This Week at The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, March 17, 2024
North Carolina Chamber Music Institute
What’s it worth? Those moments of beauty and inspiration? Those pieces of music that bring awe and joy? The way that classical music connects with you like nothing else can? This music and its traditions simply must be kept alive. The best way to make it possible is by making a donation so that classical music continues to be freely available to everyone , on the radio, online, on our app. Do your part to make sure your next moment of inspiration happens right here at The Classical Station.
Give securely online or via the mail at The Classical Station, PO Box 828, Wake Forest, NC 27588, on our app, are by calling 800-556-5178 anytime.
On March 17 we observe the birthday of composer and organist Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901).
A native of Liechtenstein, Rheinberger spent most of his life in Germany. He taught several Americans including Horatio Parker and George Whitefield Chadwick. His European students included Englebert Humperdinck, Richard Strauss, and Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Photo: Joseph Rheinberger, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, March 16, 2024
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-24 Season of Saturday matinée broadcasts continues with Puccini’s grandest opera, Turandot, live from the Met. Soprano Elena Pankratova stars as the icy princess of legendary Peking, opposite tenor SeokJong Baek as Calàf, the unknown prince. They’re joined by soprano Aleksandra Kurzak as the courageous slave girl Liù and bass Vitalij Kowaljow as the exiled king Timur. Maestro Oksana Lyniv makes her network broadcast debut conducting the Met Orchestra and Chorus in this thrilling score. Intermission features include live backstage interviews with the stars and the Opera Quiz.
The curtain goes up at 12 noon.
When your destination is The Classical Station, you’re on a journey whose goal is to enrich, to excite, to inspire, to relax. The strings, the keyboards, the brass, the percussion, the voices – classical is music for thinkers, for explorers, for people who seek a deeper and richer experience in life. But the music doesn’t play for free. It’s funded by the people who listen, by people who want the door to inspiration to always be open. It’s funded by YOU.
Put a down payment on your next journey now with your donation to The Classical Station. Give online at TheClassicalStation.org or via the mail at The Classical Station, PO Box 828, Wake Forest, NC 27588 or on our app.
Thank you for your support.
On March 16 we observe the birthdays of English conductor Sir Roger Norrington (1934-), German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig (1925-), Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza (1935-), American composer David Del Tredici (1937-), and German conductor Claus Peter Flor (1953-).
Highly regarded for his performances and recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, and more on period instruments, Sir Roger Norrington founded the London Classical Players in 1978. Active from the 40s through the 90s, Ms. Ludwig was one of the greatest singers of her generation. Besides appearing on opera house stages around the world, Senora Berganza has appeared in nine movies. A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, David Del Tredici is renowned for his music written for a variety of genres. Maestro Flor has conducted many of the world’s great orchestras. He was the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1999-2008.
Photos: Sir Roger Norrington by Manfred Esser; Christa Ludwig, Unknown Author on Opera World; Teresa Berganza, Unknown Author, Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons; David Del Tredici, Unknown Author on Marin Music Chest; Claus Peter Flor, Shawn Northcutt
Friday, March 15, 2024
The Metropolitan Opera presents
Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, Saturday, March 16, 12 p.m. Eastern
Photo: iStock Photos
Classical music lovers take many different paths to their passion for this music. It might have been your parents or a friend. It might have been Bach or Handel, Beethoven or Mozart, or Chopin. The journey to classical music can begin just about anywhere, take any number of detours and diversions, and get thoroughly and delightfully lost. Yet the heart of classical is always there, constantly drawing you in. For so many people The Classical Station has been a home for that passion. It’s been a further education in the musical tradition.
Please support the classical music you love during our Spring 2024 Membership Drive by donating securely here on our website or on our app. If you prefer, call 800-556-5178 anytime and speak with a member of our staff who will be happy to take your gift. Thank you for your support.
On March 15 we observe the birthday of Austrian composer Eduard Strauss (1835-1916). Part of the Strauss dynasty, he and his brothers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss composed much light music to entertain the good people of Vienna.
