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

Iphigénie en Tauride

January 1, 2024

Christoph Willibald Gluck

Christine Goerke (soprano) [Iphigénie] ** Rodney Gilfry [Oreste] ** Vinson Cole [Pylade] ** Stephen Salters [Thoas] ** Sharon Baker [First Priestess ** Greek Woman] ** Jayne West [Second Priestess ** Diana] ** Mark Andrew Cleveland [A Scythian] ** Mark Risinger [Minister of Thoas] ** Boston Baroque Chorus [Priestesses, Scythians, Eumenides, and Greeks] ** Boston Baroque Orchestra ** Martin Pearlman (conductor)

  • Manon Lescaut

    Episode

    Daniel-François-Esprit Auber

    Mady Mesplé [Manon Lescaut] ** Peter-Christoph Runge [Le Marquis d'Hérigny] ** Jean-Claude Orliac [Le Chevalier Des Grieux] ** Yves Bisson [Lescaut] ** Emmy Greger [Marguerite] ** Gérard Friedmann [Gervais] ** Ghislaine Victorius [Zabi] ** Alain Duverry [Renaud] ** Bernard Fabre-Garrus [Durozeau] ** Nicole Chaudeau [Madame Bancelin] ** Jean Bussard [Un Domestique] ** Alain Duverry [Le Sergent] ** Chours de Radio France ** Orchestre Lyrique de Radio-France ** Jean-Pierre Marty (conductor)

  • Titon et l'Aurore

    Episode

    Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville

    Jean-Paul Fouchécourt [Titon] ** Catherine Napoli [L'Aurore] ** Philippe Huttenlocher [Prométhée] ** Jennifer Smith (soprano) [Palès] ** Anne Monoyios (soprano) [L'Amour] ** Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr ** Les musiciens du Louvre ** Marc Minkowski (conductor)

  • La Clemenza di Tito

    Episode

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) [Tito Vespasiano] ** Julia Varady (soprano) [Vitellia] ** Sylvia McNair [Servilia] ** Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) [Sesto] ** Catherine Robbin [Annio] ** Cornelius Hauptmann (bass) [Publio] ** The Monteverdi Choir ** The English Baroque Soloists ** John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

  • Samson et Dalila

    Episode

    Camille Saint-Saëns

    Agnes Baltsa (mezzo-soprano) [Dalila] ** José Carreras (tenor) [Samson] ** Jonathan Summers [Le Grand Prêtre] ** Simon Estes [Abimelech] ** Paata Burchuladze [Un Vieillard Hébreu] ** Robert Swensen [Un Messager Philistin] ** Donald George Smith [Premier Philistin] ** Urban Malmberg (bass) [Deuxième Philistin] ** Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra ** Sir Colin Davis (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)

  • Khovanshchina

    Episode

    Modest Mussorgsky

    Aage Haugland (bass) [Prince Ivan Khovansky] ** Vladimir Atlantov [Prince Andrei Khovansky] ** Vladimir Popov [Prince Vasili Golitsyn] ** Anatolij Kotscherga [Shaklovity] ** Paata Burchuladze [Dosifei] ** Marjana Lipovsek (alto) [Marfa] ** Brigitte Poschner-Klebel [Susanna] ** Heinz Zednik (tenor) [Scribe] ** Joanna Borowska [Emma] ** Wilfried Gahmlich [Kuzka] ** Peter Köves [Strelyets] ** Goran Simic [Strelyets] ** Peter Köves [Varsonofiev] ** Bojidar Nikolov [Confidant of Golitsyn] ** Bojidar Nikolov [Streshnev] ** Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus ** Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Bratislava ** Vienna Boys Choir ** Vienna State Opera Orchestra ** Claudio Abbado (conductor)

  • Médée

    Episode

    Marc-Antoine Charpentier

    Jill Feldman [Médée] ** Jacques Bona [Créon] ** Agnes Mellon [Créuse] ** Gilles Ragon [Jason] ** Philippe Cantor [Oronte] ** Sophie Boulin [Nérine] ** Les Arts Florissants Chœurs et Orchestre ** William Christie (conductor)

  • Ercole sul Termodonte

    Episode

    Antonio Vivaldi

    Vivica Genaux [Antiope] ** Joyce DiDonato [Ippolita] ** Patrizia Ciofi [Orizia] ** Diana Damrau [Martesia] ** Rolando Villazón [Ercole] ** Romina Basso [Teseo] ** Philippe Jaroussky [Alceste] ** Topi Lehtipuu [Telamone] ** Coro da Camera "Santa Cecilia" di Borgo San Lorenzo ** Europa Galante ** Fabio Biondi (conductor)

  • Don Pasquale

    Episode

    Gaetano Donizetti

    Beverly Sills (soprano) [Norina] ** Donald Gramm [Don Pasquale] ** Alan Titus [Dottor Malatesta] ** Alfredo Kraus [Ernesto] ** Henry Newman [Un Notaro] ** Ambrosian Opera Chorus ** London Symphony Orchestra ** Sarah Caldwell (conductor)

  • Otello

    Episode

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Plácido Domingo [Otello] ** Cheryl Studer [Desdemona] ** Sergei Leiferkus [Jago] ** Denyce Graves [Emilia] ** Ramon Vargas [Cassio] ** Michael Schade [Roderigo] ** Ildebrando D'Arcangelo [Lodovico] ** Giacomo Prestia [Montano] ** Philippe Duminy [Un Araldo] ** Chœur de l'Opéra-Bastille [Soldiers & sailors of the Republic of Venice, Venetian nobles, Cypriots, Greek, Dalmatian & Albanian soldiers, children of the island] ** Orchestre de l'Opéra-Bastille ** Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

  • Ezio

    Episode

    Christoph Willibald Gluck

    Max Emanuel Cencic [Emperor Valentiniano III] ** Ann Hallenberg [Fulvia] ** Sonia Prina [Ezio] ** Mayuko Karasawa [Onoria] ** Topi Lehtipuu [Massimo] ** Julian Prégardien [Varo] ** Il Complesso Barocco ** Alan Curtis (conductor)

  • Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    Episode

    Richard Wagner

    Robert Holl (bass) [Hans Sachs] ** Emily Magee [Eva] ** Peter Seiffert [Walther von Stolzing] ** Endrik Wottrich [David] ** Matthias Hòlle [Veit Pogner] ** Bernhard Schneider [Kunz Vogelgesang] ** Roman Trekel [Konrad Nachtigal] ** Andreas Schmidt (baritone) [Sixtus Beckmesser] ** Hans-Joachim Ketelsen [Fritz Kothner] ** Torsten kerl [Balthasar Zorn] ** Peter Maus [Ulrich Eisslinger] ** Helmut Pampuch [Augustin Moser] ** Sándor Sólyom-Nagy [Hermann Ortel] ** Alfred Reiter [Hans Schwarz] ** Jyrki Korhonen [Hans Foltz] ** Birgitta Svendén [Magdalene] ** Kwangchul Youn [A Night Watchman] ** Chor un Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele ** Daniel Barenboim (conductor)