Classical Music Playlist, April 2, 2025
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Young Sergei Rachmaninoff had a nervous breakdown after scathing reviews of his Symphony No. 1 in 1897. He was so shaken that he couldn’t compose for three years and eventually sought treatment, including hypnosis, from Dr. Nicolai Dahl, a Russian physician of neurology and psychiatry. After more than three months of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy, Rachmaninoff was again able to compose and wrote his Piano Concerto No. 2 which he dedicated to Dr. Dahl. Premiered in 1901 with the composer as soloist, the work was a smashing success and assured Rachmaninoff’s fame as a composer and the Concerto remains an enduring favorite today. (In 1975, pop singer Eric Carmen wrote his hit “All By Myself” based on a theme in the Concerto’s 2nd movement and Céline Dion had a hit with her cover of that song in 1996).
British pianist Sir Stephen Hough is the soloist in the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 for today’s Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Tomaso Albinoni
Concerto a cinque for oboe and strings in D minor Opus 9/2
Collegium Musicum 90; Simon Standage, conductor Anthony Robson, oboe
6:13 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata" in F minor Opus 57
Claudio Arrau, piano
6:41 a.m.
Philip Glass
String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima": VI. Mishima Closing
Attacca Quartet
6:45 a.m.
Lars-Erik Larsson
Pastoral Suite Opus 19
CBC Vancouver Orchestra; Mario Bernardi, conductor
6:59 a.m.
Arnold Bax
Tintagel
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
7:14 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
The Isle of the Dead Opus 29
St. Petersburg Philharmonic; Mariss Jansons, conductor
7:35 a.m.
Tielmann Susato
Allemaingien (1-3, 5-8)
New London Consort; Philip Pickett, conductor
7:46 a.m.
Franz Liszt
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in F minor
Budapest Symphony Orchestra; Andras Korodi, conductor
7:59 a.m.
Johann Strauss, Jr.
DIE FLEDERMAUS Overture (The Bat)
Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert Von Karajan, conductor
8:09 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphonic Dances Opus 45
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
8:44 a.m.
Aram Khachaturian
Masquerade: Waltz
The Bolshoi Theater Orchestra; Mark Ermler, conductor
8:50 a.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
NABUCCO Overture (Sinfonia)
Philharmonia Orchestra; Tullio Serafin, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor Opus 19
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello; Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
9:37 a.m.
Gabriel Faure
Requiem: V. Agnus Dei Opus 48
La Chapelle Royale; Ensemble Musique Oblique; Philippe Herreweghe, conductor
9:45 a.m.
Mel Bonis
Femmes de Legende: Omphale Opus 86
Anna Shelest, piano
9:50 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Omphale's Spinning Wheel (Le Rouet d'Omphale) Opus 31
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for 2 oboes, 2 violins, bassoon in C major RV 557
Ensemble Zefiro; Alfredo Bernardini, conductor Members of...
10:09 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Poetic Tone Pictures: X. Bacchanalia Opus 85
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
10:13 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Poetic Tone Pictures: VII. Furiant Opus 85
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
10:17 a.m.
Franz Berwald
Symphony No. 1 "Sinfonie serieuse" in G minor
San Francisco Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
10:52 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
EUGENE ONEGIN: Waltz
Staatskapelle Dresden; Hans Vonk, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Suite No. 2 for two pianos Opus 17
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano; Andre Previn, piano
11:24 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Tragic Overture Opus 81
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
11:38 a.m.
Richard Wagner
DIE WALKURE: Magic Fire Music
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Jose Serebrier, conductor
11:47 a.m.
Modest Mussorgsky
Night on Bald Mountain
New York Philharmonic; Giuseppi Sinopoli, conductor
11:59 a.m.
George Enescu
Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major Opus 11
National Orchestra of France; Cristian Macelaru, conductor Alice Sara Ott, piano
12:16 p.m.
Connor Chee
Navajo Vocable No. 4
Angelica Hairston, harp
12:20 p.m.
Leo Brouwer
El Decameron Negro: 1. El arpa del Guerrero
Sharon Isbin, guitar
12:25 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in G minor Opus 43
San Francisco Symphony; Edo de Waart, conductor Zoltan Kocsis, piano
12:49 p.m.
Richard Strauss
SALOME: Dance of the Seven Veils
Cleveland Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Marche Slav Opus 31
Russian National Orchestra; Mikhail Pletnev, conductor
1:09 p.m.
Ernest Chausson
Symphony in Bb major Opus 20
Philharmonia Orchestra; Francesco d'Avalos, conductor
1:41 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto No. 11 in D major Opus 4/11 RV 204
Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor Monica Huggett, violin
1:49 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Trumpet Overture Opus 101
London Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Opus 18
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor Stephen Hough, piano
2:33 p.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Adios Nonino
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Ettore Stratta, conductor El Quinteto Buenos Aires
2:40 p.m.
Johann Friedrich Fasch
Concerto for 2 Horns, 2 Oboes, Bassoon and Strings in F major FWV L: F2
Les Amis de Philippe; Ludger Remy, conductor
2:54 p.m.
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Suite: III. Alla Marcia Opus 11
Philharmonia Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
3:00 p.m.
John Ireland
Epic March
London Symphony Orchestra; Richard Hickox, conductor
3:10 p.m.
Louis Spohr
Clarinet Concerto No. 4 in E minor WOO 20
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Kenneth Sillito, conductor Sabine Meyer, clarinet
3:36 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Vocalise Opus 34/14
Orchestra of St. Luke's; Michael Stern, conductor Joshua Bell, violin
3:41 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Scherzo in D minor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Paavo Jarvi, conductor
3:47 p.m.
John Field
Piano Concerto No. 3: III. Rondo - Tempo di Polacca in Eb major
Concerto Koln; David Stern, conductor Andreas Staier, fortepiano
4:00 p.m.
Engelbert Humperdinck
HANSEL UND GRETEL Overture
Bavarian Radio Symphony; Jeffrey Tate, conductor
4:09 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 "Prague" in D major K 504
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra; Hans Graf, conductor
4:43 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Prelude in C-sharp minor in C# minor Opus 3/2
Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano
4:46 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Prelude in G minor in G minor Opus 23
Yuja Wang, piano
4:51 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for 2 trumpets in C major RV 537
English Chamber Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, conductor Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
5:00 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5: IV. Andante maestoso (Finale) in E minor Opus 64
Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
5:13 p.m.
Santiago de Murcia
La Jota
Richard Savino, guitar; Mauro ReFosco, percussion; Yousif Sheronick, percussion
5:15 p.m.
Clarence Cameron White
Levee Dance
Rachel Barton Pine, violin; Matthew Hagle, piano
5:20 p.m.
William Grant Still
Africa: Symphonic Poem
Fort Smith Symphony; John Jeter, conductor
5:49 p.m.
Arturo Marquez
Danzon No. 2
Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas; Alondra de la Parra, conductor
5:59 p.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No. 1 in D minor Opus 13
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
6:43 p.m.
Agustin Barrios
Vals de Primavera
David Russell, guitar
6:48 p.m.
Mark O'Connor
Appalachia Waltz
Yo Yo Ma, cello; Mark O'Connor, violin; Edgar Meyer, bass
6:55 p.m.
Philip Glass
Modern Love Waltz
Gloria Cheng-Cochran, piano
