Saturdays at 4:30 pm
The Chagall ceiling of Opéra Garnier in Paris (Photo: Lin Padgham, CC BY 2.0, cropped, via Flickr)
Enjoy recording collector and host Larry Johnson’s vast library of vocal music.
Arias and Songs celebrates great singers of the past and present, from Maria Callas and Jussi Björling to Renée Fleming and Jonas Kaufmann. Each week, recording collector and host Larry Johnson spins a wonderful web of opera, operetta, Broadway tunes, art songs—even vintage pop. Expect the unexpected as Larry guides you through the range and nuance of vocal artistry, with some programs tied to local performances, as well.
The player below features a continuous three hour loop of the most recent Arias and Songs episodes to be joined in progress.
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Waltzes for New Year’s Eve
December 26, 2020
Put on your dancing shoes! Bring in the new year with Arias and Songs in an all-waltz program. Featured selections include Cristina Deutekom singing a Strauss waltz, the Boston Pops Orchestra play waltzes from Lehar’s The Count of Luxembourg, Julie Andrews asking, “Do I Hear a Waltz” by Richard Rodgers, and Lucine Amara coquettishly singing ‘Musetta’s Waltz’ from La bohème.
A Program for the Holidays
December 19, 2020
A holiday collection of religious and secular favorites sung by Kiri Te Kanawa, Robert Shaw Chorale, Kathleen Ferrier, Richard Tauber, and more.
Vivaldi’s ‘Magnificat’
December 12, 2020
Sacred music is heard in a program consisting of the Magnificat by Antonio Vivaldi. Riccardo Muti conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus with soloists Teresa Berganza and Lucia Valentini Terrani.
Happy Endings
December 5, 2020
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy from his Symphony No. 9 is the centerpiece of this program. Herbert von Karajan conducts. Also heard will be the finale of Verdi’s Falstaff with Bryn Terfel and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Shirley Verrett and Anna Moffo.
For the Children
November 28, 2020
The holiday season is always about children and the child that lives within us. We will hear lullabies by Kathleen Battle, Boris Christoff, Marilyn Horne, and Ian Bostridge. The prayer from Hänsel und Gretel is sung by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Elisabeth Grümmer. The Vienna Boys Choir sing a chorus from Bizet’s Carmen as well.
Food for Thought
November 21, 2020
A tasty treat for all! The Robert Shaw Chorale takes us to a clambake, Fanny Brice cooks breakfast, the Crab Man and Strawberry Woman from Porgy and Bess offer food for sale, a little boy named Oliver wants more to eat, and there is a tribute to Julia Child.
All in the Family
November 14, 2020
Close personal and professional relationships are explored. We recall those of Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge; Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich; Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears; and Roberto Alagna and his brothers.
A Program Sung in Latin
November 7, 2020
Selections will be heard from religious works by Charpantier, Rossini, Verdi and Bruckner as well as Orff’s Carmina Burana and a choral work from the film The Lion in Winter. Among the various artists will be Cecilia Bartoli, Luba Orgaosova and Jussi Bjoerling.
Devils and Demons For Halloween
October 31, 2020
And scary they are! Kwangchul Youn as the Devil bargains for Piotr Beczala’s soul in Faust. José van Dam sings the ‘Danse macabre’ of Saint-Saëns. René Pape is both seductive and evil as Rubinstein’s The Demon. There is more to hear…but only if you dare.
A Cole Porter Program
October 24, 2020
The legendary Broadway composer well served in recordings made famous by his contemporaries Fred Astaire, Mary Martin, Artie Shaw and Ella Fitzgerald. Mr. Porter will also accompany himself in one of his songs.
The English Songbook
October 17, 2020
A survey of songs by Vaughan Williams, Delius, and Purcell among others; sung by Bryn Terfel, Kathleen Ferrier, Ian Bostridge, Alice Coote, Felicity Lott, Simon Keenlyside, Anne Murray, and more.
Relationships
October 10, 2020
Larry turns to movies and Broadway to explore a variety of relationships. Delightful tunes abound from Candide, Annie Get Your Gun, Gigi, Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, and more.
Opera Singers of Spain
October 3, 2020
Larry presents six Spanish singers in opera and song. They are Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Kraus, Victoria de los Ángeles, and Conchita Supervía.
Can There Ever Be Enough Mozart?
September 26, 2020
Certainly NOT! Delighting the heart and soul are selections from six Mozart operas. Artists include Fredericka Von Stade, Teresa Berganza, Gottlob Frick, Pilar Lorengar, Gabriel Bacquier, Lucia Popp and Edita Gruberova. A must hear indeed for Mozart fans.
A Coloratura Spectacular
September 19, 2020
Vocal pyrotechnics abound with high Cs, trills and singing techniques that leave you breathless. At their best are Joan Sutherland, Alfred Deller, Lucia Popp, Sigrid Onegin and Magda Olivero.
Songs of Many Colors
September 12, 2020
Nine delightful songs will be heard and each with a color in its title. Among the artists are Marian Anderson, Simon Keenlyside, Jerry Hadley, and many more.
A Program for Labor Day
September 5, 2020
A tribute to workers everywhere that features three government ministers, a flower seller, a fashion designer, and even a smuggler. Cecilia Bartoli, Lucrezia Bori, and Katharine Hepburn are heard, among other vocalists.
Night Songs
August 29, 2020
As a follow up to last week’s program, “Morning Songs,” Larry ventures into the night with Anna Moffo, Thomas Hampson, Beverly Sills, and Alfredo Kraus singing pieces from Donizetti to Cole Porter.
Morning Songs
August 22, 2020
The day begins with the “Awakening Scene” from Strauss’s The Egyptian Helen, sung by Leontyne Price. The morning continues with Die Meistersinger, The Mikado, Oklahoma!, and much more. Artists include The King’s Singers, René Kollo, Bryn Terfel, and Jonas Kaufmann.
The Music of George Gershwin
August 15, 2020
Easy listening today as we hear songs from Broadway and movies, along with a recording by Gershwin himself. The “Who’s Who” of singers include Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, and Jane Froman.
