Week of September 1-9, 2010

Opera on the Internet with Dave D'Aguanno (Below opera listings)

Break out the Pâté de Foie Gras and caviar*--

IT'S WGBH'S

LABOR DAY WEEKEND OPERA BASH!

*Okay, so I've never had caviar...we're all on a budget!

Note:
WGBH 2 is WGBH 2
WGBH 44 is (RI Cox Cable 804) (RI Fios 470)
WSBE 6 is WSBE 6
WSBE 36.2 is (RI Cox Cable 808) (RI Fios 478) (In Massachusetts, Comcast 294)

WGBH is having its end-of-the-fiscal-year fundraiser. This is a very good time to show them how appreciative you are for the opera broadcasts that you enjoy so much. You can do it online in a minute:
http://www.wgbh.org/

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ARMIDA

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Rossini's "Armida" as the niece of the Damascus king during the Crusades, a sorceress who falls for a Christian soldier (Lawrence Brownlee).

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=295

Wednesday	Sep 1,	1:00 AM	WGBH 2/HD
Wednesday	Sep 1,	1:00 AM	WGBH HD
Wednesday Saturday, Sunday, Monday,	Sep 1 Sep 4 Sep 5 Sep 6	1:00 AM 8:00 PM 3:00 AM 12:00 AM	WGBH-DT WSBE-36.2 WSBE-36.2 WSBE-36.2

Duration: 3 hours

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Great Performances:

Renée Fleming
&

Dmitri Hvorostovsky:

A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg

Thursday Sep 2 at 8:00 PM WGBH 2/HD
Friday Sep 3 at 1:30 AM WGBH 2/HD
Friday Sep 3 at 4:30 AM WGBH 44
Friday Sep 3 at 1:30 PM WGBH 44
Sunday Sep 5 at 1:30 AM WGBH 2/HD
Sunday Sep 5 at 2:30 PM WGBH 2/HD

Duration: 90 minutes

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Go behind the scenes to see how young opera stars are made in

the Met's own

THE AUDITION
a documentary by Susan Froemke
Ryan Smith, Alek Shrader, Amber F. Wagner, Angela Meade, Michael Fabiano, Jamie Barton

Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Duration:	Sep 2 at Sep 4 at Sep 5 at Sep 30 at 120 minutes	9:30 PM 1:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 AM,	WGBH 2 WGBH 2 WGBH 44 WGBH 2

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Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez in
Donizetti's

La Fille du Régiment

Hear Juan Diego Flórez hit five high-C's in "Ah mes amis"!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WdFa6nPlyE

Coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay stars as Marie, an orphan adopted by French troops in this production of Donizetti's comedic "Fille du Régiment," which updates the setting from the Napoleonic era to World War I. Tenor Juan Diego Flórez costars as Tonio.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=207

Saturday Sep 4 at 12:00 PM WGBH 44
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
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Richard Wagner's

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE


A production of Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," about the doomed love between a Celtic princess (Deborah Voigt) and a knight (Robert Dean Smith), who's the nephew of King Marke (Matti Salminen), to whom she's betrothed.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=86

Saturday Sep 4 at 2:30 PM WGBH 44
Duration: 5 hours, 10 minutes
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MADAMA BUTTERFLY


starring
PATRICIA RACETTE

Puccini's classic "Madama Butterfly," about a Japanese geisha (Patricia Racette) who marries an American naval officer (Marcello Giordani).

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=8

Saturday	September 4	7:00 PM	WGBH 44
Saturday	September 4	7:00 PM	WGBX-DT

Duration: 5 hours

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Gounod's
Roméo et Juliette

starring Anna Netrebko and Robert Alagna

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=216

Saturday, Sep 4, 11:00 PM WGBH 44
Duration: 4 hours

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HAMLET
Simon Keenlyside and Maris Petersen Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas

Sunday, Sep 5, 3:00 AM WGBH 44
Duration: 3 hours

The Ambroise Thomas opera "Hamlet," based on the Shakespeare play, starring baritone Simon Keenlyside as the prince and soprano Marlis Petersen as Ophélie. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore is Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, and James Morris is Claudius.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/season/production.aspx?id=10647

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PETER GRIMES

Anthony Dean Griffey stars in the title role of Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes," about an English fisherman blamed for the deaths of two assistants. Ellen Orford: Patricia Racette. Capt. Balstrode: Anthony Michaels-Moore. Mrs. Sedley: Felicity Palmer

Synopsis:.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=215

Sunday, Sep 5, 12 noon WGBH 44
Duration: 3 hours

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LA RONDINE

Soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna star in a production of Puccini's "La Rodine," about a kept woman who faces a difficult decision when she falls for the son of a respectable family.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/season/production.aspx?id=9946

Sunday, Sep 5, 5:00 PM WGBH 44
Duration: 2 hours

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She's back!

