Classical Music Playlist, May 6, 2026
Michael Tilson Thomas | Photo: Vahan Stepanyan
Beethoven opens his Piano Concerto No. 4 not with a traditional orchestral introduction but with a solo piano; and not even dramatically, but “softly, sweetly” as he noted in the score [“piano, dolce”]. No one had ever started right off with the solo instrument before. The public premiere of this Concerto was also a notable marathon event: in a 4-½ hour concert, Beethoven also gave world premieres of his 5th and 6th symphonies, his “Choral Fantasy” and more. It was also his final performance as a piano soloist in a work with orchestra because of his worsening hearing loss. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 is today’s Midday Masterpiece with the late Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.
6:00 a.m.
Johann Friedrich Fasch
Overture in D major
Tempesta di Mare
6:09 a.m.
Ethel Smyth
String Quintet in E major Opus 1
Mannheim String Quartet
6:36 a.m.
Sergio Assad
Farewell
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
6:40 a.m.
Richard Wagner
Siegfried Idyll
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Cesar Franck
Variations Symphoniques
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor Andrew Litton, piano
7:16 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 40: I. Molto Allegro in G minor K 550
Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic; Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor
7:44 a.m.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Five Negro Melodies: 2. I was way down a-yonder
Neave Trio
7:47 a.m.
Georges Bizet
CARMEN: Toreador song
Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, conductor
7:51 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Overture Opus 10
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor
8:00 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Egmont Overture Opus 84
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
8:09 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb minor Opus 23
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor Andras Schiff, piano
8:44 a.m.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon VIII
Empire Brass
8:50 a.m.
Michael Torke
Javelin
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Arthur Bliss
A Colour Symphony
Ulster Orchestra; Vernon Handley, conductor
9:33 a.m.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Romance in G major Opus 39
Chineke! Orchestra; Kevin John Edusei, conductor Elena Urioste, violin
9:44 a.m.
Frederick the Great
Flute Concerto in C major
C. P. E. Bach Chamber Orchestra; Peter Schreier, conductor Patrick Gallois, flute
10:00 a.m.
Frederic Chopin
Fantasy on Polish Airs in A major Opus 13
Warsaw Philharmonic; Kazimierz Kord, conductor Garrick Ohlsson, piano
10:15 a.m.
Isaac Albeniz
Asturias (Leyenda) - from "Suite Espanola" Opus 47
Raphael Feuillatre, guitar
10:22 a.m.
Gentil Montana
Suite Colombiana No. 2: IV. Porro
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
10:26 a.m.
Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 1 in G minor Opus 7
Royal Danish Orchestra; Paavo Berglund, conductor
10:59 a.m.
Charles Gounod
Petite Symphonie for winds in Bb major
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Christopher Hogwood, conductor
11:21 a.m.
William Grant Still
Suite for Violin and Piano: II. Mother and Child
Rachel Barton Pine, violin; Matthew Hagle, piano
11:27 a.m.
Lili Boulanger
2 Pieces for Violin and Piano (arr for cello & piano)
Matt Haimovitz, cello; Mari Kodama, piano
11:33 a.m.
Giacomo Puccini
Capriccio Sinfonico
Philharmonic of La Scala; Riccardo Muti, conductor
11:47 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 2 in F major Opus 6/2 HWV 320
Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman, conductor
11:59 a.m.
Benjamin Britten
Gloriana: Courtly Dances
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor
12:11 p.m.
Cecile Chaminade
Arabesque Opus 61
Anna Shelest, piano
12:15 p.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Entry March of the Boyars
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
12:21 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Sinfonia concertante in Bb major HOB 105
Cologne Chamber Orchestra; Helmut Muller-Bruhl, conductor Christian Hommel, oboe; Martin Kevenhorster, bassoon; Winfred Rademacher, violin; Oren Shevlin, cello
12:42 p.m.
Franz Liszt
Les Preludes (Symphonic Poem #3) S 97
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Capriccio No. 2 in G major Z 183
Bern Camerata; Alexander van Wijnkoop, conductor
1:13 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 "Prague" in D major K 504
Prague Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
1:49 p.m.
Tobias Hume
Life
Ensemble Galilei
1:51 p.m.
George Gershwin
PORGY AND BESS: It Ain't Necessarily So
Duo Sonidos
1:55 p.m.
Erik Satie
Gymnopedie No. 1
Pascal Roge, piano
2:00 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major Opus 58
San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano
2:35 p.m.
Louise Farrenc
Nonette in E-flat: I. Adagio - Allegro in Eb major Opus 38
Minerva Chamber Ensemble; Kevin Geraldi, conductor
2:48 p.m.
Fela Sowande
African Suite: Selections
Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, conductor
3:00 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 39 in G minor
Heidelberg Symphony; Thomas Fey, conductor
3:18 p.m.
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
Bassoon Concerto in D major
Le Concert Spirituel; Herve Niquet, conductor Laurent Le Chenadec, bassoon
3:26 p.m.
Emmanuel Chabrier
Pastoral Suite (Suite Pastorale)
Ulster Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
3:46 p.m.
Elena Kats-Chernin
Fast Blue Village 2
Del Sol String Quartet
3:52 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
EUGENE ONEGIN: Waltz
New York Philharmonic; Kurt Masur, conductor
3:59 p.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Capriccio Espagnol Opus 34
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
4:15 p.m.
Aaron Copland
Appalachian Spring
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
4:42 p.m.
Manuel Ponce
Romantic Sonata: III. Musical Moment (Sonata romantica "Hommage a Franz Schubert")
Marcin Dylla, guitar
4:45 p.m.
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Les Cyclopes ("Cyclops")
Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic Raphael Feuillatre, guitar
4:50 p.m.
Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet: IV. Finale in Eb major Opus 47
Emerson String Quartet Menahem Pressler, piano
4:59 p.m.
Gabriel Faure
Dolly Suite Opus 56
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Seiji Ozawa, conductor
5:18 p.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Summer in Buenos Aires (Verano Porteno)
A Far Cry Jason Vieaux, guitar; Julien Labro, bandoneon
5:26 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
American Suite in A major Opus 98
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer, conductor
5:47 p.m.
Georges Bizet
Carmen Suite No. 1
Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Louise Farrenc
Piano Trio No. 1 in Eb major Opus 33
Neave Trio
6:36 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 7 in F major
Staatskapelle Berlin; Otmar Suitner, conductor
6:37 p.m.
Gisle Kverndokk
Symphonic Dances: II. Waltz
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (sta VAHN ger); Ken-David Masur, conductor
6:43 p.m.
Vassili Kalinnikov
Intermezzo No. 1 for orchestra in F# minor
London Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
6:50 p.m.
Undine Smith Moore
Afro-American Suite for Flute, Cello, and Piano: III. Adagio ma appossionato
Mallarme Chamber Players
6:54 p.m.
Rachel Portman
Flight
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor Francine Kay, piano
