Classical Calendar, November 3-9

Violinists Joshua Bell, Philippe Quint and Christian Tetzlaff. Pianists Valentina Lisitsa and Jeremy Denk. Concerts in Columbus, Augusta, Morrow, Athens, Atlanta, Kennesaw and Albany. Take your pick and fill a seat!

Monday, November 3

• Columbus State University faculty and students perform Brahms' German Requiem at Columbus's RiverCenter.
  

Tuesday, November 4

• Also in Columbus, Columbus State's Schwob School of Music presents pianist Jeremy Denk performing Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata and more. The concert begins at 7:30, and they say you'll be out by 9:00 - in plenty of time to catch election returns on GPB Radio.

Thursday-Friday, November 6-7

• In Atlanta, violinist Joshua Bell and the Atlanta Symphony perform Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto. Also on the program, Robert Spano conducts Copland's Appalachian Spring and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.

Friday, November 7

• In Athens, piano legend Claude Frank plays Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert at the UGA Performing Arts Center.
• Pianist Valentina Lisitsa and the Warsaw Philharmonic perform Liszt's First Piano Concerto at Emory University in Atlanta. Antoni Wit also conducts Brahms' Second Symphony.

Saturday, November 8

• The Augusta Symphony welcomes to Augusta another potential new music director, Benjamin Loeb, for a concert at First Baptist of Augusta including Beethoven's First Piano Concerto (with soloist Andrew Armstrong), Ron Nelson's Savannah River Holiday, Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.
• And in Albany's Municipal Auditorium, Claire Fox Hillard leads the Albany Symphony in a fascinating program of music connected to myth. The Tantalus Quartet stars in "The Feast" (a concerto for four guitarists and orchestra) by Paraskevas. There are the Greeks myths of Orpheus (Gluck, Offenbach) and Psyche (Franck). And the orchestra plays a piece by its own member Steven Landis, "Through the Gate of Horn."
• And in Columbus, violinist Philippe Quint joins the Columbus Symphony and music director George Del Gobbo for Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The program at RiverCenter, "A Passion for the Tango," also features Ginastera's Estancia Dances, Falla's Three-Cornered Hat and Ravel's Bolero.

Saturday-Sunday, November 8-9

• At the Murray Arts Center in Kennesaw, the Cobb Symphony Orchestra, with the Cobb Symphony Chorus and cellist Matthew Allen offer Prokofiev's Cello Concerto and Borodin's Polovetsian Dances, as well as selections from The Sound of Music, Candide and Phantom of the Opera. Michael Alexander conducts.
  

Sunday, November 9

• The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra (plus singers) perform Vivaldi's Gloria, plus Bach's transcription of a Vivaldi concerto at Atlanta's Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.
• The Tetzlaff Quartet performs Mozart, Berg and Sibelius at Spivey Hall in Morrow. Christian Tetzlaff is the quartet's lead violinist; his sister Tanja is its cellist.
• It's Darton Guitar Day in Albany. Darton College's second annual guitar workshop includes an afternoon recital, master class and lecture, all free and open to the public.

Midday Music Monday 11/03/08

11 AM

• Beethoven: "Hammerklavier" Sonata (No. 29 in B-flat, Op. 106). Rudolf Serkin. Sony 47666.
  
• Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem: Part 1 (Selig Sind). Atlanta Sym Orch & Chorus, Spano. Telarc 80701.
  

12 N

• Joplin: Rag-Time Dance. Benjamin Loeb. Naxos 8.559277.
  
• Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Netherlands Phil, Kreizberg. PentaTone 5186 058.
  
• Beriot: Violin Concerto No. 3 in E minor. Philippe Quint, Slovak Radio Sym, Trevor. Naxos 8.570360.
  
• Gluck: Orpheus and Euridice: Dance of the Furies; Dance of the Blessed Spirits. Orpheus Chamber Orch. DG 437 782.
  

1 PM

• Schubert/Liszt: Die Taubenpost. Valentina Lisitsa. ACA 20102.
  
• Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1. Lise de la Salle, Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orch, Foster. Naive 5053.
• Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. New Zealand Sym, Judd. Naxos 8.555867.
  
• Mozart: Rondo in C major. Christian Tetzlaff, Northern Sinfonia, Schiff. Virgin 91489.
  

Midday Music Thursday 10/30/08

(Note: Friday brings the return of Midday Music Requests day with Alan Cooke. Bring on those Halloween requests, and I'll see you Monday.)

11 AM

• Stravinsky: Scherzo a la Russe. Russian National Orch, Pletnev. DG 453 434.
• Svendsen: String Octet in A major. Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. Chandos 9258.
• Barber: Piano Sonata, Op. 26: Finale. Garrick Ohlsson. Arabesque 6724.
• Barber: Adagio for Strings. Saint Louis Sym, Slatkin. Telarc 80503.

12 N

• Schubert: Rosamunde, Incidental Music. Orpheus Chamber Orch. DG 437 782.
• Brahms: Viola Sonata No. 2 in E-flat, Op. 120/2. Nobuko Imai, Roger Vignoles. Chandos 8550.
• Nielsen: Flute Concerto: Finale. Emmanuel Pahud, Berlin Phil, Rattle. EMI 94421.
• Kapustin: Preludes in Jazz Style, Op. 53: Nos. 11-12. John Salmon. Naxos 8.570582.
  

1 PM

• Bach: Cantata No. 11, "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen." Concentus Musicus, Vienna Boys Choir, Chorus Viennensis, soloists, Harnoncourt. Teldec 8.35029.
• Khatchaturian: Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano. Walter Boeykens Ensemble. Harmonia Mundi 901419.
• Kapustin: Preludes in Jazz Style, Op. 53: No. 18. John Salmon. Naxos 8.570582.

Midday Music Wednesday 10/29/08

For details on concerts mentioned during Midday Music, see this week's Classical Calendar posting below. Go forth and attend!

11 AM

• Francaix: Dance of the Three Harlequins. Nicole Narboni. RoeDeo Productions.
• Zelenka: Capriccio No. 5 in G major. Neu-Eroffnete Orch, Sonnentheil. CPO 999 629.
• Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata for cello and piano. David Finckel, Wu Han. ArtistLed 10401.
• Hanson: "Romantic" Symphony (No. 2): Allegro con brio. Saint Louis Sym, Slatkin. EMI 47850.

12 N

• Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol. London Phil, Jansons. EMI 50824.
• Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 18. The Lindsays, Williams, Watkins. ASV 4016.

1 PM

• Grainger: Handel in the Strand. Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. Chandos 9346,
  
• Avison: Concerto in B-flat, Op. 6/5. Avison Ensemble, Beznosiuk. Naxos 8.557553-554.
  
• Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances. St. Petersburg Phil, Temirkanov. Warner 2564 62050.
  

Classical Calendar, October 30-November 4, 2008

Here are some top concert listings around Georgia for this week, courtesy of GPB's Midday Music.

Thursday-Saturday, October 30-November 1

• In Atlanta's Symphony Hall, Leonard Slatkin conducts the Atlanta Symphony in Barber's Piano Concerto with Garrick Ohlsson as soloist, Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony with mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. The first in the ASO's "American Originals" series this fall.
  

Friday, October 31

• The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, from London, plays Brahms and Shostakovich sextets and Mendelssohn's famous Octet at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain.
  

Saturday, November 1

• The Valdosta Symphony Orchestra performs Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol, Nielsen's Flute Concerto with soloist Elizabeth Goode and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Conducting is Nicholas Ross, a finalist to become the VSO's next music director. Whitehead Auditorium, Valdosta State.
• At the Hardin Performing Arts Center in Evans, violinist Levon Ambartsumian and pianist Evgeny Rivkin perform Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata and both of Brahms' Op. 120 sonatas. Both men are from Russia but currently professors of music at the University of Georgia. Presented by the Augusta Symphony.
  

Sunday, November 2

• The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), with a history half a millennium long, performs in Morrow. It's a concert for the whole family, according to Spivey Hall, with half-priced children's tickets.
  
