Classical Music Playlist, February 19, 2026
Béla Bartók and wife Ditta Pásztory-Bartók
Béla Bartók was a superb pianist and his first and last compositions in life were both for the instrument: a waltz he wrote at age 9, and his Piano Concerto No. 3 as he was dying in New York City as a gift for his pianist wife to perform to help support herself after he was gone. In fact, he passed before he completed the last 17 measures, which were completed by a friend and former student. (But at the end of the incomplete score, he did write “The End.”) Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Jean-Philippe Rameau
NAIS: Orchestral Suite (1)
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
6:20 a.m.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Violin Concerto in A major Opus 5/2
Encore Chamber Orchestra; Daniel Hege, conductor Rachel Barton Pine, violin
6:45 a.m.
Enrique Granados
Danzas espanolas No. 7 "Valenciana"
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
6:50 a.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Omphale's Spinning Wheel (Le Rouet d'Omphale) Opus 31
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
7:00 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9: II. Molto Vivace (Scherzo and Trio) in D minor Opus 125
Cleveland Orchestra; Christoph Von Dohnanyi, conductor
7:12 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 25 in G minor K 183
Prague Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
7:40 a.m.
Frederic Chopin
Etude No. 23 "Winter Wind" in A minor Opus 25/11
Murray Perahia, piano
7:43 a.m.
Hans Zimmer
The Frozen Planet
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
7:49 a.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Four Seasons: Winter (L'Inverno) in F minor Opus 8 RV 297
...and friends Janine Jansen, violin
7:58 a.m.
Bedrich Smetana
Ma Vlast: II. The Moldau (Vltava)
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Andre Previn, conductor
8:12 a.m.
Johan Halvorsen
Symphony No. 2 "Fate" (Fatum) in D minor
Bergen Philharmonic; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
8:41 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Poetic Tone Pictures: I. Twilight Way Opus 85
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
8:46 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Rhapsody in G minor Opus 79/2
Emanuel Ax, piano
8:54 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Sleeping Beauty: Waltz from Act I
Bavarian Radio Symphony; Hans Vonk, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable" Opus 29
Danish National Symphony Orchestra; Fabio Luisi, conductor
9:39 a.m.
Pietro Locatelli
Concerto Grosso No. 2 in C minor Opus 1/2
Europa Galante; Fabio Biondi, conductor
9:50 a.m.
Maurice Ravel
Miroirs: Une Barque sur l'Ocean (A Boat on the Ocean)
Berlin Philharmonic; Pierre Boulez, conductor
10:00 a.m.
Jean-Philippe Rameau
LE TEMPLE DE LA GLOIRE: Suite I The Temple of Glory
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
10:19 a.m.
Alexander MacKenzie
Second Scottish Rhapsody Opus 24
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Martyn Brabbins, conductor
10:37 a.m.
Joseph Kraus
Viola Concerto in C major VB 153b
Tapiola Sinfonietta David Aaron Carpenter, viola
10:56 a.m.
Emmanuel Chabrier
Joyous March (Joyeuse Marche)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Hamilton Harty
Comedy Overture
Ulster Orchestra; Takuo Yuasa, conductor
11:15 a.m.
Joaquin Turina
Bullfighter's Prayer (Oracion del Torero) Opus 34
Pacifica Quartet Sharon Isbin, guitar
11:24 a.m.
Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major
Campania Chamber Orchestra; Luigi Piovano, conductor Francesco Nicolosi, piano
11:49 a.m.
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso No. 4 in D major Opus 6
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
11:59 a.m.
Maurice Ravel
Le tombeau de Couperin The tomb of Couperin
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor
12:18 p.m.
Gunther Schuller
Suite for Wind Quintet: II. Blues
Reykjavik Wind Quintet
12:20 p.m.
Leo Delibes
Sylvia: Pizzicato Polka
New Philharmonia Orchestra; Richard Bonynge, conductor
12:23 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 35 "Haffner" in D major K 385
Prague Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
12:44 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture Opus 27
London Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Carlos Simon
Memory of Summer
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra; Klaus Makela, conductor Carlos Simon, piano
1:08 p.m.
Victor Ewald
Quintet No. 1 in Bb minor Opus 5
Center City Brass Quintet
1:22 p.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
1:43 p.m.
Johann Christian Bach
Sinfonia No. 6 in G minor Opus 6/6
Academy of Ancient Music; Simon Standage, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Bela Bartok
Piano Concerto No. 3 SZ 119
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer, conductor Zoltan Kocsis, piano
2:24 p.m.
Vladimir Martynov
The Beatitudes
Kronos Quartet
2:30 p.m.
Richard Strauss
Duet Concertino for clarinet and bassoon AV 147
Staatskapelle Dresden; Rudolph Kempe, conductor Manfred Weise, clarinet; Wolfgang Liebsher, bassoon
2:50 p.m.
William Boyce
Symphony No. 5 in D major Opus 2
Aradia Ensemble; Kevin Mallon, conductor
2:58 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto No. 2 in G minor Opus 3 RV 578
Tafelmusik; Jeanne Lamon, conductor
3:08 p.m.
Anton Reicha
Wind Quintet No. 2 in Eb major Opus 88/2
Albert Schweitzer Quintet
3:34 p.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Phantasy Quintet
Medici String Quartet
3:50 p.m.
Leon Minkus
Don Quixote: Grand pas de deux
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Robert Irving, conductor
3:59 p.m.
Joaquin Rodrigo
Concierto Andaluz for 4 guitars
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor Los Romeros
4:24 p.m.
Harry Thacker Burleigh
From the Southland: I. Through Moanin' Pines
Jeni Slotchiver, piano
4:26 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude and Fugue (from the Well-Tempered Clavier I:02) in C minor BWV 847
Angela Hewitt, piano
4:31 p.m.
Arnold Bax
Tintagel
Ulster Orchestra; Bryden Thomson, conductor
4:47 p.m.
Francesco Tristano
Toccata
Arctic Philharmonic; Christian Kluxen, conductor Francesco Tristano, piano
4:53 p.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
THE SNOW MAIDEN: Dance of the Tumblers
Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, conductor
4:58 p.m.
Aram Khachaturian
Masquerade Suite
Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
5:15 p.m.
Ignaz Moscheles
Piano Concerto No. 7 "Pathetique" in C minor Opus 93
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Howard Shelley, conductor Howard Shelley, piano
5:38 p.m.
Jacques Ibert
Three Brief Pieces (Trois Pieces Breves)
Reykjavik Wind Quintet
5:46 p.m.
Gustav Holst
Suite No. 2 in F major Opus 28
North Texas Wind Symphony; Eugene Corporon, conductor
5:59 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
Church Windows
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Jesus Lopez-Cobos, conductor
6:28 p.m.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Symphony in C major H 659
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; Thomas Hengelbrock, conductor Peter Westermann, oboe; Andreas Staier, harpsichord
6:40 p.m.
John McLaughlin
"The Mediterranean" Concerto for Guitar: 1st movement
London Symphony Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor John McLaughlin, guitar
6:53 p.m.
Clarence Cameron White
Basque Folk Song
Marcus Eley, clarinet; Lucerne DeSa, piano
6:56 p.m.
Leonid Desyatnikov
My Happiness
Gidon Kremer, violin; Vadim Sakharov, piano; Alois Posch, double-bass; Per Arne Glorvigen, bandoneon
