Classical Music Playlist, July 24, 2026Full of waltzes in a nostalgic nod to the charms of old Vienna, a concert Suite of music from the 1911 opera “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 15, 2026Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto premiered in 1806 but then languished for decades until Felix Mendelssohn conducted it in 1844, 17 years after Beethoven’s death. It’s today's Midday Masterpiece with Dutch violinist Janine Jansen.
Classical Music Playlist, May 14, 2026Johann Sebastian Bach appealed to popular tastes of his day by incorporating DANCES popular in his time into his Orchestral Suites. No. 4 of those is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 13, 2026The 1904 Concertpiece for Cello and Orchestra by Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher Ernst von Dohnányi is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 12, 2026Completed at just age 19, and today on the 100th anniversary of its premiere, the Symphony No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich is today’s Midday Masterpiece
Classical Music Playlist, May 11, 2026With its charming original melodies in the style of authentic Czech folk music and often cited as among the best in the form alongside the Piano Quintets of Brahms and Schumann, the Piano Quintet No. 2 by Antonín Dvořák is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 8, 2026The 1945 concert suite of music from Igor Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet “The Firebird” is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 7, 2026Brahms and Tchaikovsky shared the birthdate of May 7 (seven years apart). We’re playing music by each throughout the day, with the Brahms Symphony No. 1 for today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, May 6, 2026Innovator Beethoven opens his Piano Concerto No. 4 with a solo piano; and not even dramatically, but “softly, sweetly” (“piano, dolce”) as he noted in the score. It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece with the late Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.
Classical Music Playlist, May 5, 2026For Cinco de Mayo today, a guitar concerto by Mexican composer Manuel Poncé is today's Midday Masterpiece at 2pm. In fact the entire 2pm hour will be all Mexican composers.
Classical Music Playlist, May 4, 2026Based on themes he composed for his earlier 1930s scores to films with stars such as Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and Claude Rains, the 1945 Violin Concerto by Erich Korngold is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
