Classical Music Playlist, June 9, 2023
After 16 years in the second violin section of the Royal Danish Orchestra from 1889 when he also composed his first two symphonies, in 1905 Danish composer Carl Nielsen gave up his orchestral position to devote all his time to composition. 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’ve featured one of Nielsen's first five symphonies from this new cycle, ending today on Nielsen’s birthday (1865) with his Fifth Symphony.
“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. 5:
After the [First World] war, Carl Nielsen’s marriage broke down. In this period, haunted by the death and destruction of the war, he composed his Symphony No. 5 (1920–1922), a cosmic battle between light and darkness. The collapse of his private life was not publicly known, and Nielsen was also not prepared to admit that the work was simply a war symphony, although he did state that “no single one of us is the same as before the war.”
The Symphony No. 5 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.
Johann Graun
Horn Concerto in D major
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Barry Tuckwell, horn
6:10 a.m.
Ernest Chausson
Symphony in Bb major Opus 20
Philharmonia Orchestra; Francesco d'Avalos, conductor
6:42 a.m.
Maddalena Casulana
Morir non puo il mio cuore
Palaver Strings
6:44 a.m.
Hazel Scott
Peace of Mind
Lara Downes, piano
6:49 a.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 11 in Bb major Opus 6
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Gabriel Faure
Masques and Bergamasques Opus 112
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
7:15 a.m.
Mauro Giuliani
Grand Quintet (Gran Quintetto) Opus 65
Artaria Quartet Richard Savino, guitar
7:33 a.m.
Max Richter
Summer 1
Berlin Chamber Orchestra; Andre de Ridder, conductor Daniel Hope, violin
7:38 a.m.
Ariel Ramirez
MISA CRIOLLA: II. Gloria
Zurich Chamber Orchestra; Daniel Hope, conductor Daniel Hope, violin; Palau de la Musica vocal quartet
7:45 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
Romance Opus 35/6
Felix Klieser, horn; Christof Keymer, piano
7:49 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 4: IV. Allegro energico e passionato in E minor Opus 98
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
8:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 3 in G major Opus 3/3 HWV 314
Handel & Haydn Society; Christopher Hogwood, conductor
8:09 a.m.
Carl Nielsen
Wind Quintet Opus 43
Emmanuel Pahud, flute; Sabine Meyer, clarinet; Radek Baborak, horn; Jonathon Kelly, oboe; Stefan Schweigert, bassoon
8:36 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 21: III. Allegro vivace assai in C major K 467
London Symphony Orchestra; Colin Davis, conductor Stephen Kovacevich, piano
8:44 a.m.
Elena Kats-Chernin
WILD SWANS: Eliza Aria
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Ola Rudner, conductor Jane Sheldon, soprano
8:48 a.m.
John Williams
E.T.: Adventures on Earth
Los Angeles Recording Arts Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major BWV 1042
Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Manze, conductor Andrew Manze, violin
9:17 a.m.
Clara Schumann
Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann Opus 20
Sarah Cahill, piano
9:31 a.m.
Franz Krommer
Oboe Concerto in F major Opus 37
Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, conductor Alex Klein, oboe
9:54 a.m.
Pat Metheny
Last Train Home (Prelude)
Jason Vieaux, guitar
10:00 a.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Piano Trio: I. Allegro molto vivace in D minor
Nash Ensemble
10:11 a.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 102 in Bb major
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
10:38 a.m.
Philip Glass
Glassworks: Opening
Vikingur Olafsson, piano
10:47 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto, Op. 4, No. 9 in F major Opus 4/9 RV 284
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Simon Standage, violin; Micaela Comberti, violin; Jane Coe, cello
10:55 a.m.
Bear McCreary
Battlestar Galactica: The Shape of Things to Come
studio ensemble; Bear McCreary, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Carl Nielsen
Aladdin Suite Opus 34
San Francisco Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
11:26 a.m.
Cecile Chaminade
Etude Pathetique Opus 124
Joanne Polk, piano
11:31 a.m.
Danny Elfman
Rabbit & Rogue: Gamelan
Berlin Session Orchestra; Joris Buhle, conductor
11:42 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quintet: I. Allegro non troppo in F minor Opus 34
Guarneri Quartet Artur Rubinstein, piano
11:55 a.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Entry March of the Boyars
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
12:01 p.m.
