Classical Music Playlist, June 6, 2023
Danish composer Carl Nielsen having fun in 1887 showing four of his temperaments.
At age 24 in 1889 Carl Nielsen began his 16-year position in the second violin section of the Royal Danish Orchestra. Five years later he performed in the orchestra for the premiere of his own First Symphony. He would become a Danish national hero, eventually composing six symphonies that to this day are among the core repertoire of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra who have recently released a 3-CD set of all six symphonies led by Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi. Each day this week, we'll feature one of Nielsen's first five symphonies from this new cycle with the Fifth on his birthday, June 9.
“Carl Nielsen has his own, personal language,” Fabio Luisi says. “At times, it is highly unusual, but it is also witty and profound, and it is highly obvious that the Danish National Symphony Orchestra is extremely familiar with its distinctive characteristics.”
Liner notes from this new recording cycle describes the Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments" as:
A character symphony based on the concept in antiquity of four universal human types: choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic and sanguine.
The four human types correspond exactly to the movements of a symphony. The choleric is depicted in the wildly dynamic opening movement; the phlegmatic is a brief interlude, since the phlegmatic person does not use many words; and the melancholic third movement is naturally the dark, introvert section of the symphony. In the witty final movement, the sanguine type gallops away but, being short-sighted, does not exactly know where the road leads.
Fabio Luisi feels that Carl Nielsen’s humor is quite special: “He really has an urge to be funny! His humor is almost childlike, something that is highly unexpected in a symphonic context, but it is understandable to everyone, irrespective of cultural background.”
The Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments" by Carl Nielsen, from the new cycle recorded by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Luisi, is today's Midday Masterpiece.
The Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments" by Carl Nielsen, from the new cycle recorded by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Luisi, is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Chamber Concerto in C major RV 88
Camerata Koln
6:08 a.m.
Jan Dussek
Piano Concerto in Eb major Opus 70
Ulster Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
6:40 a.m.
Yann Tiersen
Amelie's Waltz
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor Angele Dubeau, violin
6:44 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 7 in Bb major Opus 6/7 HWV 325
Handel & Haydn Society; Christopher Hogwood, conductor
6:59 a.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 8 "Christmas Concerto" in G minor Opus 6
Musica Amphion; Pieter-Jan Belder, conductor
7:14 a.m.
Francesco Molino
Guitar Concerto in E minor Opus 56
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Pepe Romero, guitar
7:39 a.m.
Hugo Wolf
Italian Serenade in G major
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
7:48 a.m.
Valerie Coleman
Umoja
Imani Winds
7:52 a.m.
John Williams
Lincoln: With Malice Toward None
Los Angeles Recording Arts Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
7:58 a.m.
Georges Bizet
L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Jesus Lopez-Cobos, conductor
8:17 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Variations on a Rococo Theme Opus 33
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Lorin Maazel, conductor Yo Yo Ma, cello
8:38 a.m.
Florence Price
Fantasie Negre No. 4 in B minor
Michelle Cann, piano
8:47 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5: I. Allegro con brio in C minor Opus 67
Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
8:54 a.m.
Alberto Ginastera
Estancia: Malambo
Lyon National Orchestra; David Robertson, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Serenade for Strings in E major Opus 22
Prague Philharmonia; Jakub Hrusa, conductor
9:30 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano; ...and friends
9:34 a.m.
Giovanni Punto
Horn Concerto No. 5 in F major
Prague Chamber Orchestra Radek Baborak, horn
9:52 a.m.
Ethel Smyth
THE BOATSWAIN'S MATE: Overture
BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Rumon Gamba, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 25: I. Allegro maestoso in C major K 503
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Jeremy Denk, conductor Jeremy Denk, piano
10:16 a.m.
Peter van Anrooy
Piet Hein Rhapsody
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kees Bakels, conductor
10:26 a.m.
Joe Hisaishi
Merry-Go-Round of Life (from Howl's Moving Castle)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Joe Hisaishi, conductor Alice Sara Ott, piano
10:28 a.m.
Gentil Montana
Suite Colombiana No. 2: IV. Porro
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
10:32 a.m.
Mel Bonis
Piano Quartet No. 1 in Bb major Opus 69
Mozart Piano Quartet
10:58 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Saul: Sinfonia HWV 53
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Trevor Pinnock, organ
11:16 a.m.
Max Richter
Dona Nobis Pacem 2
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor Angele Dubeau, violin
11:21 a.m.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Concerto No. 2 Opus 102
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Yefim Bronfman, piano
11:41 a.m.
