Opera on the radio

On September 8th, ‘Heart of a Soldier’, the opera written by Christopher Theofandis will be broadcast on the radio. http://www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=1,1,41,46

Based on the life of Rick Rescorla, ‘Heart of a Soldier’,  follows the training of a hard-drinking, easy-going man from Cornwall, England who collided with a Yank while they were both soldiers of fortune in Northern Africa.  From that moment on, Rescorla is on a path to become a U.S. citizen, an Army captain, a platoon leader in Vietnam , and a veteran who searches for meaning in a world too crowded with civilians.

One of the aspects of Rescorla, rendered so poignantly in the non-fiction book by James B. Stewart on which the opera is based, was Rick’s dazzling smile.  A hard to resist smile.  A smile that drew people to him.  His most seductive weapon.

Thomas Hampson, the melliferous baritone, owns one of those also.  His performance was double barreled in the San Francisco premiere last September–voice and grin to match.   So how does this work on radio?  Where does the smile reside?  How does the audience hear it?

I hope you’ll tune in, Saturday September 8th, Noon to 4 p.m.