did Temistocle Solera, the librettist for Verdi's opera, know the Bible that well? Perhaps, perhaps not. But listen to the examples you'll find in today's podcast and make up your own mind.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Great Sopranos Sing Mimi!
In the same spirit as a podcast we posted a few months back about great Rodolfos in the history of recorded sound, here is a brief survey of some of the great sopranos who've sung the role of Mimi, especially created for this week as we open Puccini's La Boheme! Enjoy the sounds of Farrar, Albanese, de los Angeles, Tebaldi and Freni as we look forward to Saturday night's opening.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Puccini's La boheme: Another Look at "Another Look"!
Since we are going into production on our first opera of the season, let's take another look at a podcast that first ran on June 10, 2009, all about the first act of Puccini's La boheme and how the composer uses musical ideas to tell a great story. This is a great brush-up in preparation for your trip to the theatre, beginning on January 30!
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Stars of our 2010 Season: Meet Piotr Beczala
Let's kick off our 2010 San Diego Opera Podcast Season by meeting one of the stars of our first production, Puccini's La Boheme: the young Polish tenor Piotr Beczala! This is first class singing from the lyric tenor that we've all been waiting for!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Opera's Game-Changers: Revolutions in an Art Form
With the opening of James Cameron's film Avatar last week, I started thinking about moments in opera history that were game-changing, that began revolutions in the art form. Let's take a quick look!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Holidays from San Diego Opera
What are the holidays without hearing your favorite opera singers dabble in music outside the opera repertoire? Anyone for the three tenors singing Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Bells? Or Leontyne Price singing O Tannenbaum? Here you are, some of our favorite holiday recordings! Enjoy, and have a great holiday season!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Favorite Violettas: La Traviata in Recorded History
Among the favorite heroines in opera we have Violetta, a tragic figure to be sure, but a glorious one because of her musical and theatrical personality. Many great sopranos have essayed the role. Let's listen to some of them and try to recreate some of the excitement that they must have produced onstage.
Monday, November 30, 2009
My Favorite Moments in the 2010 Season!
Doing so many lectures around San Diego County on our season, I'm being asked what my favorite moments are in the various operas I'm talking about. Here's a post-Thanksgiving offering, then. My own favorite arias and ensembles from our upcoming season, just to whet your appetite for what's just around the corner! Enjoy!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Verdi: The Early Years
Nabucco might have been Verdi's first success, but it was his third opera. What were the first two like? And how about the two that followed that success in 1842? Let's explore the operas of Verdi, the early years.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Making the Case for La Rondine, Puccini's "Operetta"
San Diego Opera is producing the evergreen standard "La boheme" by Puccini, an opera that all opera lovers know and love. But what about one of his lesser known works? Not terribly long ago, I discovered "La Rondine" and realize what a get this opera is. Let me introduce it to you so that you can come to love it as much as I do!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Recitative Revisted: Defining Character
Maybe you haven't noticed, but recitative is treated differently in different eras of opera history. Earlier operas utilized harpsichord and other keyboard instruments to accompany recitative, later operas used the full orchestra. But are operatic characters treated differently, even within the same opera? Let's explore!
Monday, October 19, 2009
In a Mood for Massenet!
OK, I'm a sucker for gorgeous melodies, the perfumed atmosphere of lush orchestrations and over-the-top dramatic singing. No, not Puccini...but Massenet! He's one of my all time favorite opera composers, call it a guilty pleasure. Let me introduce you to some music that you may not know from Massenet's output.
Monday, October 12, 2009
What On Earth Is The Concertato?
Impress your opera-loving friends with your newly found knowledge of one of the most exciting musical events in most standard repertory Italian operas and that even occasionally shows up in the French and German repertoire! The Concertato…here it is. Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Free of charge.
Monday, October 05, 2009
German Opera Composers Before Wagner
You may well wonder: was there such a thing as a German opera composer before Wagner? His works so outshone every other German composer within his lifetime that we tend to forget about people like Weber, Spohr, Nicolai, Lortzing and Marschner. Who??