• Always seeking new venues, the Atlanta Chamber Players offer piano trios by Khatchaturian and Ives, plus Bartok's Second String Quartet, at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta.
  

Monday, November 3

• Brahms' German Requiem fills Columbus's RiverCenter. It's a joint student-faculty Columbus State performance of this divine work, with the CSU Choral Union and CSU Philharmonic and soloists Michelle DeBruyn and Earl Coleman conducted by Constantina Tsolainou.

Tuesday, November 4

• Award-winning American pianist Jeremy Denk headlines Columbus State's Legacy Live! series 7:30 at RiverCenter. He'll play two huge pieces - Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata and Ives' Concord Sonata - and be done by 9:00, just in time for you to jump into your car to catch election coverage on GPB.
  

Midday Music Tuesday 10/28/08

Results are in here at GPB Radio, and we just met our overall goal for the fall fund drive. Thank you, members who contributed! Thanks to you, we're back to programming like this. And it's not too late to join or renew online at gpb.org.

11 AM

• Rachmaninoff: Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. Martha Argerich, Gabriela Montero. EMI 07623.
• Gounod: Symphony No. 2 in E-flat. Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Marriner. Philips 289 462 125.

12 N

• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414. Malcolm Bilson, English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner. Archiv 413 463.
• Godowsky: Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Meter: selections related to Vienna (Rendezvous, Alt Wien, Terpsichorean Vindobona, The Salon, Memories). Marc-Andre Hamelin. Hyperion 67626.
• Saint-Saens: Concert Piece for harp and orchestra in G major. Suzanna Klintcharova, Sofia Phil, Manolov. Balkanton 030075.

1 PM

• Clement: Violin Concerto in D major. Rachel Barton Pine, Royal Phil, Serebrier. Cedille 90000 106.
• Power: Missa "Alma Redemptoris Mater": Credo. Trio Mediaeval. ECM 1869.
  

Midday Music 10/17/08-10/27/08

Dear Midday Music listeners,

As I type, I don't know the final results of GPB Radio's fall membership campaign.  Whatever the tally, I thank you for your part in making the fund drive as successful as it was.  There are so many demands on all our dollars right now; we deeply appreciate your willingness to part with some of yours for the sake of the public radio programs you love.  We will keep working to be worth it.  Again, thank you.

By the way, if you didn't manage to phone in before the official cutoff, it's not too late!  GPB's website will accept contributions through the end of the week. Go to gpb.org and click on "Support GPB Today."

Below are the Midday Music playlists for the past week-plus.  You'll notice a lot of Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Bach and Saint-Saens.  Those are all from current thank-you gifts (violinist Joshua Bell in Vivaldi's Four Seasons; a two-CD set of Mendelssohn Symphonies and Overtures; Bach Brandenburg Concertos No. 2-5 with Boston Baroque as part of the "Coffee Treats" Music Cooks set but also available as a straight CD from Telarc; Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals from a book and CD set for kids).  Again, these are possible thank-you gifts at the $60+ contribution level when you go to gpb.org and click on the "Support" button.

Thanks again for being the public in public radio.  We can't do it without you.  And now, back to our regular, uninterrupted, commercial-free, content-driven programming.

- Sarah

Friday, October 17

11 AM

• Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMI 81788.
  
• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Spring. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88687 11013.
  

12 N

• Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals. Scottish National Orch, Gibson. EMI disc/Holt book.
  
• 12 N
  
• Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor. Helene Grimaud, Staatskapelle Dresden, Salonen. DG 389 477 5719.
  
• Chavez: Xochipilli, An Imagined Aztec Music. Southwest Chamber Music. Cambria 8852.
  

1 PM

• Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMi 81788.
  
• Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No 13. Gila Goldstein. Patrych/independent CD.
  
• Napravnik: Russian Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra. Evgeny Soifertis, BBC Scottish Sym, Titov. Hyperion 67511.
  
• Chopin: "Black Key" Etude (in G-flat, Op. 10/5). Murray Perahia. Sony 61885.
  

Monday, October 20

11 AM

• Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue in D major. Taverner Players, Parrott. Virgin 0946 391340.
  
• Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (No. 4). New Philharmonia Orch, Muti. EMI 81788.
  
• Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium. Scottish National Orch, Gibson. EMI disc/Holt book.
  

12 N

• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Autumn. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
  
• Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMI 81788.
  
• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman. Music Cooks "Coffee Treats" set.
  

1 PM

• Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D major: Finale. Ray Still, Academy of London, Stamp. Virgin 90813.
  
• Wagner: Parsifal: Good Friday Music. Philadelphia Orch, Thielemann. DG 289 453 485.
  
• Waxman: Carmen Fantasy. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, London Sym, Litton. Nonesuch 79464.
  

Tuesday, October 21

11 AM

• Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat, K. 364. Julia Fischer, Gordan Nikolic, Netherlands Chamber Orch, Kreizberg. PentaTone 5186 098.
  
• Albeniz: Malaguena. David Russell. Telarc 80672.
  

12 N

• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Boston Baroque, Pearlman. Music Cooks "Coffee Treats" set.
  
• Mendelssohn: Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde, Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMI 81788.
  
• Liszt: Totentanz. Krystian Zimerman, Boston Sym, Ozawa. DG 423 571.
  
• Debussy: Arabesque No. 1. Yolanda Kondonassis. Telarc 80622.
  

1 PM

• Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium. Scottish National Orch, Gibson. EMI disc/Holt book.
  
• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Summer. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
  
• Brahms: Horn Trio in E-flat: Scherzo and Finale. Gunter Hoegner, Erich Binder, Andras Schiff. London 410 114.
  

Wednesday, October 22

11 AM

• Beethoven: "Kreutzer" Sonata (Sonata No. 9 for Piano and Violin): Mvt 1. Itzhak Perlman, Martha Argerich. EMI 56815.
  
• Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas, Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMi 81788.
  
• Handel: Concerto Grosso in B-flat, Op. 3/2. Handel & Haydn Society, Hogwood. L'Oiseau-Lyre 421 729.
  
• Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat: Finale. Malcolm Bilson. Bridge 9263.
  

12 N

• Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals: Introduction and Royal March of the Lion. Scottish National Orch, Gibson. EMI disc/Holt book.
  
• Breton: Four Spanish Pieces: Scherzo Andaluz and Polo Gitano. LOM Piano Trio. Naxos 8.570713.
  
• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major
  
• Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 in E major. Simon Trpceski. EMi 75586.

1 PM

• Glazunov: Wedding March. Bavarian Radio Sym, Jarvi. Orfeo 093 201.
  
• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Winter. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
  
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor: Mvt 2. Philadelphia Orch, Eschenbach. Ondine 1076.
  

Thursday, October 23

11 AM

• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Spring. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
  
• Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major: Mvt 1. Chicago Sym Orch, Boulez. DG 289 459 610.
  
• Mendelssohn: Athalia, Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMI 81788.
  
• Kabalevsky: The Comedians: Galop.  Cincinnati Pops, Kunzel. Telarc.
  

12 N

• Sarasate: Romanza Andaluza. Gil Shaham, Orpheus Chamber Orch. DG 449 923.
  
• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Boston Baroque, Pearlman. Music Cooks "Coffee Treats" set.
  
• Ravel: Tzigane. Salvatore Accardo, London Sym, Abbado. DG 427 314.
  
• Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld: Can-Can. Cincinnati Pops, Kunzel. Telarc.
  

1 PM 

• Canning: Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan. Indianapolis Sym, Leppard. Decca 458 157.
  
• Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain. Minnesota Orch, Oue. Reference 82.
  
• Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major: Finale. James Ehnes, Vancouver Sym, Tovey. CBC 5241.
  
• Delibes: Coppelia: Waltz. Cincinnati Pops, Kunzel. Telarc.
  

Friday, October 24 (programmed by co-host Eric Nauert)

11 AM

• Still: Festive Overture. Royal Phil, Lipkin. Cambria 1060.
  
• Gershwin: Preludes, arr. piano trio. Eroica Trio. EMi 56482.
  
