Midday Music, Thursday 2/26/09

11 AM

• Beethoven: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat, Op. 130. Guarneri Quartet. Philips 422 059.
• Milhaud: Suite for clarinet, violin and piano. Klug, Tait, Hobson. Arabesque 6569.

12 N

• Liszt: Les Preludes (Symphonic Poem No. 3). Gewandhaus Orch, Masur. EMI 64850.
  
• Haydn: Die Schöpfung (The Creation): Beginning & end of Part 1. Chicago Sym Orch & Chorus, Lippert, Solti. London 443 445.
  
• Honegger: Pastoral d'été. New Zealand Sym, Yuasa. Naxos 8.555974.
  
• Verdi: Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore. Atlanta Sym Orch & Chorus, Shaw. Telarc 80333.
  
• Traditional (Spiritual): Glory; Deep River. Angela Brown. Albany 721.
  

1 PM

• Lauber: Four Medieval Dances for flute and harp. Laurel Zucker, Susan Jolles. Cantilena 66034.
  
• Korngold: Piano Quintet in E major, Op. 15. Forsberg, Lysell, Forsberg, Sparf, Lidstrom. DG 459 631.
  

Classical Concerts, February 24-March 3, 2009

Thursday, February 26

• Pianist and Augusta State professor Clara Park is soloist in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Presented by the ASU Music Department, 7:30 Maxwell Theatre, Augusta State University.
• The Copland House Ensemble gives the first of two distinct performances presented by the Auburn Chamber Music Society. Hear Copland, Saint-Saens, Ravel, Milhaud and Stravinsky starting at 7:30, Goodwin Recital Hall, Auburn University.
• The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus - with guest soloists Janice Chandler, Thomas Cooley and Steven Humes - bring to life The Creation, Haydn's portrait of the beginning of the world. Set design by Anne Patterson; projection design by Adam Larsen; Robert Spano conducts. Repeats Saturday, both days at 8 p.m. in Atlanta's Symphony Hall.

Friday, February 27

• The Copland House Ensemble's bonus performance, with an all-new program. Presented by the Auburn Chamber Music Society at the Jule Collins Smith Art Museum, Auburn, Ala.
• The Male Choir of St. Petersburg showcases Russian repertoire with its 25 members, of whom four are deep-voiced basso profundos. 8 p.m., UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens.
• The Augusta Players present Stephen Sondheim's "fractured fairy tale" of a musical Into the Woods. Augusta. Runs February 27-March 1.
  

Saturday, February 28

• The Valdosta Symphony, Valdosta State University Concert Choir, VSO Chorus, VSU dance soloists and narrator James Schraeder perform King David, a biblical oratorio by Arthur Honegger. 8 p.m., Whitehead Auditorium, VSU, Valdosta. Repeats Sunday in Valdosta and Monday in Atlanta.
• The Atlanta Opera presents Verdi's Il Trovatore (The Troubador) at the Cobb Energy Centre, Atlanta. Repeats March 3, 6 and 8.
• The Atlanta Symphony again presents a semi-theatrical interpretation of Haydn's Creation: see Thursday above.
• As part of the 10th anniversary CSU Guitar Symposium, guitar duos Duo Spiritoso and Soloduo appear in Legacy Hall, RiverCenter, Columbus, 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 1

• The members of the Russian National Ballet Theatre dance and flutter their way through the story of Swan Lake, with Tchaikovsky's music. UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens.
• The Atlanta Chamber Players are in concert at Spivey Hall, Morrow, 3 p.m., with Beethoven's Serenade Op. 25, Poulenc's Trio for winds and piano, and Korngold's Piano Quintet.
• Valdostans repeat Honegger's King David in a multimedia, large-cast family concert at Valdosta State, 3 p.m. See Saturday above.
• Marko Feri and the Amadeus Duo are onstage at Legacy Hall, RiverCenter, Columbus, 7:30, as part of the CSU Guitar Symposium.
  

Monday, March 2

• Valdostans take King David on the road. Paul Neal leads the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and others in a multimedia production of Honegger's biblical oratorio. Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta.

