Classical WNED is pleased to announce the first batch of operas for the 2020 WFMT Radio Network Opera Series, beginning on May 16 and running through November 28, 2020. This first set of operas includes productions from Munich, Vienna, and Chicago, with an exceptional cast and stunning performances.

RELEASE: September 5, 2020

COMPOSER: Ludwig van Beethoven

LIBRETTO: Joseph Sonnleithner

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

Leonore, Florestan's wife: Lise Davidsen, soprano

Florestan, a prisoner: Jonas Kaufmann, tenor

Rocco, gaoler (guard): Georg Zeppenfeld, bass

Don Pizarro, prison governor: Michael Kupfer-Radecky, bass-baritone

Marzelline, Rocco's daughter: Amanda Forsythe, soprano

Jaquino, assistant to Rocco: Robin Tritschler, tenor

Don Fernando, King's minister: Egils Siliņš, bass

First Prisoner: Filipe Manu, tenor

Second Prisoner: Timothy Dawkins, bass

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CHORUS: Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CONDUCTOR: Sir Antonio Pappano

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes

RELEASE: September 12, 2020

COMPOSER: Héctor Armienta

LIBRETTO: Héctor Armienta, on a novel by Rudolfo Anaya

VENUE: V. Sue Cleveland Concert Hall

PRESENTING COMPANY: Opera Southwest

CAST:

Ultima: Kirsten Chavez

Tony: Daisy Beltran

The Owl: Jose Luis Muñoz

Gabriel: Javier Abreu

Maria: Carelle Flores

Tenorio: Carlos Archuleta

Narciso: Javier Ortiz

Three Sisters: Jennifer Perez, Bethany Herrera, Denise Wernly-Alsina

Pedro Luna: Andre Garcia-Nuthmann

ENSEMBLE: Opera Southwest Orchestra

CONDUCTOR: Anthony Barrese

DIRECTOR: E. Loren Meeker

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 10 minutes

RELEASE: September 19, 2020

COMPOSER: Richard Wagner

LIBRETTO: Richard Wagner

VENUE: V. Sue Cleveland Concert Hall

PRESENTING COMPANY: Opera Southwest

CAST:

Lohengrin: Corey Bix

Elsa of Brabant: Michelle Johnson

Ortrud: Claudia Chapa

Friedrich: Sean Anderson

Heinrich: Harold Wilson

CHORUS: Opera Southwest Chorus

CHORUS DIRECTOR: Aaron Howe

ENSEMBLE: Opera Southwest Orchestra

CONDUCTOR: Anthony Barrese

DIRECTOR: E. Loren Meeker

Approx. Length: 3 hours, 30 minutes

RELEASE: September 26, 2020

COMPOSER: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

LIBRETTO: Lorenzo Da Ponte

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

Don Giovanni: Erwin Schrott, bass-baritone

Leporello: Roberto Tagliavini, bass

Donna Anna: Malin Byström, soprano

Don Ottavio: Daniel Behle, tenor

Donna Elvira: Myrtò Papatanasiu, soprano

Zerlina: Louise Alder, soprano

Masetto: Leon Kosavic, bass

Il Commendatore (Don Pedro): Petros Magoulas, bass

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CHORUS: Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CONDUCTOR: Hartmut Haenchen

Approx. Length: 3 hours, 15 minutes

RELEASE: October 3, 2020

COMPOSER: Benjamin Britten

LIBRETTO: Myfanwy Piper

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

Gustav von Aschenbach:

Traveller / Elderly fop / Old gondolier / Hotel manager / Hotel barber / Leader of players /: Mark Padmore, tenor

Voice of Dionysus: Sir Gerald Finley, baritone

Voice of Apollo: Randall Scotting, countertenor

Tadzio: Leo Dixon, [dancer]

Lady of the Pearls: Elizabeth McGorian, [dancer]

Jaschiu, Tadzio's friend: Olly Bell, [dancer]

