Jon Vickers Memorial Broadcast

Sunday, July 12, 2015 - 12:00am to 11:59pm

Jon Vickers, undoubtedly one of the greatest and most important tenors of the twentieth century, has just passed away. For over three decades, Vickers was a titan on the operatic stages. A controversial singer to say the least, Vickers used his massive, craggily voice to challenge the very conceptions of the most challenging tenor roles. His repertoire was large and varied, from Monteverdi to Berlioz and Britten, and his discography is extraordinary. To this day, Vickers' interpretations of Otello, Peter Grimes, and Florestan have set a standard that few tenors have ever matched. Vickers was a once a century type of performer. It is with a heavy heart that we announce the Jon Vickers Memorial Broadcast. WKCR will preempt all of our programming for 24 hours on Sunday July 12th solely to Jon Vickers. The Jon Vickers Memorial Broadcast will run continously and uninterrupted from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM on Sunday July 12th. Please join us as we remember, honor, commemorate, and celebrate the remarkable life, music, and work of Jon Vickers. Photo obtained from The Metropolitan Opera Archives: "Jon Vickers as Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre, Photo: Louis Mélançon/Metropolitan Opera" (http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/VickersWalkure2.jpg)

  • 12:00 AM – 2:45 AM ~ Giuseppe Verdi: Otello (Jon Vickers; Leonie Rysanek; Tito Gobbi; Tullio Serafin; Rome Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
  • 2:45 AM – 7:00 AM ~ Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Jon Vickers; Helga Dernesch; Christa Ludwig; Walter Berry; Karl Ridderbusch; Herbert von Karajan; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)
  • 7:00 AM – 9:15 AM ~ Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio (Jon Vickers; Christa Ludwig; Walter Berry; Gottlob Frick; Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus)
  • 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM ~ Italian Arias
  • 10:15 AM – 2:30 PM ~ Hector Berlioz: Les Troyens (Jon Vickers; Berit Lindholm; Josephine Veasey; Heather Begg; Roger Soyer; Colin Davis; Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House)
  • 2:30 PM – 5:10 PM ~ Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes (Jon Vickers; Heather Harper; Jonathan Summers; Elizabeth Bainbridge; Colin Davis; Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House)
  • 5:10 PM – 7:00 PM ~ Richard Strauss: Salome (Jon Vickers; Leonie Rysanek; Ruth Hesse; Thomas Stewart; Rudolph Kempe; ORTF)
  • 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM ~ Camille Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila (Jon Vickers; Rita Gorr; Ernest Blanc; Georges Pretre; Orchestre du Theatre National de l'Opéra de Paris)
  • 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM ~ Richard Wagner: Die Walküre Act I (Jon Vickers; Gre Brouenstijn; David Ward; Erich Leinsdorf; London Symphony Orchestra)
  • 10:15 PM – 11:59 PM ~ Franz Schubert: Die Winterreise (Jon Vickers; Peter Schaaf)