This Week At The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Please join us this evening for a special program to mark the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year at 6 p.m. Eastern. The Classical Station’s Greysolynne Hyman will narrate a program of readings and music for the occasion.
The Classical Station wishes all our Jewish listeners a very Happy New Year. Shana tova!
On September 25 we observe the birthdays of French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), English conductor Sir Colin Davis (1927-2013), and Canadian pianist Glenn Gould (1932-1982).
Rameau composed music of all kinds. His music for harpsichord and his operas are perhaps best known to 21st-century listeners. Shostakovich was a prominent 20th-century composer who wrote, among other things, fifteen symphonies and fifteen string quartets. Sir Colin Davis made a name for himself at Covent Garden conducting ballets. He was in great demand as an opera conductor as well. Glenn Gould’s 1955 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was one of the best-selling classical music albums of all time.
Photo: Jean-Philippe Rameau, Joseph Aved, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
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Saturday, September 24, 2022
Classical music carries a kind of truth. It’s music with a purpose – music that reaches deep into our hearts and souls – music that connects directly with our most profound emotions. Whether it’s Bach or Beethoven, Mozart or Haydn, Chopin or Schubert… classical music lays its heart on the line. In the world of music, there’s nothing that carries that kind of power.
Keep this wonderful music alive right now with a heartfelt contribution. Give securely online or give us a call anytime. 800-556-5178. Thank you for your support!
Photo: Blue Diamond Gallery, Fair Use
On September 24 we observe the birthday of a great favorite of Great Sacred Music listeners, English composer John Rutter (1945-).
John Rutter has written many choral compositions, including large-scale works such as Requiem and Mass of the Children. He also collaborated with Sir David Willcocks to produce the four-volume set of Carols for Choirs. Happy seventy-sixth birthday, John! You can listen to our conversation with John on our Conversations With Composers page here on this website and on our app.
Photo: Nick Rutter
Go the last mile with your used vehicle. If your vehicle – automobile, truck, boat, motorcycle, RV, or aircraft – is no longer of use to you, it can still go a long way as a donation in support of the programs you rely on from The Classical Station. Here’s how it works: Center for Car Donations (CFCD), manages the donations on our behalf. Call them toll-free at 1-877-927-3872 for more information and to begin the car donation process. Don’t forget to mention that WCPE is the recipient of your donation.
A CFCD representative will schedule a pickup that’s convenient for you, and provide you with confirmation of your donation. We will mail you a confirmation that states how much your vehicle sold for at auction. This amount is what you can claim on your itemized tax return. We will also send you a one-year subscription to our member magazine, Quarter Notes.
Photo: 1970 Chevelle, ZoeMacarthy Archives, Fair Use
On September 23 we observe the birthday of American composer and musicologist William Levi Dawson (1899-1990).
A member of the music faculty at the Tuskegee Institute from 1931-1956, Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony (1934) had its world premiere by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski.
Photo: Drawing of William L. Dawson by Aaron Douglas, Tuskegee University Archives, Fair Use
Thursday, September 22, 2022
This evening the Thursday Night Opera House presents Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria who takes a job as governess to a large family with the intention of becoming a nun…or not. She falls in love with the children and eventually their father, Captain Von Trapp.
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 7 p.m. Eastern. Jay Pierson hosts.
On September 22 we observe the birthday of Polish-Mexican violinist and composer Henryk Szeryng (1918-1988).
Szeryng was born into a wealthy Jewish family. Consequently, when the events of World War II forced him to live abroad, he chose Mexico as his new home because of the wonderful reception which he received on a concert tour there in 1941. He lived in Mexico from 1946 and was on the faculty of the National University of Mexico, among other activities.
Photo: Harry Pot, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia.org
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Every Sunday on Preview! we speak with musicians about their new recordings. These interviews air at 7 p.m. Eastern on Preview! They offer fascinating glimpses into the life and work of classical musicians. In case you couldn’t listen to those interviews with Naomi Lambert, Rob Kennedy, and Caleb Gardner, not to worry. We have most of these interviews saved for your listening pleasure. Chats with Leif Ove Andsnes, Dan Locklair, Anne-Marie McDermott, and many more musicians are ready for you to download and enjoy here on our website, and on our app!
On September 21 we observe the birthday of English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Charles Villiers Stanford taught Holst at the Royal College of Music. Ralph Vaughan Williams was his colleague. Holst, in turn, influenced a generation of younger composers including Benjamin Britten, Edmund Rubbra, and Michael Tippett.
Photo: Herbert Lambert, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Bach and Beethoven. Mozart and Mendelssohn. Schumann and Schubert. These are among the eternal composers whose works are heard regularly on stages and recordings around the world. Yet there exists a multitude of beautiful works written by less familiar musicians. Today you can hear pieces from Karl Friedrich Abel, Anton Arensky, Sergei Lyapunov, and others, as we focus our attention on lesser-known but no less talented composers. See What’s Playing for details.
Can you be an angel? We need angels for our Fall 2022 Membership Drive which will begin in a few weeks. The point of our membership drives is to encourage listeners to become supporting members of The Classical Station. Did you know that Angels help us achieve that objective? Well, yes, they do and have done so for many years. Our Angels are amazing listeners who will match your gift to encourage you to support this unique classical music radio station that you enjoy so much.
The way it works is very simple. For example, a listener in Charlotte, North Carolina, commits $600 to the membership drive. She tells us that she will match 5 contributions of $10 per month. So, once her angel match is met and 5 new members have become Sustaining Members at $10 per month, The Classical Station garners $600 from our Angel and another $600 from the 5 listeners who have become Sustaining Members at the $10 per month level.
Here’s how to make that happen: call us anytime and tell the member of staff who answers that you want to be an Angel with your gift of $300 or more. 800-556-5178.
You can also become an Angel by making your gift of $300 or more online via our secure server. Put “This is an Angel Gift!” in the Comments Box. Your Angel Gift can be paid as a Sustaining Membership. So, a $300 Angel Match can be spread across 12 months with a monthly payment of $25.
Remember: you can call the station anytime. 24/7. A member of staff will take your call and help you with your pledge and any questions you have. Thank you for being an Angel and encouraging other listeners to support The Classical Station!
Photo: Unknown Author, Angelology, Fair Use
On September 20 we observe the birthday of Italian composer and teacher Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968).
While Signor Pizzetti is primarily known to modern audiences for his theatre music, he was also highly regarded as a teacher and writer.
Photo: Venturini, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Monday, September 19, 2022
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which was founded in 1891. On our program is music by Leo Delibes, William Grant Still, and Jean Sibelius, in performances conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson, Avlana Eisenberg, and Peter Oundjian.
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
On September 19 we observe the birthday of German conductor Kurt Sanderling (1912-2011). Maestro Sanderling had a long and distinguished career during which he held positions with the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, to name just a few. He was a friend of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
Photo: T Martinot, Lebrecht Music & Arts, Fair Use