Saturday Afternoon at the Opera

Die Walküre

Sat, 14 May 2011 12:00:00 -0400

James Levine conducts Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle, in the final Metropolitan Opera broadcast of the 2010-2011 season.

Ariadne auf Naxos

Sat, 07 May 2011 12:58:47 -0400

Violeta Urmana sings the title role in this live Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.

Il trovatore

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:58:34 -0400

Verdi's popular, tuneful Il trovatore is performed by Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Alvarez, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Capriccio

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:58:45 -0400

Renée Fleming is featured in Richard Strauss's last opera, Capriccio, live from the Metropolitan Opera House.

Wozzeck

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:58:40 -0400

Conductor James Levine has received rave reviews for his interpretation of Alban Berg's masterpiece Wozzeck, which we hear live from the Metropolitan Opera.

Le Comte Ory

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:58:47 -0400

Juan Diego Flórez portrays Le Comte Ory in this live Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Rossini’s final comic opera.

Das Rheingold

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:58:29 -0400

Bryn Terfel portrays Wotan in the live Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Das Rheingold, the first opera in Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen.

The Queen of Spades

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:58:44 -0400

Tchaikovsky's opera "The Queen of Spades" is heard live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera - followed by our monthly Name-That-Singer Opera Quiz.

Lucia di Lammermoor

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:58:41 -0400

Natalie Dessay sings the title role in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor", live from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Boris Godunov

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Mussorgsky's masterpiece Boris Godunov is performed live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Armida

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:58:30 -0500

Renée Fleming sings the title role in Rossini's bel canto showcase Armida, live from the Metropolitan Opera House.

Iphigénie en Tauride

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:58:40 -0500

Susan Graham and Placido Domingo start in this live Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride.

Don Pasquale

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:58:15 -0500

James Levine conducts Donizetti's Don Pasquale live from the Metropolitan Opera House.

Nixon in China

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Peter Fox Smith and Joe Goetz host a program honoring the late Blanche Moyse - and, at one o'clock, take you to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the broadcast premiere of John Adams's Nixon in China.

Simon Boccanegra

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:58:41 -0500

James Levine conducts Verdi's Simon Boccanegra in this live Metropolitan Opera broadcast, with Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role.

Tosca

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:58:41 -0500

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky sings the title role in Puccini's Tosca, live from the Metropolitan Opera.

Rigoletto

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:58:38 -0500

Verdi's Rigoletto is performed live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

La traviata

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:51:41 -0500

Marina Poplavskaya sings the title role of Verdi's masterpiece La traviata, live from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

La fanciulla del West

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:58:29 -0500

The Metropolitan Opera presents the 100th anniversary revival of Puccini's "La fanciulla del West", live from New York City.

Pelléas et Mélisande

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:00:00 -0500

Debussy's masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande is conducted by Sir Simon Rattle in his Metropolitan Opera debut.

The Bartered Bride

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride is performed in a Metropolitan Opera archive broadcast from 1978, with James Levine conducting soloists Teresa Stratas, Nicolai Gedda, Jon Vickers, and Martti Talvela.

Verdi's Don Carlo

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 12:28:28 -0500

The Metropolitan Opera season opens with Verdi's Don Carlo.

The Damnation of Faust

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Berlioz's take on the Faust story is presented in a 1973 recording under the direction of Sir Colin Davis.

Faust

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Gounod's Faust is one of the most beloved operas in the repertory, and we hear it in a vintage recording that features Nicolai Gedda, Victoria de los Angeles, and Boris Christoff.

Lucia di Lammermoor

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:00:00 -0500

This recording of Donizetti's most popular opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, features Montserrat Caballé in the title role.

Fidelio

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Leonard Bernstein conducts a recorded performance of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, with Gundula Janowitz in the title role.

William Tell

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Rossini's last opera, written at the age of 37, was his masterpiece Guillaume Tell, which we hear in a recording that features Montserrat Caballé, Mady Mesplé, Nicolai Gedda, and Gabriel Bacquier.

Don Carlos

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Verdi’s Don Carlos is performed in a 1971 recording by a cast that includes Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Shirley Verrett, and Sherrill Milnes.

American Musical Sampler

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0400

Join VPR's Tim Johnson, Betty Smith and John Van Hoesen for an afternoon of classic Broadway show music. Expect classic favorites, little known gems and a special look at the 45th anniversary of the release of the film, The Sound Of Music.

Salome

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:00:00 -0400

The San Francisco Opera presents Richard Strauss's Salome.

Opera Favorites

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0400

This afternoon, enjoy a collection of host favorites! We'll hear a tribute to Dame Joan Sutherland, who passed away this week at the age of 83, as well as excerpts from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Richard Strauss' Capriccio, and Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande.

Happy Birthday, Giuseppe Verdi

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 13:01:55 -0400

We celebrate the October 9 (or maybe 10), 1813 birthday of Giuseppe Verdi with vintage performances of Il trovatore and the Requiem.

Ariadne auf Naxos

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:02:17 -0400

We hear Ariadne auf Naxos of Richard Strauss, followed by recitals by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Rita Streich -- and Strauss's Four Last Songs performed by Elly Ameling.

Porgy And Bess

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

The landmark 1976 production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess by the Houston Grand Opera solidified that work's reputation as the most successful American opera of the 20th century.

The Fairy Queen

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We hear an afternoon of music by Henry Purcell, including complete performances of A Fairy Queen (with Lorraine Hunt) and Dido and Aeneas (with Susan Graham).

Orchestral Excerpts from English Opera

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We present an abbreviated program of orchestral excerpts from operas by English composers.

Jussi Bjoerling In Memoriam

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Our annual Jussi Bjoerling In Memoriam program explores the career of the great tenor and his family.

An Afternoon Of Operetta

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Trial by Jury by Gilbert & Sullivan begins this afternoon of light Lächelns of Franz Lehar. Lächelns of Franz Lehar.

Les Indes galantes

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We hear the "opera-ballet" Les Indes galantes by Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Il Turco in Italia

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Rossini's Il Turco in Italia had its world premiere on August 14, 1814.

Maria Callas

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We present an afternoon of Maria Callas, including a complete performance of La sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini.

Pavarotti in Mascagni & Donizetti

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Luciano Pavarotti is heard in L'amico Fritz by Mascagni and L'elisir d'amore by Donizetti.

Opera North

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Peter's special guests - Kara Shay Thomson, soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; and Pamela Pantos, Executive Director of Opera North - discuss Opera North's August productions of La bohème and Don Giovanni.

"Operatic" Musicals

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We hear two of the rare Broadway musicals that qualify as "operatic": Leonard Bernstein's Candide and Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella.

American Musical Sampler

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We present a program of vintage American musicals, including Oklahoma!, Guys & Dolls, and Annie Get Your Gun.

Orpheus

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:00:00 -0400

We explore the Orpheus legend in music - and feature an historic performance of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with Hilde Gueden and Fedora Barbieri.

Die Meistersinger

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:00:00 -0400

In celebration of the beginning of summer, we present Wagner's Die Meistersinger in a recording that includes Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Placido Domingo.

Arabella & Elektra

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:25:17 -0400

Sir Georg Solti conducts historic recordings of two Strauss operas: Arabella and Elektra.

Tannhäuser

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:00:55 -0400

Hans Hopf plays the title role in this vintage recording of Wagner's Tannhäuser.

Dialogues of the Carmelites

Sat, 29 May 2010 13:03:19 -0400

This classic 1958 recording of Poulenc's chilling Dialogues of the Carmelites features Denise Duval, Régine Crespin and Rita Gorr.