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Opera Showdown with Enrique Mazzola

July 27, 2024, 7:00 pm

Whimsical image of Enrique Mazzola in a grey sportscoat, white shirt, no tie, red-framed eyeglasses, at the piano, crouching so that keyboard is at eye level, his reflection visible on the shiny black surface of the piano, red curtain as background.

Enrique Mazzola (Photo by Kyle Flubacker)

Enrique Mazzola, music director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, join the hosts for a fun battle that pits two giants against each other: Giuseppe Verdi vs. Giacomo Puccini.

Playlist

Giuseppe Verdi: Overture to La forza del destino
Santa Cecilia Orch/Myung-Whun Chung
DG 471566-2

Giacomo Puccini: Prelude to Act II Part 2 from Madama Butterfly
Royal Liverpool Phil Orch/Domingo Hindoyan
Onyx 4242

Giacomo Puccini: Aria, “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” from La rondine
Leontyne Price, s; Rome Opera Orch/Oliviero de Fabritiis
RCA 63299-2

Giuseppe Verdi: Aria, “Pace, pace, mio Dio” from La forza del destino
Leontyne Price, s; Orch/Thomas Schippers
RCA 68540-2

Giacomo Puccini: Act 2 clips from La bohème
Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, et al; Berlin Phil/Herbert von Karajan
Decca 421049-2 (2)

Giuseppe Verdi: Final fugue, “Tutta nel mondo è burla” from Falstaff
Bryn Terfel; other soloists; Berlin Radio Choir & Berlin Phil/Claudio Abbado
DG 471194-2

Meet the Hosts

LaRob K. Rafael joined the WFMT announcing staff in 2020 as a fill-in host and became WFMT’s full-time weekend morning host and producer in Fall of 2021. A Bass-Baritone from the DMV area (Maryland), LaRob has been involved with music since childhood and is a graduate of DePaul University, where he studied Vocal Performance. He has since gone on to work with arts organizations including Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Caccina (a professional women’s ensemble), Black Opera Alliance, Black Administrators of Opera, and Sphinx Organization to name a few. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Hearing in Color and combines his experience and research to change the predominantly white, European, male classical canon.

Kristina Lynn is a producer and host at WFMT, presenting both Sounds Classical with LaRob K. Rafael, and Evening Music on Friday nights. She has hosted live performances and artist interviews with the Rush Hour Concerts and has done voiceover work for the WFMT Radio Network. With an easygoing approach, Kristina aims to welcome all types of listeners to classical music and explore the art form from a 21st-century perspective. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree specializing in Trumpet Performance from DePaul University. Before announcing at WFMT, she has previously worked in radio production at both WFMT and at WQXR in New York.

Midday Music

Midday Music

Opera Showdown with Enrique Mazzola

Playlist