Considered England’s first conductor to achieve international status, Beecham was a major influence in that country’s musical life during the first half of the twentieth century. Victoria de los Angeles and Jussi Bjoerling will be heard in La Boheme along with selections by Delius, Mozart, Mascagni and Bizet.

We float on the air today with Mendelssohn’s song of this name, move on to fireflies, various birds and butterflies. Taking flight are Jussi Bjoerling, Susan Graham, Ben Heppner, Rita Streich, Ian Bostridge, Ann Murray, Gerard Souzay, Felicity Lott and more.

Who makes the final cut for the four greatest Wagnerian sopranos of the twentieth century? Larry’s nominees are Frida Leider, Kirsten Flagstad, Astrid Varnay and Birgit Nilsson.

Tradition has it that June is the month for brides. We march down the aisle to the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, note the weddings of Kathleen Battle and Placido Domingo as Romeo and Juliet and Leontyne Price’s wedding night in Strauss’s The Egyptian Helen plus more.

We know who they were twenty five years ago but who would they be today? In this program Larry nominates his choices for the title. They are Jonas Kaufmann, Juan Diego Florez, and Piotr Beczala. Listen and see if you agree. Playlist: Wagner: Die Walkure   “Wintersturme” Jonas Kaufmann  with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Conducted by […]

Today’s program recalls this fine American opera singer of the 1940s through the 1970s.  Hear her clear, bright soprano voice in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and La Rondine and Charpantier’s Louise along with a song by Jerome Kern. Playlist:  Puccini: La Rondine, “Che il bel sogno di Doretta” Dorothy Kirsten with Orchestra conducted by Jean Paul […]

Familiar items from the German repertoire are heard not once but twice. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings Schubert’s Erlkonig preceded by a piano version by Franz Liszt performed by Yevgeny Kissin. Then pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet offers a piano arrangement of Marietta’s Song from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt which will then be sung by Beverly Sills. Playlist: Schubert-Liszt: […]

“Getting to know you” sings Anna to the children of the King of Siam. You will know them too with musical highlights sung by Julie Andrews and Gertrude Lawrence as Anna and Yul Brynner and Ben Kingsley as the King. Marilyn Horne is heard as well among others. Playlist: Rodgers: The King and I, “March of […]

“If music be the food of love, play on” says Duke Orsino in Act I of Twelfth Night.  Love, death, treachery and more abound in selections based on the Bard as sung by Enrico Caruso, Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge, Felicity Lott, Bryn Terfel and more. Playlist: Verdi: Otello   “Si, pel ciel” Enrico Caruso and Titta Ruffo […]

After much extensive research Larry will offer some of the very best of the worst and most hilarious recordings ever made. Along with Anna Russell among others, special emphasis will be given to the woman who was truly a diva in her own mind, Florence Foster Jenkins with commentary by her long suffering accompanist, Cosme McMoon.