Drop the Needle

Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Eastern

Visit a place where analog sound lives.

Drop the Needle is The Classical Station’s tribute to the timeless artistry of vinyl recordings. Hosted by Vince Tillona, this program brings you hand-selected treasures from the station’s vast archive of over 25,000 albums—a collection that features legendary performances, rare pressings and the warmth of sound that only vinyl can offer.

Each week, Vince carefully curates a listening experience for audiophiles and music lovers alike, reviving recordings that have shaped the classical tradition and rediscovering gems no longer available in modern formats.

Whether you’re a lifelong collector or simply curious about the magic of vinyl, Drop the Needle invites you to savor the depth and authenticity of classical music as it was meant to be heard.

Every episode of Drop the Needle features an array of treasures from our extensive vinyl library. Here are just a few of the selections we’re especially excited to share with listeners this month:

June 2026 on Drop the Needle

6/1/2026

Piece: The Four Seasons

Composer: Vivaldi

Conductor: Trevor Pinnock

Orchestra: The English Concert

Soloist: Simon Standage, violin

Vivaldi The Four Seasons album cover conducted by Trevor Pinnock

6/8/2026

Piece: Symphonia Concertante in E-flat, K. 364

Composer: Mozart

Conductor: Daniel Barenboim

Orchestra: The English Chamber Orchestra

Mozart Symphonia Concertante album cover conducted by Daniel Barenboim

6/15/2026

Piece: Pulcinella Suite

Composer: Stravinsky

Conductor: Igor Stravinsky

Orchestra: The Columbia Symphony Orchestra

Stravinsky conducts Pulcinella Suite album cover

6/22/2026

Piece: Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Composer: Mendelssohn

Orchestra: The Marlboro Festival Ensemble

Mendelssohn Octet album cover performed by the Marlboro Festival Ensemble

6/29/2026

Piece: String Serenade, Op. 22

Composer: Dvorak

Conductor: Neville Marriner

Orchestra: The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Dvorak String Serenade album cover conducted by Neville Marriner

Elsa Says Thank You For Giving To The Classical Station

Elsa, Vince Tillona's grand-dog and Drop the Needle's unofficial mascot

During the Fall 2025 fund drive, Drop the Needle host Vince Tillona called to make a donation from his three dogs and four cats.

He told the story of how, during announcer training, volunteers were taught to visualize speaking to a single person, not a full audience.

That’s why a picture of Vince’s grand-dog Elsa sits on the desk each week during Drop the Needle—she’s the listener he imagines when he speaks.

As Vince explains, “She always listens and she’s totally non-judgemental. She’s the perfect audience.” (And yes, Elsa is a dog, despite what you may have heard on the air!)

Now Playing

Don Quixote, Op. 35, TrV 184: I-IV

Composed by

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

Performed by

Ma/Ansell/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Nelsons

Label

Deutsche Grammophon

Catalog Number

4862040

Today's Playlist

9:48am Piano Trio No. 23 in E flat

Composed by

Josef Haydn (1732-1809)

Performed by

Stern/Rose/Istomin

10:00am Overture to The Rhine Nymphs

Composed by

Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)

Performed by

Gulbenkian Orchestra/Swierczewski

10:07am Sleeping Beauty (Tone Pictures)

Composed by

Engelburt Humperdinck (1854-1921)

Performed by

Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony/Fischer-Dieskau

10:29am Quintet in C minor, Op. 52

Composed by

Louis Spohr (1784-1859)

Performed by

Les Vents Francais

11:01am Symphony No. 6 in D, Op. 60

Composed by

Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Performed by

BBC Symphony/Belohlavek

11:44am Queen’s Waltz, Op. 22 No. 3

Composed by

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Performed by

Musica Camerata Montreal

11:49am Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Composed by

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Performed by

Bergen Philharmonic/Kitayenko

12:01pm The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Composed by

Paul Dukas (1865-1935)

Performed by

Suisse Romande Orchestra/Ansermet

12:13pm Hebrides Overture, Op. 26

Composed by

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Performed by

Hague Philharmonic/de Vriend

12:25pm Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat, Op. 81a "Les Adieux"

