Classical WETA Opera House

Saturdays on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

Classical WETA is Washington's home for opera year round.

Classical WETA is Washington's home for opera year round. From December through May, experience the power and passion of the Metropolitan Opera. The rest of the year features performances from leading opera houses around the world, including Washington National Opera.

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Upcoming broadcasts

Carmen

LA Opera

Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 1:00pm

Composer:

GEORGES BIZET

Conductor:

James Conlon

Georges Bizet's immortal opera Carmen, a powerhouse of memorable arias and melodies, tells the tale of the gypsy Carmen and her tempestuous relationship with Don Jose that ends in tragedy. Although not initially a success with audiences, this innovative work established realism in opera narratives, depicting the real-life struggles of common people. A production of LA Opera.

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Nabucco

LA Opera

Saturday, September 29, 2018 - 1:00pm

Composer:

GIUSEPPE VERDI

Conductor:

James Conlon

Nabucco, Verdi's third opera and the one that established his reputation as a major operatic composer, passionately depicts the struggle of Jews facing exile from their home by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II. It’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, "Va, Pensiero", has endured as one of the most beloved choruses in the operatic canon. A production of LA Opera.

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Previous broadcasts

Bel Canto

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Saturday, September 15, 2018 - 1:00pm

Composer:

JIMMY LOPEZ

Conductor:

Sir Andrew Davis

Commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago and premiered there in 2010, Bel Canto is based on the novel of the same name by Ann Patchett. This fictitious story, inspired by true events, tells the story of world dignitaries, an opera diva, and the Vice President of Peru, taken hostage at the government mansion during a terrorist event, and how music ultimately brings together captives and captors. A production of Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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Das Rheingold

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Saturday, September 8, 2018 - 1:00pm

Composer:

RICHARD WAGNER

Conductor:

Sir Andrew Davis

The first installment in Richard Wagner's four-part operatic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Das Rheingold establishes the basis of the narrative for the entire cycle in which gods, giants and humans clash in a struggle to gain control of gold from the Rhine river that can be crafted into a ring of world power. Wagner drew from Scandinavian and German myth and legend to develop characters and the plot for the entire cycle. A production of Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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