This Week At The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, February 12, 2023
The Chineke! Chamber Ensemble opens Preview! this evening with a performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet in F minor. Caleb Gardner speaks with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes about his new recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85.
Preview! brings you new releases and local arts news every Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
This morning Great Sacred Music includes music sung by the Corydon Singers, the Gaudete Ensemble, and the Slovak Chamber Choir. Also on the playlist is music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Max Helfman, and Havergal Brian.
Great Sacred Music. Beautiful choral and organ music. Every Sunday morning. Right after Sing for Joy at 8 a.m. Eastern.
The February edition of My Life In Music features composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg. My Life In Music is made possible by our listeners and by The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Ticket information is available for their February 18th and 19th concert-The Baroque Concert – at their website,
Join Caleb Gardner for My Life In Music this afternoon at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Great Sacred Music. Beautiful choral and organ music. Every Sunday morning. 8 a.m. Eastern.
On February 12 we observe the birthday of Czech composer Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812). Besides being a prolific composer, Jan Dussek was highly regarded as a virtuoso pianist. He was also a much sought-after teacher.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2022-23 season of Saturday matinee radio broadcasts continues with a treasure from the Met archives: the double bill of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, a performance from 1970 featuring a dazzling lineup of stars. Leonard Bernstein, in one of his rare Met appearances, conducted Cavalleria Rusticana with a cast led by Grace Bumbry as Santuzza – opposite Franco Corelli in his only Met broadcast as Turiddu. Pagliacci, conducted by Fausto Cleva, showcased Richard Tucker – who was taking on the role of the tragic clown Canio for the first time – opposite the mesmerizing Teresa Stratas as Nedda. Don’t miss this thrilling performance that hasn’t been aired since it was broadcast live, back in 1970.
The curtain goes up at 1 p.m. Eastern.
On February 11 we observe the birthdays of Scottish conductor Sir Alexander Gibson (1926-1995), Czech-born American pianist Rudolf Firkušný (1912-1994), and English organist Christopher Dearnley (1930-2000). Sir Alexander Drummond Gibson was the conductor of the Scottish National Orchestra from 1959-1984. Rudolf Firkušný studied with legendary pianists Alfred Cortot and Artur Schnabel. Christopher Dearnley was organist of Salisbury Cathedral and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London.
Photos: Sir Alexander Gibson, Unknown Author on Florentschmitt.com; Rudolf Firkušný, Unknown Author on Philadelphia Chamber Music Society; Christopher Dearnley, Unknown Author on Composer For Organ
Friday, February 10, 2023
Metropolitan Opera presents
Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci
Saturday, February 11 at 1 p.m. Eastern
On February 10 we observe the birthdays of American soprano Leontyne Price (1927-) and American composer Peter Boyer (1970-)
Laurel, Mississippi native Leontyne Price was highly regarded as a lyrico-spinto soprano until her retirement in 1985. Over 125 of her recordings are available. A graduate of The Hartt School of the University of Hartford, Peter Boyer is known for his film scores.
Photo of Ms. Price by Jack Mitchell; Mr. Boyer by Danika Singfield, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikipedia.org
Thursday, February 9. 2023
This evening, the Thursday Night Opera House presents two operas by Leonard Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti/A Quiet Place. The dramatic action in Trouble in Tahiti revolves around Sam (Patrick) and Dinah (Williams), a husband and wife who have become bored with each other and tired of their mundane life, and the story continues in A Quiet Place.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Eastern.
On February 9 we observe the birthdays of English composer and founder of the Royal School of Church Music, Sir Sydney Nicholson (1875-1947), Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935) and Welsh organist and choral conductor George Guest (1924-2002).
Sir Sydney Nicholson was organist of Westminster Abbey and founder of the School of English Church Music which later became the Royal School of Church Music. A proponent of the 12-tone compositional technique, Alban Berg is best known to 21st-century audiences for his operas Wozzeck and Lulu. Director of the Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge, from 1951-1991, George Guest made the Choir one of the most renowned in the world.
Photo: Photo of Sir Sydney Nicholson, Unknown Author on FindaGrave.com; Photo of George Guest, Author Unknown on Singers.com; Photo of Alban Berg, Unknown Author on OnMusic Dictionary,com
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
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On February 8 we observe the birthdays of French composer André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), Polish-born American pianist and teacher Artur Balsam (1906-1994), and American composer John Williams (1932-).
A student of Galuppi and Pergolesi in Rome, Monsieur Grétry composed over fifty operas. Artur Balsam was a distinguished teacher whose students included Emmanuel Ax and Murray Perahia. While serving in the Air Force, John Williams conducted the United States Air Force Band. He also studied at Julliard. Mr. Williams has written some of the most memorable film scores ever. Happy 90th birthday, Maestro!
Photos: Portrait of André Ernest Modeste Grétry by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Public Domain on Wikipedia.org; Photo of Artur Balsam, Unknown Author on Primephonic; Photo of John Williams by Alex McNayr, CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikipedia.org
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Keep Great Classical Music on the air by donating your old gas guzzler to The Classical Station. We make donating easy, and the pick-up is free. Here’s how to get started: simply call 877-927-3872 or click on Donate.
On February 7 we observe the birthdays of Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927) and Polish conductor Antoni Wit (1944-).
Besides being the artistic director and conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1906-1922, Carl Wilhelm Eugen Stenhammar managed to compose three symphonies, two piano concerti and a host of other works in his short life of fifty-six years. A student of Nadia Boulanger, Maestro Wit has conducted many of the world’s great orchestras. He currently teaches at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.
Photos: Wilhelm Stenhammar c. 1916 in Vecko-Journalen, Author Unknown, Public Domain on Wikipedia.org; Antoni Wit, Unknown Author on www.filharmonia.krakow.pl
Monday, February 6, 2023
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Minnesota Orchestra, which was founded as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903. The program includes music by Gustav Mahler, Antonin Dvorak, and more, conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Sir Neville Marriner, and Osmo Vanska.
Tell your smart device to “Play The Classical Station” at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The February edition of My Life In Music features composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg. My Life In Music is made possible by our listeners and by The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Ticket information is available for their February 18th and 19th concert-The Baroque Concert – at their website,
Join Caleb Gardner for My Life In Music this evening at 7 p.m. Eastern.
On February 6 we observe the birthday of Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau (1903-1991).
Señor Arrau was considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. Steinway & Sons has a fascinating article about Señor Arrau entitled “How Claudio Arrau Nearly Became Glenn Gould”
Photo: 1974 photo of Claudio Arrau by Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikipedia.org