Today On Radio 2 03/01/09

In 1900 the Met staged La Bohème for the first time - 108 years and more than 1,200 performances later it's still amazingly popular. Today Saturday Afternoon At The Opera (Saturday 1:00 p.m., 1:30 NT) broadcasts the opera, starring Maija Kovalevska as Mimi and lyric tenor Ramón Vargas as Rudolfo.

For those who are new to the opera here's the story. It's a wintery tale that takes place on a cold Christmas Eve when a seamstress named Mimi visits a neighbour (the poet Rudolfo) looking for a match to light a candle. A match of another kind ensues (egad, what corniness, sorry). But it's the hothouse world (and cold garret reality) of Boho Paris, so the course of love runs not smoothly.

Stay tuned to The Radio 2 Blog for more details about the opera Saturday morning, and please keep reading for the rest of the day's broadcast highlights:

Radio 2 Morning (6 a.m.-10 a.m.) Music from the Skydiggers' newest recruit; If By The Bridge from Jim Bryson's last recording (Bryson is currently holed away writing a brand new album); comeback "kids" Al Green and Seal; Bjork sings jazz.

The Vinyl Cafe ( 10:00 a.m. 10:30 NT) It's the backstage version of the show today as Vinyl Cafe staffers dish the dirt on what it's like to work with Stuart McLean.

Deep Roots (Saturday 11:00 a.m., 12:00 AT, 12:30 NT) Music from Seu Jorge, Jayme Stone, the Ebony Hillbillies, and the Burning Hell -- among others.

Inside The Music Saturday Edition (12:00 p.m., 1:00 AT, 1:30 NT) "The Pure Drop," presented by Halifax musician Chris Norman, takes a group of traditional celtic folk musicians – gathered in a smoky pub, playing tunes and quaffing ale -- as conceptual jumping off point to an exploration of the long-standing connection between music and drink in Celtic culture.

Saturday Afternoon At The Opera (Saturday 1:00 p.m., 1:30 NT) [See Top Of Post]

In Tune (Saturday 5:00 p.m., 5:30 NT) Katherine does a little classical music forecasting -- suggesting the trends and artists to watch for in 2009.

Tonic (6 p.m.) Post-Christmas season relax mode tonight, as Nikki Yanofsky performs Relax Max and Ivana Santilli reminds listeners to Breathe In. Plus saxophonist Branford Marsalis in various settings, a spotlight on both Calgary bassman Kodi Hutchinson and Toronto record label DoRight!

Canada Live (8 p.m.) Concert 1: San Francisco world music ensemble Rupa & The April Fishes recorded at the Regina Folk Festival. Concert 2: Jazz from the Shannon Thue Trio.

The Signal (10 p.m.) A concert from bassist John Geggie, recorded at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Plus music from Tony Dekker of GLS -- inspired by the life of a Neil Diamond impersonator. Yup.