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