Strawberry seller: Rebecca Evans, soprano

Lace seller: Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano

Danish lady: Elizabeth Weisberg, soprano

English lady: Katy Batho, soprano

Russian nanny: Rosie Aldridge, mezzo-soprano

German mother: Hanna Hipp, mezzo-soprano

Russian spinster: Amanda Baldwin, mezzo-soprano

French mother: Rebecca Lodge Birkebaek, mezzo-soprano

Hotel porter: Colin Judson, tenor

Boy player: Andrew Tortise, tenor

Glass maker: Sam Furness, tenor

Steward: Andrew O'Connor, bass-baritone

English Clerk: Dominic Sedgwick, baritone

German father: Michael Mofidian, bass-baritone

Lido boatman: ByeongMin Gil, baritone

Russian father: Dominic Barrand, bass

Russian boy: Matthew Prichard

Tadzio's sister (1): Corey Annand, [dancer]

Tadzio's sister (2): Alice Guillot, [dancer]

German boy: Lewis Bondu, [dancer]

Polish governess: Sirena Tocco, [dancer]

French girl: Adrianna Forbes-Dorant

Russian girl (1): Fleur Hinchcliffe

Russian girl (2): Harrie Howley

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CHORUS: Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CHORUS DIRECTOR: William Spaulding

CONDUCTOR: Richard Farnes

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 45 minutes

RELEASE: October 10, 2020

COMPOSER: Gaetano Donizetti

LIBRETTO: Giovanni Ruffini

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

Don Pasquale: Sir Bryn Terfel, bass

Norina: Olga Peretyatko, soprano

Ernesto: Ioan Hotea, tenor

Dr. Malatesta: Markus Werba, baritone

Notary: Bryan Secombe, bass-baritone

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CHORUS: Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CONDUCTOR: Evelino Pidò

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 15 minutes

RELEASE: October 17, 2020

COMPOSER: Jules Massenet

LIBRETTO: Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet, Geroges Hartmann

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

The Bailli, Charlotte's father Alastair Miles

Hans, son of the Bailli Pearse Cole

Gretel, daughter of the Bailli Emily Barton

Karl, son of the Bailli Laurence Taylor

Clara, daughter of the Bailli Victoria Nekhaenk

Max, son of the Bailli Paul Warren

Fritz, son of the Bailli Toby Yates

Johann Michael Mofidian

Schmidt Vincent Ordonneau

Sophie, Charlotte’s sister Heather Engebretson

Werther Juan Diego Flórez

Charlotte Isabel Leonard

Brühlmann, a young man ByeongMin Gil

Käthchen, Brühlmann's fiancée Stephanie Wake-Edwards

Albert, betrothed to Charlotte Jacques Imbrailo

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CONDUCTOR: Edward Gardner

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes

RELEASE: October 24, 2020

COMPOSER: George Frideric Handel

LIBRETTO: Vincenzo Grimani

VENUE: Royal Opera House

PRESENTING COMPANY: Royal Opera

CAST:

Agrippina: Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano

Nerone, Agrippina's son: Franco Fagioli, counter-tenor

Poppea: Lucy Crowe, soprano

Ottone: Iestyn Davies, counter-tenor

Claudio, Emperor of Rome: Gianluca Buratto, bass

Pallante: Andrea Mastroni, bass

Narciso: Eric Jurenas, counter-tenor

Lesbo: José Coca Loza, bass

ENSEMBLE: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

CONDUCTOR: Maxim Emelyanychev

Approx. Length: 3 hours, 30 minutes

RELEASE: October 31, 2020

COMPOSER: Vincenzo Bellini

LIBRETTO: Felice Romani

VENUE: Hamburg State Opera

PRESENTING COMPANY: Hamburg State Opera

CAST:

Norma: Marina Rebeka, soprano

Pollion: Marcelo Puente, tenor

Adalgisa: Diana Haller, mezzo-soprano

Oroveso: Liang Li, bass

Clotilde: Gabriele Rossmanith, soprano

Flavio: Dongwon Kang, tenor

ENSEMBLE: Hamburg State Philharmonic

CHORUS: Hamburg State Opera Chorus

CHORUS DIRECTOR: Eberhard Friedrich

CONDUCTOR: Matteo Beltrami

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 45 minutes

RELEASE: November 7, 2020

VENUE: The Grand (Wilmington, DE)

