This Week At The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Caleb Gardner
Photo by WCPE Photo Services
Our talented Music Director, Caleb Gardner, has put together Film Today, a special film weekend that will include classic film scores by Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Bear McCreary, and more, concluding with a special Film Music edition of Preview!
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott is our guest on the October edition of My Life In Music. A native of Long Island, New York, Anne-Marie’s career path is both inspiring and unusual. It’s an example of what you can accomplish if you have talent and work hard. My Life In Music is made possible by our listeners and by The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. See for tickets and more information.
My Life In Music begins at 5 p.m. Eastern. Rob Kennedy hosts.
This morning Great Sacred Music includes music sung by the Mexico City Chorus, the John Aldis Choir, and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. Also on the playlist is music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Juan Garcia de Salazar, and Ralph Vaughan Wiliams.
Great Sacred Music. Beautiful choral and organ music. Every Sunday morning. 8 a.m. Eastern. Right after Sing For Joy. With Rob Kennedy.
On October 9 we observe the birthdays of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921).
One of the greatest composers of operas, Signor Verdi wrote 28 of them. Apparently, he was intimately involved with every detail of these productions as well. If a musical form existed, chances are that Saint-Saëns wrote in it. He even wrote a film score in 1908.
Photo: Giuseppe Verdi, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Public Domain, CC PDM 1.0
Saturday, October 8, 2022
Classical music is alive and well in the movies! In the ultimate programmatic music, film composers use any means necessary to achieve that most sacred goal of art, namely, eliciting and enhancing emotion. Our talented Music Director, Caleb Gardner, has put together a special film weekend that will include classic film scores by Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Bear McCreary, and more, concluding with a special Film Music edition of Preview! at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
Photo: Public Domain, Fair use
On October 8 we observe the birthdays of German composer Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) and French composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937). Herr Schütz studied with Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice. He is widely considered to be the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach. Monsieur Vierne was the Titular Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937. During a tour of the U.S., he played the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia and the smaller Wanamaker organ in New York City.
Photo: Heinrich Schütz, Christoph Spätner, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Friday, October 7, 2022
On October 7 we observe the birthdays of American conductor and cellist Alfred Wallenstein (1898-1983), Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit (1936-), English trumpeter Alison Balsom (1978-), Chinese pianist Li Yundi (1982-), and Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma (1955-).
Maestro Wallenstein was director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1943-1956. He also pioneered classical music radio broadcasts back in the 1930s. Maestro Dutoit was the conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1977-2002. He has conducted most of the world’s major orchestras over the course of his long professional career. Besides being a brilliant trumpet player, Alison Balsom enjoys a multi-faceted career as an arranger, producer, and music educator. Li Yundi or Yundi, as he is known, is the youngest pianist to win the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition which he accomplished in 2000 at the age of 18. Yo-Yo Ma is a graduate of the Juilliard School and Harvard University. He has made over ninety recordings and won eighteen Grammy Awards.
Photo: Yundi Li by Mumu1982 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Thursday, October 6, 2022
This evening the Thursday Night Opera House presents W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s operetta The Pirates of Penzance. Frederick is released from a band of tender-hearted pirates by contract. He meets Major-General Stanley’s daughter, Mabel. Will Frederick’s leap-year birthday confuse his release date and his plans with Mabel? Or will the Major-General have a change of heart?
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 7 p.m. Eastern.
On October 6 we observe the birthdays of English composer Stanley Myers (1930-1993), Swedish soprano Jenny Lind (1820-1887), Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), and Austrian pianist Paul Badura-Skoda (1927-).
Stanley Myers composed over sixty film scores. His best-known composition is the work for guitar entitled Cavatina. Ms. Lind’s American manager was none other than P.T. Barnum. She seems to have done rather well financially during her career, according to the available accounts. Karol Szymanowski wrote over seventy compositions in a variety of forms and styles. He is widely considered to be the greatest Polish composer of the early twentieth century. Paul Badura-Skoda has made over two hundred recordings. He is highly regarded for his performances on historical instruments.
Photo: Jenny Lind, Eduard Magnus, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Classical music is a tapestry of instruments, of experience, of emotion, of story. Every piece of music you hear on The Classical Station is also part of the larger tapestry of musical history, a history that goes back through centuries of composition and more than a century of recordings. Every day The Classical Station weaves a tapestry drawn from the many thousands of recordings in our vast music library. But today the story is all about you – our listener. So seize the day by showing your support today for The Classical Station. Give online or call us anytime at 800-556-5178. Thank you for your support!
Classical music is alive and well in the movies. The ultimate programmatic music, film composers use any means necessary to achieve that most sacred goal of art, eliciting and enhancing emotion. Our special film weekend is this coming October 8th and 9th, and will include classic film scores all weekend. We will conclude with a special Film Music edition of Preview! beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern. Caleb Gardner hosts.
Photo: Public Domain, Fair use
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. Join The Classical Station at 6:00 p.m. Eastern this evening, as we feature the beautiful music of cantors and choirs in honor of the holiday. Greysolynne Hyman hosts.
Have you seen our Thank You Gifts? We’ve assembled a collection of Thank You gifts for every giving level. Want to give $5 per month? Then let us say “Thank you!” with a writing pen, key chain, or a car magnet (pictured). We have a very smart colonial blue t-shirt, an ice scraper, aprons, and much more. And, of course, Caleb Gardner, our Music Director, has selected some very fine recordings for you to consider as well.
Our Fall Membership Drive begins on Friday, October 21. Thank you so much for supporting the classical music you enjoy here on The Classical Station! We couldn’t do this without you.
Photo: WCPE Photo Services
On October 4 we observe the birthday of German composer August Wilhelm Bach (1796-1869). While not a member of the famous Bach family, Herr Bach made his living as a composer, teacher, and organist. He wrote sacred choral and organ music as well as teaching at the Royal Institute of Church Music in Berlin.
Monday, October 3, 2022
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1906. On our program is music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Modest Mussorgsky, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, in performances conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Conductor Emeritus Peter Oundjian.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott is our guest on the October edition of My Life In Music. A native of Long Island, New York, Anne-Marie’s career path is both inspiring and unusual. It’s an example of what you can accomplish if you have talent and work hard. My Life In Music is made possible by our listeners and by The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. See for tickets and more information.
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 7 p.m. Eastern.
On October 3 we observe the birthdays of English pianist and composer Cipriani Potter (1792-1871) and Polish-American conductor Stanisław Skrowaczewski (1923-2013).
A brilliant pianist, Philip Cipriani Hambly Potter premiered several Mozart and Beethoven concerti in London. He also gave the first performance there of Brahms’ A German Requiem. Maestro Skrowaczewski was the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1960-1979. He guest-conducted many of the world’s orchestras during his long career.
Photo: Cipriani Potter, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