Tuesday, March 3

• The Guarneri Quartet plays Haydn, Kodaly and Ravel at the Schwartz Center, Emory University, Atlanta, on its farewell tour.
  

Midday Music, Wednesday 2/25/09

11 AM

• Dvorak: "American" Quartet (String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96). Guarneri Quartet. Philips 420 803.
• Veracini: Violin Sonata in A-flat, Op. 1/7. Enrico Casazza, La Magnifica Comunita. Brilliant 93809.
• Saint-Saens: Clarinet Sonata, Op. 167. Sabine Meyer, Oleg Maisenberg. EMI 79787.

12 N

• Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Anne-Marie McDermott, Dallas Sym Orch, Brown. Bridge 9252.
• Cassado: Requiebros. Yuli Turovsky, I Musici. Analekta 9897.
  
• Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Act 2. Russian State Sym, Yablonsky. Naxos 8.555873-74.

1 PM

• Sondheim: A Little Night Music: Night Waltz; Send in the Clowns. Boston Pops Orch, Williams. Philips 2606.
• Honegger: Piano Concertino. Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Montreal Sym, Dutoit. London 452 448.
• Bach: Overture in the French Style, BWV 831. Joyce Yang. Harmonia Mundi 907405.
• Satie: Je te veux (I want you). Peter Fletcher. Centaur 2731.
  

Midday Music, Tuesday 2/24/09

Mardi Gras! Carnival! Shrove Tuesday! Whatever you call it, it's an excuse for a whirlwind global tour of classical party music. Break out the feathered masks and the skimpy samba outfits.

This week's concert list will follow shortly. On air I mentioned the Auburn Chamber Music Society's presentation of the Copland House Ensemble, Thursday 7:30 at Auburn University's Goodwin Hall and again with a different program Friday.

11 AM - Europe

• Schumann/Ravel: Carnival, Op. 9. Minnesota Orch, Oue. Reference 79.
  
• Liszt: Carnival of Pest (Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9, and that's Pest as in Budapest). Arthur Friedheim. Nimbus 8815.
  
• Raff: Symphony No. 11, "Winter": Carnival. Philharmonia Hungarica, Albert. CPO 999 536.
  
• Tarrega: Variations on "The Carnival of Venice." Xuefei Yang. EMI 06322.
  
• Glazunov: Carnival, Op. 45. USSR Sym Orch, Svetlanov. Melodiya 10-163.
  
• Chaminade: Valse Carnavalesque for two pianos. Bengt Forsberg, Peter Jablonski. DG 289 471 331.
  

12 N - Brazil and a little Mexico

• Milhaud: Le Boeuf sur le Toit (inspired by a Brazilian samba tune the French composer heard at Carnival, not by an actual bull on an actual roof). National Orch of Lille-Region Nord, Casadesus. Naxos 8.557287.
  
• Bonfa: Manha de Carnival, from Black Orpheus. I Salonisti. Sony 61731.
  
• Reed: La Fiesta Mexicana: Carnival. Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony, Corporon. (Bonus points if you can name the piece H. Owen Reed pays tribute to in the first couple of seconds of this movement.)
  
• Draganski: Trio from Rio. Rieder, Argiris, Honigberg. Albany 544.
  
• Machado: Musiques Populaires Bresiliennes: selections. Gary Schocker, Jason Vieaux. Azica 71215.
  

1 PM - North America

• Marsalis: At the Octoroon Balls, String Quartet No. 1 (about New Orleans festivities of sorts, though not Mardi Gras): mvts 3-7. Orion String Quartet. Sony 60979.
  
• Collins: Mardi Gras. Concordia Orch, Alsop. Albany 267.
• Abreu: Tico-Tico. Gary Schocker, Jason Vieaux. Azica 71215.

Midday Music, Monday 2/23/09

Psalms are at the heart of the second piece we hear today. Before each movement of his Cello Concerto (1932), California-born composer Frederick Jacobi cites a verse from Psalms 90-92.

