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Opera on 3

Music: Classical: Opera

Programme presenting rare and fascinating operatic performances

Programme presenting rare and fascinating performances and vividly communicating the immediacy of the live experience

Opera on 3: From the Met: Puccini's La Fanciulla del West

Puccini's La Fanciulla del West

From the Met

BBC Radio 3 - Opera on 3, From the Met, Puccini's La Fanciulla del West

Puccini's La Fanciulla del West, starring Eva-Maria Westbroek and Jonas Kaufmann.

Puccini's La Fanciulla del West, starring Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie, who falls in love with Ramerrez, a notorious bandit, sung by Jonas Kaufmann. From the Met in New York.

A mining town during the American gold rush of 1849: perhaps an unlikely setting for an Italian opera, but one that has a happy ending! Puccini's La Fanciulla del West, the Girl of the Golden West, tells the tale of Minnie, the bartender in the saloon whom all the local men adore, and Dick Johnson alias Ramerrez, a notorious bandit. Dick and Minnie fall in love on first meeting, so much so that he vows to change his life as a bandit. Puccini wrote the romantic leads for two great singers: Enrico Caruso and Emmy Destin, but the roles in this Met performance are sung by two contemporary great singers: Eva-Maria Westbroek and Jonas Kaufmann. 

Presented by Mary Jo Heath in conversation with Ira Siff.

Minnie.....Eva-Maria Westbroek (Soprano) 
Dick Johnson (Ramerrez)..........Jonas Kaufmann (Tenor) 
Jack Rance.....Zeljko Lucic (Baritone) 
Nick.....Carlo Bosi (Tenor)
Sonora.....Michael Todd Simpson (Baritone) 
Ashby.....Matthew Rose (Bass) 
Jake Wallce.....Oren Gradus (Bass) 
Wowkle.....MaryAnn Mccormick (Mezzo-soprano) 
Trin.....Eduardo Valdes (Tenor) 
Harry.....Alok Kumar (Main Artist) 
Joe.....Scott Scully (Tenor) 
Postiglione.....Ian Kozlara (Tenor) 
Sid.....Jeongcheoi Cha (Baritone) 
Bellow.....Richard Bernstein (Baritone) 
Harry.....Joseph Barron (Tenor) 
Jim Larkens.....Adrian Timpau (Baritone) 
Billy Jackrabbit.....Philip Cokorinos (Tenor) 
Jose Castro.....Kidon Choi (Baritone) 
New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Main Artist
New York Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Marco Armiliato (Conductor)

Photo credit: Ken Howard / Met Opera
For full synopsis visit the programme page

Opera on 3: From the Met

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Performances of the great operas from New York's Metropolitan Opera House

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