PRESENTING COMPANY: OperaDelaware

FIRST BILL: Scalia/Ginsburg (in English)

COMPOSER: Derrick Wang

LIBRETTO: Derrick Wang

DIRECTOR: Fenlon Lamb

CAST:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Jennifer Zetlan, soprano

Justice Antonin Scalia: Brian Cheney, tenor

Commentator: Ben Wager, bass-baritone

SECOND BILL: Trial by Jury (in English)

COMPOSER: Arthur Sullivan

LIBRETTO: William Schwenck Gilbert

DIRECTOR: Cynthia du Pont Tobias

CAST:

The Learned Judge: Ben Lowe, baritone

Angelina (the Plaintiff): Anaïs Naharro-Murphy, soprano

Edwin (the Defendant): Colin Doyle, tenor

Bridesmaid (1): Chelsea Duval-Major, mezzo-soprano

Bridesmaid (2): Dana Macintosh, soprano

Counsel for the Plaintiff: Orin Strunk, tenor

Usher: Cody Müller, bass

ENSEMBLE: OperaDelaware Orchestra

CONDUCTOR: Sara Jobin

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 15 minutes

RELEASE: November 14, 2020

COMPOSER: Giacomo Puccini

LIBRETTO: Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa

VENUE: La Scala, Milan

PRESENTING COMPANY: La Scala

CAST:

Floria Tosca: Anna Netrebko, soprano

Mario Cavaradossi: Francesco Meli, tenor

Baron Scarpia: Luca Salsi, baritone

Cesare Angelotti: Carlo Cigni, bass

Sacristan: Alfonso Antoniozzi, baritone

Spoletta: Carlo Bosi, tenor

Sciarrone: Giulio Mastrototaro, bass

A Jailer: Ernesto Panariello, bass

ENSEMBLE: La Scala Orchestra

CHORUS: La Scala Chorus

CHORUS DIRECTOR: Bruno Casoni

CONDUCTOR: Riccardo Chailly

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 15 minutes

RELEASE: November 21, 2020

COMPOSER: Gioachino Rossini

LIBRETTO: Felice Romani

VENUE: La Scala, Milan

PRESENTING COMPANY: La Scala

CAST:

Selim: Alex Esposito, bass

Donna Fiorilla: Rosa Feola, soprano

Don Geronio: Giulio Mastrototaro, bass

Don Narciso: Edgardo Rocha, tenor

Prosdocimo: Mattia Olivieri, baritone

Zaida: Laura Verrecchia, mezzo-soprano

Albazar: Manuel Amati, tenor

ENSEMBLE: La Scala Orchestra

CHORUS: La Scala Chorus

CHORUS DIRECTOR: Bruno Casoni

CONDUCTOR: Diego Fasolis

Approx. Length: 3 hours

RELEASE: November 28, 2020

VENUE: Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona (Spain)

PRESENTING COMPANY: Opera Barcelona

FIRST BILL: Cavalleria rusticana (in Italian)

COMPOSER: Pietro Mascagni

LIBRETTO: Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti

CAST:

Santuzza: Elena Pankratova, soprano

Turiddu: Roberto Alagna, tenor

Mamma Lucia: María Luisa Corbacho, contralto

Alfio: Gabriele Viviani, baritone

Lola: Mercedes Gancedo, mezzo-soprano

SECOND BILL: Pagliacci (in Italian)

COMPOSER: Ruggero Leoncavallo

LIBRETTO: Ruggero Leoncavallo

CAST:

Canlo: Roberto Alagna, tenor

Nedda: Aleksandra Kurzak, soprano

Tonlo: Gabriele Viviani, baritone

Beppe: Vicenç Esteve, tenor

Silvio: Duncan Rock, baritone

CHILDRENS CHORUS: Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió

CH. CHORUS DIRECTOR: Josep Vila I Jover

CHORUS: Gran Teatre del Liceu Chorus

CHORUS DIRECTOR: Conxita Garciá

ENSEMBLE: Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra

CONDUCTOR: Henrik Nánási

Approx. Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes

More Operas to be announced soon!