Classical Music Playlist, January 17, 2022
William Dawson (circa 1930)
Alabama-born composer and Director of Music at the Tuskegee Institute from 1931–1955, William Dawson, in 1934 composed his only symphony, the "Negro Folk Symphony," about which he wrote: "The themes are taken from what are popularly known as Negro Spirituals. In this composition, the composer has employed three themes taken from typical melodies over which he has brooded since childhood, having learned them at his mother's knee" and that he wanted those who heard the music to know that it was "unmistakably not the work of a white man."
Dawson describes the three movements:
The first movement contains a simple musical motif that represents “the link [that] was taken out of a human chain when the first African was taken from the shores of his native land and sent to slavery.”
The 2nd movement, "Hope in the Night," is an "atmosphere of the humdrum life of a people whose bodies were baked by the sun and lashed with the whip for two hundred and fifty years; whose lives were proscribed before they were born."
The final movement quotes two spirituals, "O Le' Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!" and "Hallelujah, Lord, I Been Down Into the Sea."
After a trip to West Africa in 1952, Dawson revised the Symphony with added African rhythms to convey a more authentic "rhythmic foundation strongly inspired by African influences.” The “Negro Folk Symphony” by William Dawson is today’s Midday Masterpiece at 2:00 pm.
6:00 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for strings in G minor RV 156
Northwest Chamber Orchestra; Alun Francis, conductor
6:08 a.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Ancient Suite (Suite ancienne) Opus 31a
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
6:34 a.m.
Franz Danzi
Sextet for Winds in Eb major
Consortium Classicum Dieter Klocker, clarinet
6:50 a.m.
Louise Farrenc
Symphony No. 3: II. Adagio cantabile in G minor Opus 36
North German Radio Symphony; Johannes Goritzki, conductor
7:01 a.m.
Josef Myslivecek
Symphony in D major F 29
London Mozart Players; Matthias Bamert, conductor
7:13 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem Opus 15
Marinsky Theatre Orchestra; Valery Gergiev, conductor
7:25 a.m.
Margaret Bonds
THE BALLAD OF THE BROWN KING: I. Of the Three Wise Men
The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra; Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor Noah Stewart, tenor
7:30 a.m.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Cello Concerto in Bb major Wq 171 / H 436
Bournemouth Sinfonietta; Richard Studt, conductor Timothy Hugh, cello
7:53 a.m.
Emile Waldteufel
Band of Students Waltz (Estudiantina) Opus 191
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra; Kurt Redel, conductor
8:00 a.m.
George Phillip Telemann
Oboe Concerto in D major
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Heinz Holliger, oboe
8:11 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude in E major BMV 1006a
Sharon Isbin, guitar
8:17 a.m.
Jennifer Higdon
Piano Trio: I. Pale Yellow
Lincoln Trio
8:26 a.m.
Percy Grainger
Lincolnshire Posey
Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, conductor
8:45 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Slavonic Rhapsody No. 3 in Ab major Opus 45
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Bohumil Gregor, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Piano Sonata No. 50 in D major HOB 16/37
Fazil Say, piano
9:11 a.m.
Engelbert Humperdinck
KONIGSKINDER: Overture (The Royal Children)
Czechoslovak RSO, Bratislava; Alfred Walter, conductor
9:20 a.m.
Tomaso Albinoni
Concerto a 6 in C major
Guttler Wind Ensemble; Ludwig Guttler, conductor
9:28 a.m.
Adolphus Hailstork
Fanfare on Amazing Grace
Virginia Symphony Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
9:32 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Orchestral Suite "Mozartiana" in G major Opus 61 "Mozartiana"
San Diego Chamber Orchestra; Donald Barra, conductor
10:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Passacaille, Gigue, and Minuet
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
10:08 a.m.
Bernhard Molique
Flute Concerto in D minor
Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, conductor Mathieu Dufour, flute
10:31 a.m.
Ludovico Einaudi
Low Mist - Var. 1
Ludovico Einaudi, piano; Redi Hasa, cello; Federico Mecozzi, violin
10:35 a.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
The Gadfly: Barrel Organ Waltz Opus 97
London Symphony Orchestra; Maxim Shostakovich, conductor
10:38 a.m.
Johann Christian Bach
Sinfonia Concertante in Eb major
Camerata Budapest; Hanspeter Gmur, conductor
11:01 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE MAGIC FLUTE: Overture (Die Zauberflote) K 620
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conductor
11:09 a.m.
