Jeff Counts and Carol Anderson share background and behind-the-scenes information about the upcoming Utah Opera production of Sondeim’s Sweeney Todd.
In short, Sweeney Todd is a vengeance story in the vein of so many of the tragedies Utah Opera has staged in recent years. Although there is a high body count in this production, it’s about more than just murder. The complex stories and motives of both the principal and chorus characters are intricately weaved together with musical motifs that add depth to their respective roles in a way that only Sondheim could achieve.
The original production featured an industrial set and staging with turntable and trap doors. Early reviews claimed the combination of music and theater “magic” of the now beloved work was almost too much for its own good. 
Utah Opera’s production is cast with opera singers that are able to vocally straddle the fine divide between opera and music theater. 

For tickets to Utah Opera's October 2024 production of Sweeney Todd visit: utahopera.org/sweeney

Episode 9.2 - Sondheim's Sweeney Todd Prelude

Though there is a children’s chorus, a children’s ballet, and adults playing children, "Hansel and Gretel" is much more than a children’s opera. In preparation for Utah Opera’s presentation of this beloved fairytale, Jeff and Carol talk about the opera’s backstory and why it’s one of the more underrated and sophisticated scores of the late nineteenth century.

Ghost Light Episode 9.7 - Humperdinck's "Hansel & Gretel" Prelude

You've heard the aria and you've seen the iconic sad commedia clown face. Now join Jeff and Carol as they look beyond the greasepaint into the bleeding heart of Ruggero Leoncavallo's visceral opera. 

Episode 9.10 - Leoncavallo's Pagliacci Prelude

Jeff and Carol invite musicologist Catherine Mayes to help unpack the thorny topic of exoticism and colonialism in Western Music. This is part one of a three-episode introduction to Utah Opera's upcoming production of Puccini's Madame Butterfly.

Episode 9.11 - Madame Butterfly Prelude Part One

If at first you don’t succeed, rewrite it four times—just ask Puccini. In this season’s final opera prelude, Jeff and Carol explore Madame Butterfly, from its rocky premiere to eventual triumph. They delve into the opera’s complex cultural backdrop, examine its literary roots, and confront the tension between the troubling elements within its story and its lasting popularity with opera audiences. 

Episode 9.13 - Madame Butterfly Prelude Part Two

What does it take to reimagine "Madame Butterfly" for today’s stage? Director Matthew Ozawa and mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen join us for a candid conversation about creativity, representation, and reshaping a classic from the inside out.

Episode 9.14 - Madame Butterfly Prelude Part Three

The stage is dark, but the conversation is just beginning. Welcome to Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's Ghost Light podcast, a behind the curtain look into the world of classical music and opera and the artists who make it. Hosted by Jeff Counts and Carol Anderson. Produced and edited by Robert Bedont.

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