Episode 5: Mary Garden - Scotland's Diva

09/25/19 • 64 min

Described by some as "the Sarah Bernhardt of opera", Mary Garden was an actress, a talented singer, and quite the character. She was famous for her formidable vocal range and she first rose to success in Paris during the first decade of the 20th century. A few years later, she would be a household name in America as an operatic superstar, and starred in operas in several major American cities. Later on Mary would appear in two silent films made by Samuel Goldwyn.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.

Previous Episode

Anne of Cleves: Henry's Luckiest Wife

We go back once again to Tudor times to look at the life of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. She has gone down in history (unfairly) as the ugly fat dim one, the one Henry was so repelled by, he couldn't consummate the marriage. Anne was Henry’s wife for just six months, making her the shortest reigning of all his queens and has subsequently been dismissed as little more than a hiccup in the history of England’s most-married monarch. However - there is far more to this story than the frankly humiliating spin that has been doing the rounds since 1540. Anne may not have been to Henry's liking, but how she responded to being rejected by him proves that she was nothing like the hapless victim of legend.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.

Next Episode

Unity Mitford: Ride of The Valkyrie

Although the rest of her family were fascist sympathisers of one sort or another, which was common among upper classes in inter-war Britain, Unity Mitford became an extreme right winger, a fanatical fascist who described herself as a "jew hater" and talked at length about how much she loved Hitler. Her life goal was to meet him, and she moved to Munich when she was 19 so she could learn German and thus be able to speak with him when the magical encounter took place. Due to her elevated social status, she successfully managed to insert herself in Hitler's inner circle. Join us as we talk about the (short) life and times of Unity Mitford!