The 2013/14 Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast season begins on WRTI with a live broadcast of Verdi’s tragic masterpiece Rigoletto, set in Las Vegas and starring baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in his first company performance of the title role. Tenor Matthew Polenzani co-stars as the Duke, and two artists make their network broadcast debuts: Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who sings Gilda, and Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. Bass Štefan Kocán and mezzo-soprano Oksana Volkova are the corrupt siblings Sparafucile and Maddalena. Saturday, December 7, 1 to 4 pm.
Here's tenor Luciano Pavarotti singing the beloved aria from RIGOLETTO, "La donna e mobile" in 1982:
http://youtu.be/8A3zetSuYRg
The intermissions will include backstage interviews with the stars, a conversation with Met General Manager Peter Gelb, and the popular Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera Quiz, featuring guest artist, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who will sing the title role in Puccini’s Tosca on the broadcast on Saturday, December 28th.
Cast:
Conductor: Pablo Heras-Casado
Gilda: Sonya Yoncheva
Maddalena: Oksana Volkova
Duke of Mantua: Matthew Polenzani
Rigoletto: Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Sparafucile: Stefan Kocán
The Metropolitan Opera celebrates its 83rd season of Saturday Afternoon Radio Broadcasts—the longest-running classical music series in American broadcast history. Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts have brought opera into millions of homes and enriched the lives of many, playing a vital and unparalleled role in the development and appreciation of opera in this country. Host Margaret Juntwait returns for her tenth season, joined each week in the broadcast booth by commentator Ira Siff.
Since 1940, the broadcasts have been heard in Canada, and in 1990 they expanded to include regular transmissions to Europe. Today worldwide coverage has grown to include not only more than 30 European countries, but also South America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. WRTI is happy to bring these broadcasts to you each week!