Opera at Eight

In addition to the opera excerpts presented throughout the day, WETA VivaLaVoce features a complete opera at 8 pm each day: Opera at 8. These opera performances are taken from the extensive WETA Classical library, ranging from classic recordings to the most recent releases.

Current Episode

Les Boréades

June 13, 2024

Jean-Philippe Rameau

Jennifer Smith (soprano) [Alphise, reine de la Bactriane (Alphisa, Queen of Bactria)] ** Anne-Marie Rodde (soprano) [Sémire, confidente de la reine (the Queen's confidante)] ** Edwige Bourdy (soprano) [Polymnie, muse des chants et de la pantomime (Polyhymnia, Muse of Song and Mime)] ** Martine March (soprano) [Une Nymphe] ** Philip Langridge (haute-contre) [Abaris, amant d'Alphise (in love with Alphisa)] ** John Aler (haute-contre) [Calisis, prétendant d'Alphise, descendante de Borée (suitor to Alphisa, of the line of Boreas)] ** Jean-Philippe Lafont (bass) [Borée, dieu des vents du Nord (Boreas, god of the North Wind)] ** Gilles Cachemaille (baritone) [Borilée, prétendants d'Alphise, descendants de Borée (suitor to Alphisa, of the line of Boreas)] ** François Le Roux (baritone) [Adamas, Grand-prêtre d'Apollon (Hight Priest of Apollo]) ** Stephen Varcoe (baritone) [Apollon, dieu de la Lumière (Apollo, god of Light)] ** Elizabeth Priday (soprano) [L'Amour (Cupid)] ** The Monteverdi Choir [Plaisirs et Grâces ** prêtres du temple d'Apollon, peuples (people) ** les Saisons (Seasons) ** les Muses ** les Zéphyrs ** les Heures e les Arts (Hours and Arts) ** vents souterrains (subterranean winds)] ** English Baroque Soloists ** John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

  • Carmen

    Episode

    Georges Bizet

    Victoria de los Angeles [Carmen] ** Nicolai Gedda [Don José] ** Janine Micheau [Micaëla] ** Ernest Blanc [Escamillo] ** Denise Monteil [Frasquita] ** Marcelle Croisier [Mercédès] ** Monique Linval [Mercédès] ** Jean-Christophe Benoit [Le Dancaïr] ** Michel Hamel [Le Remendado] ** Bernard Plantey [Moralès] ** Xavier Depraz [Zuniga] ** Chours de la Radiodiffusion Française ** Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française ** Petits Chanteurs de Versailles ** Sir Thomas Beecham (conductor)

  • Werther

    Episode

    Jules Massenet

    Roberto Alagna (tenor) [Werther] ** Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) [Charlotte] ** Thomas Hampson (baritone) [Albert] ** Patricia Petibon (soprano) [Sophie] ** Jean-Philippe Courtis [Le Bailli] ** Jean-Paul Fouchécourt [Schmidt] ** Jean-Marie Fremeau [Johann Faust] ** Pierre Dupont [Brühlmann] ** Sophie Boulanger [Kätchen] ** James Savage-Hanford [Hans] ** Kirsty Gifford [Gretel] ** Christopher Waine [Karl] ** Sally Cannon [Clara] ** Joel Gunger [Max] ** Sarah Baillie [Fritz] ** Tiffin Children's Choir [Les Enfants] ** London Symphony Orchestra ** Antonio Pappano (conductor)

  • Simon Boccanegra

    Episode

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Piero Cappuccilli [Simon Boccanegra] ** Mirella Freni [Maria Boccanegra] ** Nicolai Ghiaurov [Jacopo Fiesco] ** José Carreras [Gabriele Adorno] ** José van Dam [Paolo Albiani] ** Giovanni Foiani [Pietro Fleville] ** Antonio Savastano [Un capitano dei balestrieri] ** Maria Fausta Gallamini [Un'ancella di Amelia] ** Coro del Teatro alla Scala [Soldiers, sailors, populace, senators, the Doge's court] ** Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala ** Claudio Abbado (conductor)

  • Anna Bolena

    Episode

    Gaetano Donizetti

    Joan Sutherland (soprano) [Anna Bolena] ** Samuel Ramey (bass) [Enrico VIII] ** Jerry Hadley (tenor) [Lord Riccardo Percy] ** Susanne Mentzer [Giovanna Seymour] ** Bernadette Manca di Nissa [Smeton] ** Giorgio Surian [Lord Rochefort] ** Ernesto Gavazzi [Sir Hervey] ** Chorus of the Welsh National Opera [Cortigiani, dame, paggi, scudieri, cacciatori, sceriffi, guardie] ** Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera ** Richard Bonynge (conductor)

