We’re doing things a little differently on Preview! this week. It’s Valentine’s Day. Normally, when Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, we would play your requests throughout the day. But, because Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, we only have a few hours available to play your requests. So, we decided to use the first hour of Preview! to squeeze in a few more of your requests! Preview! will actually get underway at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1012) died at age 37, too young to enjoy the popularity his music achieved in Britain. The Catalyst Quartet plays his Fantasy Pieces, Op. 5.

French guitarist Thibaut Garcia has been dazzling listeners for a couple of years now. And he’s only 26 years old. Elizabeth Elliott speaks with Thibaut about his new CD Aranjuez. Then Thibaut plays the popular Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo.

‘one of the most promising young contemporary guitarists’

Classical Guitar

French-Georgian concert pianist Khatia Buniatishvili plays Franz Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 in D flat from her new Sony Classical CD Labyrinth.

We don’t hear very much music for solo viola, but when we do we are always taken with the rich, warm sound this contralto stringed instrument produces. Antoine Tamestit plays the Johannes Brahms’ Viola Sonata in E flat, Op.120 No.2 accompanied by Cedric Tiberghien.

Stephen Hough has delighted The Classical Station’s listeners for many years. This week he plays some Bach for us from his 2020 release Vida Breve. Don’t forget to listen to Greysolynne Hyman’s review of Stephen’s book Rough Ideas.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A rounds out this edition of Preview! with a performance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani.

By Rob Kennedy