Opera For Everyone

In this episode of Opera for Everyone we listen to Lakme, an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. The score, written in 1881-2, was first performed on in 1883 by the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The story is set in British India in the mid-19th century, Lakmé is based on Théodore Pavie's story "Les babouches du Brahamane" and novel "Le Mariage de Loti" by Pierre Loti. The opera includes the popular Flower Duet (Sous le dôme épais) performed in Act 1 by Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika. The name Lakmé is the French rendition of Sanskrit Lakshmi, the name of the Hindu Goddess of Wealth. The opera's most famous aria is the Bell Song (L'Air des clochettes) in Act 2. Like other French operas of the period, Lakmé captures the ambience of the Orient seen through Western eyes, which was periodically in vogue during the latter part of the 19th century and in line with other operatic works such as Bizet's The Pearl Fishers and Massenet's Le roi de Lahore.[3] The subject of the opera was suggested by Gondinet as a vehicle for the American soprano Marie van Zandt.

On this episode of Opera for Everyone we listen to Turandot, an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. The opera's version of the story is set in China, and involves Prince Calaf, who falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot. To obtain permission to marry her, a suitor has to solve three riddles; any wrong answer results in death. Calaf passes the test, but Turandot still refuses to marry him. He offers her a way out: if she is able to learn his name before dawn the next day, then at daybreak he will die. Prince Calaf's famous aria "Nessun Dorma" tells the story of Turandot's proclamation that "No one sleeps" so they can discover the name of the mysterious prince. In the end, Turandot doesn't discover his name, and he melts her heart and they are married. The opera was first performed in 1926, and although Puccini died in 1924 shortly before he finished the opera, it was completed by Franco Alfano.

On this episode of Opera for Everyone, we listen to Così Fan Tutte - an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and an Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. It is an "opera buffa" - comedic opera - and is one of the three Mozart operas for which da Ponte wrote the libretto. The other two da Ponte-Mozart collaborations were "Le nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni." It debuted in 1790 in Vienna's Burgtheater. The opera's full name is "Così fan Tutte - ossia La Scuola degli Amanti" which translates to "Thus Do They All - or The School For Lovers." It refers to the storyline where two young men - Guglielmo and Ferrando - agree to a bet with their older and wiser friend Don Alfonso who wagers that women can cheat just the way men do. Don Alfonso plots to have the men tell their fiancees - Dorabella and Firodiligi - that they have been called away on military duty immediately, and begins a scheme to seduce the young women thereby proving his assertion that women will stray, allowing him to win the bet. The surly hotel maid, Despina, plays a key role in Don Alfonso's plot helping him to introduce the ladies to two young male foreigners besotted with the young sisters. The "foreigners" are actually the soldiers in disguise. The plot moves along with the men trying to seduce their own girlfriends, and luckily ends happily with the couples reunited with their true loves.

Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It debuted in Prague in 1787. Its based on the legend of Don Juan, a Spanish lothario who was obsessed with the conquest of women. The opera tells the story of Don Giovanni, his man-servant Leporello, Donna Elvira his scorned lover, Donna Anna and Don Ottavio - a young engaged couple, and the Commendatore - Donna Anna's father who is slain by Don Giovanni. Mozart's incredible score paired with a lively libretto by Lorenzo di Ponte make Don Giovanni one of the most performed operas in the world.

The opera Eugene Onegin is based on a beloved Russian lyric novel of the same name by Pushkin. Pushkin presents a vast overview of old Russian society around 1820, which Tchaikovsky’s original score neatly divides into each of its three acts: from the timeless rituals of country life to the rural gentry with its troubles and pleasures and, finally, the glittering imperial aristocracy of St. Petersburg. The opera tells the story of Tatyana, her sister Olga, and their loves Onegin and Lenski. The famous "Letter Scene," gives us an insight into the character when the intelligent and socially awkward young Tatyana pours out her heart to the cold Onegin in a tale of unrequited love. A spectacular birthday ball, a duel follow with a glittering, if conflicted end at a society ball in St. Petersburg where Onegin and Tatyana are reunited.

Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. It is set in Seville, southern Spain, and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial. The libretto is based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. This show was recorded live in the KHOL Studio on September 3, 2017

Lohengrin is a Romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself inspired by the epic of Garin le Loherain. It is part of the Knight of the Swan tradition. This show was recorded at the KHOL Studios in the Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole, WY and was originally broadcast on July 30, 2017.

Tannhauser, by Richard Wagner, debuted in 1845 in Dresden Germany, and was subsequently revised twice - debuting in Paris 1861 and again in Vienna in 1875. The opera is based on two German legends; Tannhäuser, the legendary medieval German Minnesänger and poet, and the tale of the Wartburg Song Contest. The story focuses on the struggle between sacred and profane love, and redemption through love, a theme running through much of Wagner's mature work. (Source: Wikipedia) This show was recorded live on July 23, 2017 in the KHOL Studios at the Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole, WY.