Classical Music Playlist, August 30, 2024American conductor David Robertson said of Vassily Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 1, “Anyone who likes Tchaikovsky — anyone — is going to adore this symphony on first hearing.” It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 21, 2024For the most part, French composers wrote ballet and opera until the late 1800s when some began to compose symphonies. In 1890, Ernest Chausson wrote his only symphony. It’s today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 20, 2024To celebrate the arrival of summer today, instead of one long piece at 2pm for our Midday Masterpiece, from 2 to 4 pm we’re playing various “Summer” themed pieces by different composers. We start at 2pm with “Summer” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons."
Classical Music Playlist, June 19, 2024The 1937 “Symphony #2: Song of a New Race” by William Grant Still is his final in a trilogy of works that collectively depict the African American experience from arrival IN America through black influence ON America. It’s today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 18, 2024Johannes Brahms composed his Double Concerto for Violin and Cello specifically for his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim and a mutual cellist friend. A performance with violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo Yo Ma is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 17, 2024Igor Stravinsky was born on this date in 1882. The 1945 concert suite of music from his 1910 ballet “The Firebird” is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 14, 2024Appealing to aristocracy and amateur musicians alike, Beethoven’s Septet from 1800 remained his most popular composition during his lifetime. (To his lifelong frustration for overshadowing his greater masterpieces.) It’s today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 13, 2024Sometimes compared to Bruckner or Mahler, the 1896 Symphony No. 3 by French composer Albéric Magnard is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 12, 2024The 2022 world premiere recording by the Catalyst Quartet of the String Quartet #2 by Florence Price from 1935 is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, June 11, 2024The Richard Strauss autobiographical tone poem Ein Heldenleben or “A Hero’s Life” is the story of a composer in battle with critics. It’s our Midday Masterpiece for his 160th birthday today.
Classical Music Playlist, June 10, 2024The 1877 Piano Concerto No. 3 by one of the most influential musicians of his time, German composer, conductor, pianist and educator Carl Reinecke, is today's Midday Masterpiece.