Classical Music Playlist, September 16, 2025
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1880. Source: Library of Congress
The violinist to whom Tchaikovsky dedicated his Violin Concerto called it unplayable and refused to do so. When the Concerto was finally premiered (by a massively under-rehearsed orchestra), one of history’s most notoriously scathing reviews deeply hurt Tchaikovsky who never forgot it: the critic said that the concerto made him realize that there could be music “whose stink one can hear.” Thankfully, time has been very much on Tchaikovsky’s side and his Violin Concerto is now a staple of the repertoire. For today’s Midday Masterpiece we’ll play a recording of this concerto with violinist Nathan Millstein who was a student of that original dedicatee.
6:00 a.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 10 in C major Opus 6
Musica Amphion; Pieter-Jan Belder, conductor
6:13 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major K 332 (FROM THE RUSSELL KLETZING COLLECTION)
Mitsuko Uchida, piano
6:33 a.m.
Paulinho Nogueira
Bachianinha No. 1
Plinio Fernandes, guitar
6:37 a.m.
Paulinho Nogueira; Luiz Gonzaga
Bachianinha No. 2 / Araponga
Plinio Fernandes, guitar
6:39 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata No. 140 "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme": I. Chorale BWV 140 Wachet auf,ruft uns die Stimme
The Bach Ensemble; Joshua Rifkin, conductor
6:47 a.m.
Tielmann Susato
Rondes
New London Consort; Philip Pickett, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Symphony No. 2 in C major J 51
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
7:20 a.m.
George Enescu
Dixtour pour instruments a vent (Dectet for winds) Opus 14
Oslo Wind Soloists
7:41 a.m.
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Colas Breugnon: Overture
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor
7:47 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Africa-Fantasie Opus 89
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor Jean-Philippe Collard, piano
8:00 a.m.
Franz Schubert
Rosamunde Overture Opus 26 D 797 (The Magic Harp)
London Classical Players; Roger Norrington, conductor
8:12 a.m.
Alexander Glazunov
Symphony No. 5: II. Scherzo in Bb major Opus 55
BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra; Tadaaki Otaka, conductor
8:17 a.m.
Alexander Glazunov
Symphony No. 6: III. Intermezzo in C minor Opus 58
BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra; Tadaaki Otaka, conductor
8:27 a.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major Opus 102
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Andris Nelsons, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
8:48 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Academic Festival Overture Opus 80
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
9:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Occasional Suite in D major
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
9:18 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K 216
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie; Bruno Weil, conductor Lena Neudauer, violin
9:43 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Romance in F minor Opus 5
Bruce Liu, piano
9:53 a.m.
Bedrich Smetana
BARTERED BRIDE: Dance of the Comedians
Janacek Philharmonic; Theodore Kuchar, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for oboe and violin in C minor BWV 1060
Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor Stephen Hammer, oboe; Catherine Mackintosh, violin
10:16 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique": II. Adagio cantabile in C minor Opus 13
John O'Conor, piano
10:20 a.m.
Scott Joplin
The Entertainer
Lara Downes, piano
10:28 a.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
String Quartet in Eb major
Nash Ensemble
10:49 a.m.
Peter van Anrooy
Piet Hein Rhapsody Piet Hein was a pirate
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kees Bakels, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Edward MacDowell
Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor Opus 23
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor Andre Watts, piano
11:28 a.m.
Manuel Ponce
Estrellita
State of Mexico Symphony; Enrique Batiz, conductor
11:32 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
Symphony No. 3 "Ilya Muromets": III. At the Court of Vladimir the Mighty Sun in B minor Opus 42
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Edward Downes, conductor
11:41 a.m.
Francesco Geminiani
Concerto Grosso "La Follia" in D minor
Les Violons du Roy; Bernard Labadie, conductor
11:53 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO Overture K 384
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
12:00 p.m.
Anton Arensky
Piano Quintet: Scherzo Opus 51
Ying Quartet Adam Neiman, piano
12:12 p.m.
Joaquin Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra; Gabor Takacs-Nagy, conductor Raphael Feuillatre, guitar
12:37 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture
Champs-Elysees Theatre Orchestra; Philippe Herreweghe, conductor
12:55 p.m.
Florence Price
Symphony No. 1: I. Allegro ma non troppo in E minor
Philadelphia Orchestra; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor
1:16 p.m.
Dorothy Howell
Piano Concerto in D minor in D minor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Rebecca Miller, conductor Danny Driver, piano
1:39 p.m.
Elena Kats-Chernin
Russian Rag
Sydney Alpha Ensemble; David Stanhope, conductor
1:43 p.m.
Ethel Smyth
THE BOATSWAIN'S MATE: Overture
BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Rumon Gamba, conductor
1:52 p.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Piano Trio: IV. Finale in D minor
Nash Ensemble
2:00 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D major Opus 35
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; William Steinberg, conductor Nathan Milstein, violin
2:34 p.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Libertango
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Edward Gardner, conductor Alison Balsom, trumpet
2:41 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 17 "Tempest": III. Allegretto in D minor Opus 31/2
Andras Schiff, piano
2:52 p.m.
Karen LeFrak
Miami Concerto: I. Bailamos
Orchestra of St. Luke's; Enrico Lopez-Ya�ez, conductor Sharon Isbin, guitar
3:00 p.m.
Gioachino Rossini
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE: Overture (IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Claudio Abbado, conductor
3:10 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major K 488
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Budapest; Janos Rolla, conductor Zoltan Kocsis, piano
3:37 p.m.
Claude Debussy
Petite suite
Ulster Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
3:53 p.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Festive Overture Opus 96
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor
4:01 p.m.
Gustav Holst
St. Paul's Suite Opus 29/2
English String Orchestra; William Boughton, conductor
4:16 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Symphonic Variations Opus 78
Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
4:42 p.m.
Julie Cooper
Firedove
The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge Anna Lapwood, organ; Elena Urioste, violin
4:50 p.m.
Mauro Giuliani
Guitar Concerto No. 3: III. Polonaise. Allegretto in F major Opus 70
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor Pepe Romero, guitar
5:00 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphonic Dances Opus 45
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
5:35 p.m.
John Williams
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
5:40 p.m.
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1 "Classical" in D major Opus 25
Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Claudio Abbado, conductor
5:54 p.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Abu Hassan Overture J 106
Hanover Band; Roy Goodman, conductor
5:59 p.m.
Edvard Grieg
Symphony in C minor
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
6:33 p.m.
Lars-Erik Larsson
Little Serenade Opus 12
Swedish Chamber Orchestra; Petter Sundkvist, conductor
6:45 p.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Melodie (Allegretto) No. 2 in C# minor Opus 4/2
Betty Ann Miller, piano
6:47 p.m.
Marie Awadis
Etude No. 3: Ballade
Marie Awadis, piano
6:52 p.m.
Anna Clyne
Shorthand REDUX
The Knights; Eric Jacobsen, conductor Yo Yo Ma, cello