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz
Violin Concerto in A major Opus 8
Polish Chamber Orchestra; Jacek Kaspszyk, conductor Nigel Kennedy, violin
11:40 a.m.
Maurice Ravel
Miroirs: Une Barque sur l'Ocean (A Boat on the Ocean)
Ulster Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
11:49 a.m.
Edward K. (Duke) Ellington
THREE BLACK KINGS: Martin Luther King
Buffalo Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor Sal Andolina, clarinet and alto saxophone
11:58 a.m.
Giacomo Puccini
GIANNI SCHICCHI: O Mio Babbino Caro
Lyon Opera Orchestra; Kent Nagano, conductor Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
12:01 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Consecration of the House Overture in C major Opus 124 (Die Weihe de Hauses)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conductor
12:12 p.m.
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Symphony No. 1 "The Banner" (Baneret) in Bb major
Saarbrucken Radio Symphony; Michail Jurowski, conductor
12:52 p.m.
Erich Korngold
The Prince and the Pauper: 3 Selections from the film score
National Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Gerhardt, conductor
12:58 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Carnival of the Animals: The Swan (Le Cygne)
Laurel Zucker, flute; Sara Cutler, harp
1:02 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto, Op. 4, No. 9 in F major Opus 4/9 RV 284
Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor Monica Huggett, violin
1:10 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Suite No. 1 in D major Opus 43
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; Neville Marriner, conductor
1:48 p.m.
Henry Purcell
Dido and Aeneas: Overture
Bournemouth Sinfonietta; Ronald Thomas, conductor
1:52 p.m.
Leo Delibes
Sylvia: Pizzicato Polka
Stephen Hough, piano
1:56 p.m.
Valerie Coleman
Portraits of Langston: VI. Harlem's Summer Night
McGill/McHale Trio Demarre McGill, flute; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Michael McHale, piano
2:00 p.m.
William Dawson
Negro Folk Symphony
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
2:29 p.m.
Percy Grainger
Molly on the Shore
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble
2:33 p.m.
Franz Liszt
Piano Sonata in B minor: II. Andante Sostenuto in B minor
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
2:42 p.m.
Chevalier de Meude-Monpas
Violin Concerto No. 4 (1786) in D major
Encore Chamber Orchestra; Daniel Hege, conductor Rachel Barton Pine, violin
3:01 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Hebrides Overture in B minor Opus 26
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
3:11 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
BARTERED BRIDE: Polka and Furiant
Philharmonia Orchestra; William Boughton, conductor
3:19 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude & Fugue on the Name "Bach" in Bb major BWV 898
Canadian Brass
3:25 p.m.
Margaret Bonds
3 DREAM PORTRAITS: II. Dream Variation
Will Liverman, baritone; Paul Sanchez, piano
3:28 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 98 in Bb major
English Chamber Orchestra; Jeffrey Tate, conductor
4:00 p.m.
Gustav Holst
Brook Green Suite Opus 190
New Zealand Chamber Orchestra; Nicholas Braithwaite, conductor
4:08 p.m.
Pietro Locatelli
Concerto Grosso No. 5 in D major Opus 1/5
Tafelmusik; Jeanne Lamon, conductor
4:18 p.m.
Saverio Mercadante
Flute Concerto in E major
Sinfonia Finlandia (Jyvaskyla); Patrick Gallois, conductor Patrick Gallois, flute
4:39 p.m.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Overture
Polish National Radio Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor
4:50 p.m.
Frank Bridge
Spring Song
The Heath Quartet Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
4:52 p.m.
Maurice Ravel
Menuet Antique
Jean-Philippe Collard, piano
5:00 p.m.
Scott Joplin
Treemonisha Overture
Houston Grand Opera Orchestra; Gunther Schuller, conductor
5:09 p.m.
Florence Price
Dances in the Canebrakes
Althea Waites, piano
5:19 p.m.
William Grant Still
La Guiablesse
Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Isaiah Jackson, conductor
5:39 p.m.
Adolphus Hailstork
Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed (In Memorium: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, conductor
5:47 p.m.
Edward K. (Duke) Ellington
New World A' Comin'
Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, conductor Duke Ellington, piano
6:00 p.m.
Special Programming
A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey Through the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Terrance McKnight, host
