Spring Program Highlights

Focus on Performers — We train our eyes and ears on performers born during the springtime months. Celebrate pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque, Sviatoslav Richter and Byron Janis in March; conductors Herbert von Karajan and Sir Neville Marriner, and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in April; and pianist Alicia de Larrocha in May.

Request Programs — You pick the music on Saturdays from 6pm to midnight on The Classical Station. And join in for our All Request Fridays on April 25th and May 30th. We’ll take your phone requests right before the shows begin at 919-556-0123, or make your request early online at www.TheClassicalStation.org.

Easter Season March 16 & 23 Hosts Ken Hoover and Rob Kennedy have planned special programs in celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. — (See listings for Great Sacred Music and Peaceful Reflections)

Bach & St. Matthew’s Passion March 21st — This year, a collusion of astronomical proportions occurs—about as rare as living to see Haley’s Comet. Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday coincides with Good Friday. We take this rare opportunity to bring you Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion at 7pm.

Spring Membership Drive ’08 March 24th–April 6th Member-supported WCPE cannot exist without you! Make a donation for the music you love by calling 1-800-556-5178 during our Spring Pledge Drive. — Every gift made ahead of time helps us to play more hours, even full days, of music uninterrupted by pledge drive chatter! You can donate online at www.TheClassicalStation.org, or by mailing your support to WCPE, PO Box 897, Wake Forest, NC 27588.

Passover April 19th beginning at sundown — Join host Ken Hoover at 6pm as he explores the rich symbolism of the Seder feast and the music of Pesach (Passover) on the eve of this significant holiday. He’ll feature more music for Passover (and for the observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day) the following morning during Great Sacred Music.

The Glory of the British Isles April 21st–23rd — Join us as music by Vaughan Williams, Finzi and Elgar fills the airwaves like a morning mist. Visit Scotland and Ireland with works by homegrown composers Bantock, McCunn and Field, as well as a “imported” composers like Handel and Clementi.

French Romantics May 12th — We take advantage of Faure and Massenet’s double birthday to enjoy their most beloved works, and music from their French compatriots and contemporaries.

Memorial Day Weekend

Monday Night at the Symphony
The Cleveland Orchestra at 8pm

3/3 — Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17 in G; DVORAK Symphony No. 5 in F, Op. 76; J. STRAUSS, JR selections

3/10 — Simon Keenlyside, baritone; MAHLER Kindertotenlieder; SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810; WAGNER Tannhauser Overture

3/17 — Nicholas McGegan, harpsichordist; BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 2; VIVALDI The Four Seasons; HANDEL Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon; BACH Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C

3/24 — From The Abbey of St. Forian, Linz, Austria; SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op. 12; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 in B flat

3/31 — The WCPE Spring Pledge Drive continues with Andy Huber’s “Break the Announcer” Challenge!

4/7 — From the Musikverein, Vienna; Malin Martelius, soprano; Bernarda Fin, mezzosoprano; MAHLER Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”

4/14 — Vladimir Ashkenzay, conductor; Inger- Dam Jansen, soprano; Joshua Hopkins, baritone; Jon de Lancie, narrator; GRIEG Peer Gynt (complete incidental music)

4/21 — DEBUSSY Iberia; ADAMS Guide to Strange Places; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

4/28 — MOZART Symphony No. 28; PINTSCHER Five Orchestral Pieces; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique”

5/5 — Herbert Blomstedt, conductor; MOZART Symphony No. 34; BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

5/12 — Pinchas Steinberg, conductor; William Preucil, violin; Jon Kimura Parker, piano; WEBER Oberon Overture; MENDELSSOHN Double Concerto; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10

5/19 — Lang Lang, piano; MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor; SHOSTAKOVICH Symmphony No. 8

5/26 — Pierre Boulez, conductor; Michelle De Young, mezzo-soprano; John Relyee, bassbaritone; Ors Kisfaludy, narrator; JANACEK Sinfonietta; BARTOK Bluebeard’s Castle

WCPE Live from the Met ( On Saturday afternoons with host Margaret Juntwait )

3/1 — 1pm Verdi’s Otello Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Renée Fleming, Johan Botha, Carlo Guelfi

3/8 — 1:30pm Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor James Levine, conductor; Natalie Dessay, Giuseppe Filianoti, Mariusz Kwiecien, John Relyea

3/15 — 1:30pm Britten’s Peter Grimes Donald Runnicles, conductor; Patricia Racette, Anthony Dean Griffey, Anthony Michaels- Moore

