OPERA FOR ALL -- Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin: Recent Episodes
Society Bytes Radio
Monday 9 pm & Wednesday 2 pm
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.
In Luigi Cherubini's opera, Medea had two children by Jason, who abandons her to marry Glauce. Medea takes revenge killing Glauce and their two sons.
An innkeeper during the Protestant Reformation becomes convinced he is God's messenger with tragic consequences for himself, his mother and his fiancee. A good example of Parisian Grand Opera, from 1830-1870. Now known best for its skater's waltz.
In Verdi's opera, there is a confrontation between a Roman General and Attila, where the general proposes giving up the entire empire, with the exception of Italy, in a dramatic duo that highlights the opera
In the plot of Donizetti's opera GEMMA DI GERVY, the heroine is barren, and her husband the Count gets an annulment of his marriage so he can get married to another woman with the hopes of getting an heir.
OPERA FOR ALL presents Giuseppe Verdi's first opera: OBERTO, CONTI DI SAN BONIFACIO, where we
first hear the father-daughter exchanges that Verdi would use in many of his operas.
Our program presents Giacomo Puccini's second opera, EDGAR where the main character Edgar alternates between the pure love of an innocent village woman, and the sensual temptations of another.
In LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, Destiny or Fate plays a role in the loves of Leonora and Alvaro. When they tried to elope, Leonora's father confronts Alvaro who throws his pistol to the floor to avoid confrontation, but the gun accidentally mortally hits the father. This is one of the many situations in this Beautiful Opera.
" THE PEARL FISHERS" is the first opera composed by Georges Bizet, the author of "CARMEN". Set in an exotic land, the drama deals with a male friendship disrupted by a beautiful virgin priestess"
In Bellini's opera, Amina is ready to marry Elvino, but when she finds herself in another man's bedroom, the marriage is cancelled until we all find that Adina is a sleepwalker and all ends well in a delightful ending.
In Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, the emphasis is on Lady Macbeth with great interpretations by sopranos Shirley Verrett and Maria Callas.
Besides The Merry Widow, Franz Lehar composed many operettas. OPERA FOR ALL presents the beautiful LAND OF SMILES, with beautiful tunes for the tenor, the main character in the operetta. A Chinese diplomat falls in love with a European woman, but the cultural differences do not allow them to fulfill their love.
In Donizetti's opera MARIA STUARDA, there is a non-historical confrontation of the two queen rivals: Elizabeth I and Maria Stuarda, the best dramatic moment of the opera, in a wonderful interpretation by Montserrat Caballe and Bianca Berini
Francesco Cilea's opera "ADRIANA LECOUVREUR" is based on the life of an actress at the Comedie Francaise, a diva that all sopranos want to interpret.
This presentation will feature soprano Montserrat Caballe accompanied by tenor Jose Carreras in one of their most successful interpretations
Anna Bolena is another of the Donizetti Queens. The opera was very successful at its premiere, and also in the revival by Maria Callas, which marked the beginning of her career. In this program, we will hear the soprano in a re-mastering of the 1947 recording at La Scala.
"ROBERTO DEVEREUX was a presumed lover of Queen Elizabeth Ist, who was really infatuated with him and had to sign his execution for treasury, although she suffered more the loss of his love. Listen to Beverly Sills, in her acclaimed portrayal of the Queen, one of the best
accomplishments of her career"
Pergolesi: La Serva Padrona ( Maid into Mistress of the House). The first Baroque comic opera whose arias and duets delight to this day. A saucy maid schemes to get her rich old master to marry her.
n this version of the story of Joan of Arc by
Verdi, Joan does not die on the pyre, and there
is a hint of love between Joan and the King.
Catalani: La Wally. A verismo opera with all the requisites of jealousy, attempted murder, forgiveness and a tragic death scene for the 2 lovers. Noted most for a famous soprano aria, featured prominently in the French cult movie "Diva" and ever since known as the Diva Aria.
In "I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI", Bellini explores the story of Romeo and Juliette in a slightly different version than the well known from Shakespeare"
When Verdi was asked to produce a new work for the PARIS OPERA, he did not want to fail, so he reworked
his previous opera I LOMBARDI, changing and adding a few things, with great success this story of the First Crusade, with an added love triangle between two men
and a woman"
When Verdi was asked to produce a new work for the PARIS OPERA, he did not want to fail, so he reworked
his previous opera I LOMBARDI, changing and adding a few things, with great success this story of the First Crusade, with an added love triangle between two men
and a woman"
OFA 51 I Lombardi. (Italians in the first Crusade.) A complicated plot with many conspiracies, leading to final redemption. Good arias (it is by Verdi after all) ,rousing choruses and marches with a stage band. The chorus "O Signore, dal tetto natio" is deservedly popular.