Photo: Eduard Strauss, Unknown Author, Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons
Thursday, March 14, 2024
This evening, the Thursday Night Opera House presents Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod is a French opera based on William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy of the same name. Set in Verona, Italy, the opera follows the tragic love story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, whose families are locked in a bitter feud. Despite the enmity between their households, Romeo and Juliet fall deeply in love at first sight during a fateful encounter at a masquerade ball. Their secret romance unfolds amidst the backdrop of political and familial strife, leading to a series of events that ultimately culminate in their untimely deaths.
Gounod’s opera captures the passion, tenderness, and despair of Shakespeare’s original tale through emotive music and lyrical vocal lines. The score features lush melodies, intricate harmonies, and dramatic orchestration, enhancing the emotional impact of the story. From the soaring duets between the star-crossed lovers to the stirring choruses depicting the feuding families, Roméo et Juliette is a poignant exploration of love, fate, and tragedy. Through its timeless themes and unforgettable music, Gounod’s opera continues to captivate audiences with its timeless tale of love and loss.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Eastern. Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station.”
On March 14 we observe the birthdays of German composer Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767), and Austrian composer Johann Strauss (1804-1849).
A prolific composer, Herr Telemann was a friend of Johann Sebastian Bach and godfather to his son Carl Philipp Emmanuel. Besides composing waltzes and popularizing that genre, Herr Strauss is well-known for another piece, namely, the Radetzky March.
Photos: Georg Philipp Telemann, after a lost painting by Ludwig Michael Schneider (1750), Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons; Lithograph of Johann Strauss, Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons. Both photographic reproductions are considered to be in the public domain in the United States.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Our Spring 2024 Membership Drive begins on Friday. 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 very special 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 Virginia commits $600 to the membership drive. She tells us that she will match any contribution up to a total of $600. So, once her angel match is met, The Classical Station garners $600 from our Angel and another $600 from the listeners who have become Sustaining Members.
Can you be an Angel during our Spring 2024 Membership Drive? Here’s how to make that happen: call Tanja Greaves here at the station and let her know that you want to be an Angel with your gift of $300 or more. You can reach Tanja at 800-556-5178 or email her.
If you prefer, you can become an Angel by making your gift of $300 or more online via our secure server. Just be sure to mention that you want to be an Angel in the Comments box. Thank you for inspiring other listeners to support The Classical Station. Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions.
Thank you for your support!
On March 13 we observe the birthday of English composer Helen Glatz (1908-1996). Ms. Glatz was a student of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob at the Royal College of Music where her classmates were Benjamin Britten, Imogen Holst, and Elizabeth Lutyens, among others.
Photo: Unknown Author, on Dartington Trust.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
A great piece of music is a journey worth taking. It takes you to a place you know or one that you want to get to know better. A great piece of classical music lives. It breathes. It paints a picture of life in ways that no other genre can. That’s why we are dedicated to sharing the magic of this music near and far with anyone who wants to experience it. But it’s only possible with your support. Keep the music alive here on your home for great classical music, The Classical Station.
Do your part for the music that matters. Give securely online, via our app, or by calling 800-556-5178 anytime. Thank you for your support!
On March 12 we observe the birthdays of English composer Thomas Arne (1710-1778) and French composer Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911).
Thomas Arne is best known for Rule Britannia! and God Save The Queen. Monsieur Guilmant was Organiste Titulaire de l’Église de la Trinité in Paris from 1871-1901. He also was Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire.
Photo: Portrait of Thomas Arne by Robert Dunkarton, National Portrait Gallery, Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons; Photo of Alexandre Guilmant by A. Dupont, Public Domain, WikiMedia Commons
Monday, March 11, 2024
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which was founded in 1919. The program includes music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, and more conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, Carlo Maria Giulini, and current Music Director, Gustavo Dudamel.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tell your smart speaker to “Play The Classical Station.”
Today we observe the birthday of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992). Piazzolla studied with Nadia Boulanger and was well-known for infusing the traditional tango with classical music and jazz to create a form he called nuevo tango.
Photo: Astor Piazzolla in 1971 by Galego, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
