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

La Damnation de Faust

December 21, 2024

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)

  • Arminio

    Episode

    Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber

    Barbara Schlick (soprano) [Giulia] ** Gotthold Schwarz [Arminio] ** Gerd Türk (tenor) [Nerone] ** Xenia Meijer [Segesta] ** Gerd Kenda [Tiberio] ** Bernhard Landauer [Calligola] ** Markus Forster [Vitellio] ** Hermann Oswald [Germanico] ** Otto Ratsbichler [Erchino] ** Irena Troupova [Claudia] ** Regina Schwarzer [Climmia] ** Florian Mehltretter [Seiano] ** Salzburger Hofmusik ** Wolfgang Brunner (conductor)

  • Le Cid

    Episode

    Jules Massenet

    Grace Bumbry [Chimene] ** Plácido Domingo (tenor) [Rodrigue] ** Paul Plishka [Don Diegue] ** Clinton Ingram [Don Arias] ** Theodore Hodges [Don Alonzo] ** Arnold Voketaitis [Le Comte de Gormas] ** Eleanor Bergquist [L'Infante] ** Jake Gardner [Le Roi] ** Peter Lightfoot [l'Envoye Maure] ** John Adams [St. Jacques] ** Byrne Camp Chorale ** Opera Orchestra of New York ** Eve Queler (conductor)

  • Farnace

    Episode

    Antonio Vivaldi

    Max Emanuel Cencic [Farnace] ** Ruxandra Donose [Tamiri] ** Mary Ellen Nesi [Berenice] ** Ann Hallenberg [Selinda] ** Karina Gauvin [Gilade] ** Daniel Behle [Pompeo] ** Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro [Aquilio] ** Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera, Lugano ** I Barocchisti ** Diego Fasolis (conductor)

  • Beatrice di Tenda

    Episode

    Vincenzo Bellini

    Edita Gruberova [Beatrice di Tenda] ** Vesselina Kasarova [Agnese] ** Igor Morosow [Filippo Maria Visconti] ** Don Bernardini [Orombello] ** Branko Robinsak [Anichino] ** Daniel Sumegi [Rizzardo] ** Wiener Jeunesse-Chor ** ORF-Symphonieorchester ** Pinchas Steinberg (conductor)

  • La Pietra del Paragone

    Episode

    Gioachino Rossini

    José Carreras (tenor) [Giocondo] ** Beverly Wolff (mezzo-soprano) [Marchesina Clarice] ** Elaine Bonazzi [Baronessa Aspasia] ** Anne Elgar [Donna Fulvia] ** John Reardon [Conte Asdrubale] ** Andrew Foldi [Macrobio] ** Justino Diaz [Pacuvio] ** Raymond Murcell [Fabrizio] ** The Clarion Concerts Orchestra and Chorus ** Newell Jenkins (conductor)

  • Falstaff

    Episode

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Renato Bruson [Sir John Falstaff] ** Leo Nucci [Ford] ** Dalmacio González [Fenton] ** Michael Sells [Dr Cajus] ** Francis Egerton [Bardolfo] ** William Wildermann [Pistola] ** Katia Ricciarelli [Mrs. Alice Ford] ** Barbara Hendricks [Nannetta] ** Lucia Valentini Terrani [Mrs. Quickly] ** Brenda Boozer [Mrs. Meg Page] ** Los Angeles Master Chorale [Townspeople, Ford's servants, people dressed as sprites, fairies, witches, etc.] ** Los Angeles Philharmonic ** Carlo Maria Giulini (conductor)

  • Die Fledermaus

    Episode

    Johann Strauss Jr.

    Wolfgang Brendel [Gabriel von Eisenstein] ** Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) [Rosalinde] ** Tom Krause [Frank] ** Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo-soprano) [Prinz Orlofsky] ** Richard Leech (tenor) [Alfred] ** Olaf Bär (baritone) [Dr. Falke] ** Anton Wendler [Dr. Blind] ** Edita Gruberova [Adele] ** Karin Göttling [Ida] ** Otto Schenk [Frosch] ** Vienna State Opera Chorus ** Vienna Philharmonic ** André Previn (conductor)