Classical Music Playlist, February 28, 2022
Langston Hughes | photo: Library of Congress
In the notes published with her music score, “Portraits of Langston” from 2007, American composer Valerie Coleman wrote that the Harlem Renaissance of the early 1900s was the first time that the disciplines of visual art, music and literature celebrated African-American culture. Coleman continues:
“Langston Hughes was in the center of that cultural explosion, and like many African-American artists who lived in Harlem, Hughes had dreams of living in Europe - living a life unfettered from segregation. ‘Portraits of Langston’ is a suite in six short movements, and is my take on Hughes' poetic memories of Harlem and Europe (mainly Paris). Stylistically, this work incorporates many different elements that are translated into woodwind technique: the stride piano technique, big band swing, cabaret music, Mambo, African drumming, and even traditional spirituals.”
For her recording of the suite, Coleman enlisted actor Mahershala Ali to read a Hughes poem before the music it inspired. “Portraits of Langston” is today’s Midday Masterpiece at 2:00 pm.
And tonight at 6:00pm, listen to the one-hour special "Crossings" as pianist Lara Downes hosts an hour of music by innovative Black composers as we close out Black History Month.
6:00 a.m.
Jacques Gallot
Lute Pieces in F minor
Konrad Junghanel, lute
6:11 a.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quintet No. 2 in Bb major Opus 87
Raphael Ensemble
6:41 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Seasons: February "Shrovetide" Opus 37
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
6:44 a.m.
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1 "Classical" in D major Opus 25
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
7:00 a.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 3 in C minor Opus 6
Musica Amphion; Pieter-Jan Belder, conductor
7:13 a.m.
Charles Gounod
Symphony No. 2 in Eb major
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
7:45 a.m.
David N. Baker
Deliver My Soul
Rachel Barton Pine, violin; Matthew Hagle, piano
7:50 a.m.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Te Deum: Prelude
Empire Brass William Kuhlman, organ
7:54 a.m.
George Gershwin
Three Preludes: 1 & 2
Sharon Isbin, guitar
8:01 a.m.
Franz Danzi
Sinfonia Concertante: I. Allegro moderato in Bb major Opus 41
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra; Allen Tinkham, conductor Anthony McGill, clarinet; Demarre McGill, flute
8:14 a.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Trumpet Concerto in Eb major
Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, conductor George Vosburgh, trumpet
8:30 a.m.
Ernst von Dohnanyi
Canzonetta Opus 41
Milton Hallman, piano
8:32 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Humoresque No. 7 in Gb major Opus 101/7
Lorin Maazel, violin; Barton Weber, piano
8:37 a.m.
William Grant Still
In Memoriam
Fort Smith Symphony; John Jeter, conductor
8:45 a.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA: Triumphal March from Act II
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor Chicago Symphony Chorus
8:58 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 7 in C major Opus 105
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
9:20 a.m.
Alessandro Scarlatti
Concerto Grosso No. 1 in F minor
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor
9:29 a.m.
Zoltan Kodaly
Marosszek Dances
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer, conductor
9:41 a.m.
Scott Joplin
Solace (A Mexican Serenade)
John Novacek, piano
9:49 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
DER FREISCHUTZ: Overture Opus 77 J 277
Philharmonia Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Andrew York
Quiccan
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet
10:07 a.m.
Saverio Mercadante
Flute Concerto in E minor
Sinfonia Finlandia (Jyvaskyla); Patrick Gallois, conductor Patrick Gallois, flute
10:29 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G major K 525
Prague Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
10:51 a.m.
Miklos Rozsa
KING OF KINGS: Theme
City of Prague Philharmonic; Kenneth Alwyn, conductor
10:55 a.m.
Hugo Alfven
Festival Overture Opus 25
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Niklas Willen, conductor
11:02 a.m.
Florence Price
Symphony No. 4: I. Tempo Moderato in D minor
Fort Smith Symphony; John Jeter, conductor
11:18 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
The Red Poppy: Russian Sailor's Dance
Boston Pops Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
11:23 a.m.