3/22 — 12:30pm Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde James Levine, conductor; Deborah Voigt, Michelle DeYoung, Ben Heppner, Eike Wilm Schulte, Matti Salminen

3/29 — 1:30pm Verdi’s Ernani Roberto Abbado, conductor; Sondra Radvanovsky, Marcello Giordani, Thomas Hampson, Ferruccio Furlanetto

4/5 — 1:30pm Puccini’s La Boheme Nicola Luisotti, conductor; Angela Gheorghiu, Ainhoa Arteta, Ramón Vargas, Ludovic Tézier, Quinn Kelsey, Oren Gradus, Paul Plishka

4/12 — 1:30pm Prokofiev’s The Gambler Valery Gergiev, conductor; Olga Guryakova, Olga Savova, Larissa Diadkova, Vladimir Galouzine, Nikolai Gassiev, John Hancock, Sergei Aleksashkin

4/19 — 1:30pm Glass’ Satyagraha Dante Anzolini, conductor; Rachelle Durkin, Richard Croft, Earle Patriarco, Alfred Walker

4/26 — 1:30pm Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment Marco Armiliato, conductor; Natalie Dessay, Felicity Palmer, Juan Diego Flórez, Alessandro Corbelli, Zoe Caldwell

5/3 — 1:30pm Mozart’s Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail David Robertson, conductor; Diana Damrau, Aleksandra Kurzak, Matthew Polenzani, Steve Davislim, Kristinn Sigmundsson

WCPE Opera House with host Robert Galbraith
Thursdays at 7 pm

3/6 — Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro The Right of Kings draws a battle line between royalty and servant in one of Mozart’s most beloved operas. Carol Vaness, Nuccia Focile, Suzanne Mentzer Alistair Miles and Alessandro Corbelli star in this ensemble cast on the Telarc label.

3/13 — Hegge’s Dead Man Walking This contemporary operatic adaptation of Sister Helen Prejean’s novel and movie comes to stunning realization in this 2000 world premiere live recording from the San Francisco Opera on the Erato label. Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade and John Packard star.

3/20 — Puccini’s Madama Butterfly East meets West in this exotic, heart-rending love story. Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo star.

3/27 — Pledge Drive Opera Highlights Hear selections from our grand opera Thank-You gift DVD set: Puccini’s Turandot, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Verdi’s Otello.

4/3 — Pledge Drive Opera Highlights We’ll sample selections from an EMI Classics thankyou gift CD set: Opera Collection I, a treasuretrove of arias. Don’t miss the best of the best!

4/10 — Puccini’s Tosca Take the leap with a woman dedicated to life, art and love midst the stage of political turmoil that dominates her world. The cast features Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

4/17 — Poulenc’s Le Voix Humaine & Les Mamelles de Tiresias Two one-acts double the operatic pleasure. The first portrays a nightmarish phone call, and the second offers a raucous tribute to motherhood. Barbara Bonney and Julia Migenes star on the Philips label.

4/24 — Mascagni/Leoncavallo L’amico Fritz/ I Pagliacci A new twist on two treasured one act operas. Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni star in this “tour de force” double bill on EMI and London recordings.

5/1 — Donizetti’s Anna Bolena Al Ruocchio returns to the airwaves with this archival recording from the London Records label. The cast features Dame Joan Sutherland, Samuel Ramey, Jerry Hadley and Suzanne Mentzer.

5/8 — Verdi’s La Traviata The one who has strayed is in fact the shining substance of nobility as love wrestles with family honor to its tragic and consumptive end. Ileana Cotrubas, Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes star on this Deutsche Grammophon recording.

5/15 — Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea Fortune and Virtue are silenced by Love in this early Baroque drama of political power and love. Baroque specialist Richard Hickox leads a cast including Arleen Auger, Della Jones, Sarah Leonard and Gregory Reinhart on the Musical Heritage Society label.

5/22 — Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor You’ll go mad over this recording of a Bel Canto classic featuring Beverly Sills, Carlo Bergonzi, Pietro Cappucilli and Justino Diaz on this Westminster Legacy series recording.

5/29 — Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri Once again we return to the archival programs of Al Ruocchio for this harem scarem romp through Persian loveland. This Erato recording from 1981 features Samuel Ramey, Marilyn Horne and Kathleen Battle.

Great Sacred Music
Sundays, 8 to 11 am Join Ken Hoover for master works from the Middle Ages to today inspired by the great religious and spiritual traditions of the world.

