Throughout Summer
Something New For Summer
New recordings of old favorites and works from modern composers, performers, and conductors are featured on Preview! each Sunday night and distributed throughout our summer programming. These beautifully rendered works breathe new life into pieces that have stood the test of time, and highlight a promising future for classical music. Hear Leif Ova Andsnes’ perform Mozart in stunning detail, Ruth Slenczynska illuminate Rachmaninoff, and listen to the L.A. Guitar Quartet perform Andrew York’s exuberant Passages. Summer is the season for new music at The Classical Station.
July 1-4: Independence Day
Flags, U.S. Navy, Public Domain, Fair Use
America’s favorite weekend begins July 1st with a day of requests from our listeners the world over during All Request Friday. Enjoy a Saturday of favorites during Weekend Classics on July 2nd, and another opportunity to hear your favorite pieces on our Saturday Evening Request Program. On Sunday morning, July 3rd, relax with Great Sacred Music followed by an afternoon of featured music from American composers and performers. Finally, join The Classical Station in celebrating America’s birthday with a Monday of friends, fireworks, and traditional Independence Day tunes.
July 14: Bastille Day
Le TriColore, Fair Use, Public Domain
Celebrate all that is French in classical music with a special program of works inspired by French artists or written by French composers. Gossec, Liszt, Farrenc, and Debussy all feature on this day of musique, capped off by a performance of the opera Romeo et Juliet by Charles Gounod with commentary by Dr. Jay Pierson.
August 13-14: Cinema Classics Weekend
Photo by Loren Javier at Madame Tussads
Classical music reaches its widest audience as a feature of film and television, which make those two venues such a vital part of the classical tradition. Follow the state of the art during Cinema Classics Weekend, as we feature the Wagnerian leitmotivs of John Williams, the organic atmospherics of Thomas Newman, and the pulsing minimalism of Hans Zimmer. Listen for classical favorites which have been used to make a moment on screen more exciting, a scene more exciting, or a favorite film more profound.
Clara Schumann, Fair Use, Public Domain
August 26: Women’s Equality Day
The 19th Amendment, which belatedly gave women the right to vote, was signed into law on this date in 1920. Marking this occasion will be a morning featuring works by important composers in classical music who were women. Later in the day, show your own support for the equality of women in the arts by requesting your favorite female composers.