Classical Music Playlist, May 21, 2025
Edward Elgar and Adrian Boult at Abbey Road Studios, May 1932
Edward Elgar dedicated his 1911 symphony No. 2 to the memory of Edward VII who died in May 1910. But Elgar told friends that the symphony represented everything that had happened to him from April 1909 to February 1911, from the people he was with and the places he visited. These included visits to Venice and the ruins of the castle Tintagel on the coast in the Southwest of England. He wrote the names of both these places on the score. The 24 May 1911 premiere of the Symphony No. 2 was not a success for many proposed reasons: high ticket prices, recent Elgar concerts, and that rising industrial, political and social unrest of the early 1900s seemed to make its way into the brooding introspection of the music. At the time, the public favored optimistic anticipation toward the coronation of George V less than a month away (22 June 1911). Despite positive reviews of the premiere, the symphony didn't fare well until Sir Adrian Boult conducted the symphony after the Great War in 1920 when the music was received with, as Alice Elgar said, "frantic enthusiasm," and Elgar put all confidence in Sir Adrian to carry the composer's positive reputation forward. Adrian Boult recorded the Elgar Symphony No. 2 five times, and his mid-1970s recording of it is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Francesco Geminiani
Concerto Grosso No. 9 in A major Opus 7/9
Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Manze, conductor
6:11 a.m.
Ernest Chausson
Symphony in Bb major Opus 20
Philharmonia Orchestra; Francesco d'Avalos, conductor
6:43 a.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Histoire du Tango: II. Cafe 1930
Manuel Barrueco, guitar; Emmanuel Pahud, flute
6:51 a.m.
Gioachino Rossini
TANCREDI: Overture
National Philharmonic Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
6:59 a.m.
Ignaz Moscheles
Recollections of Ireland Opus 69
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
7:15 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Serenade for Strings in C major Opus 48
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
7:46 a.m.
John Field
Nocturne No. 2 in C minor H 25
Alice Sara Ott, piano
7:49 a.m.
Lucas Saboya
Zamba Negra (from Suite Ernestina)
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
7:54 a.m.
Alexander Glazunov
Symphony No. 5: II. Scherzo in Bb major Opus 55
BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra; Tadaaki Otaka, conductor
8:00 a.m.
Michael Torke
Javelin
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
8:10 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 18 in Bb major K 456
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
8:41 a.m.
Claude Debussy
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (from Preludes, Book I: No. 8) (La fille aux cheveux de lin)
Empire Brass
8:43 a.m.
John Williams
STAR WARS - ATTACK OF THE CLONES: Across the Stars (Love Theme)
London Symphony Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
8:50 a.m.
Franz Von Suppe
Light Cavalry Overture
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Gustav Kuhn, conductor
8:59 a.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" in A minor Opus 56
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Christoph Von Dohnanyi, conductor
9:37 a.m.
Esther Abrami
Transmissions
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Irene Delgado-Jimenez, conductor Esther Abrami, violin
9:42 a.m.
Grace Williams
Penillion
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Charles Groves, conductor
10:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 10 in D minor Opus 6/10 HWV 328
Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman, conductor
10:13 a.m.
William Grant Still
Vignettes for oboe, bassoon and piano
Sierra Winds
10:26 a.m.
Ernest Farrar
Rhapsody No. 1 "The Open Road" Opus 9
Philharmonia Orchestra; Alasdair Mitchell, conductor
10:37 a.m.
Edward Elgar
In The South (Alassio) overture Opus 50
BBC Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
10:59 a.m.
Louise Farrenc
Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor Opus 34
Linos Ensemble
11:27 a.m.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: I. Preludio W284
Plinio Fernandes, guitar
11:30 a.m.
Adam Larrabee
24 Preludes for Banjo: No. 8 "80s Rock Groove" in eb minor
John Bullard, banjo
11:33 a.m.
Henry Purcell
Dioclesian Suite ("The Prophetess")
Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, conductor
11:48 a.m.
Gabriel Faure
Papillon Opus 77
Yo Yo Ma, cello; Kathryn Stott, piano
11:51 a.m.
Emmanuel Chabrier
Bourree Fantasque
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
11:59 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4: IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco in F minor Opus 36
Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
12:09 p.m.
Madeleine Dring
Colour Suite: IV. Blue Air
Sarah Cahill, piano
12:12 p.m.
Francesco Tristano
Toccata
Arctic Philharmonic; Christian Kluxen, conductor Francesco Tristano, piano
12:17 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 100 "Military" in G major
Philharmonia Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
12:40 p.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Three Portraits from "The England of Elizabeth"
London Symphony Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Pieter Hellendaal
Concerto Grosso in F major Opus 3/3
Combattimento Consort; Jan Willem de Vriend, conductor
1:11 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 25 in G minor K 183
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
1:33 p.m.
Robert Schumann
Concertpiece for 4 horns & orchestra in F major Opus 86
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Barenboim, conductor Horn Section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
1:53 p.m.
Ron Nelson
Rocky Point Holiday
Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Edward Elgar
Symphony No. 2 in Eb major Opus 63
London Symphony Orchestra; Adrian Boult, conductor
2:54 p.m.
Francesco Tristano
On John Bull's Galliard In D
Basel Chamber Orchestra; Irene Delgado-Jimenez, conductor Francesco Tristano, piano
2:59 p.m.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Symphony in G Major in G major
Tafelmusik; Jeanne Lamon, conductor
3:14 p.m.
Rebecca Clarke
Morpheus
Philip Dukes, viola; Sophia Rahman, piano
3:23 p.m.
Michael Torke
Bright Blue Music
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; David Zinman, conductor
3:33 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
String Quartet No. 12 "American" in F major Opus 96
Takacs Quartet
4:00 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
4:19 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Serenade for Winds in Eb major K 375
Winds of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
4:44 p.m.
Florence Price
Fantasie Negre (No. 1) in E minor
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano
4:53 p.m.
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Violin Concerto: III. Finale "Rondo in the Lapland Style" in F# minor
Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra; Michail Jurowski, conductor Ulf Wallin, violin
5:00 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major BWV 1068
La Petite Bande; Sigiswald Kuijken, conductor
5:22 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Fountains of Rome
Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
5:38 p.m.
Cecile Chaminade
Concertpiece (Concertstuck) in C# minor Opus 40
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Rebecca Miller, conductor Danny Driver, piano
5:54 p.m.
Richard Wagner
DIE WALKURE: Ride of the Valkyries
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra; Mariss Jansons, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115
Pacifica Quartet Anthony McGill, clarinet
6:39 p.m.
Igor Stravinsky
Suite No. 1
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor
6:44 p.m.
Frederick Delius
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Welsh National Opera Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
6:52 p.m.
Gentil Montana
Suite Colombiana No. 2: III. Bambuco
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
6:55 p.m.
TRADITIONAL
Scarborough Fair
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello; Plinio Fernandes, guitar
