WFMT Radio Network Opera Series 2025
June 14
La forza del destino / Giuseppe Verdi
From La Scala in Milan, Italy
CAST:
Anna Netrebko (Donna Leonora)
Ludovic Tézier (Don Carlo di Vargas)
Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro)
Vasilisa Berzhansaya (Preziosilla)
Alexander Vinogradov (Padre Guardiano)
Marco Filippo Romano (Fra Melitone)
Fabrizio Beggi (Marchese de Calatrave)
Hunhong Li (Alcade)
Carlo Bosi (Maestro Trabuco)
Xhieldo Hyseni (Surgeon)
La Scala Chorus and Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Approximate length: 3 hours, 20 minutes
June 21
Eugene Onegin / Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
From La Scala in Milan, Italy
CAST:
Aida Garifullina (Tatiana)
Alexey Markov (Onegin)
Dmitry Korchak (Lensky)
Elmina Hasan (Olga)
Alisa Kolosova (Larina)
Yulya Gertseva (Filippyevna)
Dmitry Ulyanov (Prince Gremin)
Yaroslav Abaimov (Triquet)
Oleg Budaratskiy (Zaretski)
Huanhong Li (Captain)
La Scala Chorus and Orchestra
Timur Zangiev, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 45 minutes
June 28
L’Orontea / Antonio Cesti
From La Scala in Milan, Italy
CAST:
Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Orontea)
Mirco Palazzi (Creonte)
Francesca Pia Vitale (Silandra)
Hugh Cutting (Corindo)
Luca Tittoto (Gelone)
Sara Blanch (Tibrino)
Marianna Pizzolato (Aristea)
Carlo Vistoli (Alidoro)
Maria Nazarova (Giacinta)
La Scala Orchestra
Giovanni Antonini, conductor.
Approximate length: 2 hours, 55 minutes
July 5
Les Fêtes d’Hébé / Jean-Philippe Rameau
From Les Arts Florissants and Opéra Comique in Paris, France
CAST:
Emmanuelle de Negri, (Hébé / The Naiad)
Lea Desandre (Sapho / Iphise / Eglé)
Ana Vieira Leite (Cupid / A Spartan woman / The stream / A shepherdess)
Antonin Rondepierre (Thélème)
Cyril Auvity (The stream / Lycurgue)
Marc Mauillon (Momus / Mercure)
Lisandro Abadie (Eurilas / Alcée)
Renato Dolcini (Hymas / Tirtée)
Matthieu Walendzik (The river)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 47 minutes
July 12
Manon Lescaut / Daniel Auber
From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy
CAST:
Rocío Pérez (Manon Lescaut)
Sébastien Guèze (Des Grieux)
Armando Noguera (Le Marquis d’Hérigny)
Francesco Salvadori (Lescaut)
Manuela Custer (Madame Bancelin)
Guillaume Andrieux (Monsieur Renaud)
Lamia Beuque (Marguerite)
Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (Gervais)
Paolo Battaglia ( Monsieur Durozeau)
Tyler Zimmermann (Sergeant)
José Medina (A Bourgeois)
Albina Tonkikh (Zaby)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin
Guillaume Tourniaire, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
July 19
Manon / Jules Massenet
From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy
CAST:
Ekaterina Bakanova (Manon Lescaut)
Atalla Ayan (Le Chevalier des Grieux)
Björn Bürger (Lescaut)
Roberto Scandiuzzi (Le Comte des Grieux)
Thomas Morris (Guillot de Morfontaine)
Allen Boxer (Brétigny)
Ugo Rabec (Innkeeper)
Olivia Doray (Poussette)
Marie Kalinine (Javotte)
Lilia Istratii (Rosette)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin
Evelino Pidò, conductor
Approximate length: 3 hours
July 26
Manon Lescaut / Giacomo Puccini
From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy
CAST:
Erika Grimaldi (Manon Lescaut)
Roberto Aronica (Des Grieux)
Alessandro Luongo (Lescaut)
Carlo Lepore (Geronte)
Giuseppe Infantino (Edmondo)
Didier Pieri (Lamplighter / Dance Master)
Reut Ventorero (A singer)
Janusz Nosek (Sergeant)
Lorenzo Battagion (Captain)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin
