Opera on WRTI

This powerful 2010 production of DON CARLO features a strong cast for Verdi’s epic vision of the Spanish Inquisition. Ramón Vargas sings the title role, joined by Barbara Frittoli, Anna Smirnova, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Eric Halfvarson. Lorin Maazel conducts.

Wagner’s final masterpiece explores the many facets of this mystical score. Jonas Kaufmann stars in the title role of the innocent who finds wisdom. His fellow Wagnerian luminaries include Katarina Dalayman as the mysterious Kundry, Peter Mattei as the ailing Amfortas, Evgeny Nikitin as the wicked Klingsor, and René Pape as the noble knight Gurnemanz. Daniele Gatti conducts. Saturday, March 2, * 12 noon to 6 pm (*note early start time).

The Metropolitan Opera's hit production of Georges Bizet's Carmen stars Anita Rachvelishvili, who made a sensational Met debut in the title role in 2010. "With her smoldering, earthy sexuality, she is ideal for the role" of the sultry gypsy (New York Times).

Nikolai Schukoff sings Don José, the soldier whose doomed love for Carmen destroys them both. Ekaterina Scherbachenko is the loyal Micaëla and Dwayne Croft sings the swaggering bullfighter Escamillo. Michele Mariotti conducts. Saturday, February 23, *12:30 to 5 pm (note early start time).

Michael Mayer’s bold new production locates Verdi’s tragedy of lust, betrayal, and revenge in Las Vegas in 1960. Željko Lučić sings the title role and Diana Damrau is his beautiful daughter, who falls under the spell of Piotr Beczala’s womanizing Duke.

Synopsis

Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani star in one of the greatest comic gems in opera, as the fickle Adina and her besotted Nemorino. Mariusz Kwiecien is the blustery sergeant Belcore and Erwin Schrott sings Dulcamara, the loveable quack and dispenser of the elixir. Maurizio Benini conducts. Saturday, February 9th, 1 to 4 pm

Synopsis

Kristine Opolais made “a spectacular Met debut” (New York Post). As Magda, she “brought creamy sound, pliant phrasing and floating high notes” to Puccini’s La Rondine. “A lovely woman and an affectingly natural actress, she has a plush voice with a throbbing richness that lends a touch of poignancy to every phrase she sings (New York Times).

Joyce DiDonato's performance in the title role of Mary, Queen of Scots, "will be pointed to as a model of singing," full of  "plush richness and aching beauty," in this Met premiere production. Elza van den Heever is "a vocally burnished and emotionally tempestuous" Elizabeth (New York Times). Matthew Polenzani sings Leicester and Maurizio Benini conducts.

Saturday, January 19th, 1 to 4 pm.
Gaetano Donizetti: Maria Stuarda

WRTI will broadcast Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda live from The Metropolitan Opera on January 19th. The performance will also be shown live in hundreds of movie theaters around the world.

In this tale of royal intrigue, set in 16th-century England, the title role of Mary, Queen of Scots is sung by Joyce DiDonato. WRTI’s Jim Cotter spoke with the superstar mezzo-soprano about her latest role, how she constructs her characters, and how her years at Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts were more useful personally and professionally than artistically.

Today, Joyce DiDonato is firmly ensconced on opera’s "A" list. But when she was training at AVA in the 1990s, such a future outcome seemed very unlikely.

DIDONATO: I wasn’t a star singer there and it wasn’t clear that I would go on and have a career, I had to go deep inside myself and ask do I still want to stay with this?

COTTER: So why did stick with it?

DIDONATO: I had to.

After Philadelphia, she had spells in the young artist programs at Santa Fe Opera and Houston Grand Opera where she says it all began to come together for her vocally.

COTTER: The voice started getting free and I started too find my voice, and that needed to happen. And happily it did and I continuously work to find more freedom.

DiDonato believes that in order to fully explore roles she needs to understand what the composer wanted, the historical context of the story and bring her own life experiences to the process of creating a fully fleshed-out character.

DIDONATO: The pain that I’ve gone through, in various ways, it always comes out of nowhere and socks you over the head. Of course I use that. It informs who I am as a human being and therefore it informs who I am as an artist.