Classical Music Playlist, December 1, 2025
Johannes Brahms c 1862 by Carl Anton Schulz
Within days of the 20 year old Johannes Brahms being introduced to Robert and Clara Schumann in Dusseldorf, Robert wrote an article declaring the young Brahms the next Beethoven, making him instantly famous. But Brahms felt intimidated by Schumann’s declaration. And with Beethoven’s shadow still looming over everyone, Brahms wouldn’t even TRY to compose a symphony before he had more experience. This reticence compelled Brahms to alter music he was writing for a possible first symphony into music for his own instrument, the piano, which he felt more secure to do. He changed the possible symphony’s first movement into a work for piano, then wrote two additional movements to create his Piano Concerto No. 1. It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece featuring the late American pianist Leon Fleisher who first performed this Concerto at age 16 with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Pierre Monteux.
6:00 a.m.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Cello Concerto in A major Wq 172 / H 439
English Chamber Orchestra; Andrew Davis, conductor Matt Haimovitz, cello
6:20 a.m.
Edvard Grieg
Holberg Suite Opus 40
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra; Paavo Jarvi, conductor
6:42 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Rhapsody in G minor Opus 79/2
Emanuel Ax, piano
6:49 a.m.
Georg Philipp Telemann
Concerto for horn and strings in D major
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, conductor Hermann Baumann, horn
7:00 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Vanda: Overture Opus 25
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra; Libor Pesek, conductor
7:09 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 22 in Eb major K 482
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor John O'Conor, piano
7:44 a.m.
Howard Shore
The Forest: 3rd movement
National Arts Centre Orchestra; Alexander Shelley, conductor Milos Karadaglic, guitar
7:51 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Overture in A minor
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
7:59 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique": III. Molto Vivace in B minor Opus 74
Philharmonia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
8:09 a.m.
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 5 in Bb major D 485
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
8:38 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Seasons: December "Christmas" Opus 37
Bruce Liu, piano
8:44 a.m.
Hugo Alfven
Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 "Midsummer Night Vigil" Opus 19
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Paavo Berglund, conductor
8:58 a.m.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Piano Concerto in A minor Opus 17
Polish National Radio Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor Janina Fialkowska, piano
9:33 a.m.
Alessandro Scarlatti
Concerto Grosso No. 3 in F major
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor
9:42 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Aleko: Men's Dance
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Paavo Jarvi, conductor
9:48 a.m.
Gustav Holst
Suite No. 1 in Eb major Opus 28
North Texas Wind Symphony; Eugene Corporon, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Joachim Bernhard Hagen
Lute Concerto in A major
Hopkinson Smith, lute; Chiara Banchini, violin; David Plantier, violin; David Courvoisier, viola; Roel Dieltiens, cello
10:14 a.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tsar's Bride overture
Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, conductor
10:22 a.m.
Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor
Saint Cecilia Chamber Orchestra; Pietro Spada, conductor Pietro Spada, piano
10:49 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Cassazione Opus 6
Tapiola Sinfonietta; Tuomas Ollila, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
Horn Concerto in Bb major Opus 91
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Kurt Masur, conductor Hermann Baumann, horn
11:25 a.m.
Adolfo Mejia
Bambuco en mi in E minor Bambuco in e minor
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
11:28 a.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Baires Promenade
Cortango
11:32 a.m.
Cesar Franck
Variations Symphoniques
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor Jorge Bolet, piano
11:50 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
EURYANTHE Overture Opus 81 J 291
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor
12:00 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
SAMSON ET DELILA: Bacchanale Opus 47
Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor
12:09 p.m.
Richard Strauss
Don Juan Opus 20
Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor
12:26 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K 216
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie; Bruno Weil, conductor Lena Neudauer, violin
12:49 p.m.
Johann Strauss, Jr.
Tales From The Vienna Woods Opus 325 (Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald)
Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Jascha Horenstein, conductor
1:01 p.m.
Johann Scheibe
Sinfonia in D major
Concerto Copenhagen; Andrew Manze, conductor
1:13 p.m.
Franz Krommer
Concerto for two clarinets in Eb major Opus 91
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Kenneth Sillito, conductor Sabine Meyer, clarinet; Julian Bliss, clarinet
1:38 p.m.
Lili Boulanger
Nocturne
Janine Jansen, violin; Itamar Golan, piano
1:41 p.m.
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Suite: III. Alla Marcia Opus 11
Philharmonia Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
1:47 p.m.
Manuel de Falla
Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2
Boston Pops Orchestra; Arthur Fiedler, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Opus 15
Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor Leon Fleisher, piano
2:48 p.m.
Claude Debussy
Reverie
Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
2:53 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Sleeping Beauty: Polonaise from Act III
London Symphony Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor
2:59 p.m.
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5: III. Scherzo in C# minor
Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, conductor Gerd Seifert, horn
3:18 p.m.
Frederic Chopin
Nocturne No. 7 in C# minor Opus 27/1
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano
3:24 p.m.
Alexander Arutiunian
Trumpet Concerto
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Lawrence Renes, conductor Alison Balsom, trumpet
3:40 p.m.
Luigi Boccherini
Quintet for guitar and strings No. 4 "Fandango" in D major G 448
Pacifica Quartet Sharon Isbin, guitar
4:00 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major BWV 1053
Australian Chamber Orchestra Angela Hewitt, piano
4:20 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
4:25 p.m.
Edouard Lalo
Scherzo in D minor
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Yondani Butt, conductor
4:31 p.m.
Erich Korngold
The Sea Hawk (1940) Suite
Oregon Symphony; James DePreist, conductor
4:40 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G major K 525
Les Violons du Roy; Bernard Labadie, conductor
4:59 p.m.
Benjamin Britten
Soirees musicales (Suite after Rossini) Opus 9
National Philharmonic Orchestra; Richard Bonynge, conductor
5:10 p.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 10 in C major Opus 6
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
5:23 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor Opus 44
Philharmonia Orchestra Pascal Roge, piano
5:51 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Farewell of the Guests/Waltz Opus 20
New York Philharmonic; Kurt Masur, conductor
5:59 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 98 in Bb major
English Chamber Orchestra; Jeffrey Tate, conductor
6:30 p.m.
Leos Janacek
Mladi (Youth) for wind Sextet
Carol Wincenc, flute; Allan Vogel, oboe; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Richard Todd, horn; Frank Morelli, bassoon
6:49 p.m.
Vladimir Martynov
The Beatitudes
Kronos Quartet
6:55 p.m.
Dave Brubeck
Softly, William, Softly
Dave Brubeck, piano
