08/13/2025
Many thousands of operas have been written and performed over the centuries. I was once told that the Bibliotheque Nationale de France has 15,000 complete manuscripts in its collection. The person said this didn't seem open to argument, so I have never bothered to count.
Yet, Google says that less than 2700 different titles have been performed in the last five years. That leaves a lot of music unheard and some of it is magnificent.
KLEF isn't in a position to change these numbers very much but, thanks to Mike Jungreis, we do what we can to keep some unfamiliar operas on the air. The week, for example, our featured composer is Giacomo Meyerbeer. He was once the toast of the French opera crowd but hardly a household name today. Mike will play Robert the Devil, an eighteenth century supernatural stemwinder
Is Robert the Devil from the far darkest reaches of the bibliotheque's stacks? Hardly, total Meyerbeer is obscure but not forgotten. And for KLEF to broadcast an opera we need somethings that's been recorded in modern times. That said, it's a pretty good bet that Saturday at 8 p.m. will be the nation's only public hearing of Robert the Devil all week. Maybe even all month.....or more.
--Rick
