Opera on WRTI

It may have been Faust who sold his soul to the devil, but the innocent Marguerite takes the fall in this classic story that dates back to the 1400s; the opera premiered in Paris in 1859. Patricia Racette, Stefano Secco, and John Relyea star in this 2010 production conducted by Maurizio Benini. Saturday, September 15th, 1 to 4 pm.

Synopsis

Rick Rescorla was a British-born adventurer who fought in Vietnam before settling in NY as head of security for Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001, his extraordinary courage and calmness in a crisis paid off: Rescorla led all of the 2,700 people under his care to safety—literally singing them down the stairs—before heading back into the burning building for one last check. He never emerged.

Who is Carmen? She's thrilling and dangerous, captivating and capricious, and one of the most vivid characters in all of opera. The bold femme fatale is sung by soprano Anita Rachvelishvili who “brought an ample, earthy voice and sensual lyricism to her performance, winning a hearty ovation” (The New York Times). Tenor Thiago Arancam sings Don José, the man who unwisely falls under Carmen's spell. Niccola Luisotti conducts. Saturday, September 1st, 1 to 4:30 pm.

No man is safe from his schemes. No woman is safe from his advances. That's the proud, predatory nobleman at the heart of Mozart's Don Giovanni, considered by many to be one of the greatest operas ever written. Deftly balancing comedy and tragedy with unforgettable music, Don Giovanni has an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, and premiered at the Estates Theatre in Prague in 1787.

Puccini’s final masterpiece opens the San Francisco Opera radio season on WRTI under the baton of Music Director Nicola Luisotti. This passionate tale of a princess, whose cruelty masks her fear of love, features some of the composer’s most glorious music, including the stirring anthem “Nessun dorma.” Performed by an outstanding cast, led by Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin, “the world’s reigning Turandot” (Opera Britannia), Leah Crocetto, and Marco Berti, Turandot is melodically rich and colorfully orchestrated. Join us on Saturday, August 18th, 1 to 4:15 pm.

Academy of Vocal Arts alums, and husband and wife in real life, Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello star as Mimi and Rodolfo in Puccini's tragic, ultra-romantic opera about struggling young artists and the risks of living life on the edge in Paris around 1830.

Benjamin Britten's comedy Albert Herring takes place in the English countryside where meek mama’s boy Albert (tenor Alek Shrader) reluctantly becomes his village’s first May King when no maidens of sufficient virtue can be found. Soprano Christine Brewer stars as the formidable Lady Billows. Saturday, August 4th, 1 to 4:15 pm

Plácido Domingo sings the title role in Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, a grand-scale study of power and treachery that finds an emotional center in the tender bond between father and daughter. Join us on Saturday, July 28th, 1 to 4:15 pm.

CAST:
Simon Boccanegra: Placido Domingo
Amelia: Ana Maria Martinez
Jacopo Fiesco: Vitalij Kowaljow
Gabriele Adorno: Stefano Secco
Paolo Albiani: Paolo Gavanelli
Pietro: Robert Pomakov
CONDUCTOR:  James Conlon
LA OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS

Soprano Nino Machaidze and tenor Vittorio Grigolo star as the world’s most famous lovers in Charles Gounod's ROMEO ET JULIETTE. An opera in five acts, with a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, it's based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique (Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial du Châtelet) in Paris on April 27th, 1867. The opera is notable for the series of four duets for the main characters and the waltz song "Je veux vivre" for the soprano.

Saturday, July 21st, 1 to 4:15 pm

Mozart’s delightfully comic battle of the sexes comes to life with ravishingly beautiful music and sparkling wit on Saturday, July 14th, from 1 to 4:30 pm.

The cast includes soprano Aleksandra Kurzak and bass-baritone Ildebrando D’Arcangelo.  An opera buffa (comic opera) in two acts, it was first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte – this is the third in a trilogy of librettos by Da Ponte; the others were for Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.