World of Opera with host Lisa Simeone brings listeners compelling performances from top American and international opera companies. World of Opera encompasses the seminal operas of centuries past as well as today's masterpieces.
World of Opera is a production of WDAV Classical Public Radio, a service of Davidson College.

World of Opera Site     Lisa Simeone's bio

La Scala Orchestra and Chorus
Daniel Harding, conductor

CAST: Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff); Fabio Capitanucci (Ford); Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford); Irina Lungu (Nannetta); Laura Polverelli (Meg Page); Daniela Barcellona (Mistress Quickly); Francesco Demuro (Fenton); Caro Bosi (Dr. Caius); Riccardo Botta (Bardolph); Alessandro Guerzoni (Pistol)

Verdi's final two operas, Otello and Falstaff, were both based on Shakespeare. Together, they may be the finest valedictory in the history of opera, and Falstaff may also be the most optimistic.

Paris National Opera Orchestra
Philippe Jordan, conductor

CAST: Michaela Kaune (Countess); Michaela Schuster (La Clairon); Joseph Kaiser (Flamand); Adrian Eröd (Olivier); Bo Skovhus (Count); Peter Rose (La Roche); Ryland Davies (Monsier Taupe)

Forget about the chicken and the egg. Strauss's last opera revolves around a question that's even more elemental, at least in the world of musical theater: Which should take precedence -- the words, or the music?

Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus
Daniel Oren, conductor

CAST: Bryan Mymel (Robert); Patrizia Ciofi (Isabelle); John Relyea (Bertram); Marina Poplavskaya (Alice); Jean-Francois Borras (Raimbaut); Nicolas Courjal (Alberti)

This five-act extravaganza features everything from an orgy of evil spirits, to a chorus of defrocked nuns rising from their graves, to a deal with the devil which, for once, doesn't turn out all that badly. The work's Paris premiere, in 1831, instantly made Meyerbeer the most celebrated opera composer of the time.

Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra
Westminster Choir
John Kennedy, conductor

CAST: John Hancock (Kepler); Anne-Carolyn Bird, Leah Wool, Kathryn Krasovec, Gregory Schmidt, Dan Kempson, Matt Boehler (Scholars)

In an encore presentation, the American stage premiere of Philip Glass's dynamic new drama, rooted in the life and inspirational ideas of the 17-century mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus
Antonio Pappano, conductor

CAST: Bryn Terfel (Wotan); Wolfgang Koch (Alberich); Stig Anderson (Loge); Sarah Connolly (Fricka); Gerhard Siegel (Mime); Ann Petersen (Freia); Peter Coleman-Wright (Donner); Andrew Rees (Froh); Maria Radner (Erda); Iain Paterson (Fasolt); Eric Halfvarson (Fafner); Nadine Livingston (Woglinde); Kai Rüütel (Wellgunde); Harriet Williams (Flosshilde)

Das Rheingold gets Wagner's monumental Ring cycle off to a rousing start, in a quickly-paced drama introducing a fanciful world of vivid characters and world-shaping passions.

Laurent Naouri tackles the combined tour de force of Offenbach's four challenging baritone roles, while a full complement of brilliant sopranos brings a variety of vocal styles to the opera's colorful array of female characters.

La Monnaie Orchestra and Chorus
Carlo Rizzi, conductor

CAST: Eva-Maria Westbroek (Manon Lescaut); Brandon Jovanovich (Chevalier des Grieux); Giovanni Furlanetto (Geronte); Aris Argiris (Lescaut); Julien Dran (Edmondo); Alexander Kravits (Dancing Master/Lamplighter)

There aren't many stories which have inspired more than one great opera. One of them is the tale of Manon, a beautiful young woman who falls victim to a combination of her own passions, and the men who both love and exploit her.

National Orchestra of France, Radio France Chorus
Paolo Arrivabeni, conductor

CAST: Alice Coote (Léonor de Guzman); Judith Gauthier (Inès); Marc Laho (Fernand); Ludovic Tézier (Alphonse XI); Carlo Colombara (Balthazar); Loic Felix (Don Gaspar)

International intrigue is the order of the day when a novice priest turns fearsome warrior, to win the hand of a king's mistress, in a drama that combines the pomp and elegance of French grand opera with the passionate intensity of Donizetti's Italian tragedies.

National Moravian-Silesian Theatre Orchestra and Chorus
Robert Jindra, conductor

CAST: Dana Buresová (Armida); Tomás Cerný (Rinald); David Szendiuch (Petr); Martin Gurbal (King Hydraot); Ulf Paulsen (Ismen); Martin Bárta (Bohumir); Peter Svetlik (Dudo); Martin Srejma (Sven); Matej Chadima (Gernand); Ondrej Koplik (Roger); Roman Vlkovic (Ubald); Martin Stolba (Muezzin); Marianna Pillárova (Siren)

The fearsome yet sentimental sorceress Armida is a denizen of Tasso's epic poem Jerusalem Liberated. Her story has inspired operas by composers ranging from Lully and Gluck, to Haydn and Rossini, and this version by Dvorak is a true rarity.

Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

CAST: Angela Meade (Elena); Gregory Kunde (Arrigo); Gabriele Viviani (Guido de Montforte); Ferruccio Furlanetto (Giovanni da Procida); Alexandru Moisiuc (Bethune); Alisa Kolosova (Ninette); Hans Peter Kammerer (Vaudemont); Marian Talaba (Danieli); Carlos Osuna (Tebaldo)

If you've ever wondered why some people think an opera's not over until all the characters are dead, this piece may be the reason. It has enough deadly plotting, and enough of Verdi's finest music, for several evenings in the opera house.

La Scala Orchestra and Chorus
Nicola Luisotti, conductor

CAST: Leo Nucci (Nabucco); Liudmyla Monastyrska (Abigaille); Veronica Simeoni (Fenena); Alexander Antonenko (Ismaele); Vitaly Kovalyov (Zaccaria); Tatyana Ryaguzova (Anna); Giuseppe Veneziano (Abdallo); Ernesto Panariello (High Priest of Baal)

Verdi's first hit opera comes to us in a 2013 production from the same, historic theater where its world premiere was staged in 1842. It's one of many Verdi operas in which his patriotic followers found a timely political agenda woven into an exotic, historical context, and its emotional chorus "Va Pensiero" became a sort of unofficial, Italian national anthem.