1. Allegro Cantabile: "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations." Psalm 90:1
2. Allegretto: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1
3. Allegro Ritmico: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Your name, O Most High." Psalm 92:2

Hope you enjoy this gentle piece in its first outing on GPB.

In the noon hour, Beethoven's superlative "Emperor" Piano Concerto is followed by a short, familiar tune that is thought to resemble a bit of it: Bernstein's "Somewhere." Keep the middle movement of the concerto in mind till the end and do the four-note comparison yourself.

11 AM

• Rameau: Pieces de Clavecin en Concert No.1. Baroque Nouveau. Reference 118.
• Jacobi: Cello Concerto (1932). Alban Gerhardt, Barcelona Sym, Rickenbacher. Naxos 8.559434.
• Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78. Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov. Harmonia Mundi 901981.

12 N

• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1. Wilhelm Backhaus. Decca 433 882.
  
• Beethoven: "Emperor" Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat). Alfred Brendel, London Phil, Haitink. Philips 420 347.
  
• Bernstein: "Somewhere," from West Side Story. Empire Brass. Telarc 80159.
  

1 PM

• Delalande: Suite No. 5 from Symphonies for the King's Suppers. La Simphonie du Marais, Reyne. Harmonia Mundi 901303.
• Milhaud: The Creation of the World (La Creation du Monde). National Orch of Lille-North Region/Pas de Calais, Casadesus. Naxos 8.557287.
  

Midday Music, Thursday 2/19/09

In the noon hour, WACG Augusta's Mary Ellen Cheatham speaks with Diane Wittry. Wittry is this season's fourth candidate for music director of the Augusta Symphony, and she leads that orchestra in concert Saturday night at First Baptist of Augusta.

11 AM

• Rameau: Pieces de Clavecin en Concerts: No. 3. Baroque Nouveau. Reference 118.
  
• Arensky: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor. Claremont Trio. Tria 3860.
  
• Biber: Partita No. 5 from Harmonia Artificioso-Ariosa. Rare Fruits Council, Kraemer. Naive 3002.
  

12 N

• Gershwin: Embraceable You. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Leslie Stifelman. Nonesuch 79464.
  
• Lalo: Two Aubades. Chamber Music Palm Beach. Klavier 11105.
  
• Wittry: Mist (excerpt). Slovak State Phil Kosice, Wittry.
• Interview with Diane Wittry
  
• Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. David Oistrakh, Philharmonia Orch, Galliera. EMI 81487.
  
• Chopin: "Aeolian Harp" Etude in A-flat, Op. 25/1; Mazurka in F minor, Op. 68/4. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Decca 466 357.
  

1 PM

• Tchaikovsky: Scherzo Burlesque, from Suite No. 2, "Caracteristique." Detroit Sym, Jarvi. Chandos 9454.
  
• Mozart: Piano Sonata in F major, K. 280. Mitsuko Uchida. Philips 420 186.
  
• Bartok: Rumanian Folk Dances, arr. four cellos. Matt Haimovitz, Uccello. Oxingale 2007.
  
• Haydn: Symphony No. 23 in G major. Academy of Ancient Music, Hogwood. L'Oiseau-Lyre 430 082.
  

Midday Music, Wednesday 2/18/09

For Georgia concert listings for the week, please scroll down to just below today's playlist.

11 AM

• Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9/2. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Decca 289 466 357.
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor. Philadelphia Orch, Eschenbach. Ondine 1076.

12 N

• Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 3/6, RV 356. Catherine Mackintosh, Academy of Ancient Music, Hogwood. L'Oiseau Lyre 414 554. (Note to all you Suzuki violinists: This is the "Vivaldi A Minor" of Book 4 fame.)
  
• Prokofiev: "Classical" Symphony (No. 1 in D major). London Sym, Gergiev. Philips 475 7655.
• Debussy: Pour le Piano. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. London 452 022.
• Mozart: Symphony No. 30 in D major, K. 202. Dresden State Orch, Davis. Philips 432 977.