Composed by

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Performed by

Artur Rubinstein

12:43pm Music selected by the announcer

1:01pm Suite from Water Music

Composed by

George Frideric Handel, arr. by Hamilton Harty

Performed by

Pittsburgh Symphony/Previn

1:19pm Florida Suite

Composed by

Frederick Delius (1862-1934)

Performed by

Ulster Orchestra/Handley

1:57pm Valse Bluette

Composed by

Riccardo Drigo

Performed by

Perlman/Sanders

2:00pm Symphony No. 5 in B flat, D. 485

Composed by

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Performed by

New Orchestra/Spering

2:28pm Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73

Composed by

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)

Performed by

Meyer/Dresden State Orchestra/Blomstedt

2:50pm Forest Murmurs from Siegfried

Composed by

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Performed by

Vienna Philharmonic/Solti

3:01pm Violin Sonata in A, FWV 8

Composed by

Cesar Franck (1822-1890)

Performed by

Ibragimova/Tiberghien

3:30pm Dances Sacred and Profane for Harp and Orchestra

Composed by

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Performed by

Chalifoux/Cleveland Orchestra/Boulez

3:41pm Piano Sonata No. 10 in C, K. 330

Composed by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Performed by

Peter Katin

4:01pm Flute Concerto in D, Op. 283

Composed by

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)

Performed by

Bezaly/Hague Philharmonic/Jarvi

4:20pm Granada from Suite espanola, Op. 47

Composed by

Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)

Performed by

John Williams

4:25pm Fantasie Brillante

Composed by

Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889)

Performed by

Marsalis/Eastman Wind Ensemble/Hunsberger

4:34pm Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin

Composed by

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Performed by

Francois-Joel Thiollier

4:40pm Concerto in C for Two Oboes, Op. 7 No. 11

Composed by

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)

Performed by

Holliger/Bourge/I Musici

4:49pm Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59

Composed by

Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)

Performed by

Dallas Wind Symphony/Junkin

5:01pm Music for the Royal Fireworks

Composed by

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Performed by

Cleveland Symphonic Winds/Fennell

5:17pm Swedish Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 24 "Uppsala Rhapsody"

Composed by

Hugo Alfven (1872-1960)

Performed by

Stockholm Philharmonic/Jarvi

5:28pm Danube Maiden Waltz

Composed by

Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899)

Performed by

Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna/Boskovsky

5:37pm Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor

Composed by

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Performed by

Budapest Festival Orchestra/Fischer

5:48pm Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah

Composed by

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

Performed by

Montreal Symphony/Dutoit

5:56pm Passacaglia

Composed by

Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750)

Performed by

John Williams

6:01pm Village Swallows from Austria

Composed by

Josef Strauss (1827-1870)

Performed by

Vienna Philharmonic/Boskovsky

6:10pm La Peri

Composed by

Paul Dukas (1865-1935)

Performed by

French National Orchestra/Slatkin

6:31pm Selections from The Skaters

Composed by

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864)

Performed by

Cincinnati Pops/Kunzel

6:49pm Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2

Composed by

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Performed by

Van Cliburn

6:55pm Music selected by the announcer

7:01pm Clarinet Quintet in B flat, Op. 34

Composed by

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)

Performed by

Neidich/L'Archibudelli

7:29pm Quintet in B flat

Composed by

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Performed by

Capricorn

8:00pm Symphony No. 9 in C, D. 944 "Great"

Composed by

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Performed by

Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan

8:48pm Nocturne in E flat, Op. 55 No. 2

Composed by

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Performed by

Claudio Arrau

8:54pm Nocturne from Pan Voyevoda

Composed by

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Performed by

Moscow Symphony/Golovschin

9:01pm Piano Sonata No. 17 in B flat, K. 570

Composed by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Performed by

Alicia de Larrocha

9:21pm Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68 "Pastoral"

Composed by

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Performed by

Boston Symphony/Leinsdorf

10:01pm String Quartet in D, Ben 342

Composed by

Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831)

Performed by

Pleyel Quartet Cologne

10:20pm Clarinet Sonata in E flat

Composed by

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Performed by

Neidich/Levin

10:45pm Concerto in B flat for Harp and Lute, Op.4 No.6

Composed by

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Performed by

Ellis/Dupre/Philomusica London/Jones

11:01pm Scheherazade, Op. 35

Composed by

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Performed by

Fenyves/Suisse Romande Orchestra/Ansermet

11:45pm Music selected by the announcer