  • Idomeneo

    Episode

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) [Idomeneo] ** Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) [Idamante] ** Sylvia McNair [Ilia] ** Hillevi Martinpelto [Elettra] ** Nigel Robson [Arbace] ** Glenn Winslade [Gran Sacerdote di Nettuno] ** Cornelius Hauptmann (bass) [La Voce] ** Angela Kazimierczuk [Cretesa 1] ** Jonathan Peter Kenny [Cretesa 2] ** Philip Salmon [Troiane 1] ** Stephen Charlesworth [Troiane 2] ** The Monteverdi Choir ** The English Baroque Soloists ** John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

  • The Two Widows

    Episode

    Bedřich Smetana

    Jana Jonasova (soprano) [Karolina Zaleska] ** Marcela Machotkova [Anezka Miletinska] ** Miroslav Svejda (tenor) [Ladislav Podhajsky] ** Dalibor Jedlicka [Mumlal] ** Alfred Hampel (tenor) [Tonik] ** Daniela Sounova [Lidunka] ** Prague Radio Chorus ** Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra ** Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor)

  • Andrea Chénier

    Episode

    Umberto Giordano

    José Carreras (tenor) [Andrea Chénier] ** Eva Marton [Maddalena di Coigny] ** Giorgio Zancanaro [Carlo Gerard] ** Tamara Takács [La Contessa di Coigny] ** Tullio Pane [L'Incredibile] ** Franco Federici [Jean-Antoine Roucher] ** Gábor Vághelyi [Pietro Fleville] ** Klára Takács [Bersi] ** Istvan Rozsos [L'Abate] ** József Gregor [Mathieu] ** Éva Farkas [La Vecchia] ** Kázmér Sárkány [Dumas] ** Tamás Bátor [Antoine Fouquier-Tinville] ** János Tóth [Schmidt] ** József Moldvai [Maestro di Casa] ** Chorus of the Hungarian State Radio and Television ** Children's Choir of the Hungarian State Opera ** Hungarian State Orchestra ** Giuseppe Patanè (conductor)

  • Boris Godunov

    Episode

    Modest Mussorgsky

    Alexander Vedernikov [Boris Godunov] ** Glafira Koroleva [Feodor] ** Elena Shkolnikova [Xenia] ** Nina Grigorieva [Nurse] ** Andrei Sokolov [Shuisky] ** Alexander Voroshilo [Shchelkalov] ** Vladimir Matorin (bass) [Pimen] ** Vladisolav Piavko [Grigory/Dmitri] ** Irina Arkhipova [Marina Mnishek] ** Yuri Masurok [Rangoni] ** Artur Eisen [Varlaam] ** Anatoli Mishutin [Missail] ** Ludmila Simonova [Hostess] ** Janis Sporgis [Simpleton] ** Vladimir Filippov [Nikitich] ** Nikolaï Nizinenko [Mitiukha] ** Yuri Elnikov [Boyar/Khrushchov/Lavitsky] ** Vladimir Silaev [Chernikovsky] ** USSR TV and Radio Large Chorus and Symphony Orchestra ** Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor)

  • Genoveva

    Episode

    Robert Schumann

    Harald Stamm [Hidulfus ** Alan Titus [Siegfried] ** Julia Faulkner [Genoveva] ** Keith Lewis [Golo] ** Renate Behle [Margaretha] ** Carl Schultz [Drago] ** Johann Tilli [Balthasar] ** Hamburg Opera Chorus ** Hamburg Philharmonic ** Gerd Albrecht (conductor)

  • Maometto Secondo

    Episode

    Gioachino Rossini

    June Anderson [Anna Erisso] ** Margarita Zimmermann [Calbo] ** Ernesto Palacio [Paolo Erisso] ** Samuel Ramey (bass) [Maometto] ** Laurence Dale [Condulmiero ** Selimo] ** Ambrosian Opera Chorus ** Philharmonia Orchestra ** Claudio Scimione (conductor)

  • Ezio

    Episode

    Christoph Willibald Gluck

    Max Emanuel Cencic [Emperor Valentiniano III] ** Ann Hallenberg [Fulvia] ** Sonia Prina [Ezio] ** Mayuko Karasawa [Onoria] ** Topi Lehtipuu [Massimo] ** Julian Prégardien [Varo] ** Il Complesso Barocco ** Alan Curtis (conductor)

  • Samson et Dalila

    Episode

    Camille Saint-Saëns

    Plácido Domingo (tenor) [Samson] ** Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) [Dalila] ** Alain Fondary [Le Grand-Prêtre de Dagon] ** Jean-Philippe Courtis [Abimelech] ** Samuel Ramey (bass) [Un Vieillard Hébreu] ** Christian Papis [Un Messager Philistin] ** Daniel Galvez Vallejo [Premier Philistin] ** François Harismendy [Deuxiéme Philistin] ** Chœurs et Orchestre de l'Opéra-Bastille ** Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)