3/2 — For the fourth Sunday in Lent we’ll focus on coming events in the Christian calendar with Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, Bach’s Cantata 56, “I will gladly carry the cross” and Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater.

3/9 — Samuel Barber was born on March 9, 1910. We’ll observe his life and music along with Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross) by Franz Liszt.

3/16 — We’ll honor Passion or Palm Sunday with Cipriano de Rore’s St. John’s Passion and Arvo Pärt’s “Passio.”

3/23 — Celebrate Easter Sunday with Bach’s Cantata No. 4, the finale of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony and much more glorious music of the season.

3/30 — Please tune in if you’re curious about Ave Maria, WCPE’s newest CD compiled by Great Sacred Music host Ken Hoover! We’ll feature beautiful settings of Ave Maria.

4/6 — Support Great Sacred Music! Hear selections from a CD set that includes the St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion among others. Essential Choral Classics offers a great introduction to the choral tradition with music by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Brahms Mahler and others.

4/13 — Great Sacred Music favorites include Schubert’s Mass in G, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, Franck’s Panis Angelicus and more.

4/20 — We’ll observe the season of Passover and Holocaust Remembrance Day this Sunday with music by Joseph Achron, Darius Milhaud, Harry Davidson and others.

4/27 — This Sunday is Easter in the Orthodox churches. We will observe it with Rachmaninov’s setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, complete with chants.

5/4 — This coming week we celebrate the births of Johannes Brahms and Peter Tchaikovsky, both born on May 7, albeit in different years. Hear Brahms’ A German Requiem and Tchaikovsky’s setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

5/11 — A memorable Mother’s Day will include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Faure’s Requiem and Stotts’ Music In My Mother’s House.

5/18 — A Primarily Renaissance program includes works by Victoria, Josquin and Byrd.

5/25 — Memorial Day will be commemorated with Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, considered by many to be the crowning choral masterpiece of the twentieth century.

Preview
Sundays, 6 - 9 pm

Hosts Deana Vassar and Paul Jordan introduce you to the latest releases in classical music, survey arts events for the upcoming week and share interviews with today's classical music luminaries.

Peaceful Reflections
Sundays, 9 pm to midnight

3/2 — The Cathedral in Puebla, Mexico, was a hotbed of artistic activity in the 17th century, enjoying archepiscopal patronage and employing some of the finest musicians to beautify its liturgies, with an excellent example being the music of Gaspar Fernandes.

3/9 — Sir John Stainer was organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, a building with about 10 seconds of reverberation. We will hear The Crucifixion by Stainer, a powerful, moving Lenten meditation written with those spacious acoustics in mind.

3/16 — Dr. Healey Willan was organist of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Toronto from 1921 until 1967. While there, he wrote hundreds of liturgical compositions. We will sample some of his music for Holy Week.

3/23 — Hear hymns and anthems for Easter Day by Bach, Haydn, Handel, Stanford and Franck.

3/30 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote over 20 string quartets. We will enjoy Mozart’s K155 which is one of his earlier quartets written in the ‘Milanese’ style.

4/6 — We’ll cap off WCPE’s Spring Pledge Drive with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony— in its entirety. Thanks for your support of Peaceful Reflections and The Classical Station!

4/13 — Phillipe Jaroussky is astounding audiences everywhere with his incredible countertenor voice. Hear him this evening in a recording entitled Vivaldi Heroes.

4/20 — North Carolina’s Greg McCallum is a talented composer and pianist. We’ll sample Hymn Quilt I and II from his latest CD entitled Southern Quilt.

4/27 — Ludwig von Beethoven’s Opus 18 string quartets are written in the traditional classical style as exemplified by Mozart and Haydn. We shall enjoy a performance of String Quartet No. 4 in C minor.

5/4 — Duke University’s David Arcus is one of the nation’s finest organists. You will see why when we sample some of his CDs this week.

5/11 — Mother’s Day is always a welcome opportunity to celebrate music written and performed by women, some of whom were indeed mothers. The play list will also feature anthems dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin.

5/18 — The Choirs of Brigham Young University remind us of how many excellent college choirs dot the musical landscape in America. They will sing several selections from their CD The Road Home.

5/25 — On the eve of Memorial Day 2008 Peaceful Reflections salutes all our servicemen and women who have given their lives so that we live in freedom by featuring music by Bach, Noble, Barber and others.