• Mulligan: Entente for baritone sax and orchestra. Mulligan, Houston Sym, Kunzel. Pro Arte 703.
  

12 N

• Chadwick: Elegy in Memory of Horatio Parker. Czech State Phil, Serebrier. Reference 74.
  
• Sowash: Fantasia on "Shenandoah." Pell, Shelburne Quartet. Gasparo 236.
  
• Brubeck, C.: Convergence. Czech National Sym, Freeman. Koch 7653.
  

1 PM

• Joplin: Solace, A Mexican Serenade. John Novacek. Ambassador 1008.
  
• Maillard: Prayer to the One. / Anonymous: There Is a Balm in Gilead. Sweet Honey in the Rock. EarthBeat 42580.
  
• Meyer: 1B; O'Connor: Vistas. Mark O'Connor, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer. Sony 66782.
  

Monday, October 27

11 AM

• Dukas: Piano Sonata in E-flat minor: Mvt 4. Marc-Andre Hamelin. Hyperion 67513.
  
• Mendelssohn: "Scottish" Symphony (No. 3). New Philharmonia Orch, Muti. EMI 81788.
  

12 N

• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Autumn. Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
  
• Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 in C major: Mvt 1. Iceland Sym, Sakari. Naxos 8.505179.
  
• Bottesini: Gran Duo Concertante for Violin, Double Bass and Strings. Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Saint Paul Chamber Orch, Hugh Wolff. Sony 60956.
  
• Meyer: By the River. Mike Marshall, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer. Sony 62891.
  

1 PM

• Mendelssohn: "Reformation" Symphony (No. 5): Mvt 2. New Philharmonia Orch, Muti. EMI 81788.
  
• Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat, K. 417: Eric Ruske, Scottish Chamber Orch, Mackerras. Telarc 80367.
  
• Mendelssohn: "Reformation" Symphony (No. 5): Mvts. 3-4. New Philharmonia Orch, Muti. EMI 81788.
  

Thank you for supporting GPB!

Midday Music Thursday 10/16/08

Hi,

Before today's playlist, I'd like to ask you a favor. Just take a moment and calculate something:

How many hours a week you spend with GPB Radio? Or, to take the long view, how many hours do you spend with GPB each year? Got a number? Please keep it in mind over the coming week as you consider your chance to contribute to GPB. How much is something worth that's worth so much of your time?

Listeners cover the costs of providing you with Midday Music, Performance Today, The ASO on GPB, and all our other news, talk and entertainment programming. Whatever your circumstances this year, please consider the maximum you're able to give, and then do your part during GPB's fall fund drive. Your membership matters.

Housekeeping: No Midday Music Requests the next couple of Fridays. Likely no online playlists during the drive either. As always, I'll endeavor to catch up afterwards, when things calm down. Looking forward to hearing from you in the meantime!

Thanks,

Sarah

P.S. Join me tonight (Thursday) at 9:00 for GPB's exclusive broadcast of the great Cleveland Orchestra playing Ravel, Sierra and Mussorgsky - recorded in concert in March in Columbus, Georgia!

11 AM

• Gershwin/Bunch: Porgy and Bess Fantasy. Eroica Trio. EMI 07351.
  
• Strauss: Festive Prelude for organ and orchestra. Michael Chertock, Cincinnati Sym, Lopez-Cobos. Telarc 80371.
  
• Kuula: South Ostrobothnian Dances. Finnish Radio Sym, Tikka. YLE 9505.
  
• Giuliani: Serenade for flute and guitar, Op. 127. Laurel Zucker, Richard Savino. Cantilena 66012.
  

12 N

• Anonymous (French Renaissance): Bransles de village. Piffaro. Archiv 447107.
  
• Beriot: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor. Philippe Quint, Slovak Radio, Trevor. Naxos 8.570360.
  
• Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor. Lang Lang. Telarc 80524.
  

1 PM

• Stenhammar: Symphony No. 2 in G minor. Royal Stockholm Phil, Jarvi. Virgin 45244.
  

Midday Music Wednesday 10/15/08

Today I mention concerts in Macon, Augusta, Morrow and Atlanta. Find details through this week's Classical Calendar post.

11 AM

• Matteis: Ayres for the Violin, Book 4: Sonata in C major. Arcadian Academy, McGegan. Harmonia Mundi 907067.
• Handel: Water Music, Suite No. 1 in F major. Boston Baroque, Pearlman. Telarc 80594.
• Mendelssohn: My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? Op. 78/3 arr. brass. Oregon Symphony Horns. Centaur 2344.

12 N

• Lauro: Virgilio. Sharon Isbin. Teldec 39845736.
• Guilmant: Symphonic Piece for trombone and orchestra. Christian Lindberg, Bamberg Sym, Segerstam. BIS 378.
• Walton: Crown Imperial coronation march. United States Marine Band, Colburn. Naxos 8.570243.
• Beethoven: Cello Sonata in E-flat, Op. 64 (based on his String Trio, Op. 3): second half. Maria Kliegel, Nina Tichman. Naxos 8.555786.
• Amram: Symphony, Songs of the Soul: Dance of Joy. Berlin Radio Sym Orch, Wilkins. Naxos 8.559420.

1 PM

• Mozart: "Linz" Symphony (No. 36 in C major, K. 425). Prague Philharmonic, Belohlavek. Harmonia Mundi 901891.
• Wieniawski: Legend for violin and orchestra in G minor. Juliette Kang, Vancouver Sym, Comissiona. CBC 5197.
  

Midday Music Tuesday 10/14/08

11 AM

• Lauro: Romanza. Sharon Isbin. Teldec 39845736.
  
• Grieg: Sigurd Jorsalfar: Three Orchestral Pieces. Malmo Sym, Engeset. Naxos 8.557991.
  
• Grechaninov: Piano Trio No. 2 in G major. Simcisko, Alexander, Ruso. Marco Polo 223416.
  
• Vivaldi: Concerto in C major for winds and strings, RV 558. Academy of Ancient Music, Manze. Harmonia Mundi 2907230.
  

12 N

• Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs). Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer. Sony 62891.
  
• Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1. Philharmonia Orch, WEller. Chandos 10224(3).
  
• Bernstein: West Side Story Suite. Eroica Trio. EMI 07351.
  

1 PM

• Schubert: String Quintet in C. Guarneri Quartet, Leonard Rose. RCA 82876-62310.
  

Classical Calendar, October 16-19

First, a quick note on a couple of special programs that you might enjoy this week on GPB Radio. Both were recorded in concert in Georgia last spring and are GPB exclusives.

• Tonight (Monday) at 9:00 on Savannah Music Festival Live, hear the husband-and-wife team of cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, in performance in Savannah last spring.
• Thursday evening at 9:00, GPB is pleased to present a special broadcast of the superlative Cleveland Orchestra recorded at their March 30 concert in Columbus, Georgia. Please join me as Giancarlo Guerrero (the new music director of the Nashville Symphony) leads the orchestra in Roberto Sierra's Fandangos, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Please listen in.

And now, on to actual events you might want to attend.

Thursday and Saturday, October 16 and 18

• In Atlanta, Nicholas McGegan leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus in Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 1 (Hymn of Praise) and two pieces by Handel.

Friday, October 17

• In Augusta State's Maxwell Theatre, the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society presents Jacques Thibaud Trio from Berlin, performing string trios by Beethoven, Klein and Herzogenberg.
• The Sparrow Quartet - banjo stars Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck, fiddler Casey Driessen, cellist Ben Sollee - cross stylistic boundaries at the Ferst Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta.
  
• The Macon Symphony Orchestra gives a Young People's Concert at Wesleyan College, Macon.