CARMEN

A production of Bizet's "Carmen," starring Elina Garanca in the title role, a Gypsy girl; and Roberto Alagna as the soldier who becomes obsessed with her. Host: Renee Fleming.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=117

[Saturday, Aug 28, 12:30 AM, WSBE 36]
Saturday, Sep 5, 7:00 PM, WGBH 44
Duration: 3 hours

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ORFEO ED EURIDICE

A production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo et Euridice, in which the grieving Orfeo (mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe) braves the underworld to retrieve his wife (soprano Danielle de Niese).
Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=173

Sunday, Sep 6, 10 PM WGBH 44
Duration: 2 hours

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AIDA

A production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida," about an enslaved Ethiopian princess (Violeta Urmana) in ancient Egypt who serves the pharaoh's daughter (Dolora Zajick) while competing with her mistress for the affections of a military commander (Johan Botha).

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=3

Sunday, Sep 5, 12 Midnight WGBH 44
Duration: 3 hours

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Hoffmann (Joseph Calleja)

LES CONTES D'HOFFMAN

Anna Netrebko

A production of Jacques Offenbach's opera "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," about the life, loves and psychological manifestations of the German Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffmann (Joseph Calleja). Antonia/Stella: Anna Netrebko. Olympia: Kathleen Kim.

Synopsis:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=15

Monday, Sep 6, 3 AM WGBH 44
Duration: 3 hours

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET WITH DAVE D'AGUANNO

This coming Saturday, September 4, Canadian Radio (the CBC) will be broadcasting a performance of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" as performed in London this summer & starring Bryn Terfel, who will be singing Wotan in the Met's "Rheingold" telecast next month. That's at 1 p.m.

(www.cbc.ca/radio2/)

At 1:30, French Radio has a performance from Paris (June 14, 2010) of Rossini's "La Donna del Lago."

(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil/)

Also at 1:30, if you'd prefer French opera to Italian bel canto, there's Massenet's "Don Quichotte" as performed this past season in Brussels. Note: That would be French opera with a distinctly Spanish flavor.

(http://oe1.orf.at/)

Radio 4 Netherlands, at 2 o'clock, brings us the recent performance in Madrid of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" starring (you guessed it!) Placido Domingo, who sang this same role this past season at the Met, at La Scala, & at London's Royal Opera House as well.

(http://www.radio4/nl/)

The Belgian Radio station Klara goes back to September 23, 2009, for a performance of Verdi's "Don Carlo" starring Jonas Kaufmann & Simon Keenlyside, among others. That's a Royal Opera House performance.

(http://radio.klara.be/radio/10_home.php)

Now, we just need to hope Hurricane Earl doesn't mess with our electricity this weekend!

--DAVE

Week of August 28-September 4, 2010

Ready your DVRs or stock up on the snacks for WGBH's annual Labor Day Weekend Opera Bash! Three Days to catch up on all the opera's you've missed!
I will post the schedule a few days early so you can plan.


This week, we have a Met-HD production which is not
for the faint-of-heart:


SALOME

with
Karita Mattila

WSBE (36.2) (RI Cox Cable 808) (RI Fios 478) (In Massachusetts, Comcast 294)
Saturday, August 28-- 8:00 pm

Sunday, August 29 — 3:00 am

PBS will send you a one-time only tune-in reminder for this specific broadcast. We will not keep your email address after sending the reminder, and your email is used for no other purpose.

You can choose to remove this reminder until the day it is scheduled by clicking "remove" next to the reminder, or within the TV schedules preferences pane, which is accessible from the main schedules interface.

remind me:	the day before the broadcast the day of the broadcast
email address:
confirm email:

remember my email address on this computer only (you will not need to type it in every time you request a reminder [NOT recommended for shared computers]).

