The Olympic Games are featured in this weeks WCPE Opera House: Charles Gounods Sapho. Believe it or not, there was a time when poetry was an Olympic event! Sapho, the composers very first opera, came into being largely because of the famous 19th-century French diva Pauline Viardot, who convinced the management of the Paris Opéra to take a chance on the young composer. The legends concerning the Greek poet Sappho were selected, not least because this would provide a suitably serious and impressive title role for Mme. Viardot. It had its premiere on April 16, 1851. Phaon (tenor Christian Papis) is torn between his loves for Glycëre (soprano Sharon Coste) and Sapho (soprano Michèle Command). Alcée (tenor Eric Faury) calls on his fellow Greeks to overthrow the tyrant who oppresses them. His words are received enthusiastically. Saphos song wins the Olympic competition and Phaon leaves Glycère for her. The conspirators draw lots to see who will assassinate the tyrant, and Phaon is chosen. One of the conspirators, Pythéas (bass-baritone Lionel Sarrazin), reveals the plot to Glycère, who uses her knowledge to blackmail Sapho. Reluctantly, Sapho agrees to send Phaon away. Thinking Sapho no longer loves him, Phaon leaves with Glycère. Disheartened, Sapho throws herself off a cliff rather than live without Phaon. Patrick Fournillier conducts the Saint-Étienne Lyric Chorus and Nouvel Orchestra in this 1993 Koch-Schwann recording. From a 2007 Athens concert, the Bulgarian-born mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova sings Saphos Act III aria Ô ma lyre immortelle: youtu.be/GMo04f1BP9I. In the time following Sapho, Ill present arias from several other Gounod operas, including Faust (1859), Mireille (1864), Roméo et Juliette (1867), and Cinq-Mars (1877). This Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (ET) please join us for the Metropolitan Operas production of Jules Massenets Werther, with Jonas Kaufmann singing the title role. Hes joined by Sophie Koch (Charlotte), David Bižić (Albert), and Lisette Oropesa (Sophie). Alain Altinoglu conducts. During the next two Thursday evenings well be fund-raising as part of our Spring Membership Drive, so please show your financial support for the WCPE Opera House by pledging. For three hours well play arias, ensembles, and choruses from the world of grand opera, and will feature cuts from our thank-you gifts for your fulfilled pledge: Joyce DiDonatos ReJoyce, a 2-CD album, and Love, Passion & Deceipt, a 6-DVD set featuring complete Glyndebourne Festival performances of Rossinis La Cenerentola, Mozarts Così fan tutte, and Johann Strauss Juniors Die Fledermaus. The WCPE Opera House is heard every Thursday evening at 7 o’clock in the Eastern time zone on 89.7 FM in central North Carolina, and we’re streamed online at theclassicalstation.org.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:06:13 +0000
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