1 PM

• Chopin: Prelude in D minor, Op. 28/24. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Decca 289 466 357.
• Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major. Robert McDuffie, Scottish Chamber Orch, Swensen. Telarc 80507.
  
• Still: Festive Overture. Royal Phil Orch, Lipkin. Cambria 1060.
  
• Assad, S.: Istanbul: Awakening and Turkish Dance. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sergio and Odair Assad. Nonesuch 79505.
• Waxman: City Montage. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, London Sym, Litton. Nonesuch 79464.
  

Classical Concerts, February 17-22, 2009

This Saturday alone, there are five orchestral concerts going on in Georgia: the Rome Symphony in Rome, the Augusta Symphony in Augusta, both the New York Philharmonic and Atlanta Symphony orchestras in Atlanta, and don't forget the Ocmulgee Symphony in Hawkinsville. And that's just orchestras, and just Saturday!

Tuesday, February 17

• LaGrange College's Callaway Concert Series brings the Empire Brass to Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange, tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30.

Wednesday, February 18

• Renowned violinist and Macon native Robert McDuffie performs at Mercer University's Fickling Hall, Macon. 7:30, tickets at the door or (478) 301-5470. Mercer faculty and students get in free.

February 19, 21 & 22

• Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with the Atlanta Symphony. Mei-Ann Chen also leads the orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. Atlanta's Symphony Hall.

Friday, February 20

• Award-winning 21-year-old Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel-Wang performs Mozart, Martin, Chopin and Schumann at 8 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall, UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens.

Saturday, February 21

• The New York Philharmonic visits Emory's Schwartz Center in Atlanta to perform Berlioz, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. This concert is sold out.
  
• The Ocmulgee Symphony performs Mozart's 40th, Hummel's Fantasie, Bartok's Rumanian Folk Dances, Copland's Quiet City and Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, with conductor Chuck Quinn, violist Ulisses Silva and trumpet soloist Phil Elkins. 7:30, Hawkinsville Opera House.
• Acclaimed pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays Debussy and Ravel at Spivey Hall, Morrow. As of Tuesday noon, tickets are still available.
  
• The Rome Symphony and music director Richard Prior continue the season with Bruch's Violin Concerto, featuring concertmaster Sinisa Ciric, and Beethoven's First Symphony. 7:30, Rome City Auditorium.
• Final music-director candidate Diane Wittry leads the Augusta Symphony in Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto with soloist Kurt Nikkanen as well as Franck's Symphony in D minor and Mozart's Magic Flute Overture. 7:30, First Baptist of Augusta.
• The Roland Hayes Museum and the Music Guild present the Chattanooga Choral Society for the Preservation of African American Song singing spirituals, 7 p.m. at the Harris Arts Center’s Ratner Theater, Calhoun, (706) 629-2599.

Sunday, February 22

• The Augusta Symphony's Family Fun series presents a Classical Kids production, "Mozart's Magnificent Voyage," portraying the genius through the eyes of his young son, Karl, in a concert-and-story featuring 20 excerpts from Mozart's music. Peformance 3 p.m.; pre-concert entertainment 2:15. Maxwell Theatre, Augusta State University.
  
• The King's Singers - the acclaimed British male vocal ensemble - perform at Roswell United Methodist Church, 4 p.m. Tickets through itickets or from the church's arts office, (770) 594-0512.
• The Macon Concert Association presents the Juilliard-trained women of the Claremont Trio in performance, 7:30, Burden Parlor, Wesleyan College, Macon. Tickets available at the door.
  
• In this 200th anniversary of Haydn's death, music director and Haydn expert John Hsu leads the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra in "Symphonies for the Esterhazy Palace: A Tribute to the Grandeur of Haydn." Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Buckhead, Atlanta.
  

Midday Music, Tuesday 2/17/09

11 AM

• Saint-Saens: Havanaise. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, New York Chamber Sym, Schwarz. EMI 49726.
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major. Gewandhaus Orch Leipzig, Masur. Philips 426 782.
• Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, New York Chamber Sym, Schwarz. EMI 49726.
• Chopin: Nocturne No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 9/1. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Decca 289 466 357.

