Classical Music Playlist, June 8, 2023
After 16 years in the second violin section of the Royal Danish Orchestra from 1889 when he also composed his first two symphonies, in 1905 Danish composer Carl Nielsen gave up his orchestral position to devote all his time to composition. He would become a Danish national hero, eventually composing six symphonies that to this day are among the core repertoire of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra who have recently released a 3-CD set of all six symphonies led by Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi. Each day this week, we'll feature one of Nielsen's first five symphonies from this new cycle with the Fifth on his birthday, June 9.
“Carl Nielsen has his own, personal language,” Fabio Luisi says. “At times, it is highly unusual, but it is also witty and profound, and it is highly obvious that the Danish National Symphony Orchestra is extremely familiar with its distinctive characteristics.”
Liner notes from this new recording cycle describes the Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable":
Nielsen’s positive attitude towards life took him a long way. But in 1914 the First World War broke out, marking a decisive crisis of values even for a modern humanist like himself. He was trying to find “the power of light” as a defense against the menace of the dark, and this led to the highly original Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable” (1914–1916). The symphony is an overwhelming physical drama, and it seems obvious to hear its violent music as the sound of war. Carl Nielsen’s own explanation, however, was the opposite – that the symphony was an expression of the eternal will to life. The symphony derives its subtitle from the motto “Music is life and, as such, inextinguishable.”
The Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable," by Carl Nielsen from the new cycle recorded by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Luisi, is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Alessandro Scarlatti
Concerto Grosso No. 3 in F major
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor
6:08 a.m.
Franz Liszt
Piano Sonata in B minor S 178
Martha Argerich, piano
6:35 a.m.
Hildegard von Bingen
O Virtus Sapientiae (Antiphon for Divine Wisdom)
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor
6:40 a.m.
Alexey Shor
Seascapes for Viola and Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra; David Parry, conductor David Aaron Carpenter, viola
6:59 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
EURYANTHE Overture Opus 81 J 291
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor
7:09 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor K 478
Emanuel Ax, piano; Isaac Stern, violin; Jaime Laredo, violin; Yo Yo Ma, cello
7:36 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin: Gavotte en Rondeau in E major BWV 1006
Raphael Feuillatre, guitar
7:41 a.m.
Louise Farrenc
Nonette in E-flat: I. Adagio - Allegro in Eb major Opus 38
Minerva Chamber Ensemble; Kevin Geraldi, conductor
7:54 a.m.
Manuel de Falla
EL AMOR BRUJO: Ritual Fire Dance
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
8:00 a.m.
Richard Strauss
Horn Concerto No. 1 in Eb major Opus 11
Cologne Symphony Orchestra; Gunter Wand, conductor Hermann Baumann, horn
8:16 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Bagatelles Opus 47
Bonn Beethovenhalle Orchestra; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
8:37 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Cello Sonata No. 3: II. Scherzo
Yo Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano
8:43 a.m.
Leo Brouwer
Preludio
Manuel Barrueco, guitar
8:47 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major BWV 1048
European Brandenburg Ensemble; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor Opus 19
Yo Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano
9:40 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor
North German Radio Symphony; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
9:44 a.m.
George Phillip Telemann
Trumpet Concerto in D major
Musica Antiqua Koln; Reinhardt Goebel, conductor Friedemann Immer, trumpet
9:53 a.m.
Gisle Kverndokk
Symphonic Dances: II. Waltz
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (sta VAHN ger); Ken-David Masur, conductor
10:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
ALMIRA: Suite of instrumental music
Berlin Academy of Ancient Music
10:16 a.m.
Florence Price
Fantasie Negre (No. 1) in E minor
Michelle Cann, piano
10:27 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
La Jota Aragonese Opus 64
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Geoffrey Simon, conductor
10:32 a.m.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Flute Concerto in D minor Wq 22 / H 425
CBC Vancouver Orchestra; Mario Bernardi, conductor Robert Aitken, flute
10:55 a.m.
Santiago de Murcia
La Jota
Richard Savino, guitar; Mauro ReFosco, percussion; Yousif Sheronick, percussion
10:59 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto, Op. 3, No. 6 in A minor Opus 3/6 RV 356
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Angel Romero, guitar
11:07 a.m.