Monday, August 30 — 12:00 am

Duration: 120 minutes


Synopsis:
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=81

NOTE TO PARENTS: If you are introducing opera to your children via these broadcasts, I would hesitate to recommend this one, not so much because of the partial nudity which is downplayed by the Met cameras but because of the realistically gruesome severed head which is displayed throughout the last third of the opera. You may want to tape, view it, and assess it before showing it to your children. Then again it may be no more disturbing to them than the latest vampire saga.

This commentary by Renate Stendhal of Scene4 will fill you in on the details of this daring production:
http://www.scene4.com/archivesqv6/nov-2008/html/renatestendhal1108.html
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Australia Opera Will Begin an HD Program With This Season

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/cut-above-as-figaro-goes-to-the-flicks-20100817-128il.html

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET WITH DAVE D'AGUANNO
This Saturday, August 28, French Radio is offering their final broadcast of the summer, featuring radio broadcasts from their archives. At 8:30 a.m. you can hear a performance of Offenbach's rarely performed "Pont des Soupirs" as well as excerpts from 2 of his other operas.
(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil)
Later, at 1 o'clock, you can tune in to Canada's CBC Radio for a double-bill from Brussels, recorded last December, of Gluck's "Iphigenie en Aulide" & "Iphigenie en Tauride."
(www.cbc.ca/radio/)
Also at 1, there's a November 2008 performance from Washington, with Renee Fleming singing the title role in Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia."
(http://kohm.org/news/?page_id=64)
A third choice at 1 o'clock would be Verdi's "Otello" as performed this past November in San Francisco. Johan Botha (Radames from the Met's "Aida" earlier this season) sings the title role.
(www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=4,5,8)
The operacast website (www.operacast.com) may have even more listings available late Friday/early Saturday.
Enjoy, as we "gear up" for the upcoming 2010/2011 season -- worldwide via the internet!
DAVE
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OPERA PROVIDENCE

"OPERA IN THE PARK"

WaterFire
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Opera Providence will be the featured
performers with over 30 sopranos

For more information, please call our office.

401-331-6060

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Week of August 20-27, 2010

The summer is slipping away. Soon the leaves will be falling and the new season at the Met will start!

In the meantime, we have Karita Mattila in

MANON LESCAUT

MANON LESCAUT

WSBE (36.2) (RI Cox Cable 808) (RI Fios 478) (In Massachusetts, Comcast 294)
Saturday, August 21-- 8:00 pm

Sunday, August 22 — 3:00 am

PBS will send you a one-time only tune-in reminder for this specific broadcast. We will not keep your email address after sending the reminder, and your email is used for no other purpose.

You can choose to remove this reminder until the day it is scheduled by clicking "remove" next to the reminder, or within the TV schedules preferences pane, which is accessible from the main schedules interface.

remind me:	the day before the broadcast the day of the broadcast
email address:
confirm email:

remember my email address on this computer only (you will not need to type it in every time you request a reminder [NOT recommended for shared computers]).

Monday, August 23 — 12:00 am

Duration: 150 min

Puccini's "Manon Lescaut," about a country girl (Karita Mattila) who's torn between an impoverished student (Marcello Giordani) who loves her and a rich man (Dale Travis) who wants her to be his mistress. Lescaut: Dwayne Croft.

Synopsis:
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=211





OPERA ON THE INTERNET WITH DAVE D'AGUANNO

There's more Offenbach on tap this Saturday morning (August 21) at 8:30 a.m., as French Radio presents a double bill of "La Fille du Tambour-Major" & "Le Voyage de M. Dunanan" (archival recordings)
(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil)
Then at 12 noon, WFMT gives us a rare opportunity to hear the Los Angeles Opera's spring 2010 production of Schreker's "Die Gezeichneten" (www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=4,5,8)
At 1 p.m. we're on more familiar ground with Puccini's "Tosca" in a performance from July 18 at the summer festival in Orange. This one features Roberto Alagna in the tenor role.
(http://www.dr.dk/p2/)
Or at 1:30, Austrian Radio presents the August 8 performance from Salzburg of Richard Strauss's dramatic opera "Elektra" (http://oe1.orf.at/programm/)
As usual, you can always check www.operacast.com on Saturday morning for up-to-
date listings & a few more items not mentioned above.
Have fun listening!
DAVE


OPERA PROVIDENCE

"OPERA IN THE PARK"

WaterFire
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Opera Providence will be the featured
performers with over 30 sopranos

For more information, please call our office.

