But Salome the opera rises or falls on the soprano playing Salome, and here San Francisco Opera’s broadcast truly enters the world of operatic legend with Leonie Rysanek. Just those two words could send shivers of anticipation down the backs of a couple generations of opera lovers. She was incapable of giving a routine performance, and when everything was working, her soaring, incandescent voice and no-holds-barred stage presence could drive audiences wild.
Paul Thomason (on Salome, 1974)
Optimism, in short supply when Die tote Stadt first came to the San Francisco Opera fourteen years ago, is in shorter supply today, and the need for it greater. Think of Korngold’s optimism as a synonym for beauty, readily accessible beauty, beauty of melody and texture, beauty that reminds us of the pleasures that humans can offer one another. Pleasures such as Die tote Stadt’s were once devalued for being too easily enjoyed, but composers have come to understand, as Korngold understood, that listeners long to be touched, that they crave the emotional full immersion that will refresh their sensibilities.
Larry Rothe (on Die tote Stadt, 2008)
Streaming the First Century
Session 4: Ho jo to ho!
Explore Streaming the First Century, San Francisco Opera’s historic archival recording release.
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COMPLETE RECORDING
SALOME, 1974
Richard Strauss
Otmar Suitner, conductor
(run time 2 hours and 3 minutes) -
COMPLETE RECORDING
DIE TOTE STADT, 2008
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
(run time 2 hours and 35 minutes) -
EXCERPTED TITLES
DIE WALKÜRE, 1936
COSI' FAN TUTTE, 1960
ELEKTRA, 1966
FIDELIO, 1978 -
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Historic interviews, contemporary conversations, and topical essays
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STREAMING THE FIRST CENTURY
Project overview
Historic Audio Recordings
COMPLETE RECORDING
SALOME, Richard Strauss
COMPLETE RECORDING
DIE TOTE STADT, Erich Wolfgang Korngold
EXCERPT RECORDING
DIE WALKÜRE, Richard Wagner
EXCERPT RECORDING
COSI' FAN TUTTE, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
EXCERPT RECORDING
ELEKTRA, Richard Strauss
EXCERPT RECORDING
FIDELIO, Ludwig van Beethoven
Highlights from the Rabbit Hole
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SPANNING THE DECADES
SF Opera Center Edition
Featuring Christine Bullin and Kip Cranna
Wrangling multiple affiliate programs at a Company as big and busy as SF Opera can be daunting task, one that Christine Bullin embraced and accomplished with great skill. Listen in as she and Kip Cranna discuss the creation of the San Francisco Opera Center, the evolution of the Adler Fellowship, and several other fascinating bits of Company history.
(run time ~ 41 minutes) -
SPANNING THE DECADES
Director Edition, pt. 3
Featuring Francesca Zambello and Kip Cranna
Kip Cranna and Francesca Zambello finish up their engaging 3-part conversation as they discuss young artist training, obscure titles, musicals turned opera, and of course, the Ring.
(run time ~ 18 minutes) -
HISTORIC INTERVIEW
Broadcast Intermission
FIDELIO, 1978
Anyone who knows me (Terence McEwen, Executive VP of London Records) knows that Gwyneth Jones is a very special prima donna in my life. The last 20 years I’ve been working with famous prima donnas, but you have to have some favorites and Gwyneth is one of my special favorites, so it’s a terrific thrill for me to be here in San Francisco, my sweet, to interview about Fidelio.
(run time ~ 19 minutes)
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SPANNING THE DECADES
SPO/T Edition
Featuring Ann Farris and Robert Darling
Taking opera out of the Opera House and into the community was a priority of the Adler administration. Spring Opera, Spring Opera Theater, and Western Opera Theater were crucial for realizing that mission. Listen in as Ann Farris and Robert Darling discuss SPO/SPOT, WOT, and designing/directing shows outside of the WMOH.
(run time ~ 30 minutes )
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HISTORIC INTERVIEW
Broadcast Intermission
DIE TOTE STADT, 2008
As Magee and Kerl point out, Decker’s production strategy solves a dramatic problem even as it places added burdens on the soprano and tenor leads -- they forfeit an interval of relief from roles that are among opera’s most taxing, sacrificing their comfort to verisimilitude.
(run time ~ 12 minutes) -
SPANNING THE DECADES
Chorus Edition, pt. 3
Featuring Ian Robertson and Kip Cranna
Focusing in on the internal machinations of the SF Opera Chorus, dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna sits down with recently retired colleague Ian Robertson for the third of a three-part conversation about Robertson’s 35-year tenure as San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.
(run time ~ 17 minutes)
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CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE
Diva Edition
Marcia Davenport
First Lady of the Airwaves
Learn about Ms. Davenport and then head to the Rabbit Hole to listen to the infamous recording from 1936 Thomason refers to below.
"Marcia Davenport always seemed to be in the most interesting place at exactly the right time. ... Given her combination of music and writing experience it is perhaps inevitable that Davenport would end up on the radio during the early days of opera broadcasts. ... Today the best-known example of Davenport on the radio is her introduction to the San Francisco Opera’s 1936 broadcast of Act II of Die Walküre."BY PAUL THOMASON
(read time ~ 6 minutes) -
HISTORIC PANEL
SF Opera Guild, Insight Panel
DIE TOTE STADT, 2008
In 1972 the San Francisco Opera Guild initiated - Opera Salon, renamed Insight Panels in 1980 - a series of panel discussions by experts on various topics.
Join Kip Cranna as he talks with Die tote Stadt's conductor Donald Runnicles, revival director Meisje Hummel, and lead tenor Lucas Meachem singing the role(s) of Fritz/Frank.
(run time ~59 minutes)