Gabriela Lena Frank
Three Latin American Dances: The Mestizo Waltz
Utah Symphony Orchestra; Keith Lockhart, conductor
11:12 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb major Opus 87
Emanuel Ax, piano; Isaac Stern, violin; Jaime Laredo, viola; Yo Yo Ma, cello
11:47 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Scene (Act II) Opus 20
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Herbert von Karajan, conductor
11:51 a.m.
Carlos Gardel
Criollita de Mis Amores
Helsinki Philharmonic; Susanna Malkki, conductor Franz Halasz, guitar
11:59 a.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO Overture
Philharmonic of La Scala; Riccardo Muti, conductor
12:08 p.m.
Cecile Chaminade
Etude Symphonique Opus 28
Joanne Polk, piano
12:15 p.m.
Josef Suk
Fantastic Scherzo Opus 25
Buffalo Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
12:31 p.m.
Jean-Marie Leclair
Violin Concerto in Bb major Opus 10/1
Arion Monica Huggett, baroque violin
12:45 p.m.
Zoltan Kodaly
Marosszek Dances
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Leonore Overture No. 3 Opus 72
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
1:13 p.m.
George Enescu
Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major Opus 11
National Orchestra of France; Cristian Macelaru, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
1:17 p.m.
Emmanuel Chabrier
Danse Slav (from Le Roi Malgre Lui)
Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra; Herve Niquet, conductor
1:24 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb major K 493
Emanuel Ax, piano; Isaac Stern, violin; Jaime Laredo, viola; Yo Yo Ma, cello
1:54 p.m.
John C. Williams
When The Birds Return
Voces8; Barnaby Smith, conductor Xuefei Yang, guitar
2:00 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 7 in D minor Opus 70
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor Bomsori Kim, violin
2:37 p.m.
Alexander Zhuk
Ukrainian Rhapsody
Anna Shelest, piano
2:45 p.m.
Gioachino Rossini
The Thieving Magpie (LA GAZZA LADRA): Overture
Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Claudio Abbado, conductor
2:55 p.m.
Agustin Barrios
Madrigal-Gavota
David Russell, guitar
3:00 p.m.
Daniel-Francois Auber
Rondo for cello and orchestra
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Roberto Paternostro, conductor Martin Ostertag, cello
3:15 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
25 Scottish Songs: 2. Sunset Opus 108/2
Voces8; Eric Whitacre, conductor Gerald Finley, baritone; Nicola Benedetti, violin; Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello; Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
3:20 p.m.
Franz Schubert
Sonata "Arpeggione" in A minor D 821
Emanuel Ax, piano; Yo Yo Ma, cello
3:46 p.m.
William Grant Still
Wood Notes: I. Singing River
Fort Smith Symphony; John Jeter, conductor
3:54 p.m.
Enrique Granados
Danzas espanolas No. 5 "Andaluza"
Narciso Yepes, guitar
4:00 p.m.
Michael Torke
Javelin
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
4:10 p.m.
Bela Bartok
Hungarian Folksongs fro the Csik District
Lara Downes, piano
4:14 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K 216
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; Yakov Kreizberg, conductor Julia Fischer, violin
4:39 p.m.
Teresa Carreno
Mi Teresita (Little Waltz)
Gabriela Montero, piano
4:43 p.m.
Juanjo Mosalini
Toma, Toca (Take it, Play it)
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston; Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor Juanjo Mosalini, bandoneon
4:49 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 8: IV. Finale in G major Opus 88
Berlin Philharmonic; Rafael Kubelik, conductor Bomsori Kim, violin
4:59 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major HOB 18:11
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra Emanuel Ax, piano
5:18 p.m.
John Williams
Theme from The Patriot
Boston Pops Orchestra; Keith Lockhart, conductor Middlesex County Fifes & Drums
5:28 p.m.
Jon Batiste
Chopinesque
Jon Batiste, piano
5:32 p.m.
Frederic Chopin
Prelude No. 15 "Raindrop" in Db major Opus 28
Martha Argerich, piano
5:38 p.m.
Franz Liszt
Les Preludes (Symphonic Poem #3) S 97
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor
5:54 p.m.
Georges Bizet
CARMEN: Toreador song
London Symphony Orchestra; Neville Marriner, conductor
5:58 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb major Opus 83
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano
6:49 p.m.
Lucas Saboya
Zamba Negra (from Suite Ernestina)
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
6:54 p.m.
Mary Youngblood
Misty Rain
Mary Youngblood, native flute; Tom Wasinger, guitar
