This is just about perfect. "The Mythic Mysteries" is one of five WNYC Radio tributes, explanations and justifications for Richard Wagner's opera, Tristan and Isolde.
Sometimes, rarely, once in a long while, the talk about the music is on the same level as the music itself -- and I'm aware of the potential absurdity of such a statement, considering the music at hand. But, once in a while it happens.
Here in 16-plus minutes "The Mythic Mysteries" investigates, and resolves, the matters of love and longing; unrequited love where hope still remains; adultery; pain before death, pain after death and then letting go after death.
Pow. Deep, deep deep -- but always welcoming and a pleasure to hear, process, and then hear again. "The Mythic Mysteries" offers strong writing, well placed irony and Amy O'Leary's narrative tone and inflections are equally heroic elements.
At 16:32, "The Mythic Mysteries" is tricky to schedule. Consider combining the five parts of WNYC's Tristan Mysteries to create an hour of entertaining and engaging radio -- that just happens to be about opera.
No operatic experience or operatic attachment required for your listeners, and worth consideration for most formats, including news-information. Saturdays on non-MET stations or Friday night after ATC or Marketplace. Classical: suitable for Saturday before the MET; Saturday after the MET.
The MET offers Wagner's Tristan and Isolde on its regular Saturday matinee radio broadcast on Saturday, December 6 at 11 a.m. EST.
Additional Tristan Mysteries Series Segments:
The Sexual Mysteries (14:08): Content advisory aside, this segment is both historically and hysterically revealing and reveling.
The Visual Mysteries (15:54): Director Peter Sellers explains how it's acceptable, understandable and maybe desirable to never quite figure it all out note by note.
The Sonic Mysteries (15:34): College Music Theory courses rarely made such a relevant and contemporary case for this most famous chord of all time.
The Five-Hour Mysteries (16:37): Makes a strong, comforting case that falling asleep during the opera is fine. It only seems like nothing is happening over the opera's 5 hours, but "something is happening all the time." Then there's the sex on the beach at the end. (Content advisory at about 7 minutes in.)
A compelling telling of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde told with many voices, a rich and near perfect soundtrack to the expertly chosen interviews, scenes, and narration. Producers Amy O"Leary's pedigree from This American Life, Weekend America, and WNYC's Radio Lab, show in this evenly paced 17 minutes. Have classical music program? Tease and please your listeners with this finely crafted piece.
This production is part of a weeklong series.
Comments for The Tristan Mysteries: The Mythic Mysteries
This piece belongs to the series "The Tristan Mysteries"
Produced by WNYC Radio
Other pieces by WNYC
Rating Summary
2 comments
David Srebnik
Posted on November 18, 2008 at 12:50 PM | Permalink
Review of The Tristan Mysteries: The Mythic Mysteries
This is just about perfect. "The Mythic Mysteries" is one of five WNYC Radio tributes, explanations and justifications for Richard Wagner's opera, Tristan and Isolde.
Sometimes, rarely, once in a long while, the talk about the music is on the same level as the music itself -- and I'm aware of the potential absurdity of such a statement, considering the music at hand. But, once in a while it happens.
Here in 16-plus minutes "The Mythic Mysteries" investigates, and resolves, the matters of love and longing; unrequited love where hope still remains; adultery; pain before death, pain after death and then letting go after death.
Pow. Deep, deep deep -- but always welcoming and a pleasure to hear, process, and then hear again. "The Mythic Mysteries" offers strong writing, well placed irony and Amy O'Leary's narrative tone and inflections are equally heroic elements.
At 16:32, "The Mythic Mysteries" is tricky to schedule. Consider combining the five parts of WNYC's Tristan Mysteries to create an hour of entertaining and engaging radio -- that just happens to be about opera.
No operatic experience or operatic attachment required for your listeners, and worth consideration for most formats, including news-information. Saturdays on non-MET stations or Friday night after ATC or Marketplace. Classical: suitable for Saturday before the MET; Saturday after the MET.
The MET offers Wagner's Tristan and Isolde on its regular Saturday matinee radio broadcast on Saturday, December 6 at 11 a.m. EST.
Additional Tristan Mysteries Series Segments:
The Sexual Mysteries (14:08): Content advisory aside, this segment is both historically and hysterically revealing and reveling.
The Visual Mysteries (15:54): Director Peter Sellers explains how it's acceptable, understandable and maybe desirable to never quite figure it all out note by note.
The Sonic Mysteries (15:34): College Music Theory courses rarely made such a relevant and contemporary case for this most famous chord of all time.
The Five-Hour Mysteries (16:37): Makes a strong, comforting case that falling asleep during the opera is fine. It only seems like nothing is happening over the opera's 5 hours, but "something is happening all the time." Then there's the sex on the beach at the end. (Content advisory at about 7 minutes in.)
Michael Johnson
Posted on June 15, 2007 at 09:35 PM | Permalink
Review of The Tristan Mysteries: The Mythic Mysteries
A compelling telling of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde told with many voices, a rich and near perfect soundtrack to the expertly chosen interviews, scenes, and narration. Producers Amy O"Leary's pedigree from This American Life, Weekend America, and WNYC's Radio Lab, show in this evenly paced 17 minutes. Have classical music program? Tease and please your listeners with this finely crafted piece.
This production is part of a weeklong series.
Bravo.