12 N

• Elgar: Sospiri (Sighs). English Chamber Orch, Osian Ellis, Goodwin. Harmonia Mundi 907258.
  
• Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in G major, K. 13. Yundi Li. DG 6090.
  
• Franck: Symphony in D minor. Orchestre des Champs Elysees, Herreweghe. Harmonia Mundi 901771.
• Piazzolla/Cohen: Nuevo Tango. Quartet San Francisco. ViolinJazz JCCD104.
  

1 PM

• Bantock: Pierrot of the Minute, Comedy Overture. Bournemouth Sym, Del Mar. Chandos 6566.
  
• Schumann: Symphonic Variations for piano. Jean-Yves Thibaudet. London 444 338.
  
• Rozsa: Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Robert McDuffie, Lynn Harrell, Atlanta Sym, Levi. Telarc 80518.
  

Midday Music, Monday 2/16/09

For this American holiday Midday Music includes an infectiously propulsive trio by 40-year-old American composer Patrick Zimmerli, rags by William Bolcom and Billy Joel, short bits of Copland and Gershwin and Still and Coleridge-Taylor, and a fantasia on Sousa themes. Happy Presidents Day.

11 AM

• Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture. Danish National Sym, Dausgaard. Chandos 10416.
• Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 76/3, "Emperor": Variations. Leipzig String Quartet. MDG 307 1362.
• Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme. Zuill Bailey, San Francisco Ballet Orch, West. Telarc 80724.
• Leonarda: Sonata No. 12 for Violin and Continuo. Bizarrie Armoniche. Opus111 30341.
• Still: Folk Suite No. 2 for flute, clarinet, bassoon and harp. Sierra Winds, Kim DiLibero. Cambria 1803.
  

12 N

• Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Bournemouth Sym, Alsop. Naxos 559031.
• Zimmerli: Piano Trio No. 1. Scott Yoo, Michael Mermagen, John Novacek. Arabesque 6785.
• Gershwin: Preludes. Washington Saxophone Quartet. Americus 20001014.
• Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag. Andres Cardenes, Luz Manriquez. Ocean Records 103.
• Billy Joel: Root Beer Rag. Jeff Senley, O-zone Percussion Group. Klavier 11115.

1 PM

• Coleridge-Taylor/Powell: Deep River. Rachel Barton Pine, Matthew Hagle. Cedille 097.
• Mozart: Magic Flute Overture. Scottish Chamber Orch, Mackerras. Telarc 80345.
• Copland: Quiet City. Orpheus Chamber Orch, Raymond Mase, Stephen Taylor. DG 427 335.
• Liebling: Fantasia on Sousa Themes. Rachel Barton Pine, Matthew Hagle. Cedille 097.
• Dvorak: Romance in F minor. Gil Shaham, Orpheus Chamber Orch. DG 449 923.
• Joplin: Something Doing. Washington Saxophone Quartet. Americus 20001014.

Midday Music, Thursday 2/12/09

Quite a day, that February 12, 1809. It was exactly 200 years ago that both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born. I had no luck locating musical tie-ins for Darwin, though I did come across a short piano piece called Endangered Species. Maybe someone could dash off a "Genetic" Symphony or a Galapagos Rag? . . . As for Abraham Lincoln, Performance Today devoted this morning's show to him and his musical tastes and contemporaries and settings of his words, including Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait. If you missed that, for a few days you can still hear the hour at the PT website. On Midday Music we'll add This Sacred Ground, a setting of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by American composer David Diamond.

Mostly this playlist connects to performers or rep to be heard in concert in Georgia over the next few days. Please see our list of classical concerts below for details. Pianist Roberto Plano in Augusta, the Macon Symphony in Macon, the Hilliard Ensemble at Spivey Hall, the Cobb Symphony in Kennesaw, a Broadway pops concert in Columbus and more!

(And please join host Eric Nauert for Friday's thematic Midday Music on GPB. Playlist here.)

11 AM

• Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 11, "Harmonies du Soir." Evgeny Kissin. Philips 456 871.
  
• Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major. Cincinnati Sym, Jarvi. Telarc 80585.
  

12 N

• Gombert: Missa Media Vita: Kyrie & Gloria. Hilliard Ensemble. ECM 1884.
  
• Bruch: Octet for violins, violas, cello & bass. Kodaly & Auer Quartets, Zsolt Fejervari. Naxos 8.557270.
  
• Dvorak: Carnival, Concert Overture. New Jersey Sym, Macal. Delos 3314.
• Tchaikovsky: Waltz from Eugene Onegin. State Sym Orch, Svetlanov. Melodiya 411-12.
  

1 PM

• Telemann: Viola Concerto in G major. Florian Deutler, Musica Antiqua of Cologne. Archiv 289 463 074.
  
• Mozart: Piano Sonata in B-flat, K. 333. Andreas Haefliger. Sony 46748.
  
• Diamond: This Sacred Ground (setting Lincoln's Gettysburg Address). Seattle Sym & Chorale, Seattle Girls' Choir, Northwest Boychoir, Erich Parce, Schwarz. Delos 3141.
  

Classical Concerts, February 12-17, 2009

February 12-13

• The Augusta Symphony's Pops! at the Bell series continues with Spectrum and a tribute to Motown's best, including hits by Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and the Four Tops, Thursday and Friday, 7:30, Bell Auditorium, Augusta.

Friday, February 13

• The Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society presents pianist Roberto Plano (winner, Cleveland International Piano Competition; finalist, Van Cliburn International Competition) in music of Schumann, Mozart and Liszt at Augusta State's Maxwell Theatre 8 p.m.; pre-concert talk 7:15.

Saturday, February 14, Valentine's Day

• The Macon Symphony and conductor Adrian Gnam offer Telemann's Viola Concerto with Ulisses Silva, Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto with Heather Noyes Richter and Sibelius's Second Symphony. 7:30, Grand Opera House, Macon.
• The Hilliard Ensemble (an "otherworldly" male vocal quartet) sing a program of early and modern Christian music from the Roman, English, Greek, Russian and Armenian traditions. Spivey Hall, Morrow, 8:15.
• The "Three Phantoms" - the men who enjoyed the longest runs as the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera in New York - join the Columbus Symphony and conductor George Del Gobbo for a musical tour of the best of Broadway. RiverCenter, Columbus.
• The Cobb Symphony performs Dvorak's Carnival Overture, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto with 22-year-old guest soloist Tina Guo and Brahms' Third Symphony at the Murray Arts Center, Kennesaw. Repeats 3 p.m. Sunday, February 15.

Sunday, February 15

• Dazzling violinist Hilary Hahn, with pianist Valentina Lisitsa, performs Ysaye, Ives, Brahms and Bartok at Morrow's Spivey Hall. Sold out.
• Venice meets violins in the Atlanta Symphony matinee family concert "Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery." 1:30 & 3:30, Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta.

Monday, February 16

• The Tasman String Quartet from New Zealand gives a free concert of Haydn, Bartok and Schubert in Auburn, Ala., 7:30, Goodwin Hall on the campus of Auburn University. (The group remains in residence at the university until March 15.)
  

Tuesday, February 17

• The famed Empire Brass come to LaGrange, presented by LaGrange College's Callaway Concert Series. 7:30, Callaway Auditorium.
  

Midday Music, Wednesday 2/11/09

To catch up for a moment: GPB Radio's short, sweet Winter Membership Campaign took place February 6-9, Friday through Monday, and thanks to you we reached the member goals for our music shows - and our overall goals as well! Thank you for your generous response.

Midday Music for Friday the 6th and Tuesday the 10th, were programmed by my colleagues at WSVH Savannah. See those playlists here. If you have questions about anything you heard Monday the 9th (or anything else!) please write middaymusic@gpb.org.

And on to today:

11 AM

• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Concerto Italiano, Alessandrini. Naive 30412.
• Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major. Hilary Hahn, Baltimore Sym, Zinman. Sony 60584.

