Classical Music Playlist, January 21, 2026
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935)
By the time Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen wrote his first symphony in 1923 he was already a prominent figure in Norwegian musical life; in fact, he would retire in 1929 from his professional life of composing and conducting for the National Theatre after thirty years and then compose the final two of his three symphonies. Including the Norwegian folk dance the Halling, Halvorsen’s Symphony No. 1 from 1923 is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Georg Philipp Telemann
Overture in G minor TWV 55: g4
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
6:17 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
String Sextet in A major Opus 48
Raphael Ensemble
6:51 a.m.
Jan Kalliwoda
Overture No. 17 in F minor Opus 242
Cologne Academy; Michael Alexander Willens, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Concertpiece for piano and orchestra in F minor Opus 79 (Konzertstuck)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor Nikolai Demidenko, piano
7:16 a.m.
Kurt Atterberg
Symphony No. 4 "Sinfonia piccola" in G minor Opus 14
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra; Ari Rasilainen, conductor
7:39 a.m.
Joe Hisaishi
One Summer's Day (from Spirited Away)
London Symphony Orchestra; Roman Simovic, conductor Joe Hisaishi, piano
7:43 a.m.
Koji Kondo
The Legend of Zelda Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra
7:48 a.m.
Aram Khachaturian
Gayne Ballet Suite
Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
8:02 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto, Op. 4, No. 1 in Bb major Opus 4 RV 383
Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor Monica Huggett, violin
8:11 a.m.
Johan Svendsen
Festival Polonaise (Festpolonese) Opus 12
Latvian National Symphony; Terje Mikkelsen, conductor
8:21 a.m.
Hamilton Harty
Piano Concerto in B minor
Ulster Orchestra; Takuo Yuasa, conductor Peter Donohoe, piano
8:52 a.m.
Gioachino Rossini
TANCREDI: Overture
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
9:00 a.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No. 5 in D major
Philharmonia Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
9:39 a.m.
Paulinho Nogueira; Luiz Gonzaga
Bachianinha No. 2 / Araponga
Plinio Fernandes, guitar
9:41 a.m.
Ernesto Nazareth
Perigoso
Estela Olevsky, piano
9:46 a.m.
Ron Nelson
Courtly Airs and Dances
Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto No. 8 in G minor Opus 8 RV 332
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Simon Standage, violin
10:10 a.m.
Valerie Coleman
Umoja
Imani Winds
10:12 a.m.
Ethel Smyth
THE BOATSWAIN'S MATE: Overture
BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Rumon Gamba, conductor
10:20 a.m.
Ignaz Moscheles
Piano Concerto No. 5 in C major Opus 87
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
10:52 a.m.
Scott Joplin
Treemonisha Overture
Houston Grand Opera Orchestra; Gunther Schuller, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Symphony No. 3 "Organ" in C minor Opus 78
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Charles Munch, conductor Berj Zamkochian, organ
11:36 a.m.
Adam Larrabee
24 Preludes for Banjo: No. 6 "Presto" in c# minor
John Bullard, banjo
11:38 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Finale of Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor BWV 1001
Bela Fleck, banjo; Evelyn Glennie, marimba
11:41 a.m.
John Field
Nocturne No. 10 in E major H 54
Alice Sara Ott, piano
11:48 a.m.
Michael Torke
Sky: I. Lively
Albany Symphony Orchestra; David Alan Miller, conductor Tessa Lark, violin
11:59 a.m.
Hugo Alfven
Mountain King Suite
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Niklas Willen, conductor
12:16 p.m.
Edvard Grieg
PEER GYNT: In the Hall of the Mountain King Opus 23
Staatskapelle Dresden; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
12:20 p.m.
Joaquin Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra; Gabor Takacs-Nagy, conductor Raphael Feuillatre, guitar
12:43 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 14 in A major
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra; Adam Fischer, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
PRECIOSA: Overture J 279
Tapiola Sinfonietta; Jean Jacques Kantorow, conductor
1:08 p.m.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Piano Concerto in A minor Opus 17
Polish National Radio Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor Janina Fialkowska, piano
1:43 p.m.
Henriette Renie
Dance of the Elves (Danse des Lutins)
Xavier de Maistre, harp
1:47 p.m.
Zhen Chen
Dancing in the Rain
Lin Ma, Pipa; Zhen Chen, piano; Elmira Darvarova, violin; Shenghua Hu, violin; Ao Peng, viola
1:51 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
SAMSON ET DELILA: Bacchanale Opus 47
Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
2:36 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo in Eb major Opus 117/1
Orli Shaham, piano
2:42 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for viola d'amore and lute in D minor RV 540
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor Fabio Biondi, viola d'amore; Giangiacomo Pinardi, lute
2:55 p.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
MLADA: Procession of the Nobles
Boston Pops Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
3:01 p.m.
Johannes Bernardus Van Bree
Concert Overture in B minor in B minor
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra; Jac Van Steen, conductor
3:13 p.m.
George Gershwin
Porgy and Bess: Symphonic Picture for Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Antal Dorati, conductor
3:38 p.m.
John Field
Nocturne No. 1 in Eb major H 24
Alice Sara Ott, piano
3:41 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Poetic Tone Pictures: X. Bacchanalia Opus 85
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
3:46 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major BWV 1047
Berlin Academy of Ancient Music Friedemann Immer, baroque trumpet
3:59 p.m.
Richard Wagner
TANNHAUSER Overture
Berlin Philharmonic; Seiji Ozawa, conductor
4:15 p.m.
Francis Poulenc
Piano Concerto
Philharmonia Orchestra; Charles Dutoit, conductor Pascal Roge, piano
4:35 p.m.
Frode Fjellheim
Under the Arctic Moon
Arctic Philharmonic; Christian Kluxen, conductor Eldbjorg Hemsing, violin
4:38 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 1 "Winter Daydreams": III. Scherzo in G minor Opus 13
Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, conductor
4:46 p.m.
Carlos Chavez
Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia India"
Simon Bolivar Orchestra; Eduardo Mata, conductor
4:59 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto No. 1 "a due cori" in Bb major HWV 332
Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor
5:14 p.m.
Gunther Schuller
Suite for Wind Quintet: II. Blues
Reykjavik Wind Quintet
5:15 p.m.
Jason Moran
Cane: IV. Natchitoches to New York
Imani Winds
5:21 p.m.
Jan Dussek
Piano Concerto in Eb major Opus 70
Ulster Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
5:52 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
BARTERED BRIDE: Overture
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major Opus 90
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
6:35 p.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Wasps: Overture
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Vernon Handley, conductor
6:46 p.m.
Alexander Scriabin
Etude No. 1 in C# minor Opus 2/1
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
6:49 p.m.
Charles Fernandez
Ratso Scherzo
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Fernandez, conductor Alan Steinberger, piano
6:53 p.m.
John Williams
STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS: Rey's Theme
Studio Orchestra; John Williams, conductor
6:56 p.m.
Frederic Chopin
Mazurka No. 1 in F# minor Opus 6
Bela Fleck, banjo; Joshua Bell, violin
