Rté - Lyric Fm - Opera Cereal Podcast

Bess begs Porgy to stay with her, and not let Crown take her back. Crown and Porgy fight until the cripple kills his rival. Porgy is arrested, and Bess is convinced to go to New York with Sportin' Life. Release from jail, Porgy resolves to follow his girl.

Bess's murderous ex-boyfriend, Crown, is on the run from the law, but has vowed to return for his girl. True to his word, he snatches Bess while she is on an island picnic that crippled Porgy is unable to attend. None of the picnickers notice she's gone.

Porgy and Bess have found each other, and are living contentedly in their love. She’s a former good time girl, mistress of a hoodlum on the run who’s looking for her. Porgy’s a cripple, laughed at by others, but not by Bess, who feels safe in his arms.

Crown, a local toughie, has killed Robbins, and chaos ensues as everyone runs to hide from the police. One woman is left alone and defenceless- Bess, Crown’s girl. Porgy, a lonely cripple, takes Bess in and offers the sad woman all the love in his heart.

As the curtain rises, we’re in Charleston, South Carolina, where a group of locals is being entertained by blues player Jasbo Brown. The men are warming up for a game of craps, but a young mother, Clara, takes no notice, singing a lullaby to her baby.

So far, we’ve met two of Hoffman’s three great loves- Olympia, who turned out to be a mechanical doll, and Giulietta, a Venetian courtesan. Now it’s the turn of Antonia, a consumptive singer who has been ordered not to sing any more, or she may die.

The poet Hoffman tells his student friends of Olympia. She is a huge mechanical doll, who requires frequent winding up in order to keep going. Hoffman is given a pair of spectacles by another inventor, Coppelius, which make him fall in love with the doll.

The poet Hoffman awaits his new love Stella in a Nurenberg tavern. He agrees to tell a story to the students assembled there, and launches into the tale of a hunchback, the knock-kneed Kleinzach. However, Hoffman is distracted by thoughts of his lover.

Tosca believes the firing squad is to go through a sham execution, after which the lovers can escape. But the execution is for real. Scarpia’s corpse is discovered, and the troops come for Tosca, but she leaps over the battlements to a defiant death.

As Scaria prepares to take her, Tosca picks up a knife and kills the monster. Cut to Cavaradossi, who awaits his death, and his mind and heart are full of Tosca. Overcome with memories of love, he writes a last letter, recalling sweet nights of happiness.

Tosca is brought before Scarpia and forced to listen to the cries of her tortured lover, until she gives up the fugitive's whereabouts. Scarpia offers Tosca the chance to save her lover’s life- on condition she submit to Scarpia’s pleasure.

Tosca visits Cavardossi at the church, and then he leaves to shelter fugitive Angelotti. Police chief Scarpia enters. Tosca returns but meets Scarpia, who convinces her Caverdossi is cheating. She leaves, distraught. Scarpia sings of his desires.

Tosca takes place in Rome, at the time of the Napoleonic wars. Mario Cavaradossi is working on a painting of Mary Magdelene. The portrait’s inspired by the wife of a local nobleman- but Cavaradossi’s heart belongs to another, opera singer Flora Tosca.

All has gone swimmingly for Poppea. We’re just waiting for just retribution to come, but here’s the rub- it doesn’t. Instead, we get one of the most beautiful moments of love in all opera, as the pernicious pair avow their passion in the duet Pur ti miro.

Ottavia summons Ottone to kill Poppea. Ottone disguises himself in fiancée Drusilla’s clothes, and tries to kill Poppea. The attempt fails and Nerone says Drusilla's to be executed. Ottone explains all, and they are pardoned, while Ottavia's banished.

Today we bid hail and farewell to Seneca, adviser to the emperor Nerone. He objects to the Emperor’s adulterous liaison and speaks up on behalf of the Empress and the people against the little minx. In a rage, Nerone orders his adviser to commit suicide.

Poppea has ensnared the affections of Emperor Nerone, ignoring the misery of his wife Octavia, and the discontent of the populace. Nerone leaves with a promise to return. Poppea exults, looking forward to the day she will be crowned as Nero’s queen.

We’re embarked on a work of delirious abandon, where vice triumphs over virtue, and lust is a must. L’incoronazione di Poppea is set in Ancient Rome. The Emperor Nerone is engaged in a passionate affair with Poppea, to the distress of his wife Octavia.

The lovers are about to wed but along comes the Mikado. KoKo lets them escape, and forges a death certificate for Nanki Poo. Now KoKo must die for killing the prince. Nanki Poo comes up with a plan- KoKo is to marry Katisha. And Happily Ever After!

Just as KoKo is hunting for a victim, he meets Nanki Poo, who’s on his way to hang himself, as he can’t have Yum Yum. A deal is struck; Nanki Poo gets to marry Yum Yum, they live in bliss for a month, then he's executed and his widow marries KoKo.