12 N

• Faure: Requiem: Pie Jesu. Empire Brass. Telarc 80305.
• Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio. Nortbert Kraft, Northern Chamber Orch. Naxos 8.557122-23.
• Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto. Patrick Harrild, London Sym, Thomson. Chandos 9262/3.
  
• Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod (Isolde's Lovedeath), from Tristan and Isolde. Cincinnati Sym, Lopez-Cobos. Telarc 80379.
  
• Part: Da pacem Domine. Hilliard Ensemble. ECM 1930.
  

1 PM

• Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: excerpts from the second half of the ballet. Berlin Phil, Abbado. DG 289 453 439.
  
• Tchaikovsky: Nocturne in D minor for cello and orchestra. Zuill Bailey, San Francisco Ballet Orch, West. Telarc 80724.
  

Midday Music, Thursday 2/5/09

In the noon hour, I talk with bass-baritone Eric Owens (left) and soprano Christine Brewer (right), opera stars who are in Georgia to sing scenes by Richard Strauss with the Atlanta Symphony.

We also hear from Albany Symphony music director Claire Fox Hillard about what's coming up Saturday at Albany Municipal Auditorium in the orchestra's program "Oboe, Strings and Things."

Looking for more concert info for this weekend in Georgia? Try here!

11 AM

• Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major. Gautier Capucon, Gabriela Montero. EMI 89241.
• Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201. English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner. Philips 412 736.
• Bernstein: Diaspora Games, from Concerto for Orchestra, "Jubilee Games." New Zealand Sym, Judd. Naxos 8.559100.

12 N

• Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor. Daniel Hope, Chamber Orch of Europe. DG 477 6634.
• Interview with Christine Brewer and Eric Owens
  
• Strauss: Four Last Songs: the last two songs. Christine Brewer, Atlanta Sym, Runnicles. Telarc 80661.
• Interview with Claire Fox Hillard
• Tchaikovsky: Waltzes from Serenade for Strings and Sleeping Beauty. New York Phil, Masur. Teldec 94571.

1 PM

• Glinka: A Life for the Tsar: Krakoviak. National Sym Orch of Ukraine, Kuchar. Naxos 8.554844.
• Dvorak: Romantic Pieces, Op. 75. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Romeo 7263.
• Weiss: Lute Sonata No. 38 in C major. Robert Barto. Naxos 8.554833.

Midday Music, Wednesday 2/4/09

11 AM

• Sammartini: Maurice Steger et al. Harmonia Mundi 905266.
  
• Saint-Saens: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Romeo 7263.
  
• Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2, "Hymn of Praise" (Lobgesang): first half. Gewandhaus Orch, Chailly. Decca 475 6939.
  

12 N

• Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2, "Hymn of Praise" (Lobgesang): second half. Gewandhaus Orch, Leipzig Opera Chorus, Schwanewilms, Schnitzer, Seiffert, Chailly. Decca 475 6939.
• Lauridsen: O Magum Mysterium, arr. wind ensemble. Columbus State Univ Wind Ens, Rumbelow. Summit 397.
  
• Geminiani: Concerto Grosso No. 4 in F major (based on Corelli Violin Sonata Op. 5/4). Boston Baroque, Pearlman. Telarc 80698.
• Verhulst: The Bandit, Overture. Netherlands Radio Sym Orch, Steen. NM 92090.
  

1 PM

• Beethoven: "Pastorale" Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28). Murray Perahia. Sony 326462.
• Smetana: The Moldau. Milwaukee Sym, Macal. Telarc 80265.
• Part: Fratres for eight cellos. I Fiamminghi, Werthen. Telarc 80387.
  

Classical Concerts, February 3-8, 2008

Tuesday, February 3

• The LaGrange Symphony offers "Classical Gems" (Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture, Spoher's Second Clarinet Concerto with Staci Culbreth as soloist, and a Beethoven symphony). Patricio Cobos conducts. 7:30, Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange College.

