Classical Music Playlist, May 12, 2026
Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 in Tsarist Russia and became a fast-maturing adolescent with the arrival of the 1917 Russian revolution that changed life into the Soviet system of deprivation and civil war. And while his formal conservative musical education never advanced past about 1905, he absorbed new early 20th century ideas and served them up in his music with scathing opinion and biting humor (which got him in trouble with Soviet authorities). Written as a conservatory graduation requirement, the 19 year old Shostakovich's First Symphony enjoyed a spectacular premiere 100 YEARS AGO TODAY in Leningrad and established his reputation abroad the following year. On the 100th anniversary of its premiere, the Symphony No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Johann Fischer
THE JOURNAL OF SPRING: Suite No. 2
L'Orfeo Barokorkester; Michi Gaigg, conductor
6:10 a.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Symphony No. 2 "Fate" (Fatum) in D minor
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
6:39 a.m.
William Byrd
Dance Suite arranged for Guitar Quartet
Buffalo Guitar Quartet
6:52 a.m.
Gioachino Rossini
TANCREDI: Overture
National Philharmonic Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Adolphe Adam
SI J'ETAIS ROI (If I were King) Overture
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
7:08 a.m.
Juan Arriaga
Symphony in D minor
Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, conductor
7:39 a.m.
Teresa Carreno
Un reve en mer A dream at sea
Sarah Cahill, piano
7:44 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major Opus 3/3 RV 310
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Simon Standage, violin
7:52 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
DON GIOVANNI Overture K 527
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Christian Baldini, conductor
8:00 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
In Nature's Realm Overture Opus 91
Janacek Philharmonic; Theodore Kuchar, conductor
8:14 a.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Pines of Rome
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor
8:37 a.m.
Scott Joplin
Solace
Lara Downes, piano; Joe Brent, vihuela
8:42 a.m.
Frederic Chopin
Nocturne No. 2 in Eb major Opus 9/2
Seong-Jin Cho, piano
8:47 a.m.
Georg Philipp Telemann
Concerto for trumpets, oboes, strings and timpani in D major TWV 54:D3
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Hakan Hardenberger, trumpet; Michael Laird, trumpet; William Houghton, trumpet
8:59 a.m.
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 7 in C# minor Opus 131
Berlin Philharmonic; Seiji Ozawa, conductor
9:33 a.m.
Aaron Copland
Our Town
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
9:43 a.m.
Ignaz Moscheles
Anticipations of Scotland: A Grand Fantasia Opus 75
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
10:00 a.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
BBC Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Davis, conductor
10:16 a.m.
Franz Berwald
Symphony No. 1 "Sinfonie serieuse" in G minor
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
10:48 a.m.
Tessa Lark
Applachian Fantasy
Tessa Lark, violin
10:52 a.m.
John Williams
The Reivers: Main Title
Studio Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
10:59 a.m.
Cecile Chaminade
Concertpiece (Concertstuck) in C# minor Opus 40
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Rebecca Miller, conductor Danny Driver, piano
11:15 a.m.
Xuefei Yang
Xinjiang Fantasy
Xuefei Yang, guitar
11:20 a.m.
Mel Bonis
Le Ruisseau Opus 21 stream/brook/creek
WDR Symphony Orchestra; Joseph Bastian, conductor Women of the WDR Choir
11:24 a.m.
Ethel Smyth
String Quintet in E major Opus 1
Mannheim String Quartet
11:52 a.m.
Elena Kats-Chernin
Ancient Letters: I. Tiger Cub
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Johannes Fritzsch, conductor Tamara-Anna Cislowska, piano
12:00 p.m.
Giovanni Paisiello
Concerto for Mandolin in Eb major
Il Giardino Armonico; Giovanni Antonini, conductor Avi Avital, mandolin
12:18 p.m.
John Blow
Chaconne No. 4 in G major
Musica Antiqua Koln; Reinhardt Goebel, conductor
12:23 p.m.
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 5 in Bb major D 485
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
12:52 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Danse Macabre Opus 40
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Lorin Maazel, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Claude Debussy
Petite Suite
Lyon National Orchestra; Jun Markl, conductor
1:14 p.m.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Fantasie Polonaise Opus 19
Polish National Radio Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor Janina Fialkowska, piano
1:37 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 6 in G minor Opus 6/6 HWV 324
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra; Ton Koopman, conductor
1:53 p.m.
Erik Satie
Gymnopedies Nos. 1 & 3
English Chamber Orchestra; Paul Tortelier, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 1 in F minor Opus 10
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
2:35 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Piano Sonata No. 48: I. Allegro con brio in C major HOB 16/35
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano
2:42 p.m.
Hamilton Harty
In Ireland
Ulster Orchestra; Bryden Thomson, conductor Colin Fleming, flute; Denise Kelly, harp
2:52 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sinfonia (Konzertsatz) in D major BWV 1045
Brandenburg Consort; Roy Goodman, conductor
2:59 p.m.
Alexander MacKenzie
Twelfth Night Opus 40
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Martyn Brabbins, conductor
3:19 p.m.
Gabriel Faure
Pavane Opus 50
Seattle Symphony; Ludovic Morlot, conductor
3:25 p.m.
Michael Nyman
In Re Don Giovanni
La Pieta Angele Dubeau, violin
3:28 p.m.
Igor Stravinsky
Pulcinella Suite
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
3:52 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
BARTERED BRIDE: Overture
Janacek Philharmonic; Theodore Kuchar, conductor
4:00 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
SAMSON ET DELILA: Bacchanale Opus 47
Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor
4:08 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major K 488
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor John O'Conor, piano
4:35 p.m.
Louis Theodore Gouvy
Symphonie breve in G minor Opus 58
Saarbrucken Radio Philharmonic Orchestra; Jacques Mercier, conductor
4:50 p.m.
Sergei Prokofiev
Romeo & Juliet: Dance of the Knights Opus 64
Cleveland Orchestra; Lorin Maazel, conductor
4:55 p.m.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2
Canadian Brass
5:00 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Serenade for Strings: I. Andante non troppo in C major Opus 48
St. Petersburg Philharmonic; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
5:09 p.m.
Emmanuel Chabrier
Espana (Spanish Rhapsodie)
Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor
5:16 p.m.
Lalo Schifrin
from La Nouvelle Orleans
Imani Winds
5:21 p.m.
Robert Schumann
Piano Concerto in A minor Opus 54
Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, conductor Murray Perahia, piano
5:52 p.m.
Daniel-Francois Auber
THE BRONZE HORSE: Overture (Le cheval de bronze)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Paray, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Max Bruch
Symphony No. 3 in E major Opus 51
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Kurt Masur, conductor
6:32 p.m.
E. J. Moeran
Whythorne's Shadow
Ulster Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
6:38 p.m.
Lili Boulanger
Prelude in D Flat Major in Db major
Anna Shelest, piano
6:42 p.m.
Charles Ives
Symphony No. 4: III. Fugue
San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
6:50 p.m.
John Williams
STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS: Rey's Theme
Studio Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
6:53 p.m.
Max Richter
In the Garden
La Pieta Angele Dubeau, violin
