Opera Lovers

KHFM Presents the WFMT Radio Network Opera Series
Saturdays at 11am

June 15–November 30, 2024

The WFMT Opera Series continues with an exciting double bill from LA Opera pairing William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA and Alexander Zemlinsky’s The Dwarf. Next from the LA Opera, Puccini’s Turandot captivates with its exotic setting and dramatic story of the cold-hearted Princess Turandot and her suitors. Presented at the Bayreuth Festival, Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde delves into a profound and tragic love story, exploring the intense and mystical bond between the two lovers.

Then we travel to the 2024 edition of the famed Aix-en-Provence Festival in France for a three-week visit starting with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal. Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito is next, offering a story of mercy and forgiveness set in ancient Rome, the opera explores the complex relationships and political intrigue surrounding Emperor Titus. We wrap up our visit to southern France with Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Samson, performed with the Pygmalion Ensemble. This baroque masterpiece recounts the biblical hero’s struggle against the Philistines.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City brings The Shining by Paul Moravec to their first appearance as part of the WFMT Opera Series. An adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, opera relates the story of Jack Torrance, performed by Edward Parks, and his descent into madness at the isolated Overlook Hotel.

From the Midwest, we’re off to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing for a four-week residency and the latest from one of Asia’s major performing arts capitols. Starting with Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula, a pastoral tale of love and sleepwalking. LAN Huahua, by Zhang Qianyi, is next in the series. This modern Chinese opera blends traditional Chinese elements with contemporary themes. Following that, it’s a Beijing production of Richard Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer and the story of the cursed ghost ship captain seeking redemption through true love. In our final performance from NCPA, we’ll hear Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera.

Before the Metropolitan Opera launches their 2024-25 season, we close our season of operas from around the world back where we started, at the glorious Vienna State Opera with Richard Strauss’s Capriccio. Delve into the nature of art and the rivalry between words and music as the season wraps up.

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