Saturday, October 18

• Wesleyan College Organ Dedication. Organist Michael McGhee, the Macon Symphony Orchestra and the Wesleyan College Women's Chorus, all led by Adrian Gnam, join together to present Porter Auditorium's newly renovated organ in music of Walton, Guilmant, Strauss and Debussy. Wesleyan College, Macon.
• Young Croatian guitarist Robert Belinic is the first guitarist to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. Saturday in Morrow he makes his Spivey Hall debut in Morrow with Bach, Sor, Mangore, Cagalj, Brouwer and Lauro.
• String masters Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile present Newgrass on double bass and mandolin at the Rialto Center in Atlanta.
• The Woodruff Arts Center, home of the Atlanta Symphony, hosts a free Community Engagement Day with cultural festivities and performances for all ages, to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
  

Sunday, October 19

• Enjoy the great outdoors. Happy autumn!

Midday Music Monday 10/13/08

Quick note on a couple of live-in-Georgia programs on GPB Radio that you might enjoy.

• Tonight at 9:00 on Savannah Music Festival Live, hear the husband-and-wife team of cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, in performance in Savannah last spring.
• Thursday evening at 9:00, GPB is pleased to present a special broadcast of the superlative Cleveland Orchestra recorded at their March 30 concert in Columbus, Georgia. Giancarlo Guerrero (the new music director of the Nashville Symphony) leads the Cleveland Orchestra in Roberto Sierra's Fandangos, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Please listen in.

And now to today's Midday Music playlist.

11 AM

• Handel: Flute Sonata in G major, HWV 363b. Bruggen, Bylsma, Asperen. Sony 60100.
• Handel: Zadok the Priest. Academy & Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields, Marriner. Philips 412 733.
• Beethoven: Violin Concerto. Isabelle Faust, Prague Philharmonia, Belohlavek. Harmonia Mundi 901944.

12 N

• Bach: Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat, BWV 998, arr. guitar. David Russell. Telarc 80584.
• Debussy: Nocturnes for Orchestra. Cleveland Orch & Chorus, Boulez. DG 439 896.
• Haydn: Piano Trio in E-flat, Hob. XV:29. Vienna Piano Trio. Nimbus 5535.

1 PM

• Godowsky: Piano Sonata in E minor. Marc-Andre Hamelin. Hyperion 67300.

Midday Music Wednesday 10/08/08

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins this evening. On Midday Music we hear Max Bruch's Kol Nidrei, based on the Aramaic prayer that opens the evening service; Matthew Fields' Call of the Shofar for trombone quartet; a demonstration of a real shofar (ram's horn); Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind; the "Confession" section of Ernest Bloch's Baal Shem Suite; and a maybe, possibly, conceivably Kol-Nidre-related bit of a Beethoven string quartet.

Thursday's Midday Music comes from WSVH Savannah; playlists here. Friday is requests with Alan Cooke; playlists here. See you next week. -Sarah

11 AM

• Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave. Russian National Orch, Pletnev. DG 477 053.
  
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, "Winter Dreams." Bournemouth Sym, Litton. Virgin 91119.
  

12 N

• Bruch: Kol Nidrei. Janos Starker, London Sym, Dorati. Mercury 432 001.
  
• Fields: Call of the Shofar. Glendening, Stupakiewicz, Silvey, Reardon. MMC 2087.
  
• Leoncavallo: Pagliacci: Intermezzo. Berlin Phil, Karajan. DG 419 257.
  
• Gliere: Horn Concerto. Richard Watkins, BBC Phil, Downes. Chandos 9379.
  

1 PM

• Bloch: Baal Shem Suite: Vidui (Confession). Sergiu Schwartz, Tao Lin. Romeo 7246.
  
• Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 131, mvts. 6-7. Cleveland Quartet. Telarc 80425.
  
• Golijov: The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind. Todd Palmer, St. Lawrence String Quartet. EMI 57356.
  

Midday Music Tuesday 10/7/08

Hi, all. For details on concerts mentioned on air, see Midday Music's weekly Classical Calendar. There are orchestral goings-on in LaGrange, Augusta, Atlanta and Roswell, plus opera in Atlanta.

I'll be with you Wednesday too, and then our Savannah crew hosts Thursday's Midday Music and Alan Cooke in Augusta takes requests on Friday.

11 AM

• Lully: The Orchestra of the Sun King. Le Concert des Nations, Savall. Alia Vox 9842.
• Bach: Overture in the French Style, BWV 831. Joyce Yang. Harmonia Mundi 907405.
  
• D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air. Schapiro, San Francisco Sym, Monteux (recorded in 1941). BMG RCA 9026 61888.
  

12 N

• Pasculli: Grand Concerto on Themes from Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, for oboe and piano. Ivan Paisov, Natalia Shcherbakova. Naxos 8.570567.
  
• Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (No. 4 in A major). New Philharmonia Orch, Muti. EMI 81788.
  
• Busnois: Motet "Incomprehensibilia/Praeter rerum ordinem." Orlando Consort. Harmonia Mundi 907333.
  

1 PM

• Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin; Francesca da Rimini. Baltimore Sym Orch, Zinman. Telarc 80378.
• Rota: Bassoon Concerto. Christopher Millard, CBC Vancouver Sym, Bernardi. CBC 5185.
  

Classical Calendar, October 7-12, 2008

Here are select events of interest around the state. The usual caveats apply: No claims to be comprehensive, and please, while this is the latest information to reach GPB, check details with the folks on the ground before venturing forth on your cultural quest. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 7

• With the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth coming up in early 2009, the LaGrange Symphony presents an all-Mendelssohn program, featuring globetrotting violinist Sergiu Schwartz (Columbus State faculty) in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. Patricio Cobos conducts. Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange College, 7:30.

October 7, 10 and 12

• The Atlanta Opera's production of Madama Butterfly continues its run. Starring Joanna Kozlowska and Richard Leach. Production design by Jun Kaneko. Cobb Energy Centre, off I-75 north of downtown Atlanta.

Thursday-Saturday, October 9-11

• Robert McDuffie of Macon and Mercer University and general renown soloes in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, part of the Atlanta Symphony's all-Tchaikovsky concert, which also includes the First Symphony ("Winter Dreams") and Francesca da Rimini. Robert Spano conducts. 8 p.m., Atlanta's Symphony Hall.

Saturday, October 11

• It's a real-life reality show in Augusta this season, as four conducting finalists compete to become the Augusta Symphony's next music director. The first contender, Susan Haig, takes the podium Saturday for Sibelius's Second Symphony and selections by Leoncavallo, Mozart and Verdi with baritone Leonard Rowe. 7:30, First Baptist of Augusta.
• In Roswell, the Georgia Philharmonic performs Tchaikovsky's Second Symphony ("Little Russian") plus D'Indy, Mozart and MacDowell. Philip Rice conducts. Roswell Cultural Arts Center.
  

Midday Music Monday 10/06/08

Launching this week on Midday Music are a pair of renowned violinists who teach at universities here in Georgia. Both of these artists perform worldwide, but this week both happen to be soloing locally in Romantic violin concertos:

• Sergiu Schwartz of Columbus State's Schwob School of Music plays the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto tomorrow, Tuesday the 7th, with the LaGrange Symphony. (On GPB we hear him in a Saint-Saens sonata.)
  
• And Robert McDuffie of Macon and Mercer University soloes in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto October 9-11 with the Atlanta Symphony. (On Midday Music he plays Bruch.)
  

The Second Symphony by Jean Sibelius highlights the noon hour. That's a piece the Augusta Symphony performs Saturday. Conducting will be the first of four potential music directors the Augustans are trying out this season. She's Susan Haig, associate conductor of the Florida Orchestra.

11 AM

• Saint-Saens: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Romeo 7263.
• Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. Robert McDuffie, Scottish Chamber Orch, Swensen. Telarc 80507.

12 N

• Mozart: The Abduction from the Seraglio, Overture. Lausanne Chamber Orch, Menuhin. Virgin 363284.
  
• Debussy: The Girl with Flaxen Hair. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Rome 7263.
  
• Sibelius: Symphony No. 2. Iceland Sym Orch, Sakari. Naxos 8.505179.
  

1 PM

• Bach, C.P.E.: Trio Sonata in D major, Wq 151. Les Amis de Philippe. CPO 999 495.
  
• Ries: Symphony No. 7 in A minor. Zurich Chamber Orch, Griffiths. CPO 999 904.

