This Week at The Classical Station
by Rob Kennedy
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Mexican pianist, Jorge Federico Osorio, opens Preview! this week with a performance of the Berceuse Op. 36, No. 1 by Ricardo Castro. English composer Philip Stopford talks about his recording “Sacred Choral Music.”
Preview! brings you the latest releases and local arts news every Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
This morning Great Sacred Music includes performances by Laurence Cummings, the Moses Hogan Singers with Barbara Hendricks, and the Monteverdi Choir with the English Baroque Soloists. Also on the program is music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Johann Baptist Wanhal, Domenico Scarlatti, and more. The featured work is Messe de Requiem by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Great Sacred Music. Sundays at 8 a.m. Eastern right after Sing for Joy. With Mick Anderson.
On May 5 we observe the birthdays of English organist T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953), Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios (1885-1944), German composer Hans Fitzner (1869-1949), French-Cypriot pianist Cyprien Katsaris (1951-), and Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo (1978-).
Dr. Noble was the Organist of York Minister until he was translated to St. Thomas Church, New York where he founded the St. Thomas Choir School among other achievements. Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga was both a virtuoso performer and prolific composer. Not well-known these days, Herr Fitsner nonetheless was a highly-regarded composer and teacher in his day. His students include Otto Klemperer, Charles Much, and Carl Orff, to name but a few. Monsieur Katsaris gained a certain notoriety for recording Franz Liszt’s transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies. One of the few contemporary composers who seem to understand writing for voices, Ola Gjeilo is well-regarded by choirs and choral conductors worldwide.
Photos: T. Tertius Noble, Thwaites, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Agustin Barrios, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Hans Pfitzner, Wanda von Debschitz-Kunowski, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Cyprien Katsaris, Carole Bellaïche, CC-BY-3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ola Gjeilo, Anna-Julia Granberg, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Photo by Evan Zimmermann/Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-24 season of Saturday matinée radio broadcasts continues with the network broadcast premiere of El Niño – a dramatic retelling of the Nativity story by American composer John Adams. Maestro Marin Alsop makes her network debut leading the Met Orchestra and Chorus in this beautiful, colorful score, with acclaimed soloists Julia Bullock, Daniela Mack, and Davóne Tines. This unique opera-oratorio explores the miracles of this story through sacred and secular texts, ancient and modern, from around the world.
The performance begins at 1 p.m. Eastern.
On May 4 we observe the birthdays of Austrian composer Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek (1860-1945), American soprano Roberta Peters (1930-2017), Russian conductor Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky (1931-2018), and Mexican conductor Enrique Bátiz Campbell (1942-).
Quick facts about our birthday celebrants: Emil von Reznicek was a personal friend of Richard Strauss. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences for his opera Donna Diana. A remarkably agile coloratura soprano, Roberta Peters had a thirty-five-year association with the Metropolitan Opera. Gennady Rozhdestvensky was actually born Gennady Nikolayevich Anosov. He adapted his mother’s last name to avoid any confusion with his famous musician parents. He went on to conduct many of the world’s orchestras. Enrique Bátiz’ full name is Enrique Bátiz Campbell because the Mexican naming convention gives a child two apellidos or last names: the first from his father, the second from his mother.
Photos: Emil von Reznicek, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Roberta Peters, Sol Hurok, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Enrique Bátiz, Unknown Author, EnriqueBatiz.net; Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jialiang Jao, CC by 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Friday, May 3, 2024
The Metropolitan Opera presents
John Adams’ El Niño
Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m. Eastern
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Thursday, May 2, 2024
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 or call 919-556-5178 during business hours for more information about setting up a Day Dedication. Thank you for supporting The Classical Station.
This evening the Thursday Night Opera House presents Antonín Dvořák’s “Rusalka.” “Rusalka” is a mesmerizing opera inspired by Slavic folklore. The story follows Rusalka, a water nymph who falls in love with a human prince. Desperate to become human and be with her beloved, Rusalka seeks the help of a witch, despite warnings of the risks involved. As she transforms into a human, she loses her voice in exchange for legs. However, the prince’s infidelity leads to tragedy, and Rusalka must grapple with the consequences of her choices. With its enchanting music and poignant themes of love, sacrifice, and the supernatural, “Rusalka” captivates audiences with its haunting beauty and emotional depth.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Eastern. Tell your smart device to “Play The Classical Station.”
On May 2 we observe the birthdays of Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725), Danish composer Hans Christian Lumbye (1810-1874), and Russian conductor Valery Gergiev (1953-).
Composer of over 45 operas, Signor Scarlatti bridged the Baroque and Classical eras. Think of Lumbye as a Danish Strauss, and you will understand his output of waltzes and other dances. Widely considered one of the great conductors of the 21st-century, Maestro Gergiev is Chief Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
Photos: Alessandro Scarlatti, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Hans Christian Lumbye, Unknown Author, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Valery Gergiev, David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
On May 1 we observe the birthdays of Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) and Czech-born British conductor Walter Susskind (1913-1980). A violinist and a painter, Hugo Alfvén created over fifty compositions. A student of George Szell, Maestro Susskind was noted for his interpretation of opera. He was Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1968-1975.
Photo: Hugo Alfvén, Peder Severin Krøyer, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Walter Susskind, Unknown Author, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Once again you’ve filled this week’s Request Programs with beautiful classical music. So, what about next week? What would you like us to play for you?
We have two Request Programs. All Request Friday and the Saturday Evening Request Program. On All Request Friday we play the music you choose from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Eastern. The Saturday Evening Request Program runs from 6 p.m. until midnight. We have a couple of ways for you to submit your requests. On our website, click Listen then Request Programs, then fill out the short form to let us know what you want us to play. Or click the Request Programs link on our app. Or call 919-556-0123. Short works? Yes. Long works? Yes. Your choice! The programs are usually over-subscribed, so get your request in as soon as you can.
Want to know when your request will be played? Check Request Program Playlists under the Listen tab here on our website.
On April 30 we observe the birthdays of Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár (1870-1948) and American conductor Robert Shaw (1916-1999).
Herr Lehár wrote over forty operas and operettas. The opera best known to modern ears is The Merry Widow which is mounted with great regularity in opera houses worldwide. Robert Shaw was affectionately known as the Dean of American choral conductors.
Photo: Franz Lehár, Unknown Author (Bain News Service, publisher). Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Robert Shaw, Unknown Author, Fair Use, Wikimedia Commons
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Monday, April 29, 2024
This evening, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1918. The program includes music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, and more conducted by James Conlon, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and current Music Director Lahav Shani.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tell your smart device to “Play The Classical Station.”
On April 29 we observe the birthdays of English conductors Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) and Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967), as well as Indian conductor Zubin Mehta (1936-).
Wealthy and witty, Sir Thomas Beecham led a rather extraordinary life, both professionally and personally. A bit of a showman who added the sing-along to the Last Night of the Proms, Sir Malcolm Sargent was Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1950 to 1957. Considered one of the great conductors of the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century, Maestro Mehta was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1961-67); Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1962-1978); the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1981-); and Music Director of the New York Philharmonic (1978-91).
Photos: Sir Thomas Beacham, Culver Pictures, New York, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; Sir Malcolm Sargent, Unknown Author, Fair Use, Wikimedia Commons; Zubin Mehta, Antman Oded, Opera Online
