Classical Music Playlist, April 20, 2026
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák had initially resisted composing a concerto for cello, thinking the instrument fine within the orchestra but unsuitable as a solo instrument. But hearing a cello concerto by his colleague at the National Conservatory in NYC, Victor Herbert (also the principal cellist in the New York premiere of Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” in 1893), Dvořák changed his mind and the result became a beloved concert hall staple. Composed in New York the year after his “New World Symphony,” Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B-minor is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite No. 1 in G major BWV 1007
Zuill Bailey, cello
6:19 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 22 in Eb major K 482
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Jonathan Biss, piano
6:53 a.m.
Gabriel Olafs
Fantasia for cello and orchestra
Reykjavik Orchestra; Viktor Orri Arnason, conductor Steiney Sigur�ardottir, cello; Gabriel Olafs, piano
6:59 a.m.
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quintet: I. Allegro non troppo in F minor Opus 34
Artemis Quartet Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
7:15 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Sleeping Beauty Suite Opus 66
Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor
7:37 a.m.
Alberto Ginastera
Danzas Argentinas: II. Danza de la moza donosa Opus 2 Dance of the Donosa Girl
Martha Argerich, piano
7:40 a.m.
Alberto Ginastera
Estancia: Malambo
London Symphony Orchestra; Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
7:45 a.m.
Manuel de Falla
Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2
Simon Bolivar Orchestra; Eduardo Mata, conductor
7:59 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Water Music Suite No. 2 in D major HWV 349
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
8:10 a.m.
Jan Kalliwoda
Symphony No. 2 in Eb major Opus 17
Cologne Academy; Michael Alexander Willens, conductor
8:39 a.m.
ANONYMOUS
Dance
The Dufay Collective
8:43 a.m.
Joe Hisaishi
Rain
La Pieta Angele Dubeau, violin
8:49 a.m.
Alexander Borodin
PRINCE IGOR Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra; Geoffrey Simon, conductor
9:00 a.m.
Niels Gade
Symphony No. 1 in C minor Opus 5
Stockholm Sinfonietta; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
9:33 a.m.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Vocalise Opus 34/14
Evgeny Kissin, piano
9:41 a.m.
Joseph Fiala
Concerto for Oboe in Bb major
Prague Chamber Orchestra; Frantisek Vajnar, conductor Jiri Krejci, oboe
10:00 a.m.
Hubert Parry
Symphonic Variations
Scottish National Orchestra; Andrew Penny, conductor
10:13 a.m.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: I. Preludio W284 Introdu��o
Nelson Freire, piano
10:16 a.m.
Agustin Barrios
Maxixe
Xuefei Yang, guitar
10:21 a.m.
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 4 "Tragic" in C minor D 417
Staatskapelle Dresden; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
10:52 a.m.
Reinhold Gliere
Ballad Opus 4
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Vassily Sinaisky, conductor Peter Dixon, cello
10:59 a.m.
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Serenade in F major Opus 31
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
11:33 a.m.
Gentil Montana
Suite Colombiana No. 2: II. Guabina Viajera (Traveller Guabina)
Jose Antonio Escobar, guitar
11:39 a.m.
Isaac Alderson
Waltz No. 1
Ensemble Galilei
11:43 a.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard Concerto No. 4 in A major BWV 1055
Australian Chamber Orchestra; Richard Tognetti, conductor Angela Hewitt, piano
11:58 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Suite Opus 11
Helsinki Philharmonic; Okko Kamu, conductor
12:16 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso "Alexander's Feast" in C major HWV 318
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
12:30 p.m.
George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
BBC Symphony Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
12:47 p.m.
Kurt Atterberg
Symphony No. 3 "West Coast Pictures": II. Storm in D Opus 10
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; Sixten Ehrling, conductor
1:00 p.m.
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1 "Classical" in D major Opus 25
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
1:15 p.m.
Camille Saint-Saens
Carnival of the Animals
Philharmonia Orchestra; Sir Charles Groves, conductor Leslie Pearson, piano; Michael Reeves, piano; George Ives, cello; Kenneth Smith, flute
1:38 p.m.
Morten Lauridsen
Les Chansons des Roses: Dirait-on
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
1:42 p.m.
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Solitude
La Pieta Angele Dubeau, violin
1:48 p.m.
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 4: IV. Allegro energico e passionato in E minor Opus 98
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor
2:00 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Cello Concerto in B minor Opus 104
London Symphony Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor Raphael Wallfisch, cello
2:41 p.m.
Franz Liszt
Liebestraume: Nocturne No. 3 in Ab major S 541
Claudio Arrau, piano
2:47 p.m.
Johann Christian Bach
Sinfonia, Op. 18, No. 1 in Eb major Opus 18/1
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; David Zinman, conductor
3:00 p.m.
George Enescu
Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major Opus 11
National Orchestra of France; Cristian Macelaru, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
3:09 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 5 in D major Opus 6 HWV 323
Les Violons du Roy; Bernard Labadie, conductor
3:25 p.m.
Bernhard Crusell
Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in F minor Opus 5
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Okko Kamu, conductor Martin Frost, clarinet
3:48 p.m.
Gioachino Rossini
THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS: Overture
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
3:57 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 25 in G minor K 183
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor
4:20 p.m.
Ottorino Respighi
The Magic Pot: Suite (La pentola magica)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Adriano, conductor
4:38 p.m.
Antonio Vivaldi
Oboe Concerto No. 12 in C major RV 449
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Paul Goodwin, oboe
4:48 p.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Carnival Overture Opus 92
Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor
4:59 p.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Piano Trio in D minor Opus 11
Nash Ensemble
5:24 p.m.
Edvard Grieg
String Quartet No. 2 (unfinished): II. Allegro scherzando in F major
Oslo Camerata; Stephan Barratt-Due, conductor
5:33 p.m.
Charles Stanford
Irish Rhapsody No. 4 in A minor Opus 141
Ulster Orchestra; Vernon Handley, conductor
5:52 p.m.
Claude Debussy
Scottish March (Marche Ecossaise)
Lyon National Orchestra; Jun Markl, conductor
6:00 p.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Simon Rattle, conductor Nigel Kennedy, violin
6:18 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Concerto Grosso No. 6 in G minor Opus 6/6 HWV 324
Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman, conductor
6:35 p.m.
Jean Sibelius
Pohjola's Daughter Opus 49
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Yoel Levi, conductor
6:50 p.m.
Olivia Belli
Valse
Olivia Belli, piano
6:53 p.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Spring in Buenos Aires (Primavera Portena)
Kremerata Baltica Gidon Kremer, violin
