Opera on WRTI

Tenor Vittorio Grigolo sings the title role of Hoffmann, the tortured poet and unwitting adventurer who is looking for love in Jacques Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, a fantasy opera based on three short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The libretto was written by Jules Barber; the opera was first performed in 1881 in Paris. Saturday, January 31, 1 to 4:30 pm on WRTI.

One of the most-beloved opera arias is The Tales of Hoffmann's Barcarolle, Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour:

Opera star Deborah Voigt has always been a straight-shooting diva, openly discussing her weight problems, the surgery she underwent to address them, and the possible effects that had on her voice. Yet as The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Patrick Stearns reports, the singer goes well beyond that in her new autobiography, Call Me Debbie.

Franco Zeffirelli’s classic take on Puccini’s most popular opera, the immortal tale of tragic young love, is set among the rooftops of bohemian Paris. Soprano Kristine Opolais sings the role of the fragile Mimì, with Jean-François Borras as the love-sick poet Rodolfo. Riccardo Frizza conducts. Puccini's La Boheme, Saturday, January 24, 1 to 4 pm.

Do you know the astonishing story about how Kristine Opolais made history at The Met? Read about it here!

The great Renée Fleming stars as the beguiling femme fatale who captivates all of Paris in Franz Lehár’s enchanting operetta, The Merry Widow. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play, L'attaché d'ambassade (The Embassy Attaché) by Henri Meilhac. Saturday, January 17, 1 to 4 pm on WRTI 90.1 FM.

This is grand opera at its grandest! Verdi’s mythic love triangle features soprano Tamara Wilson, who makes her network broadcast debut as the Ethiopian princess Aida, opposite tenor Marcello Giordani as the Egyptian warrior Radamès. Soprano Violeta Urmana sings Amneris.  Marco Armiliato conducts. Mary Jo Heath is sitting in for Margaret Juntwait. The Metropolitan Opera, Saturday, January 10, 1 to 4 pm on WRTI 90.1 FM or online at wrti.org

Happy New Year! Join us for our annual Met Opera broadcast of Hansel and Gretel - perfect for listeners of all ages! This witty production of Humperdinck's fairy-tale opera is conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Listen as two children face off against a wicked witch. Aleksandra Kurzak as Gretel and Christine Rice as Hansel lead a delightful feast for the entire family. Saturday, January 3, 1 to 3:30 pm.

Synopsis

CAST:

Verdi's consumptive courtesan returns in Willy Decker's timeless setting, with rising soprano Marina Rebeka as the title heroine, Stephen Costello as Alfredo, and Quinn Kelsey as Germont.  Marco Armiliato conducts.  Saturday, December 27th from 1 to 4:45 PM.

Synopsis

Cast:
Conductor: Marco Armiliato
Violetta Valéry: Marina Rebeka
Alfredo Germont: Stephen Costello
Giorgio Germont: Quinn Kelsey
 

Richard Eyre's season-opening new production of Mozart's eternal masterpiece is set in an 18th-century manor house in Seville during the 1930s. Erwin Schrott in the title role leads a stellar cast that also includes Mariusz Kwiecien as the Count and Danielle de Niese as Susanna, along with Met debutantes Rachel Willis-Sørensen as the Countess and Serena Malfi as Cherubino. Edo de Waart conducts. Saturday, December 20th from 1 to 4:45 pm.

Synopsis