Lars-Erik Larsson
Pastoral Suite Opus 19
CBC Vancouver Orchestra; Mario Bernardi, conductor
12:15 p.m.
Florence Price
Violin Concerto No. 1: III. Allegro in D major
Philadelphia Orchestra; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor Randall Goosby, violin
12:22 p.m.
Mykola Lysenko
Overture to the opera "Taras Bulba"
Anna Shelest, piano; Dmitri Shelest, piano
12:28 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 101 "Clock" in D major
Orchestra of St. Luke's; Charles Mackerras, conductor
12:56 p.m.
Johann Strauss, Jr.
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka "Chit-Chat Polka" Opus 214
Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Jascha Horenstein, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Maurice Ravel
Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conductor
1:17 p.m.
Alexandra Streliski
Elegie
Alexandra Streliski, piano
1:23 p.m.
Gioachino Rossini
Bassoon Concerto
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Karen Geoghegan, bassoon
1:42 p.m.
John McLaughlin
"The Mediterranean" Concerto for Guitar: 1st movement
London Symphony Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor John McLaughlin, guitar
1:55 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Voces8; Eric Whitacre, conductor Nelson Freire, piano
2:00 p.m.
Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 5 Opus 50
Danish National Symphony Orchestra; Fabio Luisi, conductor
2:36 p.m.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2
Chicago Symphony Brass; Mark Ridenour, conductor
2:41 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Trio "Ghost": I. Allegro vivace e con brio in D major Opus 70/1
The Gold Coast Trio Rachel Vetter Huang, violin; Susan Lamb Cook, cello; Hao Huang, piano
2:49 p.m.
Amy Beach
Gaelic Symphony: II. Alla siciliana - allegro vivace - andante in E minor Opus 32
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
2:58 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Havanaise Opus 83
Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor Maria Duenas, violin
3:10 p.m.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Prelude No. 1
Orchestre de Paris; Klaus Makela, conductor Xuefei Yang, guitar
3:16 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jenamy" in Eb major K 271
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
3:47 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Slavonic Dance No. 7 in C minor Opus 46
Cleveland Orchestra; Christoph Von Dohnanyi, conductor
3:52 p.m.
Frederick Delius
KOANGA: La Calinda
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Christopher Seaman, conductor
3:58 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 103 "Drum Roll" in Eb major
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra; Jesus Lopez-Cobos, conductor
4:27 p.m.
Robert Schumann
Kinderszenen: Traumerei (Dreaming) Opus 15/7
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
4:31 p.m.
Leo Delibes
Sylvia: Procession of Bacchus from Act III
San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
4:38 p.m.
Alexander Borodin
PRINCE IGOR: Polovetsian Dances
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Robert Shaw, conductor Atlanta Symphony Chorus; Robert Shaw Festival Singers
4:51 p.m.
Luigi Boccherini
Quintet for guitar and strings No. 4: III. Fandango in D major G 448
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (members of) Pepe Romero, guitar
5:00 p.m.
Florence Price
Violin Concerto No. 2
Philadelphia Orchestra; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor Randall Goosby, violin
5:17 p.m.
Franz Schubert
Impromptu No. 2 in Eb major Opus 90/2 D 899
Maria Joao Pires, piano
5:23 p.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral": I. Allegro ma non troppo in F major Opus 68
Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
5:35 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Ancient Airs and Dances: Suite No. 2
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Neville Marriner, conductor
5:54 p.m.
Giacomo Puccini
Turandot: Nessun Dorma
Academy of Saint Cecilia Orchestra & Chorus; Antonio Pappano, conductor Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
5:59 p.m.
Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia semplice" FS 116
Danish National Symphony Orchestra; Fabio Luisi, conductor
6:35 p.m.
John Williams
The BFG (from The BFG)
Los Angeles Recording Arts Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
6:44 p.m.
Mohammed Fairouz
Piano Miniature No. 6, Addio
Lara Downes, piano
6:47 p.m.
Philip Glass
Etude 2
Vikingur Olafsson, piano
6:54 p.m.
Deadmau5
I Remember
Canadian Brass