An eclectic and unpredictable music mix this Friday (4/25, rebroadcast 4/26)

A Tempo this Saturday (4/26) looks ahead to the world premiere of an opera about the experiences of Hazel Ying Lee, a Chinese-American pilot who served during the Second World War.

We’re taking a look at two versions of the Orpheus legend that were written about 100 years but stylistically lightyears apart on this week’s Sunday Opera (4/27 3:00 p.m.) with Franz Joseph Haydn’s “L’anima del filosofo ossia Orfeo ed Euridice” and Jacque Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld.”

We know that spring sprang last month, but it seems as though all of the flowers bloomed around here this week (at least, that’s what our eyes and sinuses have been telling us). Since that’s the case, we thought we’d honor spring springing with a program of “spring” songs on this week’s Dress Circle (4/27 7:00 p.m.).

This special Good Friday broadcast (4/18) features Bach's St. Matthew Passion performed by the Bach Choir of Bethlehem at the special time of 7 pm. (**Exploring Music will air at 6 pm.)

An intriguing W.A. Mozart and Steve Reich juxtaposition this Friday (4/18, rebroadcast Saturday 4/19)

We’re dusting off some English history on this week’s Sunday Opera (4/20 3:00 p.m.) through a work by Camille Saint-Saens, a live 1991 recording of his rarely performed “Henry VIII.” The libretto by Armand Silvestre and Leonce Detroyat looks at a small section of the infamous life of a man driven by ego, a thirst for power, and the overpowering need to have a male heir.

Sometimes, one just needs a place, a special place to find solace and comfort, and we’re going to look at fourteen of our favorite places to escape on this week’s Dress Circle (4/20 7:00 p.m.).

Different pianists for each of the Brahms Op. 76 piano pieces this Friday (4/11, rebroadcast Saturday 4/12)

A Tempo this Saturday (4/12) looks at an upcoming dual performance of members of the New Jersey Youth Chorus and the all-woman vocal ensemble Lyyra.