December 21st’s broadcast marks the 350th program of Arias and Songs. Over the seven years on WFMT, host Larry Johnson has played everything from Callas and ‘La Traviata’ to Nat King Cole and ‘The Producers.’
Arias and Songs hits 350 broadcasts on WFMT
The Diva Gets Her Way: Larry Johnson Recalls a Signature Jessye Norman Recital
On a sweltering summer evening in the early 1990s, Jessye Norman visited the Chicago area for an intimate recital at Ravinia. Host Larry Johnson recalls the singular concert experience.
Over the Moon for “Moon River”
“I was thirteen years old and on a definite budget: I took some of my paltry allowance and spent the princely sum of $1 on a record.”
Reynaldo Hahn and Guy Ferrant
Reynaldo Hahn’s world was the Paris salon, where he reigned supreme with his songs and went about in his full‐length opera cape.
Recalling Gian Carlo Menotti
In the early 1990s, the famed composer and librettist Gian Carlo Menotti came to Chicago as the guest for a black-tie event for Chicago Opera Theater. Larry Johnson recounts a rare opportunity to spend time with a world-famous musician and composer.
‘What was your secret, Montserrat?’: Larry Johnson Remembers Caballé’s Lyric Debut
In 1970, Montserrat Caballé was in only the fifth year of her international career and was, without doubt, one of the greatest voices to be heard in opera.