Opera For Everyone

You cannot escape reality.  That being said, artists since time immemorial have tried.  Puccini’s La Bohème follows a group of young people seeking to escape the world of the ordinary, living in an attic and sacrificing everything for their art and romantic ideals.  Our popular cultural image of the “starving artist” comes in large part from La Bohème and its descendants.  Most famous among those descendants is Jonathan Larson’s Rent, which is directly based on Puccini’s opera.  In turn, Puccini’s librettists owe much to author Henri Murger and others before him.  This chain of tradition has gone on to inspire countless other works of art, and moves us–veterans and newcomers alike–to laughter and tears.  You’ll likely find yourself wanting to go back to spend more time with these charming, flawed, thoroughly human bohemians. Pat and co-host Kathleen Van De Wille are joined by Opera Omaha’s principal guest conductor, Steven White, and general manager, Allison Swenson. We are grateful for Opera Omaha’s help in our exploration of La Bohème.  Opera Omaha will be performing La Bohème November 13 and 15, 2026.

Before the story of Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere, there was another story of a knight who clandestinely loves the wife of the king. With hazy origins at an unclear point in history, this story has been retold again and again over the centuries… and never quite so powerfully as in Wagner’s masterpiece, Tristan und Isolde. This opera, though rightly celebrated for its compositional style and its innovations, is most treasured for its majestically beautiful portrayal of two people helplessly tangled up in an irresistible, impossible love. Join Pat and co-host Gerald Malone for a deep dive into Wagner’s spectacular Tristan und Isolde.   Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, as well as “scuttlebutt” about opera from a delightfully well-informed little dog.

Richard Wagner refused to call Parsifal an opera, but instead considered it a rite of “consecration.” For many years, its performance was restricted to the small German town of Bayreuth: the destination of a new kind of artistic/religious pilgrimage.   The story itself is somewhat perplexing; both mythic and strangely fragmentary.  It is a tale of knights, witches, sorcerers, and one pure innocent fool… all of them engaged in a mystical struggle between good and evil. It is this cosmic aspiration that has made Wagner’s final operatic composition an enduringly controversial work of art.  People adore Parsifal, revile it, groan at the thought of its great length, and celebrate its beauty and power… and often, do so all at once. Join Pat & Grant & Kathleen for an exploration of the most operatic not-opera ever written. For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

Lohengrin is THE quintessential “knight in shining armor” coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress.  Swanning in on his mysterious boat, he is a literal answer to her prayers.  But though he may be a gift from God, terms and conditions very much apply.  Opposing this knight and damsel are an evil sorceress and her hapless husband.  Good triumphs over evil in the end, though, as you might have guessed if you’ve ever experienced another Wagner opera, the ending isn’t quite a happy one for the virtuous maiden. Join Pat & Grant & Kathleen for an exploration of the utterly Romantic, and thoroughly Wagnerian opera. For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.

Cornwall in the mid-eighteenth century was a remote and isolated region along the southwest coast of Britain, one where a ship and its crew might easily be dashed on the jagged rocks. And sometimes, that catastrophe might be nudged along by missing or misplaced warning lights. The inhabitants who practiced this deception often justified their actions, claiming to be favored by God. Stories of these “wreckers” of ships and a visit to the desolate region fired the imagination of composer Ethel Smyth, leading to the creation of The Wreckers, or Les Naufrageurs, as it was called in its original French. For over one hundred years Ethel Smyth held the distinction of being the only female composer to have a work (Der Wald) performed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1903.  She is not as well-known today as many of her male contemporaries, though she was exceptionally well-regarded in her day.  Join Pat and guest co-host Gerald Malone in getting to know this fascinating and talented woman and one of her masterpieces. Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, as well as “scuttlebutt” about opera from a surprisingly well-informed little dog.

A seemingly all-powerful sorceress rules over her own island domain.  She enchants not only nature, but also men, who are helpless to resist her charms.  And when she does tire of those besotted men, it’s nothing that a transfiguration from man to animal cannot solve.  However, downfall is imminent when she truly falls in love with one of the ensnared men.  It turns out that this man’s true love is a fearsome warrior woman, whose skills rival those of Charlemagne’s famed paladins.  (Big trouble for Alcina!) This story, like Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso (Ep. 130), is based on a 16th century epic that is so rich in dramatic detail and power that it has inspired countless works of art in myriad mediums.  Alcina is one of the three (!) operas by Handel based on this source material.  Join Pat and guest co-host Jeff Counts as we meet this enchanting woman and the characters who surround her. Jeff Counts is the general manager of the Grand Teton Music Festival and KHOL’s film critic.

Known to history as “The Scourge of God,” Attila was a rampaging conqueror who famously turned aside from the city of Rome after a meeting with the Pope.  In this version, Attila is also opposed by a vengeful slave, a morally flexible Roman general, and a wily and determined warrior woman.  Historical? Not so much.  But this stunning opera from early-career Verdi, Attila is a work that deserves to be heard and enjoyed, full of exquisite arias, duets, ensembles, choral numbers, and what may be opera’s most expeditious on-stage lead character death. Hosted by Pat with co-host Grant

All hands on deck! This episode of Opera for Everyone dives headlong into a leviathan of 21st-century opera: Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick (2010). Adapted from Melville’s classic American novel, this seafaring drama is a gripping operatic meditation on obsession, authority, and the power of friendship. With Gene Scheer’s cinematic libretto and Heggie’s muscular score, the opera captures both the immensity of the sea and the intensity of life aboard the Pequod. Joining Pat on this voyage is guest Candice M. Kelsey, educator, poet, and Melville enthusiast, who brings a literary lens to the opera’s adaptation. Batten down the hatches and sail with us into operatic waters where the whale is white, the questions are vast, and the music is epic. For more on Candice Kelsey visit candicemkelseypoet.com  

When an entrenched oligarchy and a cynical revolution go to war with one another, what happens to all the people in the middle?  Some may be victimized, others silenced, and yet others swept up in the churn of events.  In Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, Jean of Leiden finds himself assuming the mantle of prophet and messiah, setting up expectations for himself that he can never fulfil.  This epic French Grand Opera, loosely based on a real historical figure who came to be known as “King of the New Jerusalem,” was a spectacular success.  However, for many reasons, not least of them the jealousy and resentment from composer Richard Wagner, Meyerbeer is not well-known today.  Nevertheless, his works offer many delights, as well as heart-rending drama.  Join host Pat, along with guest co-host Gerald Malone for a close look at Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète. Gerald Malone’s website, TheRestIsOpera.com is brimming with commentary on opera productions that he has seen around the world, as well as “scuttlebutt” about opera from a suspiciously well-informed little dog.

Richard Wagner’s first truly successful opera, set in medieval Rome, sees a young nobleman in love with a young plebeian woman.  While this might sound like it’s going to be an operatic love story, it’s quite a different thing entirely: Grand Opera, Wagner-style.  Based on a controversial and visionary historical figure who became a footnote, but aspired to change the face of history, it has soaring music, but this opera is less concerned with romance than the fortunes of a leader trying to accumulate power in order to bring peace and equality to his people.   Hosted by Pat, Kathleen, and Grant   For more cultural and arts commentary by Kathleen Van De Wille, visit Constructive Criticism on Substack.