As U.S. Prepares For 2008 Election And 21st Century Classical Music Culture, WETA Radio & Television Look To Great Britain & To The MET Operatic Past

Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 9 p.m.
Classical WETA-FM Hosts NSO Showcase: British Compositions

Classical WETA 90.9 FM's monthly performance series NSO Showcase in August presents "An American in Britain" -- Leonard Slatkin Conducts Elgar and Britten [sic]. The broadcast on August 6 at 9 p.m. features maestro Leonard Slatkin leading the National Symphony Orchestra in performances of Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem; Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 6 in E minor; Britten's Violin Concerto, with Frank Peter Zimmermann; and Elgar's Enigma Variations.

*

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 at 8:00 pm
WETA TV 26 Reprises Great Moments at the MET: Viewer's Choice

Great Moments at the MET: Viewers Choice

"Here are the 15 performances that voters chose as their favorites.

1. "O patria mia" from "Aida"
Performer: Leontyne Price
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Broadcast Date: 1985


2. "Che gelida manina" from "La Bohème"
Performer: Luciano Pavarotti
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Broadcast Date: 1977


3. Act III trio from "Der Rosenkavalier"
Performers: Tatiana Troyanos, Kiri Te Kanawa, Judith Blegen
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Richard Strauss
Broadcast Date: 1982


4. "Spargi d'amaro pianto" from "Lucia di Lammermoor"
Performer: Joan Sutherland
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Broadcast Date: 1982


5. "Una furtiva lagrima" from "L'Elisir d'Amore"
Performer: Luciano Pavarotti
Conductor: Nicola Rescigno
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Broadcast Date: 1981


6. Final scene from "Eugene Onegin"
Performers: Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Broadcast Date: 2007


7. "Nessun dorma" from "Turandot"
Performer: Plácido Domingo
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Broadcast Date: 1987


8. "E lucevan le stelle" from "Tosca"
Performer: Plácido Domingo
Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Broadcast Date: 1985


9. "Dove sono" from "Le Nozze di Figaro"
Performer: Renée Fleming
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Broadcast Date: 1998


10. "Quel guardo il cavaliere" from "Don Pasquale"
Performer: Beverly Sills
Conductor: Nicola Rescigno
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Broadcast Date: 1979


11. "La donna è mobile" from "Rigoletto"
Performer: Luciano Pavarotti
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Broadcast Date: 1981


12. "Voi che sapete" from "Le Nozze di Figaro"
Performer: Frederica von Stade
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Broadcast Date: 1985


13. "O soave fanciulla" from "La Bohème"
Performers: Teresa Stratas, José Carreras
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Broadcast Date: 1982


14. "Cruda sorte" from "L'Italiana in Algeri"
Performer: Marilyn Horne
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Gioacchino Rossini
Broadcast Date: 1986


15. "Allein! Weh, ganz allein" from "Elektra"
Performer: Birgit Nilsson
Conductor: James Levine
Composer: Richard Strauss
Broadcast Date: 1980"














Unlike virtually American classical music-less Classical WETA-FM in the Nation's Capital, the above two ensembles -- the Collegium Vocale Gent from the European Union and the Fireworks Ensemble from the United States -- have embraced 21st century classical musical culture.

Both ensembles will be featured in free concerts at the Library of Congress during the 2008-09 Season. [Regrettably, Classical WETA-FM no longer records and broadcasts classical music from the Library of Congress.]

Photo credits: (c) Collegium Vocale Gent and (c) Fireworks Ensemble via their websites. With thanks.