This Week at The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Violinist James Ehnes accompanied by Andrew Armstrong, opens Preview! this evening with a performance of Josef Suk’s Burleska from 4 Pieces for Violin and Piano Op. 17, No. 4. Conductor Benjamin Goodson discusses the Netherlands Radio Choir’s new recording of works by Mendelssohn and Rheinberger.
Preview! brings you new releases and local arts news every Sunday at 6 p.m. Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station.”
If you missed our Fall Fund Drive this year, you didn’t miss your chance to contribute or receive a Thank You Gift. At this festive time of the year when family and friends get together, we’d love to welcome you into our family of classical music lovers. Donate securely online or on our app.
This morning Great Sacred Music includes performances by the American Boychoir; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; and the Oxford Camerata. Mick Anderson will play works by Thomas Dorsey, Johann Sebastian Bach, Anton Bruckner, and many more.
Great Sacred Music. 8 a.m. right after Sing for Joy. Mick Anderson hosts.
On November 19 we observe the birthday of Russian composer Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935).
Besides composing, he taught at the Conservatory in Moscow. One of his students was Reinhold Glière.
Photo: Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Go the last mile with your used vehicle. If your automobile (or 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 love here at The Classical Station.
Center for Car Donations (CFCD) manages the donations on our behalf. Call them toll-free at 877-WCPEUSA for more information or to begin the car donation process. (Don’t forget to indicate 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.
You will also receive a one-year subscription to Quarter Notes, our program guide and member magazine.
On November 18 we observe the birthdays of Flemish composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730), German composer Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736-1800), German composer Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), and Hungarian-born American conductor Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985).
Loeillet spent most of his career as a musician in London where he was known as John Loeillet. Herr Hasch was C.P.E. Bach’s deputy harpsichordist at the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia. He was a brilliant pianist. Carl Maria von Weber also wrote ten operas which influenced many other composers of the genre. In 1936 Eugene Ormandy began his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra as Associate Conductor under Leopold Stokowski. He succeeded Stokowski as Music Director of the orchestra, spending forty years in that role before finally retiring in 1980. ArkivMusic shows three hundred thirty recordings made by Ormandy currently available.
Photo: Eugene Ormandy, Adrian Siegel, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Friday, November 17, 2023
On November 17 we observe the birthday of Australian conductor Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras (1925-2010).
Sir Charles was actually born in Schenectady, New York to Australian parents. They moved back to Australia when he was very young. Sir Charles conducted most of the world’s major orchestras during his long career. He made many recordings. Indeed, ArkivMusic shows 347 of his recordings are currently available.
Photo: Unknown Author, Alchetron
Thursday, November 16, 2023
W. A. Mozart presents comic opera at its best! Cosi fan tutte tells the story of a pair of gentlemen who are in love with two sisters and plot to test their fidelity. The men go off to a fictitious war and return disguised as soldiers trying to seduce each other’s lovers. Do the sisters give in? Find out on the Thursday Night Opera House.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m.
You get to be the Music Director every Friday between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern. All you have to do is submit your request here on our website. If you prefer, call 919-556-0123. You can also submit your request via our app. Click on the menu in the top left corner and then click on Request Programs. Not sure of the piece’s title or composer? Not to worry. Give us as much information as you can and we’ll do our best to find what you want to hear.
All Request Friday is very popular and frequently is oversubscribed. So, submit your request as soon as you can. If we can’t fit in your request on Friday, we will include it in the Saturday Evening Request Program. The Request Program playlists with the first name of the requestors are located under Daily Playlists on our website. Enjoy!
On November 16 we observe the birthday of German-born American composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963).
Hindemith taught at Yale University where he influenced composers such as Norman Dello Joio and Lukas Foss.
Photo: Unknown Author, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Do you like challenging yourself on a daily basis? Do you wish that they had a Musical Jeopardy? Well, you are in luck! Katherine Hill, host of As You Like It, has just that for you! She has a weekly Enigma Monday-Thursday where she poses a question based on the background of a musician, composer, or style of music. She then plays a selection related to that question in her program and even announces your name in the program!
Come and be one of her Enigmites! Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
On November 15 we observe the birthdays of Cuban-born American pianist Jorge Bolet (1914-1990) and Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim (1942-).
Jorge Bolet was considered one of the leading exponents of Romantic pianism according to the New York Times. While he is known these days primarily as a conductor, Daniel Barenboim began his career as a virtuoso pianist. Happy 80th birthday, Maestro!
Photo: Jorge Bolet, Lindsay Nelson, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Did you become a Sustaining Member of The Classical Station during our recent Fall Fund Drive? If you did, thank you! You are enjoying convenient, automatic, ongoing monthly contributions which you can change or stop at any time! Becoming a Sustaining Member is an easy way to increase the power of your support and put more of your dollars into the great classical music you depend on.
As a Sustaining Member, you will:
- Enjoy uninterrupted membership status at The Classical Station.
- Save us money spent on postage, paper, and administrative costs.
- Utilize an eco-friendly payment option that allows us to cut down on renewal mailings.
- Provide The Classical Station with a steady and reliable stream of income which allows us to plan for a sustainable future.
Here’s how a Sustaining Membership works: Your monthly contribution is deducted automatically from the account of your choice on the same day each month until you tell us to stop. You can make changes or cancel your Sustaining Membership at any time.
To become a Sustaining Member, visit our Donation Page. Or call 800-556-5178 anytime. A member of staff will be happy to take down your information and instructions, as well as answer any questions you may have. Don’t forget to take a Thank You Gift or designate 10% of your Sustaining Membership to the Education Fund if you prefer. Thank you for being a Sustaining Member!
Monday, November 13, 2023
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra which was founded in 1893. The program includes music by Antonín Dvořák, Sir William Walton, Frederick Delius, and more, conducted by José Serebrier, David Hickox, and Conductor Laureate Andrew Litton.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station.”
On November 13 we observe the birthdays of German composer Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (1663-1712) and American composer George Whitfield Chadwick (1854-1931).
Herr Zachow was George Frederic Handel’s first teacher. Chadwick was one of a group of composers known as The Boston Six. The others in the group were Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker.
Photo: George Whitfield Chadwick, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
