WFMT Opera Series Returns to WHRO FM with Summer Broadcasts from Iconic European Stages

This summer, WHRO FM invites you to explore an outstanding season of opera with broadcasts from the WFMT Radio Network Opera Series, featuring world-class performances recorded at some of the most prestigious venues.
The season will open joyfully on June 6 with “The Bartered Bride” by Bedřich Smetana, a lively Czech comic opera, conducted by Tomáš Hanus. Presented by the Vienna State Opera, the production features Franz Xaver Schlecht as Krušina, alongside Margaret Plummer as Ludmila. Then, on June 13, Beethoven’s only opera, the powerful “Fidelio” will resonate from the same stage, with Malin Byström as the heroine Leonore, David Butt Philip as her husband Florestan, and Christopher Maltman as the corrupt Don Pizarro. Franz Welser-Möst leads the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus. On June 20, the renowned Teatro alla Scala in Milan hosts Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,” a dark, intense tragedy of passion and oppression in provincial Russia. The performance is conducted by Riccardo Chailly, with Alexander Roslavets as Boris and Sara Jakubiak as Katerina. June’s last stop will be at the Paris Opera with Handel’s Baroque masterpiece “Ariodante,” featuring Cecilia Molinari in the title role, Luca Tittoto as the King of Scotland and Jacquelyn Stucker as Ginevra, under the direction of Raphaël Pichon.
In July, our operas explore human society and power across four different centuries and a wide range of musical styles. To begin with, we are staying a little longer in Paris with Verdi’s “Aida” on July 4, a grand Egyptian epic of love and duty conducted by Michele Mariotti, with Saioa Hernández as Aida and Piotr Beczała as Radamès. Then, on July 11, the London’s Royal Opera presents Janáček’s “Makropulos Affair”, a modern psychological opera, conducted by Jakub Hrůša. Following this piece, we will air an extra Met Opera broadcast, the Grand Finals Concert of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, during which ten young artists perform on the Met Opera stage with Maestro Carlo Rizzi leading the Met orchestra. Among the competitors is soprano Shannon Crowley, from Virginia Beach, so make sure to tune in and cheer her on! We continue our journey on July 18 with “Boris Godunov,” a grand historical tragedy by Mussorgsky, led by Mark Wigglesworth, with Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role. The month concludes on a lighter note with Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” from Glyndebourne Festival Opera in England. Riccardo Minasi conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, with Tommaso Barea as Figaro and Johanna Wallroth as Susanna.
August brings emotions to a climax with five outstanding productions. On August 1, from Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, we present Gaetano Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love,” a romantic bel canto conducted by Diego Matheuz and featuring Pretty Yende, Michael Spyres and Jan Antem. Then two French masterpieces will follow. On August 8, Claude Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” brings a poetic and dreamlike touch, from the Teatro alla Scala of Milan, under the baton of Maxime Pascal. The following week, Charles Gounod’s grand romantic opera “Faust,” led by Nathalie Stutzmann, will fill the Bavarian State Opera in Munich with passion and drama. Then, on August 22, we head to Vienna for Verdi’s tragic love story “Luisa Miller” featuring Roberto Tagliavini as Graf von Walter and Daria Sushkova as Federica.
The summer will end with on a lighter note with Johann Strauss II’s beloved operetta “Die Fledermaus,” again from the Vienna State Opera, airing on August 29, under the direction of Markus Poschner, with Jonas Kaufmann and Diana Damrau as the leading roles.
This summer, take the opportunity to enjoy performances from some of the world’s most celebrated stages from Vienna to London, from Milan to Munich without leaving home. Just tune in to WHRO FM 90.3 every Saturday at 1:00 p.m., listen online through our Media Player, or stream on your smart device, and spend the summer traveling the world through opera.