Thursday, February 5

• Columbus State violin faculty Sergiu Schwartz and friends (faculty pianist Gila Goldstein, violist Maureen Gallagher and cellist Andre Gaskins) play chamber music by Mozart, Brahms and Mendelssohn on Columbus State's Legacy Live series. 7:30, RiverCenter. Tickets from RiverCenter, details from CSU's Music Department.

February 5 & 7

• Soprano Christine Brewer and bass Eric Owens join conductor Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony for an all-Strauss program featuring scenes from the operas Capriccio, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome. 8 p.m., Atlanta's Symphony Hall.

Saturday, February 7

• The Albany Symphony, led by Claire Fox Hillard, presents "Oboes, Strings & Things": Tchaikovsky's String Serenade, Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, Arvo Part's Fratres, Marcello's Oboe Concerto with soloist Susan Brashier, and a new piece, Bolus Hook, by orchestra member Russell Brown. 8 p.m., Albany Municipal Auditorium.

Sunday, February 8

• St. John Church and Concerts with a Cause present the Atlanta Sacred Chorale (Eric Nelson, director) in choral treasures by Mozart, Bainton and Lauridsen, plus spirituals. Free admission; nursery provided; an offering will be taken for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Augusta. 4 p.m., St. John United Methodist, Augusta.
  

Midday Music, Tuesday 2/3/09

Composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was born 200 years ago today in the German city of Leipzig. Growing up in a comfortable, cultured family, he and his favorite sister Fanny both soon showed themselves to be musical prodigies. His life was short, but he left behind dozens of hours of music that bring listeners pleasure to this day. Today on GPB's Midday Music it's wall-to-wall Mendelssohn.

11 AM

• Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Overture. Vienna Phil, Thielemann. DG 289 474 5022.
• Mendelssohn: On Wings of Song, Op. 34/2. Mischa Maisky, Sergio Tiempo. DG 289 471 565.
• Mendelssohn: Concerto in D minor for Violin, Piano and Orchestra. Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich, Orpheus Chamber Orch. DG 427 338.

12 N

• Mendelssohn: Wedding March (from his incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream). London Sym, Wordsworth. Virgin 391372.
  
• Hensel, Fanny Mendelssohn: Piano Sonata in C minor (1843). Louise Cheadle. AW Promotions 2004.
• Mendelssohn: "Reformation" Symphony (No. 5 in D major, Op. 107). Philharmonia Orch, Weller. Chandos 10224(3).

1 PM

• Mendelssohn: "Duetto" (Songs without Words, Op. 38/6). Murray Perahia. Sony 66511.
• Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49. Trio Wanderer. Harmonia Mundi 901961.

Midday Music, Monday 2/2/09

Yes, there's a lot of Mendelssohn on the playlist, and no, it's not because our database is stuck at M.

Felix Mendelssohn was born February 3, 1809. He began cranking out masterpieces as a teen, so though he didn't live to see his 40th birthday he left more than enough gems to sprinkle across a week. On GPB's Midday Music we'll observe his bicentennial all week with highlights.

11 AM

• Mendelssohn: Sweet Remembrance. Itzhak Perlman, Samuel Sanders. EMI 56602.
• Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 12. Juilliard String Quartet. Sony 60579.
• Marcello: Oboe Concerto in D minor. John Abberger, Tafelmusik, Lamon. Analekta 9811.
• Strauss: Capriccio: Prelude (sextet arr. string orchestra). New Stockholm Chamber Orch, Salonen. CBS 44702.

12 N

• Saint-Saens. Oboe Sonata, Op. 166. Ensemble Villa Musica. MDG 304 395.
• Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (No. 4 in A major). Berlin Phil, Levine. DG 427 670.
• Geminiani: Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor, Variations on "La Follia," based on Corelli's Violin Sonata Op. 5/12. Boston Baroque, Pearlman. Telarc 80698.

1 PM

• Hanson: Symphony No. 2, "Romantic." Saint Louis Sym, Slatkin. EMI 47850.
• Mendelssohn: Andante and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14. Lydia Artimiw. Chandos 8326.
• Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor. Cleveland Orch, Dohnanyi. London 425 438.