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Opera For Everyone

Opera for Everyone

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)

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144 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 56 min
English

Episodes 144

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Mar 27, 2020 · 59 min
Ep. 71.1 OFE Presents Rossini Overtures
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 particular overture for four different operas!
Mar 12, 2020 · 2 hr 13 min
Ep. 70 Don Carlos By Verdi [Extended Version]
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 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 decides to make Elizabeth his own bride. The drama of this royal family is complicated by Carlos’s idealistic comrade, Elizabeth’s too-beautiful friend, Carlos’s own impetuous behavior, the ominous specter of Philip II’s devout father, and the threatening presence of the Spanish Inquisition. Join us for this Italian master’s French Grand Opera. Hosted by Keely and Pat
Mar 12, 2020 · 1 hr 57 min
Ep. 70 Don Carlos By Verdi
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 decides to make Elizabeth his own bride. The drama of this royal family is complicated by Carlos’s idealistic comrade, Elizabeth’s too-beautiful friend, Carlos’s own impetuous behavior, the ominous specter of Philip II’s devout father, and the threatening presence of the Spanish Inquisition. Join us for this Italian master’s French Grand Opera. Hosted by Keely and Pat
Feb 15, 2020 · 2 hr 3 min
Ep. 69 Agrippina By Handel
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, intrigue, and try to survive in Handel’s first wildly successful opera. Join us for a Baroque treasure which uses a grand setting along and comic elements, to explore human truths. Hosted by Keely and Pat
Jan 28, 2020 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 68 Lucia Di Lammermoor By Donizetti
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 the fragile Lucia at the center of the competing demands of her brother, her spiritual mentor, and her beloved. It’s enough to make anyone crack, and crack she does, in spectacular form, resulting in opera’s most famous “mad scene.” Join us for the spectacular, haunting music of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Hosted by Pat and special guest co-host Kathleen Van de Wille
Jan 11, 2020 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 67 Kâta Kabanová By Janáček
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 to earthly desires. As she yearns to take to the sky, her young lover prophetically notes, “Life is much easier for a man. I shall be free to do as I wish, but you. . .” Hosted by Keely and Pat
Dec 24, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 66 Hänsel Und Gretel, Holiday Special 2019
Join the world of fairy tales as two lost, hungry, playful, and resourceful children spring forth toward adventure and danger. Engelbert Humperdinck first began to write these songs to accompany his family's production of a holiday show. Before long he developed it into a tuneful, lush, and perennially successful opera, a staple of the holiday season. This third annual holiday special is hosted by Keely and Pat.
Dec 8, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 65 Ernani By Verdi
Elvira has it all... youth, beauty, and three determined suitors. But her blessings turn into a curse as passion and power collide. It is good to be king... and emperor too. Based on a story by Victor Hugo, this opera was the first of many collaborations between Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave. Hosted by Keely and Pat.
Nov 21, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 64 Akhnaten By Glass
Thirty-three centuries ago, a doomed visionary Pharaoh tried to remake the world in honor of his god. Thirty-five years ago, a brilliant composer created a powerful opera that explored the wonder and the tragedy of that ancient dreamer. Philip Glass's Akhnaten combines modern music with a libretto in ancient languages to break through the centuries and tell a timeless tale. Hosted by Pat and guest co-host Grant.
Nov 1, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 63 Orfeo Ed Euridice By Gluck
With Orfeo ed Euridice, Christoph Willibald Gluck turned to an ancient story to show that he could create a new kind of opera. Powerful music displays powerful emotion, and this story tells us that the strongest emotion of all is love. You may know the myth of Orpheus and Euridice, but this Classical opera presents a version of the story in which love and music team up to change the will of the gods. Hosted by Pat and guest co-host Petria.
Oct 16, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 62 Turandot By Giacomo Puccini
In Puccini’s final opera, the icy princess Turandot inspires The Unknown Prince to risk his life in the hope of winning her hand. His quest does not require the usual feats of derring-do... Instead, he must battle wits with her. Though he ultimately triumphs, the cost is terrible.
Sep 25, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 61 Manon Lescaut By Puccini
In Giacomo Puccini's first major hit, Manon Lescaut, we meet the adventurous young Manon as she is headed to a convent to live out the rest of her days. Soon, however, she finds herself torn between a man she loves, and a man whose wealth she loves. Based on the novel by Abbé Prévost, this story found its home in opera, serving as the basis for two wildly successful versions. Come hear how magnificently the "medium of excess" tells a story of a woman who wants it all. Hosted by Pat Wright with special guest Petria Fossel.