Midday Music Thursday 10/2

Starting at around 12:35, director Bernard Uzan and assistant director Tara Faircloth join me to speak about Puccini's beloved Madama Butterfly - which the Atlanta Opera presents at the Cobb Energy Centre on October 4, 7, 10 and 12. Tara is a Fort Valley native, by way of Shorter College; she now lives in Houston. They'll talk about the music, the emotion, their roles and this production's untraditional sets, and they'll introduce us to highlights from the opera.

Note also that Madama Butterfly is this week's featured show on World of Opera, Saturday at 1:30 on GPB Radio.

Russell Wells hosts Friday's Midday Music; Alan Cooke returns next Friday.

11 AM

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 2. London Sym, Haitink. LSO 0082.
• Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100, plus the first movement from Violin Sonata No. 3. Pamela Frank, Peter Serkin. London 455 643.

12 N

• Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor. Olli Mustonen, San Francisco Sym, Blomstedt. London 444 518.
• Puccini: Madama Butterfly. Interview and musical excerpts. Most selections came from an old CBS CD set (no. 35181) with Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, Gillian Knight, Ingvar Wixell, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Lorin Maazel. Two were from an RCA Basic Opera Highlights disc (no. 63496) with Leontyne Price and the RCA Italian Opera Orchestra and Chorus led by Erich Leinsdorf.
  

1 PM

• Madama Butterfly excerpts and interview, concluded.
• Chaminade: Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 21. Louise Cheadle. AW Promotions 2204.
• Vivaldi: Sinfonia in C major, RV 116. Helicon Ensemble, Fuller. Reference 2101.

Midday Music Monday 9/29/08

Much of today's music connects to Jewish religion and culture or to the theme of creation, in honor of Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight. Happy new year to our Jewish listeners!

We also hear a couple of pieces with concert tie-ins: to Saturday's Rome Symphony performance, including a Vivaldi oboe concerto; the all-Mendelssohn LaGrange Symphony concert next Tuesday with Sergiu Schwartz as violin soloist; and the Eroica Trio's Sara Sant'Ambrogio and Emory University's William Ransom playing Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano in Atlanta over the course of two evenings, October 3-4. Also note the Atlanta Symphony's Bach-Beethoven-Brahms program with pianist Peter Serkin, October 2-4) and the Atlanta Opera's zoomy production of Madama Butterfly (October 4, 7, 10, 12) - more on that Thursday.

A note on hosts: Besides Monday and Thursday, this week's Midday Music will be hosted by Russell Wells from GPB station WSVH in Savannah. Alan Cooke's Friday show returns next week.

11 AM

• Bloch: Suite Hebraique: Affirmation. Trio Lyra. CBC 1161.
• Weinberg, J.: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C major. Jorge Federico Osorio, Barcelona Sym, Rickenbacher. Naxos 8.559457.
• Vandervelde: Genesis V. Minneapolis Guitar Quartet. Albany 207.
• Schoenfield: Klezmer Rondos for flute and orchestra: mvt 2. Scott Goff, Seattle Sym, Schwarz. Naxos 8.559403.
• Steinberg: Songs for Flute, Viola and Harp. Trio Lyra. CBC 1161.

12 N

• Haydn: The Creation: "Awake the Harp." Atlanta Sym Orch & Chorus, Shaw. Telarc 80519.
• Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes. Evgeny Kissin, members of Moscow Virtuosi. Philips 456 871.
• Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in C major, Op. 8/12. Paul Goodwin, English Concert, Pinnock. Archiv 445 839.
• Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69. Pieter Wispelwey, Dejan Lazic. Channel 22605.
• Haydn: The Creation: "The Heavens Are Telling." Radio Sym Orch & Chorus Stuttgart, Marriner. EMI 50842.

1 PM

• Milhaud: The Creation of the World. Branford Marsalis, Orpheus Chamber Orch, Sony 89251.
• Dvorak: Romantic Pieces, Op. 75. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Romeo 7263.
• Schoenfield: Trio for clarinet, violin and piano. Charles Neidich, Lev Polyakin, Frances Renzi. Innova 544.
• Weissgall: T'kiatot: shofar call. Steven Ovitsky. Naxos 8.559425.

Midday Music Thursday 9/25/08

(Alan Cooke will be in Friday to host Midday Music requests, and his playlists are here. Our list of Georgia classical concerts is here. See you Monday.)

11 AM

• Brahms: Romance, Op. 118/5. Mark Anderson. Nimbus 5521.
• Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor. Emanuel Ax, Chicago Sym, Levine. Sony 03510.

12 N

• Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain. Cincinnati Sym, Jarvi. Telarc 80705.
• Crittenden: A Scottish Fantasy. Minneapolis Guitar Quartet. Albany 339.
• Mozart: "Prague" Symphony (No. 38 in D major). Freiburg Baroque Orch, Jacobs. Harmonia Mundi 901958.

1 PM

• Chopin: Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor. Evgeny Kissin. RCA 68668.
• Dvorak: "Dumky" Trio (Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90). Trio con Brio. Azica 71240.
• Traditional: The Shining Shore. Anonymous 4. Harmonia Mundi 907400.
• Mandonico: Calace Rag. Italian Mando-Rag Club of Brescia. Naxos 8.557999.

Midday Music Wednesday 9/24/08

11 AM

• Gabrieli: Canzon Primi Toni a 10. London Sym Orch Brass, Crees. Naxos 8.554129.
• Mozart: Piano Sonata in A major, K. 331. Mikhail Pletnev. DG 5832.
• Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart [from the first movement of the above sonata]. Staatskapelle Dresden, Blomstedt. Profil 07003.
• Sarasate: Introduction and Tarantella. Itzhak Perlman, Abbey Road Ensemble, Foster. EMI 55475.

12 N

• Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue for two pianos and orch. Katia & Marielle Labeque, Cleveland Orch, Chailly. London 417 326.
• Chavez: Xochipili, An Imagined Aztec Music. Southwest Chamber Music. Cambria 8852.
• Falla: Ritual Fire Dance. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Delos 3144.
  
• Villa-Lobos: A Lenda do Caboclo. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Telarc 80686.
  
• Bach: Cantata No. 106, "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit." Munich Bach Choir & Orch, Richter. Archiv 413 646.
• Jongen: Danse Lente for flute and harp. Laurel Zucker, Susan Jolles. Cantilena 66034.
  

1 PM

• Brahms: Rhapsody in E-flat, Op. 119/4. Emanuel Ax, piano. Sony 88697-03510.
• Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. John O'Conor, London Sym, Delfs. telarc 80704.
• Tennant: Celtic Fare. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Sony 89100.
  

Classical Calendar, September 25-28

Ongoing through September 28

• The Westobou Festival is in full swing in Augusta.

Thursday, September 25

• The Augusta Symphony presents a "Music to the People" concert at East Georgia College in Swainsboro. Light classic and popular selections by Tchaikovsky, John Williams, Dvorak and others, and principal trumpeter James Ackley soloes in Haydn's Trumpet Concerto. 7 p.m., free admission.
• The Augusta Choral Society performs a program connecting music and the cosmos, "Something Like a Star." Sacred Heart Cultural Center, Augusta, 7:30.

September 25, 27 and 28

• The Atlanta Symphony opens its fall season with the three B's. Emanuel Ax soloes Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, and Robert Spano conducts Bach and Brahms. Atlanta Symphony Hall.
  

Friday, September 26

• The Augusta Symphony plays for "Cirque de la Symphonie" in Augusta's Bell Auditorium. Part of the Westobou Festival.
• The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet plays at Emory University in Atlanta. As of midday Tuesday, tickets were still available.
  

Saturday, September 27

• The Ocmulgee Symphony opens its second season with music of Wagner, Dvorak, Gershwin and Rodgers. 7:30 p.m. in Hawkinsville's Opera House.

