News & Reviews

From the Convivium website: The Choir of Royal Holloway College, University of London reveals itself as a force to be reckoned with in these fine performances of choral music by American composer Dan Locklair (b. 1949), professor of music at Wake Forest University in Western-Salem, North Carolina (where he is also composer in residence). Locklair’s music is nuanced and varies from the brightly inspirational to the touchingly personal. Dan Locklair will be our guest on Preview! Sunday, September 15 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

from the Chandos website: 'The Neave Trio’s programme Rooted features a range of works based on folk music. Smetana’s distinctive nationalistic style was largely based on the inclusion of bohemian rhythmic and melodic elements, and he was acclaimed in his native Bohemia as the father of Czech music. His Trio in G minor was composed in 1855 as a response to the death of his four-year old daughter and shows the influence of Liszt. Josef Suk was a favourite pupil of Dvorák’s, and his early Piano Trio, whilst shorter in length and less intense than Smetana’s, is embedded in that Czech tradition. Also deeply influenced by Dvorák, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was inspired by his African heritage, as well, and his Twenty-Four Negro Melodies for Piano was a prime example of his research. He subsequently arranged five of these pieces into the suite for piano trio that we hear on this album. The programme concludes with Frank Martin’s Trio from 1925, which is based on traditional Irish melodies. Members of the Trio will be our guests on Preview! "

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff’s birth (1873-1943), PaTRAM Institute invites you to experience the sublime beauty of his choral tour de force, the All-Night Vigil, as adapted and performed by the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir, a GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble. Octavist Glen Miller talks about this recording this week on Preview! at 7 p.m. Eastern.

American concert pianist Steven Masi explores the depths of Romantic and Impressionist piano literature on his latest recording, Ballades and Other Musings, on the Navona label. Steven is our guest on Preview! Sunday, August 25.

From Navona Records: “Inspired by Bach’s profound lyricism and informed by historical insights, O’Riley’s interpretation transcends conventional keyboard traditions. Through meticulous attention to intonation and rhythmic flexibility, O’Riley uncovers layers of meaning, echoing the Japanese concept of ‘Ma’ — the significance of space and silence." Christopher O'Riley is a classical pianist and former host of NPR's From the Top. He'll speak to us this Sunday on Preview! about his interpretation of Bach's keyboard masterwork. Join us!

From Atma Classiques: "Cellist Cameron Crozman presents his fourth album for ATMA Classique, featuring Joseph Haydn's Cello Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, playing alongside the dynamic Quebec-based Les Violons du Roy under the direction of Nicolas Ellis, one of Canada’s top young conductors." Cameron will be our guest this Sunday on Preview!

The delightful chamber music on this recording by the Frahm-Lewis Trio commemorates Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812). The Frahm-Lewis Trio, Nathan Buckner, Ting-Lan Chen, and Noah Turner Rogoff, will be our guests on Preview! this week at 7 p.m. Eastern.

The little radio station which was the dream of Deborah Proctor and a couple of her NC State classmates has grown over the past 46 years into a well-respected source of classical music available worldwide via the Internet and our app. In the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, WCPE The Classical Station is highly regarded for its distinctive programming with live announcers 24/7. All of this has been made possible because thousands of listeners both here in the Triangle and worldwide have supported the station financially. As a not-for-profit corporation, we have no grants from federal, state or local governments. We have flourished for 46 years because listeners like you have become Sustaining Members. Your monthly donations keep us on the air. Thank you for your continued support!

From Navona's website: "Michael Clark’s knowledge and reverence for Florence Price shines in WALTZES & CHARACTER PIECES OF FLORENCE PRICE. Opening with the first waltz in Price’s musical catalog, Valsette Mignon, and closing with one of her final waltzes, Waltzing on a Sunbeam, Clark’s respect and intimate understanding of these elegant piano works is evident in his delicate treatment of each passage down to the single note. " Michael Clarke is our guest on Preview! Sunday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Renowned classical guitarist David Starobin pays homage to seven leading composer/guitarists of the past two centuries. Virtuosi presents eight previously unissued tracks, alongside remastered versions of five Starobin classics. David Starobin is our guest on Preview, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Photo courtesy Bridge Records

From the Pentatone website: "Mari Kodama, Momo Kodama, Karin Kei Nagano and Kent Nagano present Double and Triple Piano Concertos by Mozart and Poulenc, together with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande." Mari Kodama is our guest on Preview! on June 30. Photo courtesy Pentatone Records

The multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet continues its highly acclaimed recording series that explores the sounds of America with an album comprising string quartets incorporating elements of American folk music and spirituals by Antonín Dvořák, Florence Price, and Louis Gruenberg, plus a new work by James Lee III. Violist Mark Holloway talks about the recording this Sunday on Preview! at 7 p.m. Eastern.

"The human voice reaches new heights with this sublime journey to heavens. The clarity and focus of O Nata Lux transport you to a place of transcendent bliss. In the tradition of the great cathedrals, this new a cappella work from Michael John Trotta is masterfully sung by Tenebrae under the direction of Nigel Short. From the gentle unfolding of Surge Illuminare and O Nata Lux (both exploring light) to the fierce intensity of Dies Irae and the poignancy of Ave Verum Corpus the performance is a breathtakingly transcendent, meditative experience leaving you refreshed and energized. Recorded live in London." Composer Michael John Trotta is our guest on Preview!, Sunday, June 16.

From ATMA Classiques' website: "Natural horn player Louis-Pierre Bergeron and pianist Meagan Milatz look to Beethoven as the point of departure for their new album, Bravura. The composer’s Sonata Op. 17, a masterpiece, is the first true sonata for horn and piano in the history of music. More than 40 years separate the five works on this album ranging from the classical period with Righini and Süssmayer, to Beethoven’s successors Krufft and Potter, whose music demonstrates the evolution of the Romantic style." Louis-Pierre Bergeron and Meagan Milatz talk about this recording on Sunday, June 9 at 7 p.m. on Preview!

The recording's title "CanCan Macabre" suggests something sinister, yet Cellist Sophie Shao's playing, especially of the Debussy and Chopin Cello Sonatas, draws us in with warm tone and elegant phrasing. Perhaps the cello she acquired from Pablo Casals' widow has something to do with it. In any case, Sophie Shao is our guest this week on Preview! Photo by Christian Steiner