LA Opera Podcasts: Behind the Curtain

Latest Episodes:

History vs. Opera: Il Trovatore Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Muriel McClendon, Associate Professor for History at UCLA, joins Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master, as the two dive into the historic fictions of opera, what they get right and wrong. More importantly they dig into what the opera reveals about the time in which it was created and how it relates to today. This podcast series launches with Il Trovatore, in which we learn: if you do become monarch, take care of that line of succession!

Roundtable Conversation with LA Opera's Youth Leaders Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

What happens when you put three passionate, articulate teenage opera lovers in a Zoom room together - and can La Traviata stand up to it? Listen and find out as LA Opera youth leaders and super-fans Maurissa Dawson, Christopher Gutierrez, and Clemence Yi share insights for the novice and aficionado alike, discussing which operas are the best "starter" operas, what keeps them intrigued, and where they think the art form is headed.

Women Leading the Way In Opera - A Post-Performance Conversation Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience following the February 8, 2020 performance of Eurydice, by Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl, and was part of the County-wide Eurydice Found festival. It features singers Danielle de Niese, Raehann Bryce-Davis and producer Beth Morrison being interviewed by musicologist Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano.

Director James Gray in Conversation with LA Opera's Christopher Koelsch Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

In this podcast, LA Opera's Sebastian Paul & Marybelle Musco President & CEO Christopher Koelsch speaks with writer and director James Gray. Mr. Gray was scheduled to have his LA Opera debut directing the production of The Marriage of Figaro, which was necessarily postponed due to COVID-19. Listen to this wide-ranging conversation, recorded in June 2020 from their respective homes, as the two discuss opera, cinema, literature and Mr. Gray's upcoming projects.

James Conlon's Pre-Performance Talks on The Ring Cycle: Götterdämmerung (part four) Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the fourth opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Götterdämmerung during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Götterdämmerung's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020. (https://www.laopera.org/ring) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Die Walküre(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried(www.laopera.org/podcasts)

James Conlon's Pre-Performance Talks on The Ring Cycle: Siegfried (part three) Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the third opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Siegfried during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on characters, plot line, and musical themes in Siegfried. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (www.laopera.org/ring/) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Die Walküre (www.laopera.org/podcasts) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

James Conlon's Pre-Performance Talks on The Ring Cycle: Die Walküre (part two) Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the second opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Die Walküre during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Die Walküre's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (https://www.laopera.org/ring/) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried (coming July 21) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

James Conlon's Pre-Performance Talks on The Ring Cycle: Das Rheinhold (part one) Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the first opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Das Rheingold during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Das Rheingold's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (https://www.laopera.org/ring/) Die Walküre (https://www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried (coming July 21) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

James Conlon at Home: Reflections on the Ring Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon sets the stage for the upcoming audio-stream of Richard Wagner's epic, four-part Ring cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen) by reflecting on the philosophy of the German-language music drama. Commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the company's first complete presentation, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon, back-to-back audio stream of all four operas on Saturday, July 25. (Visit https://www.LAOpera.org/LAOatHome for more information.)

James Conlon at Home: Figaro Unveiled - The Ghosts of Versailles (part two) Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Join LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon as he concludes his exploration of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his beloved character Figaro, and the renowned operas that sprang from his plays (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). In this episode, Maestro Conlon continues sharing the real-life stories of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais that may have influenced the story of The Guilty Mother and the music in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles. Visit LA Opera's podcast page for more related content: www.LAOpera.org/podcasts

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