11 Shows to Hear this July on WVIA Radio

Saturday, July 1 – 1 p.m.
Paris Opera’s production of John Adams’s Nixon in China, with a star-studded cast that includes Thomas Hampson as Richard Nixon and Renée Fleming as Pat Nixon, with John Matthew Myers as Chairman Mao.

Sunday, July 2 – 1 p.m.
Music in Celebration of July 4th. Composers include John Williams, Morton Gould and William Grant Still.

Sunday, July 2 – 3 p.m.
As we mark our American Independence Day, we have music for you from American women highlighting the path we have taken thus far, and shining a light on the path that lies ahead. We include music from the frontier, to the busy streets of New York city.

Saturday, July 8 – 1 p.m.
We are beyond thrilled to welcome London-based Opera Rara to the Opera Series. Specializing in lost and forgotten works from composers of the past, Opera Rara works in a unique intersection of opera company, recording label, and live operatic archeologist—through their work, they strive to expand the operatic repertoire and encourage the opera world to explore new and little-known rediscoveries. Found in the archives of the Naples Conservatory Library in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Opera Rara has restored the score to Saverio Mercadante’s Il Proscritto, a story set in Edinburgh at the time of Oliver Cromwell. Unheard since its premiere in 1842, conductor and Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi leads the Britten Sinfonia and Opera Rara Chorus alongside an exceptional cast including Ramón Vargas, Irene Roberts, Elizabeth DeShong, Iván Ayón-Rivas, and more. We’re delighted to bring this rediscovered work to this year’s opera series, and we know listeners will be enchanted and excited to be a part of this history-in-the-making.

Sunday, July 9 – 2 p.m.
Juraj Valcuha makes his return to Heinz Hall with “Helix” by Essa Pekka Salonen and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 1. Plus, Augustine Hadelich plays the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

Saturday, July 15 – 1 p.m.
We travel to the Prinzregententheater in Munich, Germany to hear a production of Verdi’s I Lombardi alla prima crociata with the Munich Radio Opera, featuring Galeano Salas as Arvino, Andreas Burkhart as Acciano, Nino Machaidze as Giselda, and Réka Kristóf as Viclinda.

Sunday, July 16 – 2 p.m.
Like father, like son – or so the saying goes. But how true does this hold for Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel? The opening concert of the 2022 Leipzig Bach Festival presents cantatas and passions by the two composers, and while Johann Sebastian may be more famous today, Carl Philipp Emanuel was actually better known in his time. Andreas Reize, the new music director at St. Thomas Church, leads the St. Thomas boys' choir and the world-renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra in a performance that gives the audience a unique chance to hear what unites Bach father and son, but also what sets them apart.

Saturday, July 22 – 1p.m.
We travel back to London for an exquisite production of Berg’s inimitable Wozzeck by the UK’s Royal Opera. Christian Gerhaher stars in the title role, with Anja Kampe returning to the series as Marie. Peter Hoare stars as the Captain, Rosie Aldridge as Margret, and more. The illustrious Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Sunday, July 23 – 2 p.m.
Music Director Manfred Honeck conducts the first of two Vienna Fest concerts featuring Haydn, Mozart and Schubert. Till Fellner plays Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

Saturday, July 29 – 1p.m.
The world-famous La Scala returns to the series for another season with a new production of Leonardo Vinci’s Li zite ‘nglera, a part of La Scala’s project to rediscover and reinvigorate Italian baroque repertoire. Written in the Neapolitan dialect with a libretto by Bernardo Saddumente, this engaging comedy is sure to be a hit with listeners. Andrea Marcon leads the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus to support a cast that includes Francesca Aspromonte, Chiara Amarù, Marco Filippo Romano, and more.

Sunday, July 30 – 2 p.m.
All people are heroes of their own stories, and music can tell their tales. This idea inspired the 2022 Beethoven Festival's opening concert. The Budapest Festival Orchestra, led by founder and director Iván Fischer, performs Louis Andriessen's unconventional "Workers Union" and György Ligeti's wild and virtuosic "Mysteries of the Macabre," as well Beethoven's revolutionary Symphony No. 3, "Eroica." DWFC also hosts the festival's new artistic director, Steven Walter, in the studio for a chat.