"In Donizetti's opera, Lucrezia follows a young man, while her husband spies on her and eventually kills him, without realizing the young man was Lucrezia's son"
Verdi's Otello Shakespeare's tragedy set to music equal to words. One of opera's great love duets and Desdemona's Ave Maria are among the highlights.
Vincenzo Bellini's Norma is considered to be the most taxing roles in the soprano repertoire, lending satisfaction and prestige to those who achieved its rendition.
In the 1950's, the role of Norma was the calling card of the great soprano MARIA CALLAS, followed by the interpretation of others like Joan Sutherland, Monserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills and others more recently.
Franz Lehar: The Merry Widow. An operetta about a rich widow who wants to rekindle an old love affair with a handsome guards officer. After the usually bumps in the road, love conquers all against a background of some very familiar waltzes and the guardsman/s famous salute to all dancing girls at Maxim's cafe.
"In Verdi's Ernani, the beautiful Elvira is being forced to marry her uncle,
but she loves Ernani. The plot thickens when Carlo, the King of Spain
is also in love with her."
Idomeneo. Mozart's first mature opera about the travails of a Greek ruler who Neptune saves in a storm at sea. In exchange the God demands the sacrifice of the first person he encounters upon landing who turns out to be his son. Performed in English.
Opera for all presents the splendor of Viena and its waltzes with the opera DER ROSENKAVALIER, {The night of the Rose} by Richard STRAUSS
A mysterious stranger must answer three riddles to win the Princess of China in marriage. Should he fail, the penalty is death. Puccini's last opera, featuring the famous aria Nessun Dorma,Luciano Pavarotti's calling-card.
XAVIER MONTSALVAGE'S opera EL GATO CON BOTAS, in English PUSS'N BOOTS is a delightful children's opera based in the famous children book.
The Golden Cockerel. A satire about a stupid Czar and his downfall. Filled with gorgeous Rimsky-Korsakov oriental music, like his Scherhazade. Highlights include a famous coloratura aria (Hymn to the Sun) and a scary wedding march.
In Massenet's opera "THAIS", the monk Athanael tries to convert the courtesan Thais. While she repents her sinful life and accepts God in the famous "Meditation", Athanael sinfully begins to lust for her."
Two officers are engaged to two sisters. The boys take a bet that their fiancées will remain faithful. They pretend to leave on assignment, assume disguises and pay court to each other's intended. Will the girls give in? Performed in English, you maybe surprised and even disturbed by the outcome, but Mozart's music is hard to resist
Rossini's comic opera "L'Italiana in Algieri" presents Isabella, the Italian girl who travels to Algiers to look for her boyfriend Lindoro who has been kidnapped by theTurkish Bey Mustafa
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Set during the French Revolution, Umberto Giordano's opera ANDREA CHENIER presents a love triangle in the verismo style. The most famous aria of this opera "LA MAMMA MORTA" was inmortalized by Maria Callas in the film PHILADELPHIA with Tom Hanks
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In Rossini's version of Cinderella, the evil stepmother becomes an evil stepfather; the fairy godmother is a real man, and the lost shoe is a bracelet, but the most important change
is that the opera is really a comic opera.
In Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut, we encounter the young lady who instead of going to a convent, ends up falling in love with a young student, but falls more in love
with "the good life"
Blurb for Meistersinger:
Wagner's most accessible opera. A sunny comedy set in Medieval Germany. The town Cobbler, Hans Sachs helps the young Knight Walther win the hand of the Gosldsmith's daughter Eva by foiling the unwanted attentions of the competing suitor Beckmesser.
Opera for all presents Amilcare Ponchielli's opera LA GIOCONDA, with its well known ballet music, THE DANCE OF THE HOURS.
Gioconda is in love with Enzo, who in turns loves Laura.
Gioconda gives up her love, when Laura saves her mother's life.
The beautiful melodies of Borodin's Prince Igor were
heard by many in the Broadway show Kismet, with the most beautiful melody converted into "Strangers in Paradise"
Verdi's first successful opera Nabucco offers beautiful arias and many choruses, including "Va, pensiero" considered by many as an official Italian national anthem
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin A bored anti-hero rejects the outpouring of love from a young girl from the provinces. 6 years later he meets her again as the wife of a fabulously wealthy Prince and immediately becomes infatuated. He pleads with her to leave her husband: will she succumb? Sung in English. More melodies than you can shake a stick at!
"I PURITANI" [The Puritans] is Vincenzo Bellini's last and most complete belcanto opera. The plot of the opera sets a love triangle against the background of the struggle between Puritans and Royalists in the English Civil War of 1640, with Puritan Elvira madly in love with Royalist Arturo"
"A lush romantic lyric opera with swelling arias and duets. The story, taken from a famous novel, concerns a young poet who falls in love with a married woman."
