This Saturday, WHRO-FM brings you a compelling double bill from one of America’s most iconic musical voices: Leonard Bernstein. Tune in at 1:00 p.m. for two rarely performed but deeply resonant operas from the Royal Opera House in London: “Trouble in Tahiti” and “A Quiet Place.”
First composed in 1951, “Trouble in Tahiti” is a jazzy, satirical one-act opera exploring the emptiness beneath suburban perfection. It portrays a day in the life of Sam (Henry Neill) and Dinah (Wallis Giunta), a couple trapped in the routines and illusions of postwar American life.
Three decades later, Bernstein revisited these characters in “A Quiet Place,” a full-length opera that functions both as a sequel and a meditation on grief, trauma, and reconciliation. Set at Dinah’s funeral, it delves into the fractured family dynamics left behind and offers a portrait of modern American life. Here, Sam will be performed by Grant Doyle, Henry Neill performs Junior, Rowan Pierce performs Dede, and Elgan Llŷr Thomas will be François.
Nicholas Chalmers conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in this operatic exploration of the American identity. Tune in to WHRO-FM 90.3, or listen online, this Saturday, and don’t miss this rare opportunity.
