Saturdays at 4:30 pm
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.
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Devils and Demons For Halloween
October 26, 2019
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.
At the Midnight Hour
October 19, 2019
Karita Mattila braves the night in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Leontyne Price has a clandestine midnight rendezvous with Carlo Bergonzi in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
Quartets
October 12, 2019
Opera quartets from Don Giovanni, Fidelio, Faust, La bohème, and Rigoletto. Artists include Nina Stemme, Victoria de los Ángeles, Rita Gorr, Licia Albanese, Cesare Siepi, Carlo Bergonzi, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Nicolai Gedda, and Boris Christoff.
A Program For a Rainy Day
October 5, 2019
You will need an umbrella for this program with songs like ‘Stormy Weather’ sung by its composer, Harold Arlen, and Judy Garland singing ‘I Get the Blues When it Rains.’ Richard Strauss accompanies Hilde Konetzni in one his songs about the weather. Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison are quite delighted about ‘The Rain in Spain’ from My Fair Lady, and ...
In Performance at Carnegie Hall
September 28, 2019
A treat for Wagner fans is this electrifying performance of Act I, Scene 3 from Die Walküre. Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra with soloists, Helen Traubel and Lauritz Melchior, in this 1941 NBC Radio broadcast from Carnegie Hall.
Lyric Opera 1969
September 21, 2019
A star‐studded season it was with Marilyn Horne in The Barber of Seville, Alfredo Kraus in I puritani, Anja Silja in Der fliegende Holländer, and Fiorenza Cossotto in Cavalleria rusticana.
Relationships
September 14, 2019
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.
Four American Sopranos
September 7, 2019
Larry plays recordings by two well‐known sopranos of the past: Jeanette MacDonald and Anna Moffo. Then there are recordings by two of today’s most accomplished sopranos, Deborah Voigt and Sondra Radvanovsky.
Four American Tenors
August 31, 2019
We hear two tenors from the past, Richard Tucker and James King. Then two contemporary tenors, Lawrence Brownlee and Steven Costello.
Italian Opera in German
August 24, 2019
Guten Tag! At one time, opera-goers expected to hear performances in their own language! Who knew? Larry offers examples as sung in the German-speaking countries by Leonie Rysanek, Fritz Wunderlich, Erna Berger, and Pilar Lorengar.
Trouser Roles in Opera
August 17, 2019
Not men, but women wear the pants in a series of so‐called “trouser” roles. Teresa Berganza is Mozart’s Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Joyce DiDonato is Bellini’s Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Marilyn Horne is Mozart’s Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, and more.
Heard in “Live” Performance
August 10, 2019
An eclectic collection indeed! Marcella Sembrich sings at a 1903 Metropolitan Opera concert, Maria Callas is heard in the Lisbon Traviata, Ferruccio Furlanetto is the Prince in Eugene Onegin at the 2007 Salzburg Festival, the ‘Cat Duet’ by Rossini is purred by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Victoria de los Ángeles in London, and much more will be hear live in performance.
A Trip To Naples
August 3, 2019
Larry takes you to the San Carlo Opera in Naples for highlights from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur. Cast includes Magda Olivero, Franco Corelli, and Naples’ favorite son, Enrico Caruso. There are also songs by Tito Gobbi, Mario Lanza, Richard Tauber, and Barbara Hendricks.
Betrayed!!!
July 27, 2019
Delilah betrays Sampson, Radamès betrays his country in Aida, Lt. Pinkerton betrays Butterfly, and more. Among the betrayers and the betrayed are Christa Ludwig, Angela Gheorghiu, Maria Callas, Beniamino Gigli, James King, and Carlo Bergonzi.
Recalling the 1969 Moon Landing
July 20, 2019
Larry recalls a half century since humankind first walked on the moon. In this hour-long program, Anna Netrebko sings the ‘Song to the Moon’ from Rusalka. Also heard are Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna as unrequited lovers in a moonlit scene from Werther, Eileen Farrell sings ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ and so much more.
A Program For Bastille Day
July 13, 2019
How better to celebrate this French holiday than with the sparkling and effervescent music of Jacques Offenbach? Celebrants include Beverly Sills, Richard Tauber, Joan Sutherland, Jussi Björling, and more.
Four Operatic Quintets
July 6, 2019
Operatic ensembles at their best from The Magic Flute, Un ballo in maschera, Carmen, and Die Meistersinger. Among the many artists heard are Victoria de los Ángeles, René Kollo, Shirley Verrett, Nicolai Gedda, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
A Program for Gay Pride Weekend
June 29, 2019
For a special one-hour program beginning at 4:30pm, Larry showcases the talents of gay composers Gian Carlo Menotti, Reynaldo Hahn, and Michael Tippett. Also featured are Peter Pears, Nathan Lane, Josephine Baker, Donald Gramm, and pianists, Earl Wild, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and more.
Death Scenes from French Opera
June 22, 2019
Dorothy Kirsten welcomes death in Thaïs. Franco Corelli as Don José murders Leontyne Price as Carmen. Over the top melodrama abounds as Feodor Chaliapin succumbs as Don Quichotte.
Creator Recordings
June 15, 2019
Larry presents truly historic recordings that include the first Lt. Pinkerton, Giovanni Zenatello, in Madama Butterfly. Then the first Marchallin in Der Rosenkavalier, Margarethe Siems. In Verdi’s first Falstaff, Victor Maurel is heard and Richard Tauber in Lehar’s The Land of Smiles conducted by the composer.