401-331-6060

Week of August 13-20, 2010

Canis Major Constellation

Ah, the dogs days of August! The Met season doesn't start until October but Rhode Island Public Television, WSBE, and WGBH soldier on. They are both having fund-raising campaigns right now. It would be a good time to open your checkbook and help them continue to give us great opera.

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LA SONNAMBULA

WSBE (36.2) (RI Cox Cable 808) (RI Fios 478) (In Massachusetts, Comcast 294)
Saturday, August 14 -- 8:00pm
Sunday, August 15 — 3:00 am

PBS will send you a one-time only tune-in reminder for this specific broadcast. We will not keep your email address after sending the reminder, and your email is used for no other purpose.

You can choose to remove this reminder until the day it is scheduled by clicking "remove" next to the reminder, or within the TV schedules preferences pane, which is accessible from the main schedules interface.

remind me:	the day before the broadcastthe day of the broadcast
email address:
confirm email:

remember my email address on this computer only (you will not need to type it in every time you request a reminder [NOT recommended for shared computers]).

Monday, August 16 — 12:00 am

Duration: 150 min

La Sonnambula

A reimagining of the Bellini opera "La Sonnambula," about a young woman (Natalie Dessay) whose sleepwalking compromises her virtue and causes her beloved (Juan Diego Flórez) to cancel their wedding, adds a play-within-a-play format.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=268

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FRIDAY AFTERNOON ALERT (8/13/10)

CORRECTION: Due to a late tape delivery to WGBH, Great Performances at the Met: Armida will not air Sunday, Aug. 15 at 1:30pm as previously scheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience.

ARMIDA

Armida
WGBH 2/HD
Sunday August 15 1:30 PM
Duration: 180 minutes

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Rossini's "Armida" as the niece of the Damascus king during the Crusades, a sorceress who falls for a Christian soldier (Lawrence Brownlee).

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=295

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET WITH DAVE D'AGUANNO

This coming Saturday (August 14), you can kick things off at 8:30 a.m. as Radio France once again digs into its archives for an Offenbach double-bill: "Madame Favart" & "Le Fifre Enchante" -- These vintage radio broadcasts usually originate from the 1950s/1960s, are in decent sound, and are performed by (mostly) French singers who had this music in their blood. (More vintage radio broadcasts will follow later this month.)
(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil/)

Then at 1 o'clock, if you're in the mood for a listening marathon, Wagner's gigantic (i.e. long) "Die Gotterdammerung" will be broadcast on WFMT, as performed this past June by Los Angeles Opera.
(www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=4)

Also at 1:00, & in a lighter vein, there's Chabrier's "L'Etoile" in a performance in Geneva from November 2009, courtesy of the CBC.
(www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/sato/)

A few other stations are offering a re-broadcast of Wagner's "Lohengrin" from this summer's Bayreuth Festival. You can check out the listings for Saturday at www.operacast.com, if you're interested.

Happy listening!
DAVE
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Not opera but...

South Pacific

The Lincoln Center's Tony Award-winning production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific," about love in the South Pacific during WWII. Kelli O'Hara stars as a Navy nurse whose love for a French plantation owner (Paulo Szot) is tested.

Kellie O'Hara & Paulo Szot as Nellie Forbush
and Emile DeBecque (Credit: Joan Marcus)

Wednesday Aug 18 at 8:00 PM
WGBH 2/HD

Thursday Aug 19 at 1:00 AM
WGBH 2/HD

Thursday Aug 19 at 1:00 AM
WGBH 44 (RI Cox Cable 804) (RI Fios 470)

Thursday Aug 19 at 1:30 PM
WGBH 44 (RI Cox Cable 804) (RI Fios 470)

Friday Aug 20 at 3:00 AM
WGBH 44 (RI Cox Cable 804) (RI Fios 470)

Monday Aug 23 at 3:00 AM
WGBH 44 (RI Cox Cable 804) (RI Fios 470)

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The next Netrebko?

JACKIE EVANCHO

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/11/an-incredible-10-year-old-opera-singer-on-americas-got-talent/?icid=main|main|dl10|link3|http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/11/an-incredible-10-year-old-opera-singer-on-americas-got-talent/
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OPERA PROVIDENCE

"OPERA IN THE PARK"

WaterFire
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Opera Providence will be the featured
performers with over 30 sopranos

For more information, please call our office.

401-331-6060

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~