LISTEN: Opera on the Internet

Internet radio keeps expanding and, as everything connected to the web, some things are a lot better than others. Listening to opera on the radio is a mixed blessing. Performances, both recorded and live, from all over the world are easily available 24 hours a day, and it’s a great way to discover new works and hear unknown performers. The downside, of course, is sound quality. Some stations broadcast at very low bandwidth, while others support themselves by indiscriminately interrupting streaming sound with really annoying commercials, some on a ten-minute cycle no matter where they are in a particular work. And many stations don’t provide any information on what is being broadcast, so if you want to track it down on Amazon or iTunes, you are completely out of luck.

There are two sources for internet-streamed opera that are invaluable. The first is All Otto Opera, which broadcasts full-length recorded operas without interruptions. In between each presentation there’s about one minute of commercials. I recently heard Orazi e Curizai by Saverio Mercadante, which was a real find. I only knew the composer from his flute concertos and hadn’t realized he also wrote operas. This one is like early Verdi on steroids. What a never-ending rush! Obviously, it was a necessary purchase. When connecting through iTunes, All Otto Opera provides a scrolling bar at the top with enough information on the work being played to start looking for it. There’s also their website which lists items on their playlist. I found the Mercadante opera selling on Amazon for $60 on CD, but only $17.98 for download. It’s now a regular part of my listening rotation.

The best source for finding live opera is Opera Cast. It lists stations and performances from all over the world, listed by scheduled time using Greenwich Standard time as its reference. (There’s a handy Time Zone Converter here.) Divided by days of the week, you simply have to click the link you want to be connected to the performance. I recently listened to a great live performance of Die Walküre from Oslo. Opera Cast also lists operas being broadcast on over-the-air stations, including regularly scheduled programs, like The Sunday Night Opera on KUSC.

The easiest way to get to these internet stations is through iTunes Radio, but there are other sources. Just do a Google search on “internet radio guide” and you’ll find them. Hook your computer up to a good speaker system, and you can be lost in the world of opera for days and days. Not a bad way to be!