Florence Price
Symphony No. 4: III. Juba Dance in D minor
Fort Smith Symphony; John Jeter, conductor
11:47 a.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA: Triumphal March from Act II
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor Chicago Symphony Chorus
12:01 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quintet for piano & winds in Eb major K 452
Radu Lupu, piano; Han de Vries, oboe; George Pieterson, clarinet; Vincente Zarzo, horn; Brian Pollard, bassoon
12:26 p.m.
John Williams
Men of the Yorktown March (from Midway)
Boston Pops Orchestra; Keith Lockhart, conductor
12:33 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for violin, two cellos and strings in C major RV 561
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor Fabio Biondi, violin; Maurizio Naddeo, cello; Antonio Fantinuoli, cello
12:42 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
12:48 p.m.
Clara Schumann
Piano Concerto: III. Finale in A minor Opus 7
The Women's Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor Angela Cheng, piano
12:59 p.m.
Edward Elgar
Introduction and Allegro Opus 47
English Symphony Orchestra; William Boughton, conductor
1:14 p.m.
Frederic Chopin
Waltz No. 1 "Grande Valse Brillante" in Eb major Opus 18
Stephen Hough, piano
1:20 p.m.
Franz Biber
Sonata for 8 trumpets & orchestra in A major
English Chamber Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, conductor Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
1:27 p.m.
Manuel Ponce
Concierto del Sur for guitar and orchestra
Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas; Alondra de la Parra, conductor Pablo Sainz Villegas, guitar
1:55 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Cello Concerto: III. Allegro in A minor RV 419
Basel Chamber Orchestra Anastasia Kobekina, cello
2:00 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 8 in G major Opus 88
Berlin Philharmonic; Rafael Kubelik, conductor Bomsori Kim, violin
2:36 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
String Quintet No. 2: I. Allegro non troppo ma con brio in G major Opus 111
Takacs Quartet Lawrence Power, viola
2:50 p.m.
Margaret Bonds
Spiritual Suite: I. Valley of the Bones
Michelle Cann, piano
2:54 p.m.
Grace Williams
Ballads: II. Alla marcia solenne
BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra; Vernon Handley, conductor
3:00 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 "Eroica": IV. Finale: Allegro molto in Eb major Opus 55
Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
3:11 p.m.
Alessandro Marcello
Oboe Concerto in D minor
Les Violons du Roy; Bernard Labadie, conductor Diane Lacelle, oboe
3:22 p.m.
Agustin Barrios
Vals (Waltz) No. 4 in G major Opus 8/4
Pepe Romero, guitar
3:29 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
The Birds (Gli Uccelli)
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor
3:50 p.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Concertino for clarinet and orchestra in Eb major Opus 26
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Charles Neidich, clarinet
4:00 p.m.
Edvard Grieg
Holberg Suite Opus 40
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
4:20 p.m.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon IX
Empire Brass
4:23 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata No. 29: Sinfonia BWV 29
Brandenburg Consort; Roy Goodman, conductor Paul Nicholson, organ
4:27 p.m.
Elena Kats-Chernin
Re-Inventions: Re-Invention No. 1
La Pieta; Angele Dubeau, conductor
4:33 p.m.
Ernst von Dohnanyi
Symphonic Minutes Opus 36
Buffalo Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
4:49 p.m.
George W. Chadwick
Symphonic Sketches: Jubilee
Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, conductor
4:59 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique": III. Molto Vivace in B minor Opus 74
Kirov Orchestra; Valery Gergiev, conductor
5:09 p.m.
Sade Adu
Love Is Stronger Than Pride
Voces8; Eric Whitacre, conductor Nelson Freire, piano
5:14 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Scherzo capriccioso Opus 66
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
5:29 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
5:54 p.m.
Teng Yu-hsien
Spring Breeze
Xuefei Yang, guitar
5:59 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major HOB VIIb:1
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, conductor Janos Starker, cello
6:26 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture
London Symphony Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth, conductor
6:39 p.m.
Mary Kouyoumdjian
Aghavni: III. 1986
Lara Downes, piano
6:41 p.m.
Gyorgy Ligeti
Bagatelle (from Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet)
Albert Schweitzer Quintet
6:44 p.m.
George Gershwin
I Got Rhythm Variations
Buffalo Philharmonic; JoAnn Falletta, conductor Orion Weiss, piano
6:53 p.m.
Hania Rani; Dobrawa Czocher
Con Moto
Hania Rani, piano; Dobrawa Czocher, cello