San Diego Opera Podcast

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!