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

Manon

December 12, 2024

Jules Massenet

Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) [Manon] ** Roberto Alagna (tenor) [Le Chevalier Des Grieux] ** Earle Patriarco [Lescaut] ** José van Dam (baritone) [Le Comte des Grieux] ** Gilles Ragon [Guillot de Morfontaine] ** Nicolas Rivenq (bass) [De Brétigny] ** Anna Maria Panzarella [Poussette] ** Sophie Koch (mezzo-soprano) [Javotte] ** Susanne Schimmack [Rosette] ** Nicolas Cavalllier [L'hôtelier] ** Orchestre Symphonique et Chours de la Monnaie ** Antonio Pappano (conductor)

  • Luisa Miller

    Episode

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Bonaldo Giaiotti [Il Conte di Walter] ** Luciano Pavarotti [Rodolfo] ** Anna Reynolds [Federica] ** Richard van Allan [Wurm] ** Sherrill Milnes [Miller] ** Montserrat Caballé [Luisa] ** Annette Céline [Laura] ** Fernando Pavarotti [A villager] ** London Opera Chorus [Villagers, attendants of the Duchess, page boys, soldiers, servants, huntsmen, archers] ** National Philharmonic Orchestra ** Peter Maag (conductor)

  • L'elisir d'amore

    Episode

    Gaetano Donizetti

    Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) [Adina] ** Plácido Domingo (tenor) [Nemorino] ** Sir Geraint Evans [Dulcamara] ** Ingvar Wixell [Belcore] ** Lillian Watson [Gianetta] ** Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden ** John Pritchard (conductor)

  • Le Prophète

    Episode

    Giacomo Meyerbeer

    Marilyn Horne [Fidès] ** James McCracken [Jean de Leyden] ** Renata Scotto (soprano) [Berthe] ** Jules Bastin [Le Comte d'Oberthal] ** Jerome Hines [Zacharie] ** Jean Dupouy [Jonas] ** Christian du Plessis [Mathisen] ** Oliver Broome [Paysan] ** John Noble [Paysan] ** Patricia Clark (soprano) [Paysanne] ** Shirley Minty [Paysanne] ** Ambrosian Opera Chorus ** Boys Choir, Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree ** Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ** Henry Lewis (conductor)

  • La finta giardiniera

    Episode

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Thomas Moser [Don Anchise] ** Edita Gruberova [La Marchesa Violante Onesti/Sandrina] ** Uwe Heilmann [Il Contino Belfiore] ** Charlotte Margiono [Arminda] ** Monica Bacelli [Il Cavalier Ramiro] ** Dawn Upshaw (soprano) [Serpetta] ** Anton Scharinger [Roberto/Nardo] ** Concentus Musicus Wien ** Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor)

  • La Cenerentola

    Episode

    Gioachino Rossini

    Agnes Baltsa [Cenerentola (Angiolina)] ** Francisco Araiza [Don Ramiro] ** Simone Alaimo [Dandini] ** Ruggero Raimondi (baritone) [Don Magnifico] ** Carol Malone [Clorinda] ** Felicity Palmer (soprano) [Tisbe] ** John Del Carlo [Alidoro] ** Ambrosian Opera Chorus ** Academy of St. Martin in the Fields ** Sir Neville Marriner (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)

  • Khovanshchina

    Episode

    Modest Mussorgsky

    Aage Haugland (bass) ** Vladimir Atlantov [Prince Andrei Khovansky] ** Vladimir Popov [Prince Vasili Golitsyn] ** Anatoly Kotcherga (bass) ** Paata Burchuladze [Dosifei] ** Marjana Lipovsek (alto) [Marfa] ** Brigitte Poschner-Klebel (soprano) ** Heinz Zednik (tenor) [Scribe] ** Joanna Borowska [Emma] ** Wilfried Gahmlich [Kuzka] ** Peter Köves [Strelyets] ** Goran Simic [Strelyets] ** Peter Köves [Varsonofiev] ** Bojidar Nikolov (tenor) ** Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus ** Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Bratislava ** Vienna Boys Choir ** Vienna State Opera Orchestra ** Claudio Abbado (conductor)

  • La Vestale

    Episode

    Gaspare Spontini

    Anthony Michaels-Moore [Licinius] ** J. Patrick Raftery [Cinna] ** Dimitri Kavrakos [Le Souveraine Pontife] ** Aldo Bramante [Le chef des aruspices] ** Silvestro Sammaritano [Un consul] ** Karen Huffstodt [Julia] ** Denyce Graves [La Grande Vestale] ** Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala ** Riccardo Muti (conductor)

  • La Damnation de Faust

    Episode

    Hector Berlioz

    Richard Leech (tenor) [Faust] ** Gilles Cachemaille (bass) [Méphistophélès] ** Françoise Pollet [Marguerite] ** Michel Philippe [Brander] ** Chours de l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal ** Orchestre symphonique de Montréal ** Charles Dutoit (conductor)

  • Il barbiere di Siviglia

    Episode

    Giovanni Paisiello

    Dénes Gulyás [Count Almaviva] ** Krisztina Laki [Rosina] ** József Gregor [Bartolo] ** István Gáti (baritone) [Figaro] ** Sándor Sólyom-Nagy [Don Basilio] ** Csaba Réta [Laddie] ** Miklós Mersei [Sprightly] ** Gábor Vághelyi [Notary] ** Attila Fülöp [Judge] ** Hungarian State Orchestra ** Adam Fischer (conductor)

  • Alcina

    Episode

    George Frideric Handel

    Renée Fleming (soprano) [Alcina] ** Susan Graham [Ruggiero] ** Natalie Dessay (soprano) [Morgana] ** Kathleen Kuhlmann [Bradamante] ** Timothy Robsinson [Oronte] ** Laurent Naouri [Melisso] ** Juanita Lascarro [Oberto] ** Les Arts Florissants ** William Christie (conductor)

  • Siegfried

    Episode

    Richard Wagner

    Wolfgang Windgassen (tenor) [Siegfried] ** Birgit Nilsson (soprano) [Brünnhilde] ** Hans Hotter (baritone) [Der Wanderer] ** Gerhard Stolze [Mime] ** Gustav Neidlinger [Alberich] ** Kurt Böhme [Fafner] ** Marga Höffgen [Erda] ** Joan Sutherland (soprano) [Der Waldvogel] ** Vienna Philharmonic ** Sir Georg Solti (conductor)