Marilyn Horne

Although you may not know the opera on this week’s Sunday Opera (2/9 3:00 p.m.), we have no doubt you’ll recognize one of the arias as it’s been a mainstay of concert performances for many years. The opera is “Mignon” by Charles Ambroise Thomas, the thirteenth of his twenty-three operas.

This week's program features a "dream" cast for Ponchielli's "Gioconda" in a live recording from 1967. Renata Tebaldi is the street singer Giaconda, Carlo Bergonzi is the man she loves, Enzo, Marilyn Horne is the woman who is loved by Enzo, Laura, and Robert Merrill is the treacherous spy for the Inquisition, Barnaba.

Most people know Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots," but today's opera is another based on historical 'fact" in his 1849 work "Les Prophete" which centers on the Dutch Anabaptist revolt and the turmoil surrounding John of Leiden and his power grab in declaring himself "Emperor" of Munster with all of the tragedy that follows.

This is the final program (for now) featuring some of the singers who leant their voices to the stars of some of Hollywood's most-loved musicals.

This week we turn back to 1965 and a recording of Bellini's Bel Canto classic "Norma" starring Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, John Alexander, Richard Cross, and Yvonne Minton.