Also discussed on the podcast:

• Hai Ting Chinn in “La Didone” at the Wooster Group
• William Christie’s “Atys” at BAM
• Mohammed Fairouz’s “Sumeida’s Song” part of The Prototype Festival
• Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at Opera Carolina

James Marvel

“Named Classical Singer Magazine’s 2008“Stage Director of theYear”, james marvel(Director) has directed over 80 productions in the United States,Canada, England, Scotland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, South Korea, and the Czech Republic. In 2012, Mr. Marvel made his Carnegie Hall debut, working on Katy Tucker’s video production of Carmina Burana. He has also directed productions of Les pêcheurs de Perles for Opera Boston; La voix Humaine at Florence Gould Hall in New York City and for the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium; Tosca at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, a critically acclaimed new production of Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria for the Wolf Trap Opera Company, and a new production of Carmen with Opera Africa in Johannesburg.

Mauro Calcagno

Musicologist Mauro Calcagno is Associate Professor of Music History and Theory at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He’s the author of From Madrigal to Opera: Monteverdi’s Staging of the Self for University of California Press and of various articles on Italian Baroque opera. His critical edition of Cavalli’s Eliogabalo is going to be shortly published by the German publisher Baerenreiter as the third volume of a new complete edition of the operas of the composer.

LISTEN TO PODCAST 19

The Most Beautiful Thing: Peter, Walker Lewis and Erasmo Guerra, listen to full tracks that composers have sent in of the “Most Beautiful Thing” they have ever composed for an opera. We have full samples from:

• Paola Prestini, “Anninnia” from Oceanic Verses
• Dan Shore, “Trevor’s Testimony” from “Lady Orchid“
• Aaron Siegel, “Sparrow Song” from “Brother Brother“
• Mohamed Fairouz, mvmnt III. Audenesque
• Jeff Myers, ”Here I Am” from Maren of Vardo
• Jonathan Dawe, parts of Cracked Orlando
• Paula Kimper, Bridge Scene from The Bridge of San Luis Rey
• Missy Mazzoli, “You Are The Dust” from Songs from the Uproar
• Ricky Ian Gordon, “Hallie Ann” from Rappahannock County

Lots of great listening and conversation, this is a great way to hear the amazing variety of work out there.

• American Opera Project’s Curiouser and Curiouser An Opera-Burlesque Circus in Wonderland
• Susan Botti‘s Wonderglass
• Lowell House’s production of N. Rimsky-Korsakov‘s Snegurochka
• The Center for Contemporary Opera’s NewOp Week
• Verdi’s Macbeth at The MET
• Porgi and Bess on Broadway
• RENT

From the Dream Sequence of Prima Donna

We celebrate one year of podcasting with another great show. Noah discusses with Desiree Alejandro “Song from the Uproar” the multi-media opera from Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek. Noah and I discuss our recent trip to BAM to see Rufus Wainwright‘s “Prima Donna” which was performed by New York City Opera. And of course tons of upcoming events:

• Lowell House Opera presents N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka
• Underworld Productionspresents CrossCURRENT, works by Justine F. Chen
• Gotham Chamber Opera presents Mozart’s Il sogno di Scipione
• Center for Contemporary Opera Presents NewOp Week:
• The Mark Of Cain By Matthew Harris and Terry Quinn
• The Human Zoo By Mark N. Grant
• ADA by Kim Sherman and Margaret Vandenburg
• Big Jim and the Small-Time Investors by Eric Salzman

LISTEN TO PODCAST 16

We have some opera news and a wonderful interview with Elena Langer. Then we take a break from opera and discuss the 2012 Academy Awards with the amazing Royce Vavrek.

Composer Elena Langer

• Elena Langer’s Four Sisters at Bard College
• Adam Gorb’s Anya 17 premiers in Liverpool
• Noah Stewart sings at the Royal Opera House in Judith Wier’s Miss Fortune
• Noah Stewart’s music video – Without A Song
• Royce Vavrek joins us to discuss: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse

Credits: Sound sample of Elena Langer’s work is from Songs at the Well. Show conversation edited by Noah Lethbridge and mixed by Peter Szep.

Patrick Eakin Young leading a Body Opera Workshop

Does being a modern opera singer require you to be more than a walking voice? There are many ways to train actors that are being applied to opera today and we speak with Patrick Eakin Young the Artistic Director of Opera Erratica, is developing work using the acting technique known as ‘Viewpoints.” Also we discuss:

• New York City Opera‘s 3 year union contract, and “Prima Donna“
• Opera Manhattan‘s Women on the Verge
• “La voix humaine” (English: The Human Voice)  by Pulenc
• Thomas Pasatieri‘s “Lady Macbeth” and “Before Breakfast”
• Opera Hispánica‘s “Siempre Catán” using the music of the late composer Daniel Catán
• Remarkable Theater Brigade
• “The Enchanted Island” and ‘Götterdämmerung” at The MET
• Opera Feroce‘s “Amore & Psyche”
• “Truth” an opera about Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree), by Paula Kimper

Credits: Sound sample of Body Opera work composed by Matt Rogers and performed by Adam Torrence, François Testory and Stefan Holmstrom. Episode hosted by Peter Szep, Noah Lethbridge, and Brooke Larimer. Podcast mixed and edited by Peter Szep.

Song From The Uproar

We interview Royce Vavrek and Missy Mazzoli about their new opera “Song from the Uproar” which tells tell the life story of Isabelle Eberhardt, and we are joined by Brooke Larimer as guest host. Also the first Indie Opera Contest! To join the contest email us at: comments@indieopera.com. Plus lots more news from:

• Opera Boston’s Demise
• Boston Opera Collaborative‘s “Opera Goes to Hell”
• Center for Contemporary Opera “Prima Les Parole”
• “The Human Zoo”
• Ben Moore’s “Enemies a Love Story”
• Encompass Opera Theatre‘s “An Astronaut’s Tale”
• Gordon Beeferman‘s ‘The Enchanted Organ” [more at facebook page]
• Hans Werner Henze’s “Elegy for Young Lovers” at Opera Company of Philadelphia
• Canadian Opera Company‘s “A Florentine Tragedy” by Zemlinsky
• New York City Opera and the fate of  “Prima Donna” by Rufus Wainwright
• Mark Adamo‘s Lysistrata and Jake Heggie‘s Three Decemebers at Fort Worth Opera

LISTEN TO PODCAST 13

We interview Cori Ellison and ask “What is a dramaturg?” And we talk with Matthew Harris the composer of A Child’s Christmas in Wales which will be performed by Chelsea Opera Dec 16, 2011.
And News from:

• Dicapo Opera is performing Tchaikovsky “Iolanta“
• Encompass New Opera Theater’s “Holidays at Home“
• OperaOggi Presents “Amahl and the Night Visitors“
• Opera Manhattan’s staging of “Hansel & Gretel“
• Philip Glass’ “Les Enfants Terribles” at North Carolina Opera
• Moby-Dick Jake Heggie‘s opera at Calgary Opera
• Boston Lyric Opera performs Peter Maxwell Davies’ chamber opera “The Lighthouse“
• Canadian Opera Company in Toronto is performing “L’Amour de loin” by composer Kaija Saaraiho