Classical Music Playlist, June 9, 2026Ancient theories of four basic personality types inspired the four movements of the Symphony No. 2 titled "The Four Temperaments” by Danish composer Carl Nielsen. For his birthday today, this symphony is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 17, 2026A trip to Italy inspired Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter Hugo Alfvén’s bright and sparkling Symphony No. 3 from 1905. It’s today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 16, 2026The 1894 Symphony No. 3 by American composer George Chadwick that won first prize in a composition competition judged by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 13, 2026What for many decades after its 1930 premiere was called the finest British piano concerto, the Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major by John Ireland, is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 12, 2026The 1836 Symphony No. 4 by widely respected Prague-born composer Jan Kalliwoda is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 11, 2026The Violin Sonata #1 by Johannes Brahms titled "Rain" adapts melodies from his earlier song that is a setting of a poem in which rain inspires nostalgic dreams of childhood. Clara Schumann found it emotionally moving. It's today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 10, 2026What Tchaikovsky considered his best composition, and his final completed work whose premiere he conducted nine days before his death, the “Pathétique” Symphony No. 6 is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 9, 2026With a “ghostly” second movement that may have had its origin in ideas for a possible opera based on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Beethoven’s “Ghost” Piano Trio is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 6, 2026The Symphony No. 6 by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák that made him internationally famous is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 5, 2026Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 is called the “Miracle” symphony because the story goes that no one was hurt at its premiere when a chandelier fell from the ceiling. That did happen, but actually during Haydn’s Symphony No. 102, today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, February 4, 2026Pianists today have described Alexander Scriabin’s 1897 Piano Concerto as "like a dream" (Kiril Gerstein) and "unbelievably, insanely beautiful” (Nikolai Demidenko). It's today's Midday Masterpiece at 2 pm.
