Classical Music Playlist, February 2, 2026
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Composer William Grant Still was the first African-American to conduct a major orchestra (1936, Los Angeles Philharmonic). The first to conduct an orchestra in the deep South (1955, New Orleans Philharmonic). The first to have an opera produced by a major company (1949, "Troubled Island," New York City Opera). The first to have an opera broadcast on television (posthumously in 1981, "A Bayou Legend," PBS). And he was the first African-American to have a symphony performed by a major symphony orchestra, his Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American," premiered in 1931 by the Rochester Philharmonic, then played again in 1935 by the New York Philharmonic. It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece as we recognize the start of Black History Month.
6:00 a.m.
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Concerto a 8 in G major Z 186
Il Fondamento; Paul Dombrecht, conductor
6:16 a.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 89 in F major
Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia; Bela Drahos, conductor
6:37 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Clarinet Concerto No. 1: III. Rondo in F minor Opus 73
Staatskapelle Dresden; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor Sabine Meyer, clarinet
7:00 a.m.
Anton Arensky
Piano Quintet: Scherzo Opus 51
Ying Quartet Adam Neiman, piano
7:10 a.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Pines of Rome
Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
7:33 a.m.
Ronn McFarlane
Fermi's Paradox
Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba; Ronn McFarlane, lute
7:38 a.m.
John Williams
E.T. The Extra Terrestial: Flying Theme
London Symphony Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
7:43 a.m.
Robert Schumann
Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G major Opus 92
Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, conductor Murray Perahia, piano
7:59 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No. 3: III. Allegro in A minor Opus 44
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
8:12 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
The Red Poppy [ballet]: Suite
New Jersey Symphony; Zdenek Macal, conductor
8:41 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 1 "Winter Daydreams": III. Scherzo in G minor Opus 13
Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, conductor
8:48 a.m.
Mikhail Glinka
Valse Fantasie
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
8:59 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 7 in A major Opus 92
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
9:39 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for violin, oboe and strings in G minor RV 576
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor Members of...
9:50 a.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO Overture
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Francois Devienne
Flute Concerto No. 9 in E minor
Swedish Chamber Orchestra Patrick Gallois, flute
10:17 a.m.
Edvard Grieg
String Quartet No. 2 (unfinished): II. Allegro scherzando in F major
Oslo Camerata; Stephan Barratt-Due, conductor
10:26 a.m.
Edward Elgar
Nursery Suite Opus
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; Sir Charles Groves, conductor
10:50 a.m.
Johann Friedrich Fasch
Overture in D major
Tempesta di Mare
10:59 a.m.
Aaron Copland
Appalachian Spring
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Robert Spano, conductor
11:24 a.m.
Leo Brouwer
El Decameron Negro: 1. El arpa del Guerrero
Sharon Isbin, guitar
11:30 a.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 52 in C minor
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
11:51 a.m.
Philip Glass
String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima": VI. Mishima Closing
Kronos Quartet
11:54 a.m.
Philip Glass
Symphony No. 3: Movement IV
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
11:59 a.m.
Lars-Erik Larsson
Pastoral Suite Opus 19
CBC Vancouver Orchestra; Mario Bernardi, conductor
12:13 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 7 "Lodron" in F major K 242 "Lodron"
English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Malcolm Bilson, fortepiano; Robert Levin, fortepiano; Melvyn Tan, fortepiano
12:37 p.m.
Jean-Michel Damase
Seventeen Variations for wind quintet
Reykjavik Wind Quintet
12:52 p.m.
Isaac Albeniz
Espana: No. 5 "Capriccio Catalan" Opus 165
Jason Vieaux, guitar
12:56 p.m.
Georges Bizet
CARMEN: Toreador song
Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Petite Suite de Concert Opus 77
Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, conductor
1:14 p.m.
John Field
Piano Concerto No. 2 in Ab major
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor John O'Conor, piano
1:47 p.m.
Francesco Tristano
Toccata
Arctic Philharmonic; Christian Kluxen, conductor Francesco Tristano, piano
1:51 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for two violins, Op. 3, No. 5 in A major Opus 3 RV 519
Tafelmusik; Jeanne Lamon, conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin; Jeanne Lamon, violin
2:00 p.m.
William Grant Still
Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American"
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
2:25 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Serenade for Winds in C minor K 388
Allan Vogel & Kimaree Gilad, oboes; Anthony McGill & Carey Bell, clarinets; Dennis Godburn & Frank Morelli, bassoons; Richard Todd & Brad Warnaar, horns
2:50 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Seasons: February "Carnival" Opus 37
Bruce Liu, piano
2:54 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Aleko: Men's Dance
Moscow Chamber Orchestra; Constantine Orbelian, conductor
3:00 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Ancient Airs and Dances: Suite No. 1
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor
3:16 p.m.
Jessie Montgomery
Voodoo Dolls
Apollo Chamber Players Hector del Curto, bandoneon
3:22 p.m.
Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor
Saint Cecilia Chamber Orchestra; Pietro Spada, conductor Pietro Spada, piano
3:49 p.m.
Fela Sowande
African Suite: Selections
Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, conductor
4:00 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major BWV 1069
La Petite Bande; Sigiswald Kuijken, conductor
4:20 p.m.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Kenneth Silito, conductor Alexandre Lagoya, guitar
4:25 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major Opus 3/3 RV 310
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Simon Standage, violin
4:32 p.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Capriccio Espagnol Opus 34
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
4:48 p.m.
Johan Wagenaar
Twelfth Night Overture Opus 36
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
4:59 p.m.
Adolphus Hailstork
Three Spirituals
Virginia Symphony Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
5:08 p.m.
John Field
Nocturne No. 2 in C minor H 25
Alice Sara Ott, piano
5:11 p.m.
Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet: IV. Finale in Eb major Opus 47
Emerson String Quartet Menahem Pressler, piano
5:20 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake Suite Opus 20
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Herbert Von Karajan, conductor
5:47 p.m.
Alexander Borodin
PRINCE IGOR Overture
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
5:59 p.m.
Ernst von Dohnanyi
Sextet in C major Opus 37
Takacs Quartet Andras Schiff, piano; Radovan Vlatkovic, horn; K�lm�n Berkes, clarinet
6:29 p.m.
Marcel Tyberg
Symphony No. 2: III. Scherzo in F minor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
6:39 p.m.
Wynton Marsalis
Violin Concerto in D: IV. Hootenanny in D
Philadelphia Orchestra; Cristian Macelaru, conductor Nicola Benedetti, violin
6:50 p.m.
Gabriel Faure
Impromptu No. 6 in Db major Opus 86
Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
