Seattle Opera Podcast

A new opera that combines jazz and classical? Charlie Parker's Yardbird is about music, creativity, communication, race and racism, drugs and addiction, and life and death and freedom. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces this new opera with music by Daniel Schnyder and a libretto by Bridgette A. Wimberly. Musical examples from an Opera Philadelphia performance, starring Lawrence Brownlee as Charlie Parker, Will Liverman as Dizzy Gillespie, Angela Brown as Addie, Emily Pogorelc as Chan, Elena Perroni as Doris, Chrystal E. Williams as Rebecca, and Tamara Mumford as Nica. The Opera Philadelphia orchestra is conducted by Corrado Rovaris.

Tchaikovsky's most beloved opera is a breathtaking and unique work about the human heart. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Eugene Onegin, with musical examples from Seattle Opera's 2002 archival recording of Eugene Onegin, starring Vladimir Chernov as Onegin, Kurt Streit as Lensky, Helene Schneidermann as Olga, Nuccia Focile in her Seattle Opera debut as Tatyana, and Alexander Anisimov as Prince Gremin. Andreas Mitisek conducted the chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera. Excerpt of Lensky's aria sung by William Burden at the 2014 Speight Celebration, conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.

Rossini's La Cenerentola combines the human warmth of the beloved Cinderella story with the wit and sparkle of The Barber of Seville. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces La Cenerentola with musical examples from Seattle Opera's archival recordings of La Cenerentola: from 1996, with Laura Polvarelli (Cenerentola), Gregory Kunde (Don Ramiro), Robert Orth (Dandini), Jan Opalach (Alidoro), Julian Patrick (Don Magnfico), Louise Marley (Tisbe), and Sally Wolf (Clorinda), conducted by Yves Abel; and from 2013, with Karin Mushegain (Cenerentola), Edgardo Rocha (Ramiro), Brett Polegato (Dandini), Arthur Woodley (Alidoro), Sarah Larsen (Tisbe), Dana Pundt (Clorinda), Patrick Carfizzi (Don Magnifico), conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. Special example of Kate Lindsey singing Cenerentola's rondo at 2014's Speight Gala conducted by Carlo Montanaro.

Verdi's unflinching tragedy about sexual politics is one of opera's greatest masterpieces. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Rigoletto, with musical examples drawn from Seattle Opera's archival recordings of Rigoletto: from 2004 with Frank Lopardo (Duke of Mantua), Norah Amsellem (Gilda), and Kim Josephson (Rigoletto), conducted by Edoardo Mueller; and from 2014 with Francesco Demuro (Duke of Mantua), Jennifer Zetlan (Gilda), Hyung Yun and Marco Vratogna (Rigoletto), Andrea Silvestrelli (Sparafucile), and Sarah Larsen (Maddalena), conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Quartet excerpt from the quartet recorded at Meany Hall in 2013 at the Seattle Opera Young Artists' Program Viva Verdi concert, with Theo Lebow as the Duke, Deborah Nansteel as Maddalena, Dana Pundt as Gilda, and Hunter Enoch as Rigoletto, conducted by Brian Garman.

Why has Carmen been, since 1875, one of the world's most popular operas? Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces this beloved masterpiece with musical examples from Seattle Opera's archival recordings of Carmen: from 1995, with Greer Grimsley as Escamillo (conducted by Steven Sloane); from 2004, with Stephanie Blythe (Carmen) and Paul Charles Clarke (Don José), conducted by George Manahan; and from 2011, with Anita Rachvelishvili (Carmen), Fernando de la Mora (Don José), and Norah Amsellem (Micaëla), conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi.

Learn more about this fresh, fascinating, and wholly operatic new work, which audiences have been consuming like a new Apple product. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell. Musical examples from the new recording of the opera made at Santa Fe Opera, summer 2017, and available from Pentatone records, with Edward Parks (Steve Jobs), Garrett Sorenson (Woz), Jessica E. Jones (Chrisann), Sasha Cooke (Laurene), and Wei Wu (Kōbun), conducted by Michael Christie.

Are you ready for the wildest opera by the person many consider opera's greatest composer? Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Il trovatore, with musical examples from Seattle Opera's archival recordings of Il trovatore: from 1997, with Carol Vaness (Leonora) and Gegam Grigorian (Manrico), and Gordon Hawkins (Count Di Luna), conducted by Antonello Allemandi; and from 2010, with Malgorzata Walewska (Azucena), Antonello Palombi (Manrico), and Gordon Hawkins (Count Di Luna) conducted by Yves Abel.

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean leads a tour through the land of soprano, from dazzling coloratura acrobats to fearsome goddesses whose roar sets the opera house aflame. Includes musical examples featuring many favorite Seattle Opera sopranos: Cyndia Sieden, Joan Sutherland, Sarah Coburn, Sally Wolf, Dana Pundt, Jennifer Zetlan, Nuccia Focile, Angel Blue, Alexandra Deshorties, Renee Fleming, Sheri Greenawald, Carol Vaness, Lisa Daltirus, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Marcy Stonikas, Janice Baird and Irmgard Vilsmaier, and Jane Eaglen.

Nitara Dandapani, a clinical social worker and youth mental health therapist with Childhaven, discusses THE TURN OF THE SCREW with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Headquartered in Seattle, Childhaven heals children and families to stop the cycle of abuse and neglect. Dandapani and Dean discuss the attachment issues of Miles and Flora, the history of trauma at Bly, and question many of the choices made in the story of the opera by the Governess. Musical examples from Seattle Opera's recent production, conducted by Constantin Trinks and starring Elizabeth Caballero (the Governess), Maria Zifchak (Mrs. Grose), Forrest Wu (Miles), Soraya Mafi (Flora), and Ben Bliss (Peter Quint).

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean investigates two voice types infrequently encountered in opera: trebles (boy sopranos and adolescent female sopranos) and countertenors. Features conversation with Seattle Opera coach-accompanist Jay Rozendaal, and musical examples: TURN OF THE SCREW (Rafi Bellamy Plaice and Forrest Wu), LAKMÉ (Harolyn Blackwell), THE MAGIC FLUTE (Johanna Mergener, Emili Rice, and Isabel Woods), HANSEL & GRETEL (Sasha Cooke and Ashley Emerson), SIEGFRIED (Juls Serger and Julianne Gearhart), FALSTAFF (Peter Rose), Freddie Mercury, Colm Wilkinson, and Will Oakland, I PURITANI (Luciano Pavarotti and Lawrence Brownlee), Alessandro Moreschi, GIULIO CESARE (Bryn Terfel, Milijana Mijanovic, and Jochen Kowalski singing "Va, tacito" and Brian Asawa singing "L'empio, sleale, indegno") and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Anthony Roth Costanzo).