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Sundays, 7pm
NPR World of Opera
Program Website: http://www.npr.org/programs/worldofopera/
World of Opera with host Lisa Simeone brings listeners the world
of tragedy and triumph, passion and seduction, intrigue and disaster,
jealousies and dreams -- the world of opera. Featured are the best in
opera performances from around the world, both historical and contemporary.
May 31
GIACOMO PUCCINI: Manon Lescaut
Houston Grand Opera
Patrick Summers, conductor
CAST: Karita Mattila (Manon Lescaut); Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Lescaut); Vladimir
Galouzine (Chevalier des Grieux); Dale Travis (Geronte de Revoir); Arturo
Chacón-Cruz (Edmondo/Lamplighter); Fiona Murphy (Madrigal Singer);
Jon Kolbet (Dancing Master)
Massenet's version of the Manon story may win out when it comes to pure
tunefulness, but if you're looking for outright passion, it's hard to
beat Puccini. In this Houston production, the title role is taken by Karita
Mattila, one of the most heralded sopranos on today's operatic scene.
June 7
BELA BARTOK: Bluebeard's Castle and GIACOMO PUCCINI:
Gianni Schicchi
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Giovanni Reggioli, conductor
CAST (Bluebeard): Samuel Ramey (Duke Bluebeard); Denyce Graves (Judith)
CAST (Schicchi): Samuel Ramey (Gianni Schicchi); Amanda Squitieri (Lauretta);
Elizabeth Bishop (Zita); Antonio Gandia (Rinuccio); Robert Baker (Gherardo);
Christina Martos (Nella); Tony Teleky (Gherardino); Stefano de Peppo (Betto
di Signa); Valeriano Lanchas (Simone); Trevor Scheunemann (Marco); Leslie
Mutchler (La Ciesca); Obed Urena (Spinelloccio); James Shaffran (Ser Armantio
de Nicolao); David Morris (Pinello); Matthew Osifchin (Guccio)
Samuel Ramey stars in both halves of an engaging double bill, presenting
two very different approaches to the mysteries of death. In Bluebeard's
Castle, a slow terror unfolds as a woman (Denyce Graves) gradually realizes
that the new man in her life will soon threaten her very existence. In
Gianni Schicchi, Puccini virtuosically employs an ensemble cast in the
story of the wily title character, who exploits everyone else's greed
towards his own ends.
June 14
C. W. GLUCK: Iphigenie en Aulide
Teatro dell'Opera, Rome
Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Ricardo Muti, conductor
CAST: Krassimira Stoyanova (Iphigenie); Alexey Tikhomirov (Agamenon);
Avi Klemberg (Achille); Ekaterina Gubanova (Clytemnestre); Beatriz Diaz
(Diane)
Ipigenie en Tauride was Gluck's first French opera, and when he brought
it to the tradition-bound Paris Opera the composer created quite a stir
by demanding that the principal performers do more than just sing -- he
also wanted them to act! That was a bold move at the time, but the result
was one of his most powerful dramas.
June 21
HECTOR BERLIOZ: Beatrice and Benedict
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
National Orchestra of France
Sir Colin Davis, conductor
CAST: Joyce di Donato (Beatrice); Charles Workman (Benedict); Nicolas
Cavallier (Don Pedro); Nathalie Manfrino (Hero); Jean-Francois Lapointe
(Claudio); Jean-Philippe Laffont (Somarone); Elodie Mechain (Ursula)
Berlioz's dynamic and trendsetting orchestral music is a popular staple
in the concert hall, and while his operas aren't nearly so familiar, they're
equally brilliant. This production from Paris is led by Colin Davis, one
of the world's leading Berlioz interpreters.
June 28
G. F. HANDEL: Faramondo
Metropolitan Theatre of Lausanne
I Barocchisti
Diego Fasolis, conductor
Max Emanuel Cencic (Faramondo); Sophie Karthäuser (Clotilde); Marina
de Liso (Rosimonda); Insung Sinn (Gustavo); Philippe Jaroussky (Adolfo);
Xavier Sabata Corominas (Gernando); Fulvio Bettini (Teobaldo); Johann
Ebert (Childerico)
The up and coming Swiss Baroque ensemble I Barocchisti brings us a seldom-heard
drama by Handel, sung by a top-notch cast, from Lausanne's beautiful Salle
Metropole.
July 5
GIOACHINO ROSSINI: The Voyage to Rheims
La Scala, Milan
La Scala Orchestra and Chorus
Ottavio Dantone, conductor
CAST: Patricia Ciofi (Corinna); Annick Massis (Contessa di Folleville);
Carmela Remigio (Madama Cortese); Juan F. Gatell Abre (Cavalier Belfiore);
Dmitry Korchak (Conte di Libenskof); Alastair Miles (Lord Sidney); Nicola
Ulivieri (Don Profondo); Fabio Capitanucci (Don Alvaro)
Rossini's last Italian opera, this score was originally conceived as a
one-act "occasional piece" -- nearly three hours long! -- to
celebrate the coronation of a French king, and it contains some of the
finest vocal writing Rossini ever produced. And don't worry: This La Scala
production does include an intermission.
