This Week At The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
This Week At The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà open Preview! this evening with a performance of Rachel Portman’s Flight. Klaus Mäkelä leads the Oslo Philharmonic in a new release of Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 7 in C, Opus 105. Al Sturgis, Artistic Director of the North Carolina Master Chorale, speaks with Rob Kennedy about the Chorale’s 80th Anniversary Season.
Preview! features new releases and local arts news every Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
William Byrd (1540-1623)
Engraving by Gerard Vandergucht, after Niccolò Haym
Time to get out your tabrets and serpents! The October edition of Renaissance Fare features the music of William Byrd. Considered to be the greatest English composer of the Elizabethan period, Byrd wrote for many different instruments. On our playlist are performances by lutenist Julian Bream, pianist Glenn Gould, Chanticleer, and Ayreheart. George Douglas hosts. 5 p.m. Eastern.
This morning Great Sacred Music includes music sung by the Utah State University Chamber Singers, the Duke Vespers Ensemble, and Gloriae Dei Cantores. Also on the playlist is music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Healey Willan, and Felix Mendelssohn.
Great Sacred Music. Beautiful choral and organ music. Every Sunday morning. 8 a.m. Eastern. Right after Sing For Joy. With Rob Kennedy.
Marin Alsop
Photo by Grant Leighton
On October 16 we observe the birthdays of French composer Frédéric-Nicolas Duvernoy (1765-1838), Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745), English composer Charles Harford Lloyd (1849-1919), and American conductor Marin Alsop (1956-).
Monsieur Duvernoy was a hornist in the Orchestre de la Garde Nationale. Jan Dismas Zelenka flourished in Dresden, Germany for most of his career. Charles Harford Lloyd was educated at Oxford and held positions at Gloucester Cathedral and Eton College during his long career. Ms. Alsop is the Music Director Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra which she directed from 2007 to 2021, and the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in Brazil.
Saturday, October 15, 2022
When you give $200 or more to The Classical Station, you can request a Day Dedication as your Thank You Gift. We will run a short announcement you have written four times on the day you choose. Many listeners have chosen to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and memorials of those special to them. The example on the left gives you an idea of one listener’s Day Dedication message.
Contact our Membership Department for more information about setting up a Day Dedication. Thank you for supporting The Classical Station.
On October 15 we observe the birthdays of Swedish-Finnish composer Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838) and Swedish composer Dag Wirén (1905-1986).
Crusell flourished in the classical era and was Finland’s most well-known composer before Jean Sibelius. Dag Ivar Wirén wrote in a variety of forms and styles. His best-known work is Serenade for Strings.
Photo: Dag Wirén, Anonymous author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons;
Friday, October 14, 2022
The excitement at The Classical Station is mounting! Our Fall 2022 Fund Drive begins next Friday, October 21.
As you know, fund drives are critical for a listener-supported radio station like The Classical Station. We don’t have an endowment. There’s no funding from a national organization or university. It’s listeners like you who keep the beautiful music coming 24/7. And it’s been that way since 1978. Back then our signal reached a small audience in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Now you can listen to our programming anywhere in the world via our app and website.
Please do your part to keep this unique classical music service fiscally strong. Give securely online or call us anytime at 800-556-5178. Don’t forget to take a Thank You Gift!
On October 14 we observe the birthdays of Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942) and American pianist Gary Graffman (1928-).
Herr Zemlinsky taught Erich Korngold, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern. He was friends with Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg. Gary Graffman studied with Vladimir Horowitz and Rudolf Serkin. Still active as a teacher, he has served as director and president of The Curtis Institute.
Photo: Alexander von Zemlinsky, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Thursday, October 13, 2022
This evening the Thursday Night Opera House presents Gioachino Rossini’s Ermoine. A musical mystery… This premiered in 1819, closed after only seven performances, and was not heard again for a century. Rossini loved the opera, calling it his “Little William Tell.”