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Romeo and Juliet: Great Artists from the Past
Let's get familiar with the music from Gounod's Romeo and Juliet by exploring some of the great artists who essayed these roles in the past. Does the name Eide Norena ring a bell? Or Georges Thill? both of them will become favorites of yours after you hear this!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Great Arias from Operas You've Never Seen!
Now here's a sample of wonderful music from operas that I'm sure you've either never seen or never WILL see! You'll hear music by such diverse composers as Cilea, Catalani, Auber, Thomas and...Rossini. Enjoy this excursion into the unknown.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The "Other" Roles in 2010
Let's take a few minutes to listen to excerpts from our 2010 Season which feature the secondary principal singers, roles like Marcello, Ismaele, Mercutio and Germont. You can have the greatest Rodolfo and Mimi in the world, but you'd better have a Marcello who can match them!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Just What Is A Leitmotif?
We've thrown this term around a lot in our podcast series. It's time to define it and listen to some worthy examples from the operas of Richard Wagner. It is summer, after all, with Ring festivals going on throughout the world!
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Art of the Love Duet
Love duets are a part of just about every opera in the standard repertory, so much so that we don’t think about them much. We just luxuriate in their beautiful melodies. But there’s always a reason for those ebbs and flows of passion. Let’s explore some of the love duets in the early periods of opera history and see what makes them tick!
Monday, June 29, 2009
La Traviata: The Real Violetta
The most fascinating aspect of Verdi’s La traviata is that the story is based on true events in the life of a real, 19th century French socialite, who had many aristocratic, well-connected and famous lovers, went through numerous fortunes and died of tuberculosis at the tender age of 23. Who was this remarkable woman? Listen to this week’s podcast to find out!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Romeo and Juliet: The Love Duets
One of the more unusual aspects of Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet is the fact that the tenor and soprano who sing the two title roles have four (count ‘em, FOUR) love duets! Let’s take a look at these duets and see what the challenges are in them for the singers as well as for the audience.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Nabucco: Verdi's First Success
Nabucco was Verdi’s third opera and his first true success. But what was the measure of success in opera in 1840s
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
La Boheme: Another Look
We've covered Puccini's masterpiece La boheme in our 2010 Season Podcast; but let's take a closer look. The composer's sense of drama and his complete mastery of the use of melody make this an unforgettable work. Here's our Director of Education, Dr. Nicolas Reveles, to give you an insight into what makes this opera tick!
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Color of Rigoletto and Other Mysteries
And now for your semi-annual Italian lesson: the word is 'tinta', and it means 'color'. Now that you know what it means to us, let's discover what it meant to composer Giuseppe Verdi, especially with regards to our next production, Rigoletto, opening this week!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Rigoletto Sound-Alikes: The Verdi Baritone
Verdi's Rigoletto didn't just spring from nothingness: there were a number of baritone roles in his earlier operas that foreshadowed this brilliant creation. Here are examples of two of them from Ernani and Macbeth. Enjoy!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Heard Any Early Verdi Lately?
As we look forward to San Diego Opera's production of Verdi's Rigoletto opening in March, let's take a quick tour of the operas that put Verdi on the operatic map!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Bel Canto: Is It The Words Or The Music?
Let’s explore further a topic that we discussed a few months back, inspired by a recent article in the New York Times by the eminent music critic Anthony Tommasini on the nature of bel canto. Does this elusive Italian term describe a style of musical composition, especially in terms of melodic direction, or a composer’s sensitivity to words? Or both? You be the judge!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Dance In Opera. And I'm Not Talking Ballet!
We all know that opera and dance have been intertwined since the beginning, and in France they were co-equal arts living in the same space. But have you ever given thought to all of those moments in opera where dance actually moves the drama along, not a tacked on, pretty addition to the opera but an important part of the narrative? Let's talk about it!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Scaling the Heights: Coloratura Sopranos
In a series of occasional surveys of specialized voice types here are a few words (and a few sound clips) of every opera lover's stratospheric dream...the coloratura soprano. When the composer says 'jump', she asks 'how high?'
Monday, November 03, 2008
Is There Recitative In Modern Opera?
Whatever happened to recitative? Did it die with Donizetti or did composers somehow carry on the style? And more importantly, does recitative still have a place in so called modern opera?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Overtures, Part Deux
Let's continue our discussion of the opera overture by looking at Mozart, Rossini and the composers of our 2009 Season operas. More on the evolution of the overture...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sinfonias, Preludes and Overtures: Where Do We Begin?
Let's take a little time out to focus on the role of the orchestra in opera, beginning at the beginning: the overture. What is the role of the overture? Since it's the first music you hear, it's pretty important, right? Well, maybe. Here's a brief history.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Are You New? Here's How To Really Enjoy An Evening At The Opera!
Are you dreading it? Are you looking forward to it? You're just putting up with it because your wife wants to go? Which opera is good to bring the kids to? Give me 15 minutes, I'll show you how to have a good time at the opera, from dinner before to drinks after!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Benjamin Britten and English Opera
Britten, the composer of "Peter Grimes" which San Diego Opera will be producing in 2009, was a crucial link to composers today who work in the English language. Let's explore his contribution to the art.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Vocal Cadenza: Some Singers Just Want to Show Off!
Besides defining just what a cadenza is, let's go a bit further and ask ourselves if there are dramatic or even emotional reasons for cadenzas, or are they just an opportunity for a singer to milk applause from the audience?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Massenet. The French Puccini?
In my humble opinion, Massenet and Puccini are speaking essentially the same language and share a similar turn-of-the-century aesthetic. Listen in and see if you agree!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Thematic Reminiscence: Come Again?
Yes it's a formidable name, but it's one of the most easily recognizable techniques that composers use to pull their operas together. Spend a few moments and let me give you some great examples from our 2009 season!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tosca: Recordings I Love
A little summer diversion: there are so many good recordings of Tosca out there, but which ones are best? I'm not sure, but here are some of my favorites, recordings that you'll be able to find on Amazon.com.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Recitative: OK, So Just What Is It?
Recitative. It's a word you hear thrown around a lot in operatic circles, but do you know what it really means? Not to worry...here's everything you need to know about recitative and then some. You'll be thanking me when you can use it intelligently during the next intermission at the opera. Your friends will be impressed. Seriously.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Exoticism in opera. Is that incense I smell?
What's up with operas like Aida, The Pearl Fishers, Madama Butterfly and Turandot? Nineteenth century opera seemed to corner the market on exotic locales.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Basses: the lowdown on the down low!
OK, OK, I was just trying to get your attention. Nothing salacious here, just a brief overview of the guys at the bottom. No, really!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
A Word on Verdi
The old man knew what he was doing: he wanted opera to be real theatre. And if a Verdi opera doesn't come off that way, then something's wrong.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Baritones: Every man thinks he IS one
The baritone is the man's man of opera. If George Clooney were an opera singer, he'd probably be one. But he's not. So we won't go there.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Italy and the Opera. Why?
Because. A brief history of Italy and its relationship to one of her most glorious exports. Besides limoncello. Say Euridice three times fast.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Mezzo-Sopranos: Tony Still Doesn't Live Here!
Mamas, witches and gypsies. And real women with an independent streak. If The Sopranos were an opera, Livia would be one. A mezzo, that is.
Monday, February 25, 2008
What Is An Aria?
A brief history of something you didn't know existed until you started coming to San Diego Opera. Why don't we just call it a song and be done with it?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Tenors: Opera's 'Players'
The sopranos all die and the tenors have all the sex. Wassup wid dat?
Monday, February 04, 2008
Is 'bel canto' a new restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter?
Maybe it oughta be. But short answer: no. Tune in the long answer. It's got something to do with beautiful singing and we've got it!
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Sopranos: Tony Doesn't Live Here!
...or Carmela or Meadow or Johnny Sack. But if you want to get to know the other sopranos, tune in. Coloraturas, dramatics, lyrics...they're all gorgeous and they're all here.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Opera Basics: Words and Music
Something kind of cool happens when words and music meet. You know, your song?? It reminds you of when you met that special person...where you were, what you did, maybe even what time it was. Multiply that by one hundred and you have opera!