Opera
Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast Season
This week!
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
2017
Oklahoma City's New Resident Opera Company
Order your tickets for next season now!
Oklahoma City
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An Operavore Christmas
December 19th
WQXR's Naomi Lewin presents an hour of Christmas and holiday music from the world of opera and oratorio sung by some of the greatest singers past and present including Marilyn Horne, Leontyne Price, Bryn Terfel, Thomas Hampson, Joan Sutherland and more. Enjoy this delightful special on Saturday, December 19th following the Metropolitan Opera's production of Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel!
Saturday Opera with Lane Whitesell
Enjoy Lane's reviews of opera performances within driving distance here!
2018-2019 Operas within Driving Distance
February 27. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Both Renee Fleming and Elina Garanca made their final performances as the Marschallin and Octavian in this revival of the Strauss favorite. Erin Morley joined the cast as Sophie, the recipient of the silver rose. Günther Groissböck is the boorish and crude Baron Ochs.
February 20. Puccini: La Rondine
Angela Gheorghiu was Magda in this performance which also featured Lisette Oropesa in her first major role at the Met. This was presented during the ice storm here and the post-op material was recycled.
February 13. Massenet: Cendrillon
The 2018 performance featured the sets, originally designed at Santa Fe Opera, and Joyce diDonato, who was the star in Santa Fe. It also featured Alice Coote as Prince Charming and Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother. I hope you enjoy this performance as much as I have enjoyed it.
February 6. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
This 1956 performance was Maria Callas's only Metropolitan Opera radio performance. It won the competition for Listeners' Choice for this season.
January 30. Gounod: Faust
This 2011 performance was a Live in HD event. The sets and updating the action to post-World War II were not everyone's favorite, but the singers were well-matched and good actors. Jonas Kaufmann and Marina Poplovskaya were the lovers with Rene Pape as Mefistofeles.
January 23. Verdi: Il Trovatore
This was the joint debut of both Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli (Leonora and Manrico), with Met stars Robert Merrill and Irene Dalis (Count di Luna and Azucena) making up the star quartet. A truly historic performance for this year of archival material.
January 16. Verdi: La Traviata
This is a repeat of last year's La Traviata with Alexandra Kurzak as the title character with Dmitri Popov as Alfredo and Quinn Kelsey as Germont Senior.
January 9. Rossini: Barber of Seville
This 2007 performance starred Joyce DiDonato and Lawrence Brownlee as Rosina and the Count, with Russell Braun as the barber Figaro.