Ep. 134 King Arthur by Henry Purcell
King Arthur stands astride the intersection of history, myth, legend, and politics. In every age of the history of Britain, he is reinterpreted for new audiences and new purposes. When composer Henr...
8 Sep 20251h 57min
Ep. 133 Semele by Handel
It might at first sound like it would be nice to be the lover of the king of the Olympian gods, attended by divine spirits, and living in a luxurious palace among the clouds. But this happily-ever-af...
10 Aug 20252h 1min
Ep. 132 Verdi's Aida
The young Aida loves the dashing military commander Radamès, and he adores her with a burning passion.Their mutual love is, however, somewhat complicated by the fact that Aida is a slave, enslaved by ...
13 Jul 20251h 58min
Ep. 131 Wagner's Tannhäuser
If you’re going to have a love triangle, why not have a singing knight, a literal saint, and the Goddess of Love herself? Come and enjoy the kind of sweeping, romantic, metaphysical yet dramatic oper...
15 Jun 20252h 2min
Ep. 130 Orlando Furioso by Vivaldi
Once upon a time, there was a heroic knight, the greatest of Charlamagne’s famed paladins, and his name was Orlando (or Roland, depending on whom you ask.) Among his many heroic deeds and great journ...
18 Mai 20251h 58min
Ep. 129 Roméo et Juliette by Berlioz
You’ve never heard the story of Romeo and Juliet told like this! Not even if you have listened to the three previous episodes in which Pat and Kathleen discuss three operas based on the enduring tale ...
27 Apr 20251h 58min
Ep. 128 Médée (Medea) by Charpentier
What can one woman do, when set against the entire world? Quite a lot, if she happens to be the sorceress Medea. This French Baroque opera written by Marc Antoine Charpentier takes on the ancient tal...
23 Mar 20251h 59min
Ep. 127 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Can a young man win a wife through a singing competition? He just might, if he’s in Richard Wagner’s romantic comedy (yes, you read that right, “Richard Wagner’s romantic comedy,”) Die Meistersinger ...
24 Feb 20251h 58min
