It’s been ten years since my last podcast, and during that time many wonderful things have happened.  In 2012, after a wait of eight years I finally got tickets to the Bayreuth Festival.  Now, this summer, I am very lucky to have a chance to go back to the Festspielhaus.  In this new podcast I pay homage to bass-baritone René Pape who will be singing the role of King Marke this year at the Green Hill.

Program Duration: 28 minutes, 34 seconds

Bayreuth 2010: Of Rats and Men and Lohengrin

The Bayreuth Festival opened at the end of July with a new production of Lohengrin directed by Regietheater director Hans Neuenfels. His tongue-in-cheek take on Richard Wagner's most romantic opera involves setting it in a land overrun by rats. There was laughter at the Festspielhaus, there were loud boos, and there was also the beautiful singing of Jonas Kaufmann and Annette Dasch who ignited opening night with their passionate singing.

Program Duration: 1 hour, 01 minute, 45 seconds

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The Announcer for the Wagner Operas Podcast: Brian Carson

Brian Carson is an actor, singer and puppeteer. Originally from central Pennsylvania, he has a B.A. from Messiah College. Brian has performed in the original off-Broadway cast of John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Theater, Concrete Temple Theater’s Bird Machine, Disney’s former World of Disney: NYC on Fifth Avenue, the former Juilliard Choral Union’s main choir and smaller chorale under the direction of Skitch Henderson with the New York Pops in their Holiday Concert at Carnegie Hall, the New York City Ballet’s Chichester Psalms, Symphony Space’s Wall to Wall Sondheim, and in concert with They Might be Giants at Jazz at Lincoln Center.  Brian may be seen in such films as The Interpreter (dir. Sydney Pollack), World Trade Center (dir. Oliver Stone), The Good Shepherd (dir. Robert De Niro), along with lead roles in several independent student films.  He appeared on Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, The Book of Daniel, Rescue Me, and 30 Rock.  In his New York debut, Brian took the Toys “R” Us Holiday Parade by storm portraying Mrs. Potatohead.
Brian’s own venture, Creatures Inspired, is a series of puppet musings in the form of web shorts currently available at www.YouTube.com/CreaturesInspired or www.CreaturesInspired.com.