Sunday, September 28

• Alan Morrison (Curtis Institute of Music) and Jeannine Morrison (Clayton State professor emerita) play a mother-and-son duo recital at Spivey Hall in Morrow.
• The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra offers Telemann's recorder suite with soloist Aldo Abreu, a Bach cantata and more, 3 p.m. Sunday in Atlanta.
  

Midday Music Tuesday 9/23/08

In concert tie-ins on Midday Music we're hearing the Wagner overture the Ocmulgee Symphony Orchestra plays Saturday, plus tape from the OCO's first season finale last spring; the Haydn trumpet concerto the Augusta Symphony takes on the road Thursday to Swainsboro; the Brahms symphony the Atlanta Symphony performs at its season-opening concerts, and the soloist to appear on those concerts, Emanuel Ax. Find details in this blog's weekly Classical Calendar. "Music: It's not just for radio."

11 AM

• Bruch: Romance for violin and orchestra. Maxim Fedotov, Russian Phil, Yablonsky. Naxos 8.557689.
• Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor. London Sym, Haitink. LSO 0045.

12 N

• Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat. Bibi Black, Philharmonia Orch, Scimone. EMI 54620.
  
• Brahms: Rhapsodies, Op. 79. Emanuel Ax. Sony 88697-03510.
  
• Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess. Ocmulgee Sym, Chuck Quinn. From the orchestra's first season finale concert, April 2008 in Hawkinsville.
  
• Wagner: Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin. Berlin Phil, Tennstedt. EMI 86248.
  
• Raff: Duo on Themes from Wagner's Lohengrin. Livia Sohn, Benjamin Loeb. Naxos 8.570202.
  

1 PM

• Giuliani: Sonata Eroica. David Russell. Telarc 80525.
  
• Mozart: Andante from Sonata in D major, K. 448, arr. flutes and piano. Schulz, Schulz, Inui. Naxos 8.570309.
  
• Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 7 in G minor, BWV 1058. Angela Hewitt, Australian Chamber Orch, Tognetti. Hyperion 67307.
  
• Dello Joio: Variations and Capriccio. Fritz Gearhart, Paul Tardiff. Koch 7268.
  

Midday Music Monday 9/22/08

Autumn. The first official day of fall doesn't always feel so autumnal in Georgia, but with the cool mornings we've been having this time round it's just plausible (today's projected high temperatures in the 80s notwithstanding). So on Midday Music we're harvesting, hunting, comtemplating and generally enjoying the break from the heat.

11 AM

• Gunning: Yorkshire Glory: "Autumn Festival." Royal Liverpool Phil, Handley. Resonance 3074.
  
• Tchaikovsky: The Seasons: "October" (Autumn Song). Helen Callus, Phillip Bush. ASV 1184.
  
• Glazunov: The Seasons: "Autumn." Royal Phil, Ashkenazy. London 433 000.
  
• Mozart: Flute Quartet No. 3 in C, K. 285b. Carol Wincenc, Emerson String Quartet. DG 431 770. (Not autumnal, just nice.)
  
• Delius: "Late Swallows," from String Quartet No. 1. Brodsky Quartet. Resonance 3074.

12 N

• Vivaldi: Four Seasons: "Autumn." Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sony 88697 11013.
• Mozart, L.: Sinfonia di Caccia (Hunt). L'Orfeo Baroque Orch, Gaigg. CPO 999 536.
• Raff: Symphony No. 10, "At Autumn Time": "The People's Hunt." Philharmonia Hungarica, Albert. CPO 999 536.
• MacCunn: Highland Memories: "Harvest Dance." Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Wilson. Resonance 3074.
• Spohr: Symphony No. 9, "The Seasons": "Summer," "Fall." Bavarian Radio Sym, Rickenbacher. Orfeo 094-841.

1 PM

• Piazzolla: Otono Porteno (Autumn in Buenos Aires). Eroica Trio. Angel 57906.
  
• Thomson: Autumn, harp concertino. Ann Mason Stockton, Los Angeles Chamber Orch, Marriner. EMI 47715.
  
• Nelson: Pastorale, "Autumn Rune." Keystone Wind Ensemble, Stamp. Klavier 11168.
  
• Stevens: Seasons, symphony for brass quintet: "Autumn." Louisville Brass. Centaur 2821.
  
• Strauss: Four Last Songs. Christine Brewer, Atlanta Sym, Runnicles. Telarc 80661.

Midday Music Friday 9/19/08

Eric Nauert of WSVH is your host for today's Midday Music. (Playlist.) Alan Cooke returns next Friday.

Midday Music Thursday 9/17/08

A new occasional segment of Midday Music launches today: Opera Chat. Hear me and Renee Wilson-Wicker in conversation about opera and operas, in connection with the Metropolitan Opera's high-definition live broadcasts to theaters around the country - big-screen, real-time digital audio and video straight from the Met in New York.

The new season of those starts Monday, September 22 with a gala featuring soprano Renee Fleming in scenes from Verdi's La Traviata and more. In a new partnership, GPB Radio and Education and GMEA (the Georgia Music Educators' Association), we'll be offering tickets to music teacher/music student pairs to see the Met HD simulcasts at several theaters around Georgia.

For details, read about GPB's Metropolitan Opera Project, and listen shortly after noon for the first Opera Chat. My co-chatter, Renee Wilson-Wicker, is GMEA's choral chair and - by day - a public school chorus director in Gwinnett County.

(Week's almost over. Got plans? How about the Silk Road Ensemble tonight in Augusta, or the Macon Symphony on Saturday, or the Daedalus Quartet at Spivey Hall? Classical Calendar.)


11 AM

• Mussorgsky: Khovanshchina, Prelude (Dawn on the Moscow River). Cincinnati Sym, Jarvi. Telarc 80705.
• Franck: Symphony in D minor. Orchestre des Champs Elysees, Herreweghe. Harmonia Mundi 901771.
• Wolf: Intermezzo in E-flat. Leipzig String Quartet.

12 N

• Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, Overture. Concerto Koln, Jacobs. Harmonia Mundi 901818.20.
• Verdi: La Traviata, Prelude to Act 1. Cincinnati Pops, Kunzel. Telarc 80364.
• Opera Chat with Ren
  
• Massenet: "Adieu, notre petit table" from Manon. Renee Fleming. Decca 289 467 049.
  
• Massenet: Manon. Excerpt. Renee Fleming.
• Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major. John O'Conor, London Sym, Delfs. Telarc 80704.
• Faure: Requiem: Pie Jesu. Branford Marsalis, Orpheus Chamber Orch. Sony 89251.
  

1 PM

• Sibelius: Finlandia. Scottish National Orch, Gibson. Chandos 241-19.
  
• Sibelius: "Intimate Voices" String Quartet. Daedalus Quartet. Bridge 9202.
  
• Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela. Helsinki Phil, Segerstam. Ondie 862.
  

Midday Music Wednesday 9/17/08

Georgia connections: Violinist Sergiu Schwartz, who soars through Strauss in our first hour, teaches at Columbus State University (and will be featured in concerto appearances in Columbus and LaGrange later this season). The prizewinning young Daedalus Quartet opens Spivey Hall's concert season Saturday; we hear their recording of Ravel in the noon hour. And Dvorak's New World Symphony, featured after the one o'clock news, is the headline work on the Macon Symphony's upcoming concert. Here is this week's concert info, including links to festivals revving up in Augusta.

11 AM

• Satie/Debussy: Gymnopedie No. 1. Royal Phil, Entremont. Sony 47278.
  
• Lawes: Consort Set in G minor. Maxine Eilander, Les Voix Humaines. Atma 2372.
  
• Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat, Op. 18. Sergiu Schwartz, Alec Chien. Romeo 7263.
  

12 N

• Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture. New Philharmonia Orch, Atzmon. EMI 81788.
• Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 19/2. Bertrand Chamayou. Naive 5131.
  
• Rachmaninoff: Vespers (All-Night Vigil), beginning. Academy of Choral Art Moscow, Popov. Delos 3388.
• Ravel: String Quartet in F major. Daedalus Quartet. Bridge 9202.
• Rachmaninoff: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: Nos. 6, 8, 12. Prague Phil Choir, Brych. Praga 250 176.
  

