Dec 17, 2017
The Christmas season does not
usually bring to mind the music of Richard Wagner,
but it should, for on Christmas morning, in the year 1870,
Cosima, the composer's wife, woke from her
slumbers to a new composition written by her husband to celebrate
her 25th of December birthday, and played at their house by...
Oct 29, 2017
The Flying Dutchman (Der
fliegende Holländer) is Richard Wagner’s
answer to Halloween. The story of a ghostly sea captain who
is doomed to sail the seven seas for eternity is the perfect opera
to enjoy during this spooky festive...
Sep 9, 2017
My favorite moment in the Ring of the Nibelung occurs in the second act of Die Walküre. Brünnhilde visits Siegmund to tell him that he will die in battle and that she will take him to Valhalla. This is the famous “Todesverkündigung,” one of the most famous moments from the trilogy.
Sep 1, 2017
My journey to Bayreuth
this summer was filled with so many great performers by a host of
very talented singing actors. Thinking about the month of
August and the great performances I saw and heard, I started
wondering what some of these same singers would be like in roles
other than the ones I saw them in. And hence...
Aug 24, 2017
After so many years of doing these
podcasts I realized that I had never done a program dedicated
exclusively to one of my favorite Wagner operas,
Tannhäuser. So here is an audio show
highlighting some of the great moments from this romantic opera
from the composer’s middle period. You will hear tenor
Jonas...