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He Sang/She Sang

He Sang/She Sang

WQXR Radio

He Sang/She Sang is a new podcast from WQXR for the opera-curious and opera superfans who want to know what all those big voices are really singing about. The podcast follows the radio broadcast season of the Metropolitan Opera with a weekly roundtable chat that discusses the plots, characters, music, productions, social significance and great performances of that week's opera. Following the Met's radio broadcast season, He Sang/She Sang will dive into the new productions of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Rossini’s William Tell, the Met premiere of an opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and fan favorites by Verdi, Puccini and Mozart. He Sang/She Sang is hosted by Merrin Lazyan and Michael Shobe, with appearances by superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, Met Opera tenor Stuart Skelton, WQXR hosts Jeff Spurgeon and Nimet Habachy, BBC 3 host Clemency Burton Hill and others.
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Top 10 He Sang/She Sang Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best He Sang/She Sang episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to He Sang/She Sang for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite He Sang/She Sang episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Soprano Jennifer Rowley is singing the role of Roxane in Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, and she says that there's a little bit of Cyrano in all of us. This week, we discuss the sentimental story about love, self-doubt, and the disproportionately large facial feature that has captured our imagination for more than a century.

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He Sang/She Sang - 'The Flying Dutchman': Wagner's Eternal Wanderer
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04/26/17 • 36 min

This week on He Sang/She Sang, William Berger, author of the book Wagner without Fear, discusses one of history's most controversial and visionary composers. He explores the hit tunes and earworms, the power of transformation, and the unexpected parallels between Wagner and The Beatles.

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He Sang/She Sang - Aida: Verdi's Most Intimate Spectacle
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04/12/17 • 36 min

When we think of Verdi's Aida, we imagine the stunning grandeur of the Triumphal March, with its enormous cast of singers, dancer, acrobats, and animals. But stage director David Paul argues that at its heart, Aida is a surprisingly intimate opera about a love triangle.

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He Sang/She Sang - Love and Death in Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde'
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04/06/17 • 33 min

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde is an extraordinary journey through the human psyche, and through the two most powerful forces guiding our lives: love and death. Merrin Lazyan speaks with writer Paul Thomason about the intoxicating magnetism of the music, and tenor Stuart Skelton compares singing the role of Tristan to climbing the Himalayas.

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He Sang/She Sang - Into the Light With Beethoven's 'Fidelio'
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03/29/17 • 37 min

Beethoven spent more than ten years revising Fidelio, the only opera he ever wrote. This was about more than music for the great composer. It was about freedom, devotion, and the triumph of human dignity over tyranny. In this episode, host Merrin Lazyan speaks with clarinetist Jessica Phillips and soprano Adrianne Pieczonka about Beethoven's revolutionary sound and spirit.

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He Sang/She Sang - Fate and Forbidden Love in Mozart's 'Idomeneo'
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03/22/17 • 27 min

World-renowned mezzo Alice Coote marvels at Mozart's early insight into fate, sacrifice, and parental love in his first great opera, Idomeneo. She also describes in vivid detail the perils of dressing (and undressing) for a trouser role.

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He Sang/She Sang - William Tell: Rossini's Grand Finale
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03/14/17 • 29 min

On this week's episode of He Sang/She Sang, hosts Merrin Lazyan and Julian Fleisher are joined by author Fred Plotkin to discuss the glorious music of Rossini's final opera, William Tell. We also speak with the Tony-nominated set designer George Tsypin about the themes of nature and freedom that inspired him.

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He Sang/She Sang - La Traviata: Verdi's Timeless Fallen Woman
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03/07/17 • 45 min

On this week's episode of He Sang/She Sang, hosts Merrin Lazyan and Julian Fleisher are joined by dramaturg Cori Ellison to discuss Verdi's mythical and timeless masterpiece, La Traviata. We also speak with baritone Thomas Hampson, who has been singing the role of Germont for 25 years. Hampson tells us how the complex and beautiful dilemmas that we find in this opera help us to better understand who we really are.

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He Sang/She Sang - Werther: Massenet's Lovelorn Hero
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03/01/17 • 44 min

On this week's episode of He Sang/She Sang, Merrin Lazyan and Jeff Spurgeon speak with writer James Kuslan about Massenet's lovelorn hero, Werther. We also hear from mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard about the magnetic power of love at first sight.

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He Sang/She Sang - Stopping the Clocks With Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier'
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05/11/17 • 32 min

Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier is an opera about the passage of time — what it means to grow older, what we lose and what we gain as the years pass, and how we know when it's time to let go of the people that we love. Mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča knows all about letting go, because after singing the role of Octavian for 17 years, she is giving her final performance as the passionate count this week. But Garanča has no regrets. She's learned to appreciate her life by accepting, and even enjoying, the passage of time.

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FAQ

How many episodes does He Sang/She Sang have?

He Sang/She Sang currently has 24 episodes available.

What topics does He Sang/She Sang cover?

The podcast is about Classical, Music, Opera, Podcasts, Music Interviews, Interviews and Music Commentary.

What is the most popular episode on He Sang/She Sang?

The episode title 'A Nose by Any Other Name: Franco Alfano's 'Cyrano de Bergerac'' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on He Sang/She Sang?

The average episode length on He Sang/She Sang is 36 minutes.

How often are episodes of He Sang/She Sang released?

Episodes of He Sang/She Sang are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of He Sang/She Sang?

The first episode of He Sang/She Sang was released on Nov 29, 2016.

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