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 7 p.m. Eastern. Dr. Jay Pierson hosts.
On October 13 we observe the birthday of Dutch composer Peter Gijsbert van Anrooij, or, as he is better known, Peter van Anrooy (1879-1954). van Anrooy studied in Dresden and Moscow. His best-known composition is “Piet Hein Rhapsodie voor symfonieorkest.”
Photo: Cornelis Johan Hofker, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Can you be an angel? We need angels for our Fall 2022 Membership Drive which will begin on October 21. 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.
Can you be an Angel during our Fall 2022 Membership Drive? 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 Match!” in the Comments Box. Your Angel Match 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 live 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! Don’t forget to take a Thank You Gift!
Photo: “Angel 013” by Juliett-Foxtrott is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
On October 12 we observe the birthdays of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), English-Canadian composer and organist Healey Willan (1880-1968), Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), and Dutch early music specialist Ton Koopman (1944-).
Some critics consider Ralph Vaughan Williams as one of the greatest composers England has ever produced. Dr. Willan was organist and choirmaster of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto from 1921-1968. He wrote over 800 compositions in a variety of forms. Luciano Pavarotti had two divas whose recommendations and help gave the young tenor’s career its start. Joan Sutherland and Mirella Freni were both powerful influences. And who can forget how easily the great tenor entertained audiences worldwide with classical crossover performances and those amazing Three Tenors concerts with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras. Ton Koopman founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in 1992. Happy 78th birthday, Maestro!
Photo: Drawing of Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Rothenstein, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
What can we play for you on All Request Friday? If you have never asked us to play something for you, give us a call at 919-556-0123 anytime or, if you prefer, fill out the short form here on this website. Listeners are the Music Director here at The Classical Station from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Eastern every Friday.
On October 11 we observe the birthdays of Canadian-American composer Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) and American violinist Rachel Barton Pine (1974-). While Dett was born in Drummondville, Ontario, and, indeed, was buried there, he spent most of his professional life in the United States. He studied with Arthur Foote at Harvard and with Nadia Boulanger at Fountainbleau. Robert Nathaniel Dett was active as a composer, choral conductor, professor, and organist. Having made her debut with the Chicago Symphony at the age of 10, Rachel Barton Pine has played with most of the world’s major orchestras and made over 30 recordings.
Photo: R. Nathaniel Dett, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Rachel Barton Pine by Lisa Marie Mazzucco
Monday, October 10, 2022
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features two German orchestras. The North German Radio Symphony (the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra) which was founded after World War II in 1945 and the North German Radio Philharmonic of Hannover (NDR Radiophilharmonie) founded in 1950. Our program includes music by Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin and Max Bruch, in performances conducted by Gunter Wand, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Krzysztof Urbanski, and Andrew Manze.
Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station” at 8 p.m. Eastern.
William Byrd (1540-1623)
Engraving by Gerard Vandergucht, after Niccolò Haym
Time to get out your tabrets and serpents! The October edition of Renaissance Fare features the music of William Byrd. Considered to be the greatest English composer of the Elizabethan period, Byrd wrote for many different instruments. On our playlist are performances by lutenist Julian Bream, pianist Glenn Gould, Chanticleer, and Ayreheart. George Douglas hosts. 7 p.m. Eastern.
On October 10 we observe the birthdays of German composer Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1786), American composer Paul Creston (1906-1985), American conductor Chris Walden (1966-), and Israeli-Russian-British pianist Evgeny Kissin (1971-).
Herr Krebs studied with Johann Sebastian Bach. Paul Creston was a largely self-taught composer whose music was popular in the 40s and 50s. He taught several notable musicians including John Corigliano. German-born Chris Walden is a classically trained musician who has over forty film and TV show scores to his credit. Evgeny Kissin is widely considered to be one of the great pianists of his generation. He has appeared as a soloist with most of the world’s major orchestras.
Photo: Paul Creston by Timothy Creston