July 12
GIUSEPPE VERDI: Simon Boccanegra
Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Yves Abel, conductor
CAST: Leo Nucci (Simon Boccanegra); Roxana Briban (Maria); Giacomo Prestia
(Jacopo Fiesco); Mario Malagnini (Gabriele Adorno); Eijiro Kai (Paolo
Albiani); Dan Paul Dumitrescu (Pietro)
At times neglected, this sombre and brooding drama -- with only one major
female role -- is now widely recognized as among Verdi's most powerful
and compelling operas. Leo Nucci takes the complex title role in a production
from Vienna.
July 19
JOSEPH HADYN: Orlando Paladino
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic
Alessandro De Marchi, conductor
CAST: Henriette Bonde-Hansen (Angelica); Marcel Reijans (Orlando); Pietro
Spagnoli (Rodomonte); Elena Monti (Alcina); Kenneth Tarver (Medoro); Nikolay
Borchev (Pasquale); Martijn Cornet (Caronte); Peter Gijsbertsen (Licone);
Laura Cherici (Eurilla)
Of all Haydn's operas, this was the most popular in his lifetime, and
arguably his best, described as "a comedy of errors in which most
of the characters are in love with the wrong partner." Orlando, literally
crazy for love, goes in search of Medoro and Angelica, while Rodomonte
is trying to kill him, and the witch Alcina targets him with fiendish
hexes.
July 26
GAETANO DONIZETTI: The Daughter of the Regiment
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Riccardo Frizza, conductor
CAST: JiYoung Lee (Marie); José Bros (Tonio); Victoria Livengood
(La Marchise); Simone Alberghini (Sulpice Pingot); Obed Urena (Hortensius);
Matthew J. Minor (Corporal); Madeleine Gray (La Duchesse)
Donizetti's "light comedy" is an opera that lives up to both
halves of that description. The story may not be particularly challenging,
but there are plenty of laughs and it's all conveyed through one of the
composer's liveliest and most entertaining scores.
August 2
LEOS JANACEK: The Cunning Little Vixen
Houston Grand Opera
Patrick Summers, conductor
CAST: Lisa Saffer (Vixen); Hector Vasquez (Forrester); Jennifer Root (Forrester's
Wife); Ekaterina Gorlova (Young Vixen); Fiona Murphy (Fox Golden-Stripe);
Meredith F. Flores (Cricket); Alina Slavik (Grasshopper); Jon Kolbet (Mosquito/Schoolmaster);
Allan Lawrence (Frog); Maria Markina (Lapak/Woodpecker); Laurie Lester
(Pepik); Rebeka Camm (Chocholka the Hen); Albina Shagimuratova (Frantik);
Alicia Gianni (Rooster/Jay); Ryan McKinny (Badger); Bradley Garvin (Parson);
Beau Gibson (Pasek); Liam Bonner (Harasta); Tamara Wilson (Pasek's Wife)
Based on an illustrated tale published as a newspaper serial, this fanciful
opera is one of Janacek's true masterworks -- at once charming, frightening,
tragic and, in the end, life-affirming.
August 9
HENRY PURCELL: The Fairy Queen
Royal Albert Hall, London (The Proms)
CAST: TBA (to incude sopranos Lucy Crowe, Claire Debono, Anna Devin and
Carolyn Sampson; tenors Robert Burt, Ed Lyon, Sean Clayton and Adrian
Ward; bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams)
Technically, this drama is called a "semi-opera." Still, semi-
or not, The Fairy Queen was the most lavish work of its kind when it first
appeared in 1692. This production comes to us fresh from its late-July
premiere at Royal Albert Hall, as part of London's famous Proms.
August 16
JACQUES OFFENBACH: The Tales of Hoffmann
Grand Theatre of Geneva
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Patrick Davin, conductor
CAST: Marc Laho (Hoffmann); Nicolas Cavallier (Lindorf, Coppelius, Dr.
Miracle, Dapertutto); Stella Dufexis (Niklausse, Muse); Patricia Petitbon
(Olympia); Rachel Harnisch (Antonia); Maria Riccarda Wesseling (Giulietta);
Eric Huchet (Andres, Cochenille, Frantz, Pitichinaccio); Francisco Vas
(Spalanzani); Bernard Deletre (Schlemil); Rene Schirrer (Luther); Gilles
Cachemaille (Crespel)
Offenbach's masterpiece is both a three-act opera and a trilogy of taut,
individual dramas, all rolled into one. This Geneva production features
baritone Marc Laho in the tour-de-force triple villain roles, with three
different standout sopranos as the tales' three heroines.
