Alle Folgen

Zeinab Badawi meets Sir Bryn Terfel, one of the most distinguished singers of our age, who is in demand on stages across the world.

Zeinab Badawi meets Sir Antonio Pappano as he ends his celebrated tenure as Music Director of the Royal Opera House after the 2023/24 season to become Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. Sir Antonio has railed against the prevailing perception of opera as elitist, saying it is 'a misconception that totally distorts the image of opera'. He has conducted almost the entire Italian and French repertoires, a good part of the Russian, plus Wagner, Strauss and contemporary works; Zeinab goes behind-the-scenes with Tony and his cast at rehearsals of Massenet's Werther to explore the state of opera.

Zeinab Badawi ventures into the English countryside to go behind-the-scenes at the historic opera venue of Glyndebourne, in East Sussex. She asks how far Glyndebourne is leading the way in trying to make opera fit for the future through innovative initiatives around sustainability and diversity. Gus Christie, the chair of Glyndebourne and his wife Danielle de Niese, the acclaimed Australian-American soprano, take Zeinab through the history of Glyndebourne, from the first modest performance in a room in Gus's family home to its present-day status as a world-class venue, which offers audiences a whole experience including idyllic gardens, fine dining and a dedicated art gallery for exhibitions by leading artists.

Zeinab Badawi goes to Athens to celebrate Greek-American opera soprano Maria Callas.

In March 2024, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa celebrates her 80th birthday. Zeinab Badawi follows the incredible story of one of the greatest sopranos of our time. After an early successful stint as a pop star, she became famous In New Zealand whilst still in her teens but left for London to further her operatic career. After winning a scholarship to train in London in the swinging sixties, she made a knockout appearance in the Marriage of Figaro in 1971 at the Royal Opera House and the offers came flooding in. In the latter stages of her career, Dame Kiri rarely appeared on the operatic stage, but remained in high demand as a concert singer. When she retired in 2017, Dame Kiri devoted herself to her foundation, which nurtures young opera singers.