Frederic Chopin
Ballade no. 4 in F minor
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
11:35 a.m.
Lou Harrison
Suite for Violin with American Gamelan: II. Estampie
Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Gil Rose, conductor Gabriela Diaz, violin
11:41 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 11 in A major Opus 6/11 HWV 329
Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Manze, conductor
11:58 a.m.
Robert Schumann
Piano Concerto: III. Allegro vivace in A minor Opus 54
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra; Martin West, conductor Lara Downes, piano
12:11 p.m.
Muzio Clementi
Symphony No. 3 "The Great National" in G major
Philharmonia Orchestra; Claudio Scimone, conductor
12:39 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite No. 3: I. Prelude in C major BWV 1009
Yo Yo Ma, cello
12:43 p.m.
Leo Delibes
Lakme: Flower Duet (Viens, Malika..Sous le Dome epais)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Johannes Wildner, conductor Denise Slepkovska, mezzo-soprano; Adriana Kohutkova, soprano
12:49 p.m.
Leonard Bernstein
Mass: Simple Song
Philadelphia Orchestra; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor Kevin Vortmann, tenor
12:54 p.m.
Simon Jeffes
"Still Life" at the Penguin Cafe: Air a Danser
BBC Concert Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
In Nature's Realm Overture Opus 91
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; John Farrer, conductor
1:15 p.m.
Franz Danzi
Horn Concerto in E major
Concerto Amsterdam; Jaap Schroder, conductor Hermann Baumann, horn
1:31 p.m.
Franz Liszt
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 "Carnival in Pest" in D major
Weimar State Orchestra; Arthur Fagen, conductor
1:46 p.m.
Samuel Barber
Sketches for Piano: Minuet (to Sara)
Daniel Pollack, piano
1:48 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for 2 mandolins in G major RV 532
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor James Tyler, mandolin; Robin Jeffrey, mandolin
2:00 p.m.
Valerie Coleman
Portraits of Langston (w/Narration)
McGill/McHale Trio Mahershala Ali, narrator
2:27 p.m.
Louise Farrenc
Symphony No. 3: II. Adagio cantabile in G minor Opus 36
North German Radio Symphony; Johannes Goritzki, conductor
2:37 p.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in D minor
Wei Luo, piano
2:50 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE MAGIC FLUTE: Overture (Die Zauberflote) K 620
Norwegian National Opera Orchestra; Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor
2:58 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor Opus 40
London Mozart Players; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
3:22 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
Ma Vlast: II. The Moldau (Vltava)
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Andre Previn, conductor
3:36 p.m.
Johann Friedrich Fasch
Concerto in D major
Tempesta di Mare (Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra)
3:47 p.m.
Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Fantasy Pieces: Scherzo Opus 6/3
Kyoko Tabe, piano
3:52 p.m.
Jean Sibelius
Presto for string orchestra
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
4:00 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
SAMSON ET DELILA: Grande fantasie
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Geoffrey Simon, conductor
4:15 p.m.
Claude Debussy
Petite Suite
Lyon National Orchestra; Jun Markl, conductor
4:29 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Rondo in G major Opus 51/2
Russell Sherman, piano
4:40 p.m.
Edward K. (Duke) Ellington
Black, Brown, & Beige Suite: II. Brown
Buffalo Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
4:46 p.m.
Howard Shore
The Forest: 3rd movement
National Arts Centre Orchestra; Alexander Shelley, conductor Milos Karadaglic, guitar
4:52 p.m.
Ludovico Einaudi
Odd Days
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor Angele Dubeau, violin
4:59 p.m.
Edward Elgar
Introduction and Allegro Opus 47
English Symphony Orchestra; William Boughton, conductor
5:13 p.m.
Florence Price
Symphony No. 3
Philadelphia Orchestra; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor
5:46 p.m.
George Phillip Telemann
Trio Sonata in C minor TWV 42: c1
Le Triomphe de L'Amour
5:54 p.m.
Percy Grainger
The Gum Suckers March
Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Special Programming
Crossings
Lara Downes, host