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OPERA FOR ALL presents Gounod's opera "ROMEO & JULIETTE", one of the jewels of French Opera
The most famous Mad Scene in Opera!
For marriage of Figaro. Figaro is to married to Susanah, but Count Almaviva wants to bed her first. Can Figaro thwart his master's dastardly intentions?
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" Leonora is in love with the troubadour Manrico.
The Count the Luna is in love with Leonora and
confronts Manrico and his mother Azucena, sending
them to jail for execution.
After Manrico dies, Azucena tells the count he has
murdered his own brother"
Magda, the Mistress of a rich Parisian, remembers the innocent Romance of young love. Hiding her current occupation, she falls for Ruggiero, a naive young man from the provinces and runs away with him. When the young man seeks permission of his parents to marry her, she realizes her life as a kept woman makes this impossible. In a wrenching final duet, she leaves him.
The simple farmer Nemorino is in love with the
smart Adina who rejects him. His fate changes
when Dr. Dulcamara offers him the "elixir of love"
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Riccardo is in love with Amelia, the wife of his best friend Renato. While they confessed their love for each other, they realize it is wrong and it can not be. OPERA FOR ALL will present Giuseppe Verdi;s opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA ["A masked ball"] next Monday Sep 2nd at 9pm, and Wednesday Sep 4th, 2pm onn Renato realizes the situation, he plots and kills Riccardo.
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Santuzza, seduced and abandoned by her lover Turiddu, who now has a new lover, Lola, the wife of Alfio.l
Santuzza tries to convince Turiddu to comeback to her
and when he does not, he tells Alfio about his wife's betrayal, leading to the tragic ending.
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OPERA FOR ALL presents Rossini's opera THE BARBER OF SEVILLE,
next Monday, July 1, 9pm and Wednesday July 3, 2pm on
Figaro, the barber, with his ability to help and talk to everyone in Seville, manages to ensure that the Count
Almaviva meet her beloved Rosina, whom she ultimately
marries in Rossini’s best known comic opera.
Monday 9 pm & Wednesday 2 pm
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.OPERA FOR ALL presents George Bizat's opera CARMEN
Monday May 13th, 9pm and Wednesday May 15th at 2pm on
societybytesradio.com Podcasts for this opera and others
are available at the station webpage
Monday 9 pm & Wednesday 2 pm
The story follows a group of struggling bohemian artists in the Latin quarter of Paris
The poet Rodolfo, falls in love with the sickly seamstress Mimi.
After living together for a while, they split over Rodolfo’s unreasonable jealousy [ in reality, a concern for Mimi’s illness
and her desire not to be a burden on him].
They re-unite in her deathbed. When Rodolfo realizes Mimi has died, he cries in despair.
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.OPERA FOR ALL presents George Bizat's opera CARMEN
Monday May 13th, 9pm and Wednesday May 15th at 2pm on
societybytesradio.com Podcasts for this opera and others
are available at the station webpage
Monday 9 pm & Wednesday 2 pm
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.OPERA FOR ALL presents George Bizat's opera CARMEN
Monday May 13th, 9pm and Wednesday May 15th at 2pm on
societybytesradio.com Podcasts for this opera and others
are available at the station webpage
Monday 9 pm & Wednesday 2 pmThe courtesan VIoleta, falls in love with Alfredo,
and leaves her rich patron, the Baron.
After 3 months living together, Alfredo’s father appears and persuades Violeta to end the relationship.
Later ravaged by tuberculosis, Alfredo returns
to her deathbed, begging forgiveness, and promising to renew their love, but it is too late and she dies in his arms
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.
Click Here for this weeks show
Verdi's Aida The Egyptians have captured and enslaved Aida, an Ethiopian princess. An Egyptian military commander, Radames, struggles to choose between his love for her and loyalty to his country. Complicating the dilemma, the King's daughter Amneris loves Radames, who does not return her feelings. Although Radames wins glory in battle, his tangled personal affairs lead to a tragic ending for all three lovers. The opera features the famous Triumphal March (Elephants not included on this program)
An American naval officer based in Japan enters into an arranged marriage to a teenage Japanese geisha known as Madame Butterfly.
After a year his squadron departs for the USA hand he cynically promises to return, all the while planning to wed a “real” American wife when he arrives home.
For 3 long years Butterfly waits for his return which he does when he learns that she has borne him a son, leading to a tragic conclusion.
Longtime friends and opera lovers Octavio Choy and Peter Shimkin want YOU to become an opera fan! In this introductory series, we will present the plots of popular operas along with their musical highlights. We will provide insight to help you appreciate singers and singing in general. You will also learn about the musical style of great composers. All you need to get started is love of the human voice and a great tune.