Renato Palumbo, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 20 minutes
August 2
Trouble in Tahiti / Leonard Bernstein *
A Quiet Place / Leonard Bernstein *
From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England
CAST:
Trouble in Tahiti:
Henry Neill (Sam)
Wallis Giunta (Dinah)
Kirsty McLean (Trio)
Guy Elliott (Trio)
Peer Edge (Trio)
A Quiet Place:
Grant Doyle (Sam)
Henry Neill (Junior)
Rowan Pierce (Dede)
Elgan Llŷr Thomas (François)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Nicholas Chalmers, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 43 minutes
August 9
Turandot / Giacomo Puccini *
From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England
CAST:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Turandot)
SeokJong Baek (Calaf)
Gemma Summerfield (Liù)
Adam Palka (Timur)
Paul Hopwood (Altoum)
Hansung Yoo (Ping)
Aled Hall (Pang)
Michael Gibson (Pong)
Ossian Huskinson (A Mandarin)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Rafael Payare, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 25 minutes
August 16
Die Walküre / Richard Wagner*
From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England
CAST:
Christopher Maltman (Wotan)
Elisabet Strid (Brünnhilde)
Natalya Romaniw (Sieglinde)
Stanislas de Barbeyrac (Siegmund)
Soloman Howard (Hunding)
Marina Prudenskaya (Fricka)
Maida Hundeling (Helmwige)
Kaie Lowe (Ortlinde)
Lee Bisset (Gerhilde)
Claire Barnett-Jones (Waltraute)
Catherine Carby (Siegrune)
Alison Kettlewell (Rossweisse)
Monika-Evelin Liiv (Grimgerde)
Rhonda Browne (Schwertleite)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Approximate length: 4 hours, 20 minutes
August 23
Werther / Jules Massenet
From Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France
CAST:
Benjamin Bernheim (Werther)
Marina Viotti (Charlotte)
Jean-Sébastien Bou (Albert)
Sandra Hamaoui (Sophie)
Marc Scoffoni (The bailiff)
Yuri Kissin (Johann)
Rodolphe Briand (Schmidt)
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine; Gaël Darchen, chorus master; Les Siècles; Orchestre National de France
Marc Leroy-Calatayud, conductor
Approximate length: 2 hours, 35 minutes
August 30
Der Rosenkavalier / Richard Strauss
From Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France
CAST:
Marlis Petersen (The Marschallin)
Marina Viotti (Octavian)
Regula Mühlemann (Sophie)
Peter Rose (Baron Ochs)
Jean-Sébastien Bou (Faninal)
Éléonore Pancrazi (Annina)
Kresimir Spicer (Valzacchi)
Laurène Paternò (Marianne)
François Piolino (Major-domo)
Yoann Le Lan (Innkeeper)
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine; Gaël Darchen, chorus master; Orchestre National de France
Henrik Nánási, conductor
Approximate length: 3 hours, 50 minutes
September 6
Dido and Aeneas / Henry Purcell
The Seven Deadly Sins / Kurt Weill
From the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark
CAST:
Dido and Aeneas:
Danielle De Niese (Dido)
Jóhann Kristinsson (Aeneas)
Julie Roset (Belinda)
Jasmin White (Sorceress)
Sara Swietlicki (Second Woman / Second Witch)
Katherine Koester (First Witch)
Lasse Flaaten Husmer (Spirit)
Kieran Carrel (Sailor).
The Seven Deadly Sins:
Danielle De Niese (Anna I and Anna II)
Kristoffer Appel (Father)
Benjamin Nellemose (Brother)
Mads Skovgaard Andersen (Brother)
Per Hoyer (Mother)
Malmö Opera Chorus and Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Geoffrey Paterson, conductor
Approximate length: 1 hour, 50 minutes
* Indicates performers are subject to change.