1 PM

• Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." Oslo Phil, Jansons. Brilliant 93635.
• Telemann: Solo No. 11 in E minor, TWV 41:e6. Paul Goodwin et al. Harmonia Mundi 907152.
  

Midday Music Tuesday 9/16/08

11 AM

• Purcell: Chacony. Aradia Baroque Ensemble, Mallon. Naxos 8.554262.
• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 8 in C major, K. 246, "Lutzow." David Greilsammer, Suedama Ensemble. Naive 5149.
• Roussel: Symphony No. 2: 2nd mvt. Royal Scottish National Orch, Deneve. Naxos 8.570529.
• Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. Gewandhaus Orch Leipzig, Masur. Teldec 44943.

12 N

• Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor. Mark Kaplan, London Sym, Miller. Arabesque 6597.
• Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 33/3, "The Bird." Kodaly Quartet. Naxos 8.550789.
• Persian traditional: Avaz-e Dashti. Silk Road Ensemble members on setar, ney and santur. Sony 89782.

1 PM

• Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat. Chamber Orch of Europe, Abbado. DG 423 654.
• Ries: Piano Sonatina in A minor, Op. 45. Susan Kagan. Naxos 8.570796.
• Saint-Saens: Havanaise. Itzhak Perlman, New York Phil, Mehta. DG 423 063.

Classical Calendar, September 18-21

Lots going on in Augusta! The multi-arts, multi-genre Westobou Festival runs September 18-28, and the Arts in the Heart Festival comes to life this weekend only, September 18-21. As one highlight of this cultural smorgasbord, the internationally acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble appears at Augusta State Thursday the 18th, with very reasonably priced tickets. Follow the festival links above for complete, extensive, colorful festival listings.

Meanwhile, Saturday at Macon's Grand Opera House, the Macon Symphony opens its new season ("a season so hot you gotta wear shades," they claim!) with Dvorak's "New World" Symphony and Wieniawski's Second Violin Concerto, featuring soloist Emil Chudnovsky.

And in Morrow, the prizewinning young Daedalus Quartet makes its Spivey Hall debut in a season-opening celebration presenting string quartets by Haydn and Janacek and the "Trout" Quintet by Schubert.

Midday Music Monday 9/15/08

Our noontime selections tie in to concerts you might like to check out: Thursday's appearance in Augusta of the innovative-traditional-multinational Silk Road Ensemble as part of the Westobou Festival; Saturday's Spivey Hall season opener in Morrow featuring the prizewinning young Daedalus String Quartet in Schubert's Trout Quintet and more; and the start of the Macon Symphony's season with a concert of Ravel, Wieniawski and Dvorak at the Grand Opera House on Saturday. Find links to details in this week's Classical Calendar.

11 AM

• Bach: Concerto in F major for harpsichord and two recorders, BWV 1057. Academy of Ancient Music Berlin. Harmonia Mundi 901876.
• Mozart: Violin Sonata in A major, K. 305. Gil Shaham, Orli Shaham. Canary CC01.
• Prokofiev: Cinderella, Suite. Scottish National Orch, Jarvi. Chandos 10484.

12 N

• Zhao: Distant Green Valley. Silk Road Ensemble. Sony 93962.
• Schubert: "Trout" Quintet. Paul Lewis, Leopold String Trio, Mitchell. Hyperion 67527.
• Ravel: Alborada del Grazioso. London Sym, Abbado. DG 427 314.

1 PM

• Lawes: Consort Set in D major. Maxine Eilander, Les Voix Humaines.
• Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat, op. 36; Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32/12. Denis Matsuev. RCA 88697155912.

Midday Music playlist for Thursday, September 11

I'm about to resume posting weekly lists of concerts. If you notice I've missed a performance GPB listeners would like to know about, please write (middaymusic@gpb.org) and point me to details. Note: Much as I'd love to provide one-stop shopping for every single classical event in Georgia, and valuable though student performances and church singalongs may be, there is a whole state to cover. Just concerts by pros, please. Thanks!

Concert-wise, it's all Beethoven at the CSO's Saturday concert; the Cobb Symphony has an all not-Beethoven program; the Valdosta Symphony plays some Beethoven and some not-Beethoven. Details are here on those concerts and others. (Today on the air, Columbus Symphony music director George del Gobbo introduces Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Tomorrow please join Alan Cooke for Midday Music Requests.)

11 AM

• Godard: Berceuse from Jocelyn. Eroica Trio. Angel 57906.
• Dvorak: "American Quintet" (String Quintet in E-flat, Op. 97). Vlach Quartet, Kyeslak. Naxos 8.553376.
• Roussel: Suite in F (1926). Royal Scottish National Orch, Deneve. Naxos 8.570529.

12 N

• Villa-Lobos: Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. Eroica Trio. Angel 57906.
• Kapustin: Concert Etudes, Op. 42: Raillery, Pastoral, Intermezzo. John Salmon. Naxos 8.570532.
• Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Anne-Marie McDermott, Dallas Sym, Justin Brown. Bridge 9252.
• Bach: Lute Suite No. 4 in E major, arr. guitar. Julian Bream. EMI 55123.

1 PM

• Rachmaninoff: Vocalise. Eroica Trio. Angel 57906.
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor. Tonhalle Orch, Zinman. Arte Nova 49695.
• Dvorak: Rusalka: Song to the Moon, arr. violin and orchestra. Joshua Bell, Orch of St. Luke's, Stern. Sony 97779.
  

Midday Music playlist for Wednesday, September 10

11 AM

• Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor. Lang Lang, Vienna Phil, Mehta. DG 289 477 79841.
• Albeniz: Cordoba. Xuefei Yang, guitar. EMI 06322.
• Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony: Red Cape Tango. Baltimore Sym, Zinman. Argo 452 103.

12 N

• Beethoven: Fidelio Overture. Scottish Chamber Orch, Mackerras. Telarc 80439-A.
  
• Beethoven: "Eroica" Symphony (No. 3 in E-flat). Helsingborg Sym, Manze. Harmonia Mundi 907370.
  

1 PM

• Tuma: Sonata a tre in A minor. Concerto Italiano, Alessandrini. Naive 30436.
  
• Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478. Mann, Hillyer, Adam, Bernstein. Sony 60598.
  
• Schmitt: Symphony in D. New Dutch Academy Chamber Orch, Murphy. PentaTone 039.
  

Midday Music playlist for Tuesday, September 9

Today's musical newcomer is William Perry's Jamestown Concerto from 2006, written to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English colony in Virginia. The solo cello acts as the narrator, introducing each section of the story (London 1606 - The Virginia Company; Settlements Along the River; The Long Winters; Pocahontas in London; and Jamestown - Four Hundred Years On). William Perry has had a long and successful career writing music for films and television, and you get some of that cinematic feeling from this concerto.

For details on live classical music around Georgia this week - orchestral concerts in Columbus, Valdosta and Kennesaw and the Eroica Trio's appearances in Dahlonega, Lookout Mountain and Columbus - please see Monday's post.

11 AM

• Beethoven: Oboe Concerto: Largo (reconstr. ). Bart Schneeman, Radio Chamber Orch Netherlands, de Vriend. Channel 21404.
  
• Wagner: Rienzi Overture. Berlin Phil, Tennstedt. EMI 86248.
  
• Gershwin: Cuban Overture, arr. piano duo. Piano Duo Genova and Dimitrov. CPO 777 039.
  
• Mozart: "Haffner" Symphony (No. 35 in D). English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner. Philips 422 419.
  

12 N

• Milhaud: Scaramouche. Theodore Kerkezos, Philharmonia Orch, Brabbins. Naxos 8.557063.
  
• Perry: Jamestown Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. Yehuda Hanani, RTE National Sym, Eddins. Naxos 9.559344.
  
• Quantz: Trio Sonata in C minor, on flute, oboe and guitar. Kuskin, Bender, Kessler. Boston Skyline 110.
  
• Prokofiev: Fountain Scene and Polonaise from Boris Godunov. Scottish National Orch, Jarvi. Chandos 10484 X.
  

