Lesley Valdes, WRTI's critic-at-large, reviews the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. Repeat performances will be held at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater on June 10th, 12th, and 14th, 2009.

Opera Company of Philadelphia

Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Benjamin Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

Opera in Two Acts

Libretto by Ronald Duncan

Based on the play by Andre Obey (Le Viol de Lucrece)

With contributions from listeners like you - before June 30th - we'll raise the remaining $100,000 needed to end the year successfully.

All the great music you hear on WRTI is created with only 12 notes. Take one of those notes away and what's left? You have 11 notes. But much less music can be composed with just one fewer note. The dynamics of supporting WRTI work in a similar way. Your one pledge is as important to WRTI as every note in the musical scale is to a composer.

Tune in or listen online on Sunday June 7th from 7 to 8 pm when we honor the memory of "The King of Swing."

May 30th marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman in Chicago in 1909. Mr. Goodman holds an iconic place in American culture - not only as a jazz legend, but also as a cultural ambassador and humanitarian.

WRTI pays homage to the great clarinetist and bandleader whose interest in music spanned both jazz and classical genres.

Program:
Josef Holbrooke (1878-1958): The Viking, Poem No. 2 for Orchestra, op. 32 (1900)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): English Folk Song Suite (1923) arr. Gordon Jacob

Josef Holbrooke: Three Blind Mice, Symphonic Variations on an old English Air, op. 37, no. 1 (1900)

Lesley Valdes, WRTI's critic-at-large, reviews the Fabulous Philadelphians' June 3rd performance of a Ravel, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff program at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Repeat performances will be held at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall on June 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.

Concert Review: The Philadelphia Orchestra at Kennedy Center and Verizon Hall

The Philadelphia Orchestra
At The Kennedy Center

Charles Dutoit, Conductor

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano

Sunday, June 7

3 to 5 pm

New York Philharmonic

David Zinman, conductor

Program:

Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

More Information:

Notes about the Program, and Audio

Jim Cotter speaks with Philadelphia Singers Music Director David Hayes. His group is hosting the Chorus America Conference - the annual gathering of choirs and choral groups from around the country.

Susan Lewis takes us to the Penn Museum's exhibition about generations of Pennsylvanians who kept their Lenape identity secret for two centuries.

David Patrick Stearns previews the latest production from the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Baritone Nathan Gunn and tenor William Burden star in Benjamin Brittens' The Rape of Lucretia.

Crossover with Jill Pasternak

Broadcast Live at Wanamaker Organ Day

From Macy's in Downtown Philadelphia

Saturday, June 6

11:30 am to 12:30 pm

WRTI and the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ invite you to a day-long musical extravaganza celebrating the 105th anniversary of the world's largest pipe organ.

Jill Pasternak will present a live Crossover show featuring Grand Court Organist Peter Richard Conte, and Mormon Tabernacle Organist Richard Elliott from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Jason Peifer visits the Nemours Mansion and Gardens in Wilmington, DE. The 300-acre estate was home to the industrialist and philanthropist Alfred I. duPont and recently completed a $39 million restoration.

As the National Constitution Center opens its new show on Napoleon, Susan Lewis explores the "French connection" between America and the Emperor of early 19th century France.

David Patrick Stearns profiles Isabelle Faust. The German violinist performs the Brahms Violin concerto in concerts with The Philadelphia Orchestra this week.

WRTI's critic-at-large, Lesley Valdes, reviews the Walnut's production of The Producers, on stage from now until July 19th. The Broadway hit, with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, garnered 12 Tony Awards in 2001.

Walnut Street Theatre's The Producers

The Producers

Walnut Street Theatre

Now - July 19, 2009