Week of January 22 - January 29, 2015

All links are live!

This week on Rhode Island Public television,

WSBE:  (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478)

Saturday, January 24, 2015, 8:00pm

Sunday, January 25, 2015  3:00am

Monday, January 26, 2015 12:00am

GREAT PERFORMANCES

Faust

A production of Gounod's "Faust" updates the story to the mid-20th century, with Faust (Jonas Kaufmann) now a nuclear scientist who strikes a deal with the devil (René Pape) in order to win the affections of a young woman (Marina Poplavskaya).

DURATION: 210 MIN

DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]

GENRE: PARENTS PICKS

Synopsis: http://www.metopera.org/metopera/season/synopsis/faust?customid=254

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MET OPERA HD

Saturday,  January 31, 2015

1:00 PM

Offenbach's

Les Contes d'Hoffmann

The magnetic tenor Vittorio Grigolo takes on the tortured poet and unwitting adventurer of the title of Offenbach’s operatic masterpiece, in the Met’s wild, kaleidoscopic production. Hibla Gerzmava, Erin Morley, and Christine Rice sing the three heroines—each an idealized embodiment of some aspect of Hoffmann’s desire. Thomas Hampson portrays the shadowy Four Villains, and Yves Abel conducts the sparkling score.

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET 

WITH  

DAVE  D' AGUANNO

This coming Saturday afternoon (January 24), various internet radio stations will be carrying the LIVE broadcast from the Met of Puccini's ever-popular "La Boheme." Soprano Kristine Opolais will be singing the role of Mimi, and many listeners will recall how she substituted last season for an ailing soprano and appeared in the HD-transmission of this same opera, having performed the title role of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" the night before.

(www.wrti.org/)

There's more Italian opera on tap, as ORF (Austria) will be broadcasting a LIVE performance from Vienna of Bellini's "La Straniera." I can safely say that if you enjoy this composer's more popular operas (such as "La Sonnambula" & "Norma"), you won't be disappointed while listening to this melodious score.

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

If your taste runs more towards modern operas, you can't go wrong with George Benjamin's "Written on Skin" (2012) which will be broadcast LIVE on Swedish Radio (from Stockholm).

(http://sverigesradio.se/p2/)

Then on Monday (January 26), BBC Radio 3 has scheduled a broadcast from the Royal Opera House of Mozart's "Idomeneo" with tenor Matthew Polenzani singing the title role.

(www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/)

In the meantime, the Met's FREE audio-stream has 2 tantalizing offerings on tap for us this week. Tonight at 7:55, it's Verdi's "La Traviata." Then, on Monday evening at the same time, you can treat yourself to an audio preview of the upcoming HD-transmission of the double bill to be featured on February 14 at local movie theatres: Tchaikovsky's "Yolanta" & Bartok's "Bluebeard's Castle." Superstar Anna Netrebko sings the title role in the Tchaikovsky opera, with tenor Piotr Beczala as her love interest.

(www.metopera.org/)

Enjoy!

DAVE

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The Met

Saturday afternoon radio broadcast 

Puccini's 

La Bohème 

January 24, 2015 1:00 pm ET

Frizza; Opolais, Rebeka, Borras, Kwiecien, Arduini, Soar,

Del Carlo

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Oh no!

No opera on WGBH this week!