1 PM

• Victoria: Vexilla Regis. The Sixteen, Christophers. Coro 16021.
  
• Beethoven: Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello. Eroica Trio, Prague Chamber Orch. Angel/EMI 62655.
  

Midday Music playlist for Monday, September 8

Midday Music's noontime selections tie into these upcoming concerts:

• The Valdosta Symphony is trying out potential new music directors this season. First up is Howard Hsu, who leads the orchestra in Bartok's Rumanian Folk Dances, Milhaud's Percussion Concerto (with Paul Campiglia as soloist) and Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. Valdosta; Saturday, September 13.


• Joining the Cobb Symphony, Russian pianist Alexander Ghindin (first prize winner, Cleveland International Piano Competition) performs Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Also on the program: The Planets by Gustav Holst. Kennesaw; September 13-14.


• The Columbus Symphony plays an all-Beethoven program including the Fifth Symphony and, with the Eroica Trio as guests, the Triple Concerto. Columbus; Saturday, September 13.

• Note that the Eroica Trio also appears in Dahlonega this Thursday, September 11 (a free concert at Northern Georgia College and State University's student center auditorium) and on Friday the 12th in Lookout Mountain (at Covenant College, again free).

And here's today's playlist.

11 AM

• Tuma: Sonata a quattro in A minor. Concerto Italiano. Naive 30436.
• Saint-Saens: Oboe Sonata. Ensemble Villa Musica. MDG 304 0395.
• Lawes: Consort Set in G major. Maxine Eilander, Les Voix Humaines. Atma 2372.
• Dvorak: Violin Sonata in F major. Gil Shaham, Orli Shaham. DG 449 820.

12 N

• Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Peter Jablonski, Royal Phil, Ashkenazy. London 436 239.
• Bartok: Rumanian Folk Dances. Quebec Sym, Talmi. Analekta 3156.
• Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 11, "Gassenhauer." Eroica Trio. Angel 62655.

1 PM

• Haydn: Symphony No. 70 in D major. Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Drahos. Naxos 8.550780.
• Gershwin/Grainger: Porgy and Bess Fantasy. Piano Duo Genova and Dimitrov. CPO 77 039.
• Warlock: Capriol Suite. Royal Phil, Wordsworth. Intersound 2882.

Midday Music playlist for Friday, September 5

...will be found at augustamiddaymusic.blogspot.com, where Alan Cooke posts details of his Requests Fridays. The request line is 877-RADIO-GA.

Midday Music playlist for Thursday, September 4

Three big new releases from three big names: pianist Simone Dinnerstein, violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Lang Lang. Enjoy!

11 AM

"The Berlin Concert" is the second recording by American pianist Simone Dinnerstein, and it's being as received as enthusiastically as her first, career-launching recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations was last year.

In this live performance in November 2007, Simone Dinnerstein ("Simona Dinnersteen") plays Bach, Lasser and Beethoven to an enthusiastic crowd at the Berlin Philharmonie. It's available from Telarc as a disc or a download.

• Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816.
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111.
• Bach: Goldberg Variation No. 13 (as an encore).

12 N

Joshua Bell is among the world's most popular violinists, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons are among the world's most popular violin concertos. At last, he and they meet.

Josh Bell is backed by the English chamber orchestra the Academy of Ancient Music. As a bonus, Bell throws in the devilishly tricky "Devil's Trill" Sonata by Giuseppe Tartini. All just out this week from Sony BMG.

We hear the entire album this noon hour.

• Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, violin concertos, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4 (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter).
• Tartini: Violin Sonata in G minor The Devil's Trill

1 PM

Did you watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing? Recall a musical number with throngs of green lightbulb-clad dancers gyrating around a grand piano? Well, the young man playing that piano was twenty-something international Chinese-born superstar pianist Lang Lang.

Lang Lang's latest recording is of pieces well suited to his Romantic, impassioned style: the two gorgeous piano concertos by Chopin. With him are conductor Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic. The recording officially comes out next Tuesday from Deutsche Grammophon in disc or download form. We'll hear one today and catch the other next week.

• Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21.

Midday Music playlist for Wednesday, September 3

11 AM

• Beethoven: Romance No. 1 in G major. Itzhak Perlman, Berlin Phil, Barenboim. EMI 49657.
• Cramer: Variations on "Ein Maedchen oder Weibchen" from Mozart's Magic Flute. Malcolm Bilson. Bridge 9263.
• Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (No. 4 in A major). Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mackerras. Virgin 61183.
• Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy. Gil Shaham, Berlin Phil, Abbado. DG 289 457 583.

12 N

• Telemann: Recorder Concerto in C major. Peter Holtslag, Parley of Instruments, Holman. Hyperion 66413.
  
• Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. London Sym, Thomas. Sony 48231.
  
• Reicha: Oboe Quintet in F major, Op. 107. Sarah Francis, Allegri String Quartet.
  
• Copland: Hoe-Down from Rodeo. Detroit Sym, Dorati. Decca 466 909.
  

1 PM

• Glass, L.: Piano Quintet in C major. Christina Bjorkoe, Copenhagen Classic. CPO 777 062.
• Wagner: Forest Murmurs, from Siegfried. Met Orch, Levine. DG 447 764.
  

Midday Music playlist for Tuesday, September 2

The summer drought of concerts is ending. First into the water for 2008-2009 is the Albany Symphony. Led by music director Claire Fox Hillard, the orchestra plunges in with Made in America. The program includes Joan Tower's piece by that name, Philip Glass's double timpani concerto (featuring principal timpanists of the Atlanta and Macon symphonies, Mark Yancich and David Morris), Copland's Rodeo and the premiere of Evening Scenes by Albany Symphony member Scott Young. Albany's ASO is in concert 8 p.m. Saturday, September 6 at Albany Municipal Auditorium. Info: (229) 317-6799; Albany Symphony.

11 AM

• Prokofiev: The Stone Flower, Suite. Scottish National Orch, Jarvi. Chandos 10481.
• Gabrieli: Jubilate Deo. Canadian Brass. Opening Day 7347.
• Breton: Four Spanish Pieces. LOM Piano Trio. Naxos 8.570713.

12 N

• Lawes: Consort Set in D minor. Maxine Eilander, Les Voix Humaines. Atma 2372.
• Beethoven: "Pastorale" Piano Sonata (No. 15 in D major, Op. 28). Claudio Arrau. Philips 426 256.
• Tower: Made in America. Nashville Sym, Slatkin. Naos 8.559328.
• Purcell: Trumpet Sonata, Z. 850: Allegro. Aradia Baroque Ensemble, Mallon. Naxos 8.554262.
  

1 PM

• Bolling: Jazz Suite No. 1 for Flute and Jazz Piano. Baroque and Blue. Profil 08021.
• Sainz de la Maza: Zapateado; Rondena. David Russell. Telarc 80633.
  
• Beriot: Violin Concerto No. 5 in D major. Philippe Quint, Slovak Radio Sym, Trevor. Naxos 8.570360.

Midday Music playlist for Monday, September 1

11 AM

• Mascagni: Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. I Salonisti. DHM 77377.
• Ries: Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 11/2. Susan Kagan. Naxos 8.570796.
• Lawes: Duo for Guitar and Harp. Maxine Eilander, Stephen STubbs. Atma 2372.
• Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 5. Stephen Hough, City of Birmingham Sym, Oramo. Hyperion 67331/2.

12 N

• Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue in D major. Tafelmusik, Lamon. Reference 2101.
• Rubinstein: Melody in F major. Bernard Gregor-Smith, Yolande Wrigley. ASV 2103.
• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 6 in B-flat, K. 238. David Greilsammer, Suedama Ensemble. Naive 5149.
  
• Dvorak: Humoresque, Op. 101/7 (arr. Waxman). Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Leslie Stifelman. Nonesuch 79464.
  
• Copland: Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes. Atlanta Sym, Lane. Telarc 80606.
  

1 PM

• Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50. Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Truls Mork. Canary CC05.