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Ep. 118 A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” Shakespeare’s iconic "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" gives us some of the Bard’s most memorable (and ridiculous) characters and situations. Benjamin Britten, together with his partner Peter Pears,
Ep. 117 The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell
Was it only a dream? Baroque composer Henry Purcell was on his way to establishing a national operatic tradition based on the dramatic and musical traditions of the English, when, alas, his life was cut short after just 36 years. Join us as
Ep. 116 Verdi's La Forza del Destino & Lisa Reagan's What We Need Is Here
Where passion joins with music and poetry we find opera. In this sweet spot, we also find What We Need Is Here, the most recent project by accomplished musician and singer, Lisa Reagan. Lisa joins us to talk about creating an album of songs
Ep. 115 Berg's Lulu & Erica Miner's Prelude to Murder
Two things never go out of fashion: opera and mystery. In this episode, mystery writer and former opera violinist Erica Miner talks with us about her opera mystery series and Lulu, Berg’s high-body-count melodrama. Lulu, which features prom
Ep. 114 Amahl and the Night Visitors
In Amahl and the Night Visitors, a young boy and his mother unexpectedly play host to the Magi on their way to meet the infant Jesus. Originally written for television, this opera uniquely bridges the ancient and modern in a heartfelt explo
Ep. 113 L’Italiana in Algeri by Rossini
By turns funny, serious, and seriously funny, L’Italiana in Algeri is a fascinating assembly of romantic tropes: a spurned wife, a shipwrecked lover, a pirate king, and a daring escape. At the same time, it deals with serious themes of agen
Ep. 112 The Egyptian Helen by Richard Strauss
“The face that launched a thousand ships.” Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, has a problem. Her husband plans to kill her, but she just wants him to fall in love with her again. She may just need a miracle to pull it off
Ep. 111 Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
One of the top ten most-performed operas in the world, Puccini’s Tosca is considered by some the greatest of operas. A painter provides refuge for an escaped political prisoner, which begins a chain of events that starts with petty jealousy
Ep. 110 Das Liebesverbot by Wagner
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
Ep. 109 Die Frau Ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss
At once a sweeping story about humanity and a deeply personal look at a married couple with unfulfilled aspirations, Die Frau Ohne Schatten is often considered the magnum opus of the famed partnership between composer Richard Strauss and li
Ep. 108 Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti
One of history’s most infamous women, Lucrezia Borgia has inspired artists, dramatists, and TV show writers for centuries. Donizetti’s opera follows the play by Victor Hugo, telling of Lucrezia’s effort to find the kind of love that might c
Ep. 107 Macbeth by Verdi
“Double, double toil and trouble.” Composer Giuseppi Verdi enthusiastically declared that Shakespeare’s Macbeth “is one of the greatest creations of man!” Harnessing this passionate admiration, he went on to craft the first of his three com
Ep. 106 Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Handel
One of the world’s most formidable generals and one of history’s most beguiling politicians are joined by two frustrated young men and an irresistible widow in Handel’s Baroque masterpiece, Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Join Pat, Kathleen, and G
Ep. 105 The Marriage of Figaro and Elly Uncomposed with Valerie Niemerg
One of the world’s most beloved operas, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, is not only the focus of this episode, but also the inspiration for Elly Uncomposed: A Novel Opera, a magical realist novel by author and retired opera singer, Valerie Nie
Ep. 104 Nabucco by Verdi
A people yearns for freedom. The power of their prayers, set to Verdi’s incomparable music, have stirred audiences ever since the première of Nabucco in 1842. The impact of this opera may relate to Verdi’s own struggle to overcome personal
Ep. 46 Remastered: Handel’s Messiah OFE Holiday Special
Handel’s beloved Messiah, known for its thrilling Hallelujah Chorus, is a long-standing favorite during the Christmas season. Neither an opera, nor Christmas music, this English-language oratorio was composed for the Easter Season and premi
Ep. 103 OFE Presents Opera Mysteries with Erica Miner
Have you ever asked what might be going on backstage at an opera house? Or wondered about what secrets hide behind those glittering stages? Drawing on 21 years as a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera, Erica Miner guides her readers through
Ep. 102 Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II
Glittering and gloriously tuneful, Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”) is the most enduring operetta of Vienna’s famous “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss II. Its plot features revenge, infidelity, disguised identities, and a glamorous ball at its center,
Ep. 101 Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi
Masks, both literal and figurative, abound in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, “A Masked Ball.” Conspirators feign support of a leader they despise. A noblewoman must veil both her face and her feelings from her husband. The governor must put
Ep. 100 Oedipus Rex and Persephone by Stravinsky
A beloved king becomes reviled by his family and his people as previously hidden dark deeds come to light. A young woman loses her innocence and freedom through the machinations of the lord of the underworld. The timeless ancient Greek stor
Ep. 99 Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria by Monteverdi
There is no secular story nearly so important to the Western tradition as the Odyssey, a timeless tale of heroism, achievement, and loss. The subject matter of this epic poem has found its way into many works of art, and likely the earliest
Ep. 98 La Donna del Lago by Rossini
We all know that feeling when we want to marry one rebel leader, but our father wants us to marry the chief rebel leader, but then one day a wandering king disguised as a huntsman starts chatting us up on the moors. With this timeless and r
Ep. 97 OFE Meets Maestro Joseph Rescigno, ft Ariadne auf Naxos by Strauss
Meet Maestro Joseph Rescigno–gentleman, author, and opera conductor extraordinaire. The Maestro joins OFE for this wide-ranging discussion of the how, what, and why of conducting opera. Drawing on material from his book, Conducting Opera: W
Ep. 96 The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček
Leos Janacek’s opera about a clever little fox living in the worlds of both animals and humans has many of the charming and amusing elements expected of traditional children’s stories. However, don’t let this Cunning Little Vixen fool you.
Ep. 95 Béatrice et Bénédict by Berlioz
Beatrice and Benedick often steal the show in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with their sharp-tongued banter, and a romance that is as unlikely as it is inevitable. Composer Hector Berlioz was captivated by these characters, and turne
Ep. 94 Opera For Everyone Meets United Arts Studies
What does Salvador Dali have in common with opera? Listen to this episode to find out! This episode features special guests soprano Elizaveta Ulakhovich and baritone Perry Sook talking about their work and lives as an operatic couple. Their
Ep. 93 Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss
All things must come to an end, but few approach endings with such grace as Marschallin Marie-Therese, the iconic character of Der Rosenkavalier. At once epic and intimate in scope, Strauss’s masterwork resists characterization, at various
Ep. 92 Cox and Box & Pirates of Penzance by Sullivan and Gilbert
Riding high on the tide of their smash success, H.M.S. Pinafore, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan enjoyed celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. While engaged in defending the integrity of their work against inferior pirated versions, the
Ep. 91 Guillaume Tell by Rossini [EXTENDED VERSION]
This extended version of our William Tell show includes everything from the regular length show, plus more history, more music, more explication, and more fun! Imperial soldiers, determined rebels, a martyred elder, a plucky youth, a noble
Ep. 91 Guillaume Tell by Rossini
Imperial soldiers, determined rebels, a martyred elder, a plucky youth, a noble princess, a cruel oppressor… it’s not Star Wars; it’s Rossini’s final opera, William Tell! First performed in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Era and inspired b