August 23
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: Ezio
Rococo Theatre, Schwetzingen
Basel Chamber Orchestra
Attilio Cremonesi, conductor
CAST: Yosemeh Adjei (Ezio); Netta Or (Fulvia); Mariselle Martinez (Valentiniano);
Hilke Andersen (Onoria); Donat Havar (Massimo); Marcell Bakonyi (Varo)
While Ezio may lack the lustrous ensembles that characterize some of Handel's
best operas, the musical and dramatic impact of its many spectacular solo
arias make its characters some of the most vivid that Handel ever evoked.
August 30
GIUSEPPE VERDI: Aida
Houston Grand Opera
Carlo Rizzi, conductor
CAST: Zvetelina Vassileva (Aida); Marco Berti (Radames); Dolora Zajick
(Amneris); Gordon Hawkins (Amonasro); Tigran Martirossian (Ramfis); Bradley
Garvin (King of Egypt); Tamara Wilson (Priestess); Beau Gibson (Messenger)
One of the world's most popular operas, Verdi's drama takes a familiar
plot element -- the thorny love triangle -- and reinvents it using strikingly
complex characters who confront their anxieties and passions amidst the
mystery and spectacle of ancient Egypt.
September 6
LEOS JANACEK: Jenufa
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Jiri Belohlavek, conductor
CAST: Patricia Racette (Jenufa); Catherine Malfitano (Kostelnicka); Kim
Begley (Laca Klemen); Judith Christin (Grandmother Buryjovka); Raymond
Very (Steva Buryja); Charles Robert Austin (Mayor); Janice Meyerson (Mayor's
Wife); Leslie Mutchler (Karolka); Elizabeth Andrews Roberts (Jano); Jeffrey
Wells (Foreman); Christina Martos (Barena); Magdalena Wor (Herdswoman)
Patricia Racette gives a stunning performance in the title role of Janacek's
searing drama, alongside an equally stirring portrayal of Kostelnicka
by Catherine Malfitano. Jenufa is an undoubted masterpiece, telling a
disturbing, yet strangely inspiring story of multiple betrayals, gruesome
murder and ultimate -- if unlikely -- forgiveness.
September 13
GAETANO DONIZETTI: Lucrezia Borgia
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Placido Domingo, conductor
CAST: Renee Fleming (Lucrezia Borgia); Vittorio Grigolo (Gennaro); Kate
Aldrich (Maffio Orsini); Ruggero Raimondi (Don Alfonso); Oleksandr Pushniak
(Ascanio); Girgory Soloviov (Apostolo); Jose Ortega (Oloferno); Yingxi
Zhang (Rustighello); David B. Morris (Alsolfo)
This new production features two of the greatest singers of our time,
with soprano Renee Fleming giving a spectacular and highly-emotional performance
in the unforgiving title role, and Placido Domingo, the Washington National
Opera's General Director, conducting.
September 20
GIUSEPPE VERDI: Il Trovatore
Grand Theatre of Geneva
Suisse Romande Orchestra
Evelino Pido, conductor
CAST: Tatiana Serjan (Leonora); Irina Mishura (Azucena); Zoran Todorovich
(Manrico); George Petean (Count Luna); Burak Bilgili (Ferrando)
This perplexingly beautiful drama serves up so many of Verdi's finest
tunes that it's hard to keep track of them. The Geneva production features
Irina Mishura in one of her signature roles as Azucena, one of the darkest
and most fascinating of all Verdi's characters.
September 27
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU: Hippolyte et Aricie
Capitole Theatre, Toulouse
Orchestra and Chorus of the Concert d'Astree
Emmanuelle Haim, conductor
CAST: Bernard Richter (Hippolyte); Anne-Catherine Gillet (Aricie); Allyson
McHardy (Phedre); Stephane Degout (Thesee); Fancoise Masset (Oenone);
Jennifer Holloway (Diane); Bruno Calucci (Mercure); Jael Azzaretti (L'Amour);
Francis Lis (Pluton)
When Rameau died in 1764, one French journal concluded its tribute to
him with "Here lies the God of Harmony." His tragedy Hippolyte
et Aricie is led in this production by one of today's foremost interpreters
of Baroque opera, Emmanuelle Haim.
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Program Website: http://www.lyricopera.org/
Live performances of the world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago are heard
from one of North America's most beautiful opera houses, the Civic Opera
House.
LA Opera on Air
Program Website: http://www.losangelesopera.com/index.htm
LA Opera on Air is a program of live recordings presented at
the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Introduced by Plácido Domingo and
hosted by Duff Murphy, LA Opera on Air will include commentaries
and interviews with cast members, directors andconductors.
San Francisco Opera
Program website: http://www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=1,1,41,46
This series of nine operas is from the San Francisco Opera's past season,
hosted by Elain Warner. They are performed in the War Memorial Opera House,
their home since October 1932.
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