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Broadcaster Doug Fox, In Memoriam
Opera House
It saddens us to tell listeners that Doug Fox, a founding host of Evening at the Opera, passed away recently after a long illness. Remarkably, years ago, he recorded a 50-second announcement to be played in the event of his incapacitation or death. He says:

"This is Doug Fox, host of Fine Arts Radio's Evening at the Opera. If you are hearing my voice on this recording it means that I am either incapacitated or dead. I simply want to express my gratitude to all the listeners whom I've talked with over the years. Evening at the Opera has been a wonderful part of my life, one of the most important things in it, and there is no way I can adequately express my gratitude to you. No one need feel sorry for me, I have had a wonderful life, in large part due to you. Thank you."

Evening at the Opera began with Doug and two other hosts back in 1983. The other hosts left the air years ago, but Doug made WMNR, and sharing his love of vocal music, his life's work and we are all very much the richer for it. Doug's last Opera program was in the summer of 2016.

WMNR will hold an on-air memorial for Doug on Tuesday, March 14th from 8:00 pm to midnight. We will be playing highlights from his pre-recorded Opera programs and reading comments from listeners. You can email your remembrances to [email protected]. Doug wrote an interesting article about variety in the operatic canon. You can enjoy the article and read his obituary by clicking here.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
An institution endures when it balances innovation and tradition. Over the years, WMNR Fine Arts Radio has undergone dramatic technological change while preserving our commitment to what we all love, excellent music. When we look back at our newsletter from March 1987 (type- written, printed, mailed), we see that Bill Battista was hosting Sunday Morning Classics from 6:00 to 9:00 am, playing records, reaching maybe 26,500 listeners. Now, you read in today's newsletter (made of pixels, emailed), that on Sunday, March 5, 2017, Bill will still be on air with his quiet, relaxed broadcast style and encyclopedic knowledge of classical music, now playing CDs or perhaps MP3s. On Sunday, with more translators, streaming capabilities, and archived programs, Bill's reach will be limitless. From Bill's lesser-known favorites Cecil Burleigh, Arthur Foote, George Frederick McKay, Walter Piston and Leo Sowerby to Debussy, Fauré, Saint-Saëns and Widor, the excellence of the music has not changed.

Looking back at program guides from 1987, we also see the names Wendell Rector, Bea Asken, Kurt Anderson, Dick Hageman, John Carle, and Mike Shakinovsky, all of whom can be heard in 2017. Composers? One can pluck a few names from the '87 program - Villa-Lobos, Strauss, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Ravel - and be assured of hearing them by week's end in '17. What will our newsletter look like in 2032 when we celebrate our 50th anniversary? Who can imagine?! What is certain is the quality of the music we broadcast will be as high as ever.
As I Saw It by Garrett Stack
Listeners know broadcaster Garrett Stack from his programs American Jukebox® and Broadway Bound, which alternate on Saturdays at 4:00 pm and celebrate different aspects of American popular music. This month Garrett brings us reviews of two new productions.  He has reviewed theatrical productions for WMNR since 1990 when he critiqued the Downtown Cabaret Theater's production of Dreamgirls. Join Garrett on Saturday, March 4 at 4:00 pm for Broadway Bound and read on for his reviews of A Bronx Tale and Sunset Boulevard, both currently on Broadway.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Bronx Tale is a new musical, an adaptation of the 1993 film of the same name, with music added by the very capable Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Worth noting, the film was directed by and starred Robert De Niro. De Niro joins Jerry Zaks in directing this stage version. 1950s Bronx streets protected by the Italian-American mob set the scene for conflict between good and bad, crime vs. morality. Racial tensions, choosing to do the right or wrong thing, and looking beneath the surface of somewhat familiar characters fill the plot. With a cast of 30, powerful performances by the leads, something to say, and a score that is very accessible make this a good bet for a night out.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This London-to-Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1994 seven-Tony-winning Sunset Boulevard, based on the 1950 film noir of the same name, is the story of a screenwriter hired to rework a silent film star's script who finds himself developing a dangerous relationship. Much touted, this musical revival is worth the hype for two reasons: Glenn Close reprising her Tony-winning role as Norma Desmond and Andrew Lloyd Webber's rich and melodic score. 

Glenn Close is more age-appropriate, and I feel more believable, this time around. Her acting is, well, what else can be said about this national treasure?She delivers two showstoppers in full voice that simply bring the house down and indeed stop the show: With "One Look" in Act 1, and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" in Act 2 - worth the price of admission. That's not to say the other performers like Michael Xavier as screenwriter Joe Gillis don't add plenty to the show, it's just that Miss Close is larger than life.

As for the music and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, it is a sumptuous banquet for the ears. Soaring and sweeping, intimate and quiet, and downright hardy-party, the onstage 38-piece orchestra is the other star of the show. A 38-piece actual orchestra with real instruments is unheard of in today's musicals because it is considered cost-prohibitive. It's a very rare treat on Broadway. One tiny criticism: lots of exposition in Act 1 made it slow starting before the welcomed phenomenal eruption of sight, sound and emotion. It's a limited run as the cast has come directly from the London production. It is set to close on June 25. This is one of those don't miss shows.

[Garrett's 5-star rating system: ⭐ = don't bother; ⭐⭐ = some redeeming qualities; ⭐⭐⭐ = pretty good especially if you like who's on stage; ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = excellent artistically and technically; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = one of those must see shows (rare rating)]
Development Professional Sought
WMNR Fine Arts Radio has been thriving for 35 years thanks to the financial support of our members. As a reflection of our growth, WMNR is currently seeking a part-time, paid Major Gifts Representative. He or she will direct all major giving efforts for WMNR, including annual major giving, planned giving, special project fundraising, and especially expressing appreciation to our members. EOE/AA. For more information, you can find the complete job description here.
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WMNR is an independent, public classical and fine arts radio station serving Connecticut and New York.