Week of January 5, 2026 - Francis Poulenc A master of wit and elegance, Francis Poulenc was equal parts boulevardier and enfant terrible. His melodic gifts and prolific output made him one of the 20th century’s most enduring composers. Even more impressive, Poulenc was the only self-taught member of Les Six. This group of young French composers was considered the brightest stars of contemporary French music at the time. Bill displays the range of Poulenc's pieces this week— from witty parody to deep tragedy and everything in between.
Week of January 12, 2026 - Mozart at his Zenith Beginning in 1786 at the first hearing of Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, we’ll explore the stream of masterpieces, including operas, symphonies, piano concertos, and chamber works that Mozart wrote in the last five years of his life. He was in his early thirties, navigating the political life of a court composer in Vienna, while partying with the passion of a young man, and all the while producing one masterpiece after another. On November 20, 1791, Mozart took to his bed, yet he still brought in one of his protégés to write down notes and phrases. On December 5, Mozart died, leaving his Requiem Mass unfinished. From these years alone, Mozart left a body of work that expresses a universe of imagination and emotions.
Week of January 19, 2026 - You and the Night and the Music Novelists have built their plots around great music. Join us as we step into the minds of authors trying to describe the feelings and emotions of music. We begin with an inspiring mandolin and the letters of T.S. Eliot. In Thursday’s program, Bill tells the story of a violin maker and part-time sleuth who has a nostalgic longing for Bach. Dvorák falls in love. An author reminisces about his father’s final journey with Beethoven. We end our travels through literature and music with a dream of the devil and E.M. Forster’s vision of Beethoven from Howard’s End.
Week of January 26, 2026 – Program TBA
