An ageing King is driven to murderous intent by the youthful heroisms of David, he of giant-slaying fame. The setting is ancient Israel but the story of a nation in transition hit home to an eighteenth century England still in political flux when Handel premiered Saul in 1739.

In this podcast, Suzanne Aspden, associate professor of music at the University of Oxford, Handel specialist Dr Ruth Smith, conductor Ivor Bolton and singers Iestyn Davies and Christopher Purves, discuss the music and themes of Handel’s first great oratorio in English.

Presenter: Katie Derham

Produced by Katherine Godfrey for Whistledown Productions for Festival 2015.

Saul podcast

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

In this episode of the Glyndebourne podcast Katie Derham visits the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End which is currently home to a play by one of Britain's foremost playwrights, Sir David Hare. The play is called The Moderate Soprano and tells the extraordinary story of the founding of Glyndebourne by John Christie and his wife Audrey Mildmay. Katie’s guest is the Olivier Award-winning actor Roger Allam who plays the role of John Christie and tells us what it’s like to portray a man for whom opera was the guiding passion and principle of his life. 

The Moderate Soprano runs until the 30 June at the Duke of York's Theatre. Visit www.themoderatesoprano.com

Presenter: Katie Derham
Produced by Katherine Godfrey and Nathan Gower for Whistledown Productions for Glyndebourne Festival 2018

Image: Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam in The Moderate Soprano at the Duke of York's Theatre. Photographer: Johan Perrson

A Moderate Soprano special: an interview with actor Roger Allam

In this episode of the Glyndebourne podcast Katie Derham is joined by novelist Kate Mosse, author of the multi-million selling Languedoc Trilogy and a major new historical series that starts with the first novel The Burning Chambers, published in May 2018.  

The music of Debussy has been a lifelong passion for Kate and the composer is an off-stage character in the second book in her Languedoc trilogy – Sepulchre. In this podcast, Kate discusses her love for Debussy and his opera Pelléas et Mélisande, which is being staged at Glyndebourne Festival 2018.

Presenter: Katie Derham
Produced by Katherine Godfrey and Nathan Gower for Whistledown Productions for Glyndebourne Festival 2018

The music in this podcast is from the 1963 recording of Pelléas et Mélisande released on the Glyndebourne Label. Music by kind permission of G.Ricordi & Co(London)Ltd

Image of Kate Mosse. Photographer Ruth Crafer

Pelléas et Mélisande Bonus: an interview with author Kate Mosse

‘It’s romantic opera, reinvented for the twenty-first century.’ In this episode of the Glyndebourne podcast we explore Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Vanessa, a story of longing, loss and manipulation set to a sumptuous score. Contributions come from critic David Benedict, opera director Keith Warner and Alexandra Coghlan, Glyndebourne’s Opera Content Specialist. 

Presenter: Katie Derham
Produced by Katherine Godfrey for Whistledown Productions for Glyndebourne Festival 2018

The music in this podcast is from the Chandos and BBC Co-production of Vanessa. Music courtesy of G. Schirmer Inc (Chester Music Ltd). Leonard Slatkin conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the role of Vanessa is performed by Christine Brewer with Susan Graham as Erika, Catherine Wyn-Rogers as The Old Baroness and William Burden as Anatol.

Image: Shadric Toop painted collage Images: Wikimedia Commons

Vanessa podcast

Pelléas et Mélisande is Debussy’s only complete opera and with it he rightly earned his place as one of the most imaginative and pioneering composers of the early twenty-first century. In this episode of the Glyndebourne podcast we explore this seminal work with the help of British author Kate Mosse, Julian Johnson, Professor of Music at Royal Holloway College and Glyndebourne archivist Julia Aries. 

Presenter: Katie Derham
Produced by Katherine Godfrey for Whistledown Productions for Glyndebourne Festival 2018

The music in this podcast is from the 1963 recording of Pelléas et Mélisande released on the Glyndebourne Label. Music by kind permission of G.Ricordi & Co(London)Ltd

Image: Shadric Toop painted collage and photography

Pelléas et Mélisande podcast

In this episode of the Glyndebourne podcast, we explore the tangled web of politics and love in Handel’s Giulio Cesare with contributions from top mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, William Fitzgerald, Professor of Latin Language & Literature at King’s College London and Suzanne Aspden, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oxford.

Presenter: Katie Derham
Produced by Katherine Godfrey for Whistledown Productions for Glyndebourne Festival 2018

The music in this podcast is from the Glyndebourne production of Giulio Cesare, directed by David McVicar, which was recorded as a co-production between Glyndebourne and Opus Arte in 2006. The musical edition by Winton Dean and Sarah Fuller is performed by arrangement with Oxford University Press

Image: Sarah Connolly as Giulio Cesare and Danielle de Niese as Cleopatra in the Glyndebourne Festival 2005 production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare. Photographer: Mike Hoban

Saul podcast

Download our free app to listen on your phone