Sep 7, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 60 Roméo Et Juliette By Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette is an operatic take on Shakespeare’s timeless and tragic tale of young love bursting through old hatreds. Gounod’s sumptuous music exquisitely transports us into the world of the Juliette Capulet and Roméo Montague. Just say yes to this timeless love story's sweet sorrow. Hosted by Pat Wright and Keely Herron.
Aug 21, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
Ep. 59 Les Troyens by Berlioz
Hector Berlioz’s opera “Les Troyens” is an opera on a truly epic scale, with a story based on the oldest and most successful fan fiction ever written: The Aneid, Virgil's take on the great warrior from the siege of Troy presented in Homer's Illiad. This opera’s tale includes three continents, two legendary founders of empires, and one love story that definitely doesn’t go according to plan. If roaming Romans romancing roving refugee rowers is your thing (or maybe if you just like operas that give costumers a lot to work with), you will love “Les Troyens!” Hosted by Pat and guest co-host Grant.
Jul 28, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
Ep. 58 Carmen By Georges Bizet
Even if you think you don’t know Opera, you know something of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen. The tunes pervade our culture, and for good reason, popping up in films, television, and advertisements. They not only convey the passion and identity of characters who seduce and beguile, but the melodies remain long after the show has ended. Join us for Bizet’s masterpiece, the story of woman who insists on freedom, but cannot escape her fate. Hosted by Pat Wright and special guest co-host Greg.
Jul 13, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
Ep. 57 Xerxes By Handel
This episode we present, Handel’s Xerxes, an opera that initially failed at the box office for being too silly and unorthodox. Today’s audiences love it. . . for being so silly and unorthodox. This Baroque opera features the ancient king of Persia, mistaken identities, disguises, and an unusually seductive tree. This work is distinguished by its unusual arrangement of vocal parts: a woman singing as a man, a man singing in the female range, and one part whose casting requirements are totally different now than they were 300 years ago. With Pat and special guest co-host Grant.
Jul 1, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 56 Il Barbiere Di Siviglia By Rossini
Rossini’s exuberant Opera Buffa, The Barber of Seville, features the irrepressible jack-of-all-trades Figaro. This Bel Canto masterpiece is where you will hear the quintessential opera piece “Largo al Factorum,” best known for the glorious (and comic) repetitions of “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro. . .” Everyone clamors for Figaro’s attention, and in this wild romp he assists Count Almavia to wed Rosina, the lovely ward of the greedy Dr. Bartolo. No marriage for Figaro here—that’s a different opera! With Pat and guest co-host, Petria Fossel.
Jun 15, 2019 · 1 hr 59 min
Ep. 55 Wagner's The Ring Of The Nibelung
Have you ever wondered just who that woman with the blond braids, shining breastplate, and iconic opera helmet might be? Meet Brünhilde and her clan in the in this epic tale. Dwarfs, water nymphs, giants, dragons, forbidden love, heroes, gods, mortals, greed, pride, lust, resentment, the beginning of time, the end of time, what happens in between, fire, marriage, blood, flying horses, a magic sword, contract law—it’s all here in one of history’s greatest works of art, Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, the story of the accursed golden ring of infinite power. With Pat and guest co-host, Petria Fossel.
Jun 2, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
Ep. 54 Maria Stuarda By Donizetti
With unabashed romanticism, Gaetano Donizetti sweeps us into the passions of the final days of Mary Queen of Scots in his Bel Canto masterpiece, Maria Stuarda. Donizetti seeks not accuracy in history and politics, but to explore the boundaries of affection and loyalty by imagining a tragic love-triangle involving Mary Stuart, Queen Elizabeth I, and Elizabeth’s favourite, the Earl of Leicester. Only one woman will survive. Keely and Pat co-host. Now you can feast on all three of Donizetti’s “Tudor Queen Operas” on Opera for Everyone: Anna Bolena, Episode 53; Maria Stuarda, Episode 54; Roberto Devereaux, Episode 44.
May 11, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
Ep. 53 Anna Bolena By Donizetti
Donizetti dazzles in the Bel Canto masterpieces that comprise his Tudor Queen “trilogy.” In Anna Bolena, the first of these, Henry VIII has turned against his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and decided to make Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour, his next queen – in this take, for reasons of passion not dynastic politics. Opera For Everyone will soon be presenting the second Tudor Queen opera, Maria Stuarda, and you can find the third opera, Roberto Devereaux, as Episode 44. Enjoy these presentations of English “history” from an unabashedly Italian perspective. Keely and Pat co-host.

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