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Podcast: The Music Show
Episode: Jessica Pratt's Mad Scenes, learning Anindilyakwa with Shellie Morris, & remembering Sinéad O'Connor and Tony Bennett
Description: Opera is full of mad scenes, particularly those written in the 19th century in Italy, but there's a trend - none of the men ever go mad, only the women. In fact, the preoccupation with "mad women" in opera and throughout a range of art forms during this era is telling of how 19th-century society viewed mental health and the role of women - mostly written by men. By exploring these operas and portrayal of women, coloratura soprano Jessica Pratt has become quite fond of characters like Amina from Bellini's